Sephora Members 20% off Haul

The Sephora outlet at ION Orchard was hideously cramped last Saturday with ladies holding baskets full of makeup products and some bored boyfriends who probably got dragged to the store to squeeze with everyone else just so their female friends/partners could get a good deal from the 20% discount off all items for 4 long days.

This sale came at the right moment. I went the following day after payday and I asked Sephora to just 'take all my money naooooooooooo!' lol. But I am thankful for the 20% off Sephora Singapore.

SARANGHAEYO :D

So without further ado, here is my haul which I admit is very reserved given my ability to just buy things without considering the consequences haha.

Here's what I bought (prices are normal retail pricing at Sephora Singapore):

1. Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blush 214 Promiscuous, $55.00
2. Lancome Lip Lover 355 Framboise Etoile, $40.00
3. Givenchy Le Rouge Lipstick 301 Magnolia Organza, $50.00 
4. Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder Air Sensation 05 Soft White, $89.00

The first item I picked up was this Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold Blush in 214 Promiscuous. I have been dying to get my hands on a Marc Jacobs product ever since it launched at our Sephora stores in April this year but I held back because of the price. But the blushes from this range are just so smooth and creamy - totally my kinda thing!

Because I asked a friend who is now in the US to pick up 2 other colours for me, I decided to go with 214 Promiscuous because it was the colour that caught my eye from the display.

The blush comes in a sleek black compact with 'Marc Jacobs' printed and the clasp is quite sturdy - just press lightly and the compact will open.

It also comes with a cloth cover and a brush which both feels very cheap to me - not good MJ given that I had to pay $55 for it -.-"

Thankfully colour pay-off is awesome so I forgive you Mr Jacobs lol. Take a look at the hand swatches here. The colour is very pigmented, pink with shimmer. You can definitely build up the colour slowly with your brush, just remember, it's called a Shameless Bold Blush for a reason - it will make you seem 'shameless' for attracting so much attention with your bold blush xD

Heavy swatch (L) Light swatch (R)

I have yet to try this on my face but you can see why I fell in love with the colour at Sephora - pinky blushes are my vices! I will try and post a review entry together with the other Marc Jacobs items my friend will be bringing back from the US for me. Stay tuned for that!

I chanced upon the small but sufficient Givenchy area in Sephora by accident. It was by sheer accident that I ended up there because I was looking for my friend Jacelyn and I saw the powder compact by accident.

Ended up picking 2 items from the nice and friendly BA from Givenchy.

Givenchy's Le Rouge Lipstick in Magnolia Organza 301 looked like a bright pinkish red when I saw it in the tube. But upon swatching it at Sephora that day, I couldn't make up my mind with their 205 Fuchsia Irrésistible and this but Jacelyn persuaded me to go with Magnolia Organza because I had way too many purple lip products in my stash.

This is a one swipe swatch - can you see how opaque the colour is? Totally convinced that I didn't waste my money lol. We shall see how it fair against my dry lips ugh. I wish there was a way to do away with dry and flaky lips :/

Givenchy's Prisme Libre Loose Powder Quartet Air Sensation in Soft White 05 was the second item I brought home with me from the brand.

Now this, has been appearing non-stop all over my Instagram feed. I was intrigued naturally! So since I was there at the Givenchy area, why not test this out? OH MAN, when the BA tried the product on my face, I was instantly sold!

It comes in a quartet of powders and the idea is to flip the entire container upside down pressing onto the puff, get the colour and then imprint the Givenchy logos all over before blending/smoothing the product.

Eh, I apologise for the crap lighting while taking these pictures first okay? Anyway, here's the instructions from the box.

Comes with a seal which you have to discard upon opening it

Picking up the product with the puff

So you'll get 4 different colours of powder aimed to correct your skin tone as well as provide the coverage that you need. The BA matched me to 05 Soft White even though I wanted to try the pastel coloured ones.

Print the Givenchy logos (damn cool haha!)

And then pat with the puff to smoothen it

I used the powder as a setting and touch-up powder and I love the instant glow it gave my face.

My only grouse was that I disliked how the puff got dirtied by my liquid foundation and it was just a turn off for me. I gave in to my OCD and washed the puff that very night because of how grimy it was.

So I wish there was a better way to apply this - maybe I should really use a quick setting foundation or wait longer before patting the powder over my face.

(cr to Lancome's official website)

Now for the final product I picked up at the sale, it is Lancome's Lip Lover in 355 Framboise Etoile. I apologise once again for shit pictures. I couldn't capture the actual product without it turning into a reflective mess and had to just use the picture from the official website.

Nevertheless, here is the hand swatch of the product.

355 Framboise Etoile is described as a berry pink shade and the line of Lip Lovers from Lancome  is supposed to be "An intense lip color that hydrates and gives lips dewy, non-sticky shine. "

Hand swatch of 355 Framboise Etoile

Well, I haven't tried it on my lips yet but this colour is really intense. In fact, all the colours from the line are very intense! I had a hard time trying to get the swatches off at Sephora that day.

The formula is non-sticky, it had very smooth application and the applicator is akin to a doe-foot applicator but instead of it being rounded, it has 2 flat surfaces.

I liked how the top part of the Lip Lover has a click mechanism with the bottom half to give users a secure lip product. Very innovative I must add, so thumbs up for you Lancome! :D

Alright, that's all for my Sephora haul. I am going to the TANGS 12% rebate sale tomorrow hehe and I just received a box full of NARS products from the US.

Maybe I will do haul posts for those when I have the time, so till then, thanks for reading! :)

Dior Backstage Studio Haul

Hey all! Dior Backstage Studio located at ION Orchard Level B2-44/46 had a special 10% discount for DBS/POSB cards with $120 nett purchase last Saturday.

My lovely and friendly Dior BA sent me a picture of the sale details and I promptly went down to get some stuff.

I mean it's not everyday a freaking luxe and atas (slang for high-ended) brand like Dior has a sale right? #makingexcusesonly

And honestly to hit $120 wasn't difficult with a brand like Dior. I wanted everything in the store lol!

So here is my modest haul - I went home with only 2 items, the rest were freebies actually haha!

Here's my first item, Diorshow Eyeshadow Mono Transat Edition in 541 Pavillon.

It's part of Dior's Summer 2014 collection and my third item from it haha! I contemplated it when the collection launched here but I couldn't justify the price. I almost never buy single eyeshadows because I believe in quantity haha! If I paid almost another 50%, I could get myself a 5-colour eyeshadow palette! so no way was I paying for just one colour. So I held back then. But with the discount and that to die for rope-like pattern, I jumped on it! It is really too precious to not get it to be honest. Woes of a makeup addict lol.

