Pick-Ups & Deliveries: May 2015

For whatever reason, May seemed to go by way faster than any other month in recent memory. Maybe it's because prom/grad/wedding season has begun and I've been so crazy busy with make-up appointments that it's all been a blur, but it's almost as if we went straight from April to June. Though judging from all the things I hauled, it seems like all I did in May was shop. For blush. A lot of fucking blush.

Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Tie Dye Edition Blush Harmony in 001 Pink Sunrise and 002 Coral Sunset
Kat Von D Everlasting Face Shaper Blush in Bellisima, Por Vida, Love Song, and Heartagram
Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush in Rapture and Score
Okay, and a couple highlighters because apparently, I'm in a cheek phase right now. I'm not usually into Estée Lauder, but we all know my sick obsession with these liquid-powder hybrid formulas (e.g. MAC In Extreme Dimension, NARS Dual-Intensity, etc.), and when I saw the Illuminating Powder Gelée that they released for this year's Bronze Goddess collection, I had to snatch it up. It's a beautiful champagne with a hint of peach, and it's not too light which is just perfect for summer. Plus, I got the last one at my local counter, so it was meant to be. And then, of course, at one of my many trips to Sephora, I also picked up Laura Mercier's Indiscretion. Like Lauder, I'm not huge on Laura Mercier and I'm rarely intrigued by their products, but once in a while, they'll come out with a stand-out product that makes me stop in my tracks and swatch. And it's usually a highlighter. And this year's is Indiscretion, a gorgeous soft rosy apricot with gold shimmer. Of course, my local Sephora sold out of it on the first day that they launched the summer collection, so when I was downtown for afternoon tea a couple weeks ago and saw that the Bloor location still had five in stock, I immediately grabbed one.

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Illuminating Powder Gelée
Laura Mercier Face Illuminator Powder in Indiscretion
Bobbi Brown was having their Friends & Family sale last month which entailed shoppers to 20% off everything, andEbates was having 8% cash back on all purchases from the Bobbi Brown website, so you know I had to take advantage. I was never really into Bobbi Brown before (are you noticing a trend here?), but I've recently gotten more and more intrigued with her products, especially after Liz featured one of their gorgeous Brightening Bricks on her blog. Add that to my ever-growing lemming for her Shimmer Bricks (can you believe I didn't have one?), and next thing you know, I bought two of each. I figured I should get some lipstick, too, since it's what made Bobbi Brown famous, so I bought three neutral shades of her Rich Lip Color. Not really sure how this formula differs from the other ones, but it's supposed to be lightweight, full-coverage, and long-lasting with a smooth, moisturizing feel. Anyone try these before? How do they differ from her original range?

Bobbi Brown Brightening Brick in Coral and Cranberry
Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact in Nectar and Rose
Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in 31 Uber Pink, 32 Uber Beige, and 33 Uber Nude
Speaking of Ebates, I got a nice fat paycheque from all the shopping I did last quarter, so obviously, I did what anyone would do... and spent it on nail polish. Even though they're typically more autumn/winter shades, I ordered all four polishes from A-England's new Rossetti's Goddess collection. Whereas only one or two shades from A-England's last few collections intrigued me, all the shades from Rossetti's Goddess were just screaming my name. Nail Polish Canada is offering all four shades for $40.50, which is like getting one shade for free, so I ordered the set. I also ordered all six shades of Essie's Summer 2015 collection (also being offered as a set for $45) 'cause I thought they'd be fun cream shades to layer with glitter, as well as a new bottle of Seche Vite and a bottle of Seche Restore because I want to thin out some of my older polishes that are getting too thick or chunky.

