January 2011 Collective Haul

2:15:00 PM mandy 17 Comments

Yet another haul post. I’m so sorry! I promise the next one will definitely not be a haul post >__<;; But please bear with it for now. These are easier/faster write than reviews/swatches lol


Nivea A Kiss of Milk & Honey Natural Defense & Soothing Lip Care and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Speed Dry Drop


I think the cold weather has really gotten to me. I’ve been wanting to try a lot of lip balms lately. And all those reviews/raves for this one especially doesn’t help my self-control :X



These speed dry drops are soo difficult to find! I think the company switched it all over to the brush version. Surprisingly they both have different ingredients lists…I’m hoping that these will work nicely so I don’t have to go back to Seche Vite.


Wet & Wild Fastdry Nail Color Blue Wants to be a Millionaire & Gray’s Anatomy and Garnier Nutrioniste Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle-Roller in Sheet Tint


TOP: Lush Each Peach Massage Bar & Sugar Babe Scrub
BOTTOM: Lush Mange Too Massage Bar
Wind, snow, coldness…It’s all taking a toll on my skin. I don’t usually take care of my body but it’ll probably take a toll later on. After hearing some good reviews I made a trip to the Lush store. The SA’s there were nice. They offered to try things on me etc. But of course...I felt bad :X So instead of going in with 1 item in mind...I came out with 3 LOL *Sigh* I have problems! =.=


Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer – Vernis in Branwen’s Feather
My first splurge/expensive nail polish. The color was just too pretty…I tried it already. I love how it only took 1 slightly thicker coat to get a nice opaque color, 2 to get full coverage of the nail. BUT..IDK..mine chipped without a day. I think I’m going to try again using Seche Vite and see how that goes. Has anyone else who used Butter London polishes experienced this?


Benefit Highbeam To Go, Sample of Philosophy Purity Cleanser, Hello Kitty Nail Polish in Blueberry
I was so happy to find the Highbeam To Go in Sephora. Been wanting to try it, but didn’t want to purchase the full sized. I know it works out to be more worth my money if I bought the full sized but I think this one will last me a while...

And how could I pass on the Hello Kitty collection?!?! I had to get at least 1 item...After swatching almost all the colors they had, I ended up liking how Blueberry came out post. If applied nicely you could even wear 1 sheer layer! 2 layers are already full coverage..opaque goodness :D


Sephora Samples
Can’t wait to try these out. I think I need to take better care of my eye area even though I’m not even in my 20s yet. I tend to rub them a lot =.=


Forever21 Necklace
Wasn’t expecting this now were you? :P I think I’m going to start including items like these as well. I’ve only purchased a few jewelry pieces so there isn’t much to share now. But I can see myself buying more, especially when they’re so cheap and cute at F21!


Gray and Beige/Cream Circle Scarves
Another non-beauty related item I wanted to share :] The weather has been so strange. Sometimes it’s bearable cold and others it’s freezing...I didn’t hear about circle/infinity scarves until recently and I really like how versatile they are! I especially love how there are no ends so I don’t have to worry about one blowing off my shoulder and touching the nasty ground (with all the slushy dirty leftover mess from the snow disasters..don’t get me wrong snow when untouched is beautiful, but when there are so many people walking and driving on it..it is a horrendous sight!)


Divina Non Acetone Nail Polish Remover
I can’t believe I finished a whole bottle of nail polish remover by myself LOL I can only imagine how bad my nails must be. Must give them a rest soon! xD But until then, I needed to replace the one I was using (Sally Hansen Extra Strength Polish Remover) because even though it removed polish fast I despised the cold feeling acetone gave. I intended to buy the Sephora one because I loved how quickly it removed my polish when I tried it at the store but didn’t really want to spend $9 dollars for a relatively small bottle. I found Divina at my local beauty supply store when I was searching for a hair-cutting razor LOL Will try it out and see how it works soon! Hopefully, it’ll be as good as the other two ^__^


TOP: MUJI Cotton
TOP: MUJI Facial Net
I've only been using MUJI cotton for the last...half a year (maybe longer?). It is much better and less expensive than drugstore ones IMO. Will definitely continue to buy these :] And NYC MUJI FINALLY has the facial net in store!! I remembered seeing someone mention purchasing it (but they're from another country) and I went to check a few months ago and they didn't have. I hope this will be easier to use than the version that I bought before. Will definitely try to post about this and compare after I try it :D

First Drugstore Purchases of 2011

7:30:00 AM mandy 26 Comments

Many of you probably already know of the big sale that CVS is having for their beauty products. I found out about it on New Year’s Eve (very late at night) while I was on a college application break lol thanks to Nouveau Cheap’s blog. I’ve seen those 50% and 75% off stickers before when I wasn’t as into MU but now I realize what a great deal they are. Each product could come to less than $5 each! Even though Nouveau Cheap listed so many products that were on sale, it really does vary by store. I went to 2 CVS’s and some products on sale at one store weren’t at the other. There were also products that I was anticipating on getting but didn’t see a sticker on. I did use the red machine to price check, but sadly..it wasn’t discounted. Now the beauty section of CVS has a lot of empty spaces lol I guess it’s a good thing since I heard that they use these sales to clear out space for new products! I’ve seen some temporary displays for new products as well. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for us ^__^


