Photolog 2019: Day 24 of 365

Becca Year of the Pig Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed
Kaja Blur Drop Weightless Water Primer and Don't Settle Concealer in Boba Tea
Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Face Cream
Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
My Sephora package arrived today! This was a totally unnecessary, middle-of-the-night, spur-of-the-moment order, but I'm quite excited with my purchases. It all started with the new Becca Year of the Pig Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed, which I totally didn't need but was way too cute to resist. I figured it'd be a nice little Lunar New Year gift for myself, you know? (Plus, pigs are considered good luck for me because I'm born in the Year of the Tiger, so like, I obviously needed it for health and prosperity or whatever.) I also wanted to try a couple things from this cute new Korean makeup brand called Kaja, and ended up getting the Blur Drop Weightless Water Primer (I've been on a primer hunt again) and the Don't Settle Concealer in Boba Tea (um, these concealers might have the cutest shade names, ever). Then I got a jar of the new Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Face Cream, which I had gotten a sample of and totally fell in love with. The texture is rich but not too thick, it smells like mango bubble tea (at least to me, it does), it absorbs really well, and it makes my skin feel buttery soft... It's the perfect winter night cream for my skin. And finally, I got another tube of my favourite, ride-or-die Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, which has single-handedly saved my hands from cracking and bleeding this winter. And that's it. Just five items.

You know, I actually had more self-control than I thought I did.

Pick-Ups & Deliveries: August 2014

This month's haul all started when The Bay was having their cosmetics promotion (when you spend $75, you get $10 off). I've been quite taken with Kiehl's this year, so I decided to order some of their skincare products online since I don't live near any Kiehl's retailers.
Kiehl's Oil Eliminator 24-Hour Anti-Shine Moisturizer, Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner, and Ultra-Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream
Actually, what drew me to check out Kiehl's was their new Oil Eliminator collection. It's meant to be a men's line, but everything about it appealed to me, especially the moisturizer. It's meant to provide a "clean-skin feel by absorbing sweat and surface oil while visibly reducing the look of pores. Skin feels soft, hydrated, and comfortable with a smooth, shine-free appearance for 24 hours." They didn't have anything like this in their range previously, so why did they only target this toward men?! I was like, "Screw it, I can use this, too," so I bought it. (Note: I've been using it as my daytime moisturizer for a few weeks now, and it's amazing. Not just for men, fellow oily-skinned ladies!) I also decided to pick up a couple toners; the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner is good for normal-to-oily skins with "problem areas" (I get eczema flare-ups on my face and thought this might help to soothe it) and the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Toner is good for normal-to-oily skins to "visibly reduce excess oil on skin’s surface, while leaving it instantly fresh and healthy looking." Lastly, I picked up the Ultra-Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream because I'm almost done the lotion (which I've been using at night), and was told that the gel cream feels more lightweight and leaves skin more matte for longer. 
The Face Shop Chia Seed Sebum Control Moisture Water and The Smim Pore Finish Essence
Fresh Soy Face Exfoliant
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, Pulp Fiction 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Mrs. Mia Wallace, and Pulp Fiction Revolution Lipstick in Mrs. Mia Wallace
I went to The Face Shop because they had a huge sign saying that all their make-up was on sale, but I ended up completely bypassing it, and got more skincare instead. Apparently, I'm obsessed with buying toners right now, because I found myself getting yet another one: the Chia Seed Sebum Control Moisture Water. Not gonna lie, the big selling point for me was actually the bottle, which has a top-pump, but it also feels amazing on the skin and smells nice to boot. I also bought the Smim Pore Finish Essence, in hopes that it would replace Lauder's The Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher at a lower price. I've been using it at the serum stage rather than the last stage after moisturizer (as The Face Shop recommends) and it's been working nicely so far; it makes my skin feel and look smoother immediately, but I don't know what kind of long-term benefits it has yet. On the same mall trip, I stepped into Sephora (I'm like a moth to flame, guys) and ended up getting a tube of Fresh's Soy Face Exfoliant (I have their Umbrian Clay Mattifying Face Exfoliant, and love it but wanted to try something less harsh to use more frequently), plus some Urban Decay goodies: their new Perversion Mascara, and their new Pulp Fiction 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil (reviewed here) and Revolution Lipstick in Mrs. Mia Wallace (reviewed here).
Illamasqua Glamore Nude Lipstick in Naked, Rosepout, Starkers, Cherub, and Minx
Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Raindrops and Pink Raindrops
I found out that Illamasqua was being pulled out of Canada (a damn shame, because it's a truly excellent make-up brand and they just opened up the boutiques here... perhaps it's too "niche" for the Canadian market), so The Bay was selling all of their product at 25% off and I couldn't not take advantage (especially since we'll only be able to order their product from the UK once they're fully out of the country). I decided to order everything online because I don't live near any of the Illamasqua boutiques in Toronto, so I ended up getting five lipsticks from their new Glamore Nude collection, plus two nail polishes in Raindrops and Pink Raindrops (two shades that I liked, but not enough to pay full price for, so it worked out perfectly here).
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Pans
(Top: Shimma Shimma, Beaches & Cream, Peach Smoothie, Chickadee, and Crème Brûlée
Middle: Gold Digger, Glamorous, Cinderella, Purely Naked, and LatteBottom: Mango Tango, Razzleberry, Goddess, Cocoa Bear, and Burlesque)
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Pans(Top: Vanilla Bean, Bleached Blonde, Hipster, Pretentious, and Homecoming
Middle: Unexpected, Brown Sugar, Last Dance, Mocha, and Bada Bing
Bottom: Twilight, Sensuous, Drama Queen, Duchess, and Corrupt)
Makeup Geek Blush Pans
(Clockwise from top: Honeymoon, Smitten, Rendezvous, and Hanky Panky)
Then I proceeded to buy all the things from Makeup Geek. I'd been looking to make a big purchase from Makeup Geek for a while because it's lauded as having some of the smoothest, most pigmented eyeshadows on the market while being extremely budget-friendly ($5.99 per eyeshadow pan). Many have claimed that they're better than MAC and Make Up For Ever, and now having actually used these, I'm not gonna lie: these are some of the best damn shadows I've ever seen. They recently came out with a range of blushes, too ($9.99 per pan), which are getting a lot of attention right now, and they're all just as gorgeous as the shadows so you better believe all those rave reviews. You do have to pay for shipping outside of the US (it's just over $9 to ship to Canada), but I made it worth it by purchasing 30 eyeshadow pans and four blush pans (I actually wanted more blushes, but they were sold out of almost all the shades when I decided to purchase). You have to buy empty palettes separately and they do sell Z Palettes on their website, but I just chose to put mine in my old MAC 15-pan palettes, at least for now. They're technically not magnetized in the MAC palettes, so they will fall out if you flip them over, but it's not a deal-breaker for me yet. I may get some Z Palettes in the future when I accumulate more (actually, as I'm writing this, I ordered eight more blushes because they finally got them in stock, along with 15 more shadows...), but I figured I might as well put my old MAC palettes to use.