A-England Rossetti's Goddess Collection Nail Varnish in Proserpine, Captive Goddess, Jane Morris, and Incense Burner
Essie Summer 2015 Collection Nail Polish in Pret-a-Surfer, Salt Water Happy, Private Weekend, Chillato, Peach Side Babe, and Sunset Sneaks
Rainbow Honey hasn't piqued my interest in a while (since last summer, actually), but their new Patisserie collection for Spring was just too cute to resist. What actually made me check it out initially was their adorable limited edition French macaron hand soaps, which come individually wrapped in gift-worthy boxes. I picked up all six scents which came in a set for $18, plus two of the nail polishes (Cotton Candy Meringue and Gâteau de Citron) from the Patisserie collection, the infamous Heisenberg (their Breaking Bad-inspired polish that had been out of stock for ages) and Konpeito! (which reminded me of unicorns, so I had to have it). And as a gift, they gave me a bottle of Peachy Sangria (peach, gold, and champagne glitters) and Pâte de Pistaches (pale pistachio green cream) for free.

Rainbow Honey French Macaron Hand Soap in Petit Four, Rose Macaron, Orange Confites, Pâte de Pistaches, Tea Biscuit, and Gelée de Fraises
Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Heisenberg, Cotton Candy Meringue, Konpeito!, Peachy Sangria, Gâteau de Citron, and Pâte de Pistaches
Since finishing both my Fresh and Clinique face scrubs this past week, I decided to go into Sephora to look at some new options. My friend Adrian who works at my local store recommended me the REN Micro Polish Cleanser, which also foams up into a delightful creamy lather that smells like orange Creamsicle. So I grabbed that and I also picked up a big bottle of Ole Henriksen's Truth Serum (which, coincidentally, also smells like orange Creamsicle) to use when my Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair runs out (I think my skin has gotten used to it so I'm not really seeing any differences with it anymore). Then last weekend, my friend Cynthia went to the Shiseido warehouse sale, and scored me some awesome deals: two tubes of my favourite Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam (for $16 each from $28), two bottles of Pureness Balancing Softener (for $16 each from $32), a jar of Pureness Moisturizing Gel-Cream (for $22 from $42), and a bottle of the discontinued White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum (for $80 from $140). Suffice it to say, I'm set for skincare for a long while, and am hereby on a skincare ban (which is way more do-able than, say, a blush ban).

REN Clean Skincare Micro Polish Cleanser and Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster
Shiseido Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam (x2), Pureness Balancing Softener Alcohol-Free (x2), Pureness Moisturizing Gel-Cream, and White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum
The Body Shop Shea Body Whip, Mango Body Whip, Satsuma Body Purée, and Pink Grapefruit Body Purée
Finally, I went into The Body Shop on a whim (and with time to kill while waiting for Viv to get off work), and they were having their "Buy 3, Get 3 Free" promotion. I've been looking for lighter weight body moisturizers since all those body butters that I stockpiled during the winter now feel super-thick and sticky. So I ended up getting three Body Whips and three Body Purées for half-price, and split the deal with Viv (four for me, two for her because I am way more anal about moisturizing than she is). And that's it. I swear.
What did y'all buy last month? Any good deals/steals? Anything I need to check out?