Revlon Age Defying Moisturizing Concealer in 002 Light Medium and Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Beige Medium 0-2.5
This was my first purchase of the new year. I’ve heard a lot of good things about these two concealers and decided to buy them even though I have so many because they were discounted so much. Thank goodness I picked the correct shade for the Revlon one but I was overly excited about the sale that I forgot to double check the shade for the Maybelline one (it was placed in the Cream section when it was Beige..I hate it when this happens. I always find myself putting it back into the correct places lol). In the end I had to exchange it because it was WAY too dark for my face. Maybe if my neck shade and face shade were the same it would have matched but if I just wanted to wear concealer and powder..this wouldn’t do.






Revlon Age Defying Moisturizing Concealer in 002 Light Medium


Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Beige 0-2.5


Physician’s Formula Health Wear SPF50 Powder Foundation in Cream Beige and Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Ivory Light 2-3.5
Literally the next day I walked more than 1 mile to go to the two CVS’s in order to exchange the Maybelline concealer. Good exercise though lol. I was looking for Cream but neither store at it (or it wasn’t on sale). So I opted for Ivory hoping it would be a good match and it was, surprisingly! I purchased the Physician’s Formula foundation because I’ve been really into powders lately even though it’s winter time. I took a chance with this shade (it was the only one on sale) and it wasn’t very dark. In fact, it is pretty light being the darkest shade in the range.


Physician’s Formula Healthy Wear SPF50 Powder Foundation in Creamy Beige
The packaging felt a bit cheap IMO and the bright neon colors aren’t my thing. But since I don’t carry makeup around and only use it before I go out, it isn’t too big of a problem. Even the sponge it came with is pink!


Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Ivory Light 2-3.5


Top: Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Beige Medium 0-2.5
Bottom: Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in Ivory Light 2-3.5


L’oreal Magic Smooth Soufflé Makeup Sample
I didn’t see the new collection displays until I was about ready to leave CVS. Of all the displays of this foundation that I saw (Rite-Aid, Walgreens, CVS), this was the first I saw with the sample packets that everyone talked about. It doesn’t have an indication of a shade, but I’m still curious about how a soufflé foundation is.

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A few days ago while waiting for my mom to go to an appointment I had, I went to the nearby Rite-Aid. I saw they had Revlon brushes and got a little excited. Revlon brushes are almost impossible to find! I’ve only seen them at select Rite-Aids. I picked up one thing.


Revlon Blush Brush
Although I like the Ecotools blush brush, sometimes I think it doesn’t work too well with certain blushes. I wanted a more rounded brush than the tapered style that the Ecotools brush had. I was willing to pay the retail price that was on the sticker ($12.99), but luckily when I went to check out and the cashier told me it was $3.24 I was very surprised. I didn’t even know it was on sale! After I made the purchase I was very tempted to see if the powder brush was also on sale, but really..how many brushes does a person need? I’m probably going to regret it later, but I’m glad I was able to show some control xD The blush brush is very soft! I washed it and haven’t been able to try it yet. Will update on how it is later on!

Did any of you make use of the great sales going on? What did you buy? ^__^

December 2010 Collective Haul

7:00:00 AM mandy 9 Comments

Sorry for the lack of posts! This is a late collective haul for December 2010, better late than never! It seemed like yesterday was January 1st. But it was actually last week! How time flies by...

I didn’t make many shopping trips, but I did a lot of damage for one particular purchase (which you’ll see soon =P).

Warning!! This post, like all my haul posts, is VERY image-heavy. I’m so sorry if this makes your computer slow and laggy >__<;;


Missha M Cover B.B Balm [Pact Type] No.23 and Etude House AC Clinic Set


Etude House AC Clinic Acne Foam Cleanser, Q-Tips, Etude House AC Clinic Pink Powder Spot




I bought this from a Soompi seller that I frequently purchase from. Since she lives relatively close to me, I was able to save on shipping. In addition, she was having a discount, so double savings! ^__^ I’ve tried the Etude House set a couple of times and it’s pretty good. I don’t want to say too much until I use it for a little longer.


Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation in Warm Sand, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Peach, and Sephora Mineral Powder Brush






I bought this with the Sephora Gift card I received through email over the holidays. I originally wanted to purchase the Benefit Some Beauty to Love set. But after going to several Sephoras throughout the city and not seeing it, I just settled for the corrector and brush. I’ve been using both regularly since I purchased them and I really like it! Although..I think the corrector is a bit light for its corrector job, it seems to be an alright shade as a concealer shade (even though that isn’t what it’s supposed to do). So I don’t need to put another layer of concealer over it because the shade isn’t too different from flesh tone. (I didn’t pick this shade out, I had a MUA/SA at Sephora help me)


Beautymate Pure White Nano Mask

After using a few of the Beautymate masks my aunt gave me, I wanted to try the other ones as well. I saw these at the pharmacy that I normally go to and asked my mom if we could exchange our prescription receipts for this (that pharmacy allows their customers to use the receipts to ‘buy’ stuff non-prescribed..one receipt=$1, I guess it makes customers want to buy more things lol).




Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

I’ve noticed that my fingers and cuticles are very dry and look disgusting. Even when my hands are relatively soft, my cuticles never seem to have the same moisture level as the rest of my hand. After hearing Makeup and Beauty Blog’s review on it, I got sucked in. Plus it wasn’t too expensive. After using it for a couple of weeks, I really like this as well. However, you have to be very diligent because it’ll make your nail area and cuticles look soft yes but if you watch your hands a couple of times..bye bye soft moisturized looking cuticles. But I don’t think any product will last even after being washed away lol







H2O+ Ultimate Hydration System
Tadaaa! The big purchase I made!!


H2O+ Face Oasis Cleansing Water


H2O+ Hand and Nail Cream
I’ve used this a couple of times. It makes my hands feel nice and soft. But the smell is a big strange..Has anyone else used this and also disliked the scent?


H2O+ Dual Action Eye Makeup Remover


H2O+ Marine Toner


H2O+ Night Oasis Overnight Eye Complex

My second eye-cream. First one from H2O+. I’ve been using this only at night because it says night oasis (I wonder if I could use it in the morning as well..). It leaves my eye area feeling very hydrated in the mornings and I find it not as dry throughout the day as when I didn’t use it. I was thinking of purchasing something to treat my eyes better because I’ve neglected it this whole time I’ve been into makeup and skincare =X


H2O+ Night Oasis Oxygenating Rejuvenator


H2O+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment
I was most excited about this product. I really liked the sample I got from the giveaway prize I got from Lil Lady’s Life. I can’t wait to start using this after I finish my Garnier gel moisturizer (which I should put a review of soon lol).


I finally found some time to travel into the city and explore to find the H2O+ store. It wasn’t very big but the storefront stands out a lot so if you’re on the street, it is very difficult to miss it. I was debating on this set or a small set that contained only a couple of full-sized items and a few smaller sized items. I decided on this one because it seemed a better deal. I had no idea that ALL the products were FULL-SIZED. It was a $175 value priced at $115 a week or so before I purchased it. Then it was dropped to $85. I couldn’t resist. But luckily, these items should last be a pretty long time. So 7 items for $85 (which brings each product to be ~12.15 ish) isn’t TOO bad…right? If my mom saw the receipt, I’m sure I’d be lectured for even if I purchased this with my internship money lol


Top Row: MBD Southern France Apricot Mask & Aloe Mask
Bottom Row: MBD Q10 Rejuvenating Mask & Japanese Cherry Blossom Mask
The same day I went exploring, my lovely aunt went masks shopping. She told me that she was haggling prices and got these for a little cheaper (but obviously not as cheap as if she was to purchase from HK/Taiwan). I was amazed by all the masks she had..10 for each flavor(?) and she had I think 5-6 types. Wow..! She let me take some (again lol) to try. I believe these are the newer version where the mask sheet is thinner.


Left Mask: Newer and Right Mask: Older
I realized I still had a Japanese Cherry Blossom Mask from a while back and compared the two. I usually check MBD whenever I get them because apparently there are a lot of fakes out there. After comparing them to the information online, the newer masks seemed real. But the back of the package was different compared to the older ones. I was just wondering if it is the same for all of the new MBD masks. Because this is the first time I’ve seen English ingredients on the back of these masks...





EOS Lip Balm with SPF15 in Lemon Drop
I’ve wanted to the EOS lip balms for a while but was never able to find any of the non-mint flavored ones. I got this even though I have a couple of lip balms I can use because of the extra SPF. I’ve heard that lips needed sun protection too! It smells like lemon cookies…yum!




MAC Cream Colour Base in Virgin Isle
My aunt and I braved the snow and heavy winds the day of the big storm because we had plans for me to use the facial gift card she received when she purchased one of Shiseido’s skincare sets. I didn’t get to do the facial because the lady my eye purchased from wasn’t there that day. Oh well. It wasn’t a total waste of a trip though. This was the same day that MAC Cham Pale and Stylishly Yours collections were released. I was eyeing the cream colour bases since I saw the promotional images. I have a thing for cream blushes over powdered blushes. They just look more natural and easier to use IMO. I wanted all the colors but obviously couldn’t get because that’ll just be too much. I think that I might go back to purchase either Movie Star Red or Madly Magenta soon. They’re both so pretty and a color that I definitely do NOT have. What do you think? Which would you prefer?