Pick-Ups & Deliveries: November 2013 — Sephora VIB Sale Haul

I had already anticipated that November was going to be an expensive month, but what I hadn't anticipated was getting so many damn things that I needed to split my hauls into three separate posts. (In case you missed them, the other two are here and here.) So... the Sephora VIB sale. It was during the same weekend as IMATS, so I basically blew half a month's pay cheques in two days. Yup. And I don't regret it at all. I mean, I'm not a VIB Rouge member for nothin'. I would've done this post earlier, actually, but I bought half of my purchases in store and half online, so I was waiting for my order to arrive (which it did on Friday). 
Sephora VIB tote bag
I know there was a lot of controversy over NARS' collaboration with Guy Bourdin, but I personally think it got a little out of hand. Guy Bourdin was a photographer and an artist, and while some might think his photography is offensive, his work, like all art, is up for interpretation. Ultimately, Guy Bourdin's work is an inspiration to many, not just in the subject matter, but in the placement and juxtaposition of the subjects, the way his photos were shot, and the different combinations of colours, textures, people, and environments. NARS was inspired by Guy Bourdin, and the reason behind it is not what concerns me, but how NARS interpreted Bourdin's artwork to create a make-up colour collection. And the colours are what is important to me here. I honestly couldn't care less who the collaboration was made with, but the colour story and the quality of the products are what concern me. So, that having been said, I picked up the four items that I fell in love with:
NARS x Guy Bourdin
NARS x Guy Bourdin Powder Blush in Day Dream and Coeur Battant
NARS x Guy Bourdin Cinematic Lipstick in Goodbye Emmanuelle and Full Frontal
Of course, I had to pick up the one thing that I've been lemming for over two months now: Urban Decay's Vice 2 Eyeshadow Palette. No, I certainly do not need another eyeshadow palette, but when Urban Decay releases a new one, my interest gets piqued. And when they release one that's limited edition with completely brand new shades, I feel that I must have it, because Urban Decay has never disappointed me with their eyeshadows in terms of quality and colours. I was super-impressed with the first Vice palette, so when I saw the swatches of the second one, it was love at first sight. And while I was at it, I picked up two more shades of Revolution Lipstick (one of my Top 5 favourite lipstick formulas of all time) in a MLBB shade and a nude (I had bought some of the brighter shades a couple months ago and wanted some of the more neutral shades this time around).
Urban Decay Vice 2 Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay Vice 2 Eyeshadow Palette (inside)
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Liar and Naked2
And then I looked up Tarte for the sole purpose of getting a bottle of their Pure Maracuja Oil. I have been curious about face oils for a while now and just couldn't seem to make up my mind on one. Honestly, it was between this and Josie Maran's Argan Oil. I'm not really sure why I went for this one instead, but they both have rave reviews, so perhaps if the Tarte one doesn't work out for me, I'll try out Josie Maran's. While I was looking at the Tarte stuff, I also saw that they released their new Amazonian Butter Lipsticks. As I am a sucker for packaging, I was immediately drawn to them. Plus, the colour range is nice, the formula is rich and moisturizing, and the price is just right. So I picked up three shades that most interested me right now (I think I would've been more inclined to grab the brighter or lighter shades if it was spring or summer). Do I need anymore lipsticks? Oh, god, no. (If you'll notice, this haul alone includes seven goddamn lipsticks.) But there's no better time to try a new lipstick than when it's on sale, right?!

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil
Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipsticks in Plummy Rose, Poppy, and Tulip

Then, some essentials. Or, "essentials," as I am a general cosmetics hoarder and nothing I buy right now is technically essential. I needed a new face primer because my beloved MAC Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50 is on long-term out of stock and I just ran out, so I took the opportunity to try the much-hyped (and ridiculously expensive) Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15. I also picked up a new Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, which I still think is the best in the industry and is a staple tool for me (they actually write on the box that you should replace your curler every six months but I truly think that's ridiculous, so I replace it every three years instead...). And, finally, some Deborah Lippmann polishes, which is not essential at all (like, at all), but were too pretty to resist (especially for 20% off!). Plus, let's be honest, what kind of Sephora haul could I make that doesn't include nail polish? One that doesn't make sense, obviously.
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Some Enchanted Evening, Good Girl Gone Bad, Lady Sings the Blues, and Today was a Fairytale
Finally, to end my haul, some free goodies! Firstly, because it was my birthday, I got my free Beauty Insider birthday gift. They were offering some Benefit mini set this year that I was so completely uninterested in, so I opted for the Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather instead. I haven't decided whether to keep it or to give it to the boyfriend yet, but at least it'll be opened and used either way (that Benefit set would undoubtedly be sitting in the corner of my room gathering dust). And then, because I had a ridiculous amount of VIB points, I redeemed them on some 500 point perk sets. I'm not usually interested in the point perks that they offer, but Sephora's hitting it out of the park for me this month, so I ended up choosing four of them. Although it kind of worries me that I had enough points to redeem for four 500 point perks and still have over 1,000 points left... (Uh, for those who aren't familiar with Sephora's VIB program, you get one point for every $1 you spend. Which means I have spent way too many dollars there.)
Beauty Insider Birthday Gift: Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather
VIB 500 Point Perk: Caudalie Brighten & Renew Skincare Set (with Make-up Remover Cleansing Water, Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, and Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Fluid)
VIB 500 Point Perk: Kate Somerville Skincare Set (with Oil Free Moisturizer, ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliator, and DTX Daily Cleanser)
VIB 500 Point Perk: Tarte Amazonian Treasures Collection (with Pure Maracuja Oil, Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder, Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed, Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4-in-1 Mascara, and EmphasEYES Waterproof Amazonian Clay Cream Eyeshadow in Moss)
VIB 500 Point Perk: Tocca Cleopatra Fragrance Viaggio Set (with Cleopatra Eau de Parfum Rollerball and Cleopatra Mini Candelina)
So, did you take part in Sephora's VIB sale this month? If so, what'd you pick up? 

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Stronger

As you may know, judging by my most recent nail polish reviews and haul posts, I am in something of a glitter phase right now. After trying and being obsessed with Deborah Lippmann's Shake Your Money Maker, I knew the next polish I had to try was Stronger (her collaboration with Kelly Clarkson), which I bought at the same time. As I mentioned in my last nail post, I was obsessed with Lippmann's previous glitter polishes like Across the Universe and Happy Birthday because they were so revolutionary at the time. But as the market got saturated with glitters and dupes of many of Lippmann's original shades, I got bored of the majority of her glitter releases in the past couple years because none of the colour combinations were intriguing me. But the fangirl in me came out again this year when I saw Lippmann's latest offerings hitting the shelves. 

Stronger is a sheer royal blue jelly base with large opalescent silver, red, and gold hexagonal and medium-sized glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. The glitter goes on evenly dispersed, and I had no problems getting the glitter to stay put, either. The base is very sheer, so while the glitter covers the nail well within three coats, I recommend using a base colour (I used Butter London's Blagger as it seemed the most similar to what the jelly base looks like in the bottle) so the glitter stands out more. I cannot think of any dupes for this. What makes this a real stunner is that the glitter almost has a holographic effect that makes it appear as if the particles are moving. I was afraid that this polish was going to be a little too "Star Spangled Banner" for me, but it ended up being way less tacky than I thought it was going to be. I got a ton of compliments on this when I was wearing it and many were comparing it to outer space or cosmos, but to me, it's more akin to being in an ocean full of iridescent fish.

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Shake Your Money Maker

So, it's been a while since I did my last nail polish post, and since then, I've hauled one or two... or fifteen... new shades (to absolutely no one's surprise). It seems that my glitter phase is still going quite strong, as I would say at least 80% of my recent nail polish purchases have included glitter in some form or another. Now, I used to be something of a Deborah Lippmann glitter polish fanatic and had to have every single shade she released (like such classics as Across the Universe, Bad Romance, Ruby Red Slippers, Happy Birthday, Today Was A Fairytale, Some Enchanted Evening, etc.), back when such polishes were a novelty. In my opinion, Lippmann revolutionized the way we wear glitter nail polish and started a huge trend with it, so that now every single nail polish brand carries some dupe or another. After a while, though, her glitter polish releases no longer intrigued me, perhaps because of the sudden saturation of these kinds of shades on the market (and some of them, like Candy Shop, were just downright ugly to me, despite my love for tacky shades). But this year, Lippmann is hitting it out of the park with her new glitter shades, and the moment I saw Shake Your Money Maker, I knew my Lippmann obsession would be starting again.