Pick-Ups & Deliveries: July 2014

It all started with killing time at the mall. 
The Face Shop Green Tea Mild Body Wash and Honey Citron Tea Moisture Body Lotion
The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Pastel Cushion Blusher in Coral Cushion and Rose Cushion
The Face Shop Silky & Soft Cotton Pads
I was waiting to meet up with my friend for dinner and ended up having 20 minutes to myself, so I walked over to The Face Shop. I originally went in just to get their Green Tea Mild Body Wash (which smells exactly like Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea scent) and my favourite Honey Citron Tea Moisture Body Lotion, but then noticed that they had a huge "20% off make-up" sign, so I (obviously) took the opportunity to take a look. I've always been intrigued by the make-up offerings there because the packaging is so freakin' cute, but never actually ended up getting anything. So, like any good blush fiend, I decided to get two shades of their Lovely Me:Ex Pastel Cushion Blusher. As it turns out, the blushes actually weren't on sale (the sign was meant for the eye products only), but the manager ended up giving me 20% off, anyway, when I hesitated buying them for full price (so they ended up being $7.20 each). I also randomly bought a box of their Silky & Soft Cotton Pads, which I thought might be a good and significantly cheaper alternative to my favourite Shiseido Facial Cotton. This ended up being kind of pointless because my friend Cynthia ended up gifting me four packs of Facial Cotton from the Shiseido warehouse sale, but actually, The Face Shop's cotton pads are surprisingly really good, and really cheap at $3 for a box of 80. Will definitely get more of these when my Shiseido supply runs out.
Julep Maven July Bombshell Box: Nail Color in Lissa and Beverly and Bare Body Milk
I've been a Julep Maven member for a couple years now, but I've been skipping most of my boxes this year (and I've stopped doing reviews on them altogether), partially to save money but mostly because I acquire nail polish at such a ridiculously rapid rate (as you will see in this post) and I need the drawer space for other brands. But I decided to treat myself last month and got the Bombshell Box for July, which included two nail polishes in a bright turquoise cream and a deep boysenberry cream, and a tube of their new Bare Body Milk, which is actually the main reason I was interested in this box. Julep describes it as "an ultra hydrating body lotion for thirsty skin. The lightweight, fast-absorbing formula leaves a soft, silky finish that's not heavy or greasy, and our signature Beach Tonic fragrance lets you smell like summer all year long." It just sounded ridiculously appealing to me for summer, and I quite like their Beach Tonic scent. Plus, it retails for $24 on its own, so it's like I got the nail polishes for free.
Rainbow Honey The Summer Mixtape (the non-glitters): Fall in Love, Control, Work It Out, One Minute More, Stolen Dance, and Waves
Rainbow Honey The Summer Mixtape (the glitters): Shark Attack, Lanterns, Night Sky, Best Friend, and Elevate
Rainbow Honey Limited Editions Nail Lacquer in Sea Star and Neon Blossom
Rainbow Honey July Mystery Bag: Nail Lacquer in Chemical Plant, Viridis, and Deep Heart Sea
Rainbow Honey July Mystery Bag: Midori Cooling Gel, Eau de Parfum Rollerball, and Scented Cuticle Balm
And then I proceeded to give Rainbow Honey all my money. It started with the release of their Summer Mixtape collection, of which I loved so much that I bought the entire full-size set. I honestly think this is my favourite Rainbow Honey collection to date; they consistently find a way to make their shades new and exciting (e.g. lemon yellow with pale pink iridescent shimmer), and Summer Mixtape incorporates such a beautiful variety of glitters, shimmers, and creams that are bright, fun, and unique. I also got a bottle of Sea Star, which was their June Limited Edition Nail Lacquer (they were sold out of it last month), and got a bottle of their July Limited Edition shade, Neon Blossom, for free because my order was over $50. I also got their July Mystery Bag for free because my order was over $65, and it included three new, unreleased shades of nail polish, as well as three items in their new Midori scent. I've learned to really love Rainbow Honey's Mystery Bags because they allow you to try their products without committing to their full sizes (you can buy them separately for $10). And I got 20% off my whole order using a promo code, too. This is how they get you.
MAC Studio Nail Lacquer in Silver Dew, Quick Million, and Tropical
MAC Mineralize Rich Lipsticks (new shades)
MAC Pro Palette Eyeshadow Refill Pans in Twinks, Shale, Orb, Girlie, All That Glitters, Expensive Pink, and Steamy
MAC Pro Palette Blush Refill Pans in Dollymix, Dame, and Well Dressed
MAC Wipes, Lightful Marine-Bright Formula Essence (x2), and Prep + Prime Face Protect SPF 50
Then I went to the MAC Store to check out some of the new things that came out last month. MAC recently revamped all their nail polishes and lowered their price to $14 a bottle (because let's be real, no one was gonna buy a MAC polish for $19), and I was immediately attracted to three brand new glitter shades that was released with the revamp ('cause I really needed more nail polish...). MAC also released their annual Mineralize update along with nine new shades of Mineralize Rich Lipstick, so I got those, too. And I also took the opportunity to stock up on some new eyeshadow refill pans (replacing staple shades that I'm nearly finished like Orb and All That Glitters, but also adding new ones like Steamy and Shale that I don't have in pan-form because I want to eventually get all my permanent MAC eyeshadows into palettes instead of having singles), blush refill pans (ditto), as well as my skincare essentials.
Boscia Black Charcoal Blotting Linens and Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum
Finally, I could not resist the allure of Sephora. But I managed not to pick up any make-up items, and stuck to what I went in there for: a new pack of Boscia Blotting Linens (I thought I'd try the new black charcoal ones which apparently "actively purify pores") and a travel-size bottle of my favourite Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum because I am pretty much using my Rebecca Minkoff bag exclusively these days and there's no way I can fit a 100 ml bottle of anything in there (yep, I used to lug around a full-size bottle of perfume with me everywhere). As a smoker, I always like to carry some perfume with me, and Sugar Lychee still remains my favourite; it's non-cloying, fresh, light, and kills the smell of smoke. 
Aldo Spelonca Wedges
In non-beauty news, I also bought a pair of wedges from Aldo. I needed to buy a pair of shoes that I could dress up and down and that wasn't (gasp) flat for some upcoming events I have to go to that require something classier and more elegant. I wanted something that I could stand and/or walk in for long periods of time that wouldn't hurt like hell (basically, stilettos were not an option). And no one was more surprised than me that I found them at Aldo, which are notorious for having shoes that hurt no matter the height and material. Seriously, my feet have bled from wearing their flats. These wedges manage to be comfortable for my wide feet while standing and walking, so I didn't even care that they weren't on sale. What really won me over with these, though, is that gold zipper detailing in the back. It doesn't serve any purpose other than aesthetics, but I love it. Makes the shoes just a little more badass. 