NARS Audacious Lipstick in Barbara, Vanessa, Dominique, Silvia, Vivien, and Audrey
And then I bought even more lipstick. When the reviews started coming out for the new NARS Audacious Lipsticks, I was like, "I need all of them." Except at $32 USD a pop, I knew I had to edit my list. I saw all the lip swatches on Temptalia, and then ended up choosing six of my favourites: four of which (Vanessa, Dominique, Silvia, and Vivien) are exclusive to Barney's, and two of which are available at all NARS retailers. All the shades, including the Barney's exclusives, were available on the NARS website two weeks before being launched anywhere else, so I ordered all six shades from there and then had them shipped to my brother in New York because I knew he was coming up to Toronto for the long weekend. So at least I didn't have to pay the higher Canadian retail price ($37 CAD) or the higher tax rate or the shipping cost (free for orders over $50 in the US). I've been wearing these for a couple days now and this might be a tad premature, but this might be my new all-time favourite lipstick formula. Stay tuned for reviews.
Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Candles in Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding and Nectarine Green Tea
Talula Umi Denim Jacket
In non-beauty news, I picked up some goodies on sale! I know I'm supposed to be on a candle ban, but when Bath & Body Works started rolling out their new fall candles, I could not resist checking them out. I fell in love with the Banana Nutmeg Bread Pudding, which was on sale for $12, and then I saw that one of their summer scents (and my personal favourite from their summer collection), Nectarine Green Tea, was on clearance for $12. So I broke my candle ban and picked them up. When I got to the till, the girl cashing me out (who recognized me because I shop there way too much) ended up giving me an extra 20% off, so I got them for $9.60 each. Finally, Aritzia was having their final end-of-summer sale, and I managed to find this cute Talula cropped denim jacket on sale for $39.99 from $98 (!!!). It was the last one in my size and I didn't own any denim jackets, so I took it as a sign that it was meant to be. 
I am a person of excess, if nothing else.
What fun new things did you get last month?