Shake Your Money Maker is a sheer black jelly base with large gold hexagonal glitter and medium emerald-teal glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. The glitter goes on evenly dispersed, and I had no problems getting the glitter to stay put, either. The base is very sheer, so while the glitter covers the nail well within three coats, I recommend using a base colour (I used Marc Jacobs' Blue Velvet) so the glitter stands out more. I cannot think of any dupes for this. Compared to Across the Universe, it's not quite as complex as it only uses two types of glitter sizes, and it also has brighter, more in-your-face colours, whereas Across the Universe is much more blue-toned in general. Moreover, I like that the emerald glitter in this leans more teal to avoid looking too Christmassy. For those who wanted something similar to Across the Universe but a little brighter, more bling-y, a touch more obnoxious (it is called "Shake Your Money Maker," after all), but somehow still classy and not ghetto fabulous... this is calling out to you.

Pick-Ups & Deliveries: October 2013

As it's the end of the month, I thought it was time to do my monthly haul post. October proved to be a very splurge-y month, perhaps more so than others (and I shop a lot, so this month was especially intense), what with new stores opening and a little cross-border shopping. Of course, this all started with — what else? — nail polish. A Sephora opened up about ten minutes from my house, which is extremely dangerous if you're me. Naturally, I needed to check it out and dropped by on their opening day, 'cause I'm a keener like that. I ended up picking up three Deborah Lippmann glitters plus a couple of the new Marc Jacobs polishes (oh, and yeah, I am a VIB Rouge member now, to absolutely no one's surprise). Then a few days later, I received an e-mail from Butter London regarding their latest promotion: free shipping when you spend over $50 and also get a free bottle of their Powder Room nail polish remover plus a bonus nail file. I figured I'd use the opportunity to get a few of their online exclusive shades.
Deborah Lippmann Glitter Nail Lacquers in Shake Your Money Maker, Stronger, and Glitter & Be Gay
Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer in Blue Velvet and Petra
Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer in The 444, Fishwife, and Inky Six
And then I found myself passing by the Dior counter one day and saw a whole display of their new Diorblush Vibrant Colour Powder Blushes. I absolutely do not need any new blushes, but blush fiends will be blush fiends, and I found myself swatching them, anyway. At $43 a pop, though, I decided to skip them at the time even though I was extremely tempted. A few days later, my friend who works at Dior offered me a 30% discount on everything, and then I could no longer say no to them blushes. So I bought my two favourites. And then on top of that, she gave me brand new tubes of my favourite Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara as well as Diorshow Blackout (my old favourite) because she received them as gratis but doesn't use mascara. Free Dior mascara? Yes, please!
Dior Diorblush Vibrant Colour Powder Blush in 986 Star Fuchsia and 676 Coral Cruise
Dior Diorshow Blackout and Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascaras
MAC Lipstick in Craving, Captive, and Media
I went to the mall with my friend and stopped by MAC to recycle some containers for some new lipsticks, and then discovered that The Face Shop had opened up there! Now, I'd never tried anything from The Face Shop before but I've always been intrigued by the brand. (I know they have a store at Pacific Mall, but I refuse to go there because the parking lot is absolutely horrendous.) They were having a grand opening promotion, where you get $15 off when you spend $35. Obviously, I took the opportunity to try a variety of products from the brand. I ended up going in at two different occasions to buy things because a 40% discount was just too good to pass up.
The Face Shop Herb Day 365 Peach Cleansing Foam, Green Tea Phyto Powder Cleansing Foam, Black Sugar Phyto Powder Cleansing Cream, and Real Nature Sheet Masks in Kelp, Lemon, Bamboo, and Rice
The Face Shop Green Tea Hand Gel Cream, Honey Citron Tea Moisture Hand Cream, Honey Citron Tea Moisture Body Wash, Honey Citron Moisture Body Lotion, and Lip Care Cream in Mango Butter and Shea Butter
As I had mentioned a couple weeks ago, Edward and I took a mini road trip to Pennsylvania to get out of the city for a bit and, you know, shop. We stopped by a few places, the first being Erie, which is about four hours from Toronto. A client of mine told me that the selection at the Burlington Coat Factory there is fantastic and the prices are often better than outlets, hence the detour ('cause, honestly, there's nothing much else to do in Erie). Though I saw some nice coats, I personally didn't get anything there because the styles I liked didn't come in my size or they ended up fitting funny on me. But Edward ended up getting quite a few things there so at least that made the stop worth it. The shopping for me didn't really start until we got to Grove City Premium Outlets, and I only bought things from two stores there. The first one was Old Navy, where I got a few pairs of The Flirt black skinny jeans (for $17.70 each from $36, and tax-free!). The second was at the Crabtree & Evelyn outlet store, where I made like a bandit. I love a lot of Crabtree & Evelyn products but I rarely buy anything there because it's so expensive. But at the outlet store, everything was at least 50% off, so I had to take advantage:
Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Tote Gift Set (on sale for $35 from $75!): Skin Conditioning Hand Recovery, Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy, Skin Quenching Body Lotion, Skin Cleansing Bath & Shower Gel, and Tote Bag (not shown)
Avocado, Olive & Basil Body Set with Skin Revitalizing Body Lotion and Revitalizing Bath & Shower Gel (for $15 from $40); Avocado, Olive & Basil Conditioning Shampoo and Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Revitalizing Shampoo (for $12 each from $18)
I would've bought more at the outlets, but I had to save some money for shopping the next day. We decided to stay overnight in Pittsburgh because I wanted to check out Ross Park Mall. As many of you know, American retail prices are always lower and the sales tax rate in Pennsylvania is 6% (for luxury items; it's tax-free on necessities like clothes and shoes), so I wanted to take advantage of that since we were going to be in the state, anyway. The next morning, before we went to the mall, we decided to make a pit stop at Target (of course). Aside from a pair of black Merona wedge ankle booties, a couple of novels, and some snacks (hello, Oreo Coconut Delight Fudge Cremes!), I picked up a bunch of random goodies that I felt were significantly cheaper over there than here:
Up & Up Acetone Nail Polish Remover, EOS Pomegranate Raspberry Shave Cream, Hello Kitty and Strawberry Shortcake Band-Aids, Essie Nail Polish in For the Twill of It and Cashmere Bathrobe, Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat, Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balms (in Peach Kiss, Pink Punch, Grape Vine, Quenched, and Cherry Me), and EOS Lip Balms (in Blueberry Açai and Strawberry Sorbet)
And then we drove up to the mall, where we stopped by The Cheesecake Factory for a delightful lunch of fish tacos and pumpkin pecan cheesecake for dessert. Completely stuffed and totally satisfied (as I always am after eating at The Cheesecake Factory), we waddled inside the mall and I made a beeline for — what else? — Sephora. I put myself on a budget for this trip and wanted to make sure that I got things that I really needed before splurging on anything else, and thought I did pretty well. I had to buy my perfume (which is $12 cheaper in the US), my holy grail make-up removing cleanser and eyeshadow primer, and then decided to get my first ever Caudalie skincare product, which I will incorporate into my winter routine. The only item I bought that I felt was an unnecessary splurge was the YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick in 19 Fuchsia in Rage... but I had been coveting it since June so I took the plunge. For some reason, Sephora doesn't carry that particular shade in Canada, and it was sold out when I initially saw it in Buffalo this summer, so when I saw that they had two of them in stock at this particular Sephora, I had to snatch it up.

Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum (100 ml), Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum, and Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Gel & Eye Makeup Remover
NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in 19 Fuchsia in Rage
I would say that I'm now on a shopping ban from this month's excessiveness... but November is birthday month and also IMATS Toronto, so it's actually very possible that I will have an even bigger haul next month than this one... 

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Cleopatra in New York

When I saw this shade from Deborah Lippmann's holiday collection, I knew I had to have it. I haven't been interested in any of the shades she's released since her Mirrored Chromes collection this past summer (and as pretty as theywere, I wasn't in love with them). But as we all know, I am a fiend for pretty glitter polishes, especially Deborah Lippmann's (Across the Universe is solely responsible for this obsession). Liz gifted me a bottle for my birthday a couple weeks ago, and I could not wait to try it.

Cleopatra in New York (natural lighting)

Cleopatra in New York is a black jelly base with yellow gold round and hexagonal glitter. It has a thicker consistency that is common with chunky glitter polishes, but it doesn't hinder the application. It goes on smoothly and evenly, without any pulling, bubbling, or streaking. The jelly base has medium pigmentation, and will go opaque in three medium-thick coats. I can't think of any exact dupes for this, but if you have Lippmann's Shake Your Groove Thing, you can just layer it on top of any black cream polish and the effect will be the same. It's not a must-have at $22 a pop, but I really love the look of this polish, and I've gotten numerous compliments while wearing it. It's somehow edgy but still totally appropriate for the holidays. The perfect shade for New Year's parties!

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Private Dancer

As I mentioned not three days ago, I had bought some new Deborah Lippmann polishes from Nail Polish Canada. Lippmann released a new collection last month called Mirrored Chromes which, like the name suggests, is made up of multi-chrome shades. Since I am obviously a nail polish addict and feel the need to change my nail colour every two days, I decided to bust out the second shade I bought from Deborah Lippmann's Mirrored Chromes collection.