Instagram: Spring 2014 — Nail Edition

Another quickie post as I won't have much time to do anything more until after Saturday. I haven't done as many nail posts here as I used to but you can be sure that, as a nail polish addict, I have been changing my nail polish with quite some regularity and usually capture my favourites on Instagram, so I thought I'd post them up here. My glitter layering obsession is still going strong, and almost all of my nail combos in the past couple months have been using shades almost exclusively from Rainbow Honey, some of which have actually been featured on the brand's Instagram feed! (Seriously, though, I have a sick addiction to this brand; I just put in another order last week.) Again, for those who do follow me on Instagram already, I apologize in advance for the re-post.
Rainbow Honey's All My Stars + Rainbow Honey's Charaxes
Rainbow Honey's Metalmark + Rainbow Honey's Tayabak
Rainbow Honey's The Soirée + Rainbow Honey's Prussian Sky
Rainbow Honey's I Miss You + Rainbow Honey's Tessie
Rainbow Honey's My Girl
Rainbow Honey's Midnight Fountain + Rainbow Honey's Prussian
Hard Candy's King of Pop + Rainbow Honey's Mint Flavor
What have you been rocking on your nails lately?

Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in The Kraken

Since trying out several of the Rainbow Honey nail polishes I picked up in December, I've decided that I pretty much need every single shade they come out with, especially the glitters, which I think they do phenomenally. This particular shade, The Kraken, is also from their Sakura Matsuri collection, which was meant to "invoke the feelings and emotions of this spring celebration." It doesn't remind me of spring at all (it might be celebratory, though, if you were celebrating pure awesomeness), but it's one of the more complex glitters I've seen in a while, but the shades work together so harmoniously that I can only describe it as positively magical.

The Kraken is a teal blue jelly base with gold iridescent hexagonal glitter, and teal, green, and gold iridescent round glitter and micro-glitter. It has a slightly 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 jelly base is semi-opaque but it is so glitter-packed that it will reach opacity in two coats, though you could easily use one coat of it as a layering polish (in the photo above, I've layered it on top of Rainbow Honey's Emerald Weapon). I can't think of any dupes for this. I would say this is my favourite polish that I've tried by Rainbow Honey so far, and judging by the amount of compliments I got on this whilst wearing it and the amount of people asking me what it was and where I got it, I would say this is the most... attention-grabbing (I like to think "awe-inspiring"). Not quite like the Kraken, if you ask me, but I reckon this is what the the Kraken would see underwater if he was on acid and like, got attacked by a mermaid.

Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Koi Pond

Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a wonderful New Year's, whether you were out partying or relaxing at home or whatever. My friend Josh was hosting our New Year's party at his house, and we had a big potluck dinner (my first one, ever, in fact) complete with a bacon-wrapped turkey, shepherd's pie, lasagna, chicken wings, pizza, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and macaroni salad. Needless to say, it was the best thing, ever. We also did a '90s-themed Secret Santa Swap, wherein I brought Trouble, and ended up with a Tinkerbell lunch box filled with snacks (with childhood classics such as Dunk-A-Roos, Fruit by the Foot, Ring Pops, Rockets, Fruit Gushers, Pixy Sticks, and Pez — so basically, I totally scored). We did our midnight champagne toast watching the ball drop in Times Square on TV, and then proceeded to play a variety of random games which ended at 4:00am with an epic 15-person game of Cranium. A truly fantastic way to ring in the New Year, if you ask me.

And what better way to start the new year than with a nail polish post? (Um, probably many, but being the polish fiend I am, I just couldn't resist.) Today, I have another Rainbow Honey shade to show y'all. This was actually my New Year's "manicure," if you will, so I thought it was appropriate to show it today. This particular shade, Koi Pond, is actually from their Sakura Matsuri collection, which was meant to "invoke the feelings and emotions of this spring celebration." I'm not sure it actually makes me think of spring at all (maybe because we are in the dead of winter and it's -16°C outside), but it does makes me think of celebration without screaming "holiday," so I thought it was appropriate. And I just really wanted to wear more glitter.

Koi Pond is a clear base with teal, blue, silver, and red hexagonal glitter and round glitter. It has a slightly 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. Due to the clear base, it does not fully reach opacity, and is therefore recommended to use as a layering polish (in the photo above, I've layered it on top of Rainbow Honey's Sapphire Weapon). I can't think of any dupes for this. I just wanted to point out that this polish is so glitter-packed that you really won't need more than one coat of it to cover the entire nail bed with glitter (I've only used one coat of Koi Pond in the photo above). I find the combination of glitters in this polish to be really unique, actually; it's as if Jackson Pollock decided he wanted to evoke images of red and white koi fish swimming in algae-tinted waters... but on the nails. This seems to be a major crowd-pleaser, too, because I had about 12 people yesterday ask me what I was wearing on my nails. Definitely one of my favourites from Rainbow Honey, and a must-have for glitter fans.

Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Tiny Ruby

I've been curious about indie brand Rainbow Honey for a while now, so when Nail Polish Canada announced that they started carrying the brand, I immediately logged in to their site to put in an order. I didn't want to go too overboard because they're $11.50 a pop, so I ended up picking up the five shades that intrigued me the most (as witnessed in my most recent haul post). There are a lot more shades that I was tempted by, but I had to practice some sort of self-control given all the other expenses that December entails. But you can be sure that I will pick up some more of their polishes in the (very) near future because there's just too many gorgeous, unique shades to ignore. Of course, given the time of year, I felt the need to wear something more festive, so I busted out the most "holiday" looking one, Tiny Ruby. Ironically, this shade was actually released with Rainbow Honey's Summer collection (which was inspired by the 1995 SNES hit, Earthbound), but that just proves that this can be worn all year round.

Tiny Ruby is a medium-dark ruby red jelly base with red, fuchsia, and gold holographic hexagonal glitter, micro-glitter, shimmer, and micro-shimmer. It has a slightly 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. It has medium pigmentation and will go opaque in three medium coats. I can't think of any dupes for this. I'm not usually into red polishes, but this one is surprisingly elegant to me, especially for a glitter. The red, fuchsia, and gold work well together to create a lovely dimension and depth without being too tacky or crazy, and adds just the right amount of whimsy. I also like that it doesn't lean too warm or too cool, so it should look amazing on all skintones. It's a great shade for someone who likes red nails but wants to glam it up for a special occasion. For some reason, this really reminds me of those red rupees from The Legend of Zelda. And also Chinese New Year dragons.