Private Dancer is a medium-dark blue-toned violet multi-chrome. Depending on the angle, it will reflect dark fuchsia, a red-toned purple, or a darker bronze-gold. This one is really hard to describe in words, because it looks so different in different lighting. Due to the metallic finish of the shade, brush strokes are visible on the nail. It goes on smoothly and evenly, but I did find it to have a thinner consistency with medium pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. I needed three coats for opacity. That having been said, Deborah Lippmann's polishes have a relatively fast dry time. What Lippmann excels at in her nail polish is the brush — it gives a beautiful, smooth, even application. It's just the right size to give clean, controlled strokes without smudging or going off the nail bed on to the skin. I also couldn't think of a dupe for this shade, which is always a bonus. I wouldn't necessarily turn to this shade for Spring and Summer, but it's a very pretty option all year round.

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Sugar Daddy

So, a couple weeks ago, I received my order from Nail Polish Canada, which included three Deborah Lippmann polishes. Lippmann released a new collection last month called Mirrored Chromes which, like the name suggests, is made up of multi-chrome shades. Along with To The Beach, I picked up two of the three shades from Mirrored Chromes.

Sugar Daddy is a light-medium metallic bronze-gold multi-chrome. Depending on the angle, it will reflect rose gold, an antiqued green-gold, or a darker bronze-gold. Due to the metallic finish of the shade, brush strokes are visible on the nail. It goes on smoothly and evenly, but I did find it to have a thinner consistency with medium pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. I needed three coats for opacity. That having been said, Deborah Lippmann's polishes have a relatively fast dry time. What Lippmann excels at in her nail polish is the brush — it gives a beautiful, smooth, even application. It's just the right size to give clean, controlled strokes without smudging or going off the nail bed on to the skin. I also couldn't think of a dupe for this shade, which is always a bonus. If you like chrome polishes, this one is definitely worth checking out. I can see it looking especially nice with a tan.

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in On The Beach

My order from Nail Polish Canada arrived (super speedy delvery, too — I waited maybe two days?) and included in it were several Deborah Lippmann shades. I had bought the coveted, ultra-hyped Mermaid's Dream from the Spring collection back in March, but I finally got around to picking up the other colour from the collection called On The Beach. I usually only pick up Lippmann's glitter polishes (Across The Universe, Bad Romance, Happy Birthday, Ruby Red Slippers, etc.), so this is my first experience with a cream finish shade from Lippmann.

On The Beach is a medium electric blue in a cream finish. It goes on smoothly and evenly, but I did find it to have a thinner consistency with medium pigmentation and semi-opaque colour pay-off. I needed three coats for opacity. That having been said, Deborah Lippmann's polishes have a relatively fast dry time, so I felt like having to do three coats took the same time as having to do two coats of another brand's polish. What Lippmann excels at in her nail polish is the brush — it gives a beautiful, smooth, even application. It's just the right size to give clean, controlled strokes without smudging or going off the nail bed on to the skin. It is less teal than China Glaze's Flyin' High, slightly lighter than Sephora by OPI's Slushied, and similar to Zoya's Robyn. While On The Beach is a fantastically fun shade, there are many dupes out there that have more pigmented formulas and are quite a lot cheaper.

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Mermaid's Dream

So, as a fiend for all things seafoam, turquoise, and glitter, you know I had to have Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid's Dream. I've been lusting after it since Christmas, when the preview of Lippmann's Spring collection leaked out. As I don't live anywhere near a retailer that sells Deborah Lippmann and all online retailers that carry the shade are from the US, Liz was kind enough to pick one up for me at Holt Renfrew and mail it to me!

Mermaid's Dream is a metallic seafoam green base with blue glitter and gold and turquoise shimmer. The effect actually mimics what I imagine to be the scales from a mermaid's tail: iridescent, sparkling, and metallic. The glitter even adds a textural component that reminds me of the ridges in a scale. Those who aren't a fan of that metallic foil look in their nail polishes probably won't like this, but I actually don't mind it. This polish is called Mermaid's Dream, after all, and I find the metallic finish adds to the effect. And depending on the lighting, it can look more blue or more green, which makes it all the more endearing to me. Plus, it goes completely opaque in two medium coats, and I found that this particular shade dried really fast. Like, I think I waited maybe two minutes before adding a second coat. In total, I spent maybe 15 minutes doing my nails. All in all, this polish, retailing at $22, was entirely worth it for me. (You can read Liz's take on Mermaid's Dream, complete with pictures of mermaids and oceans, here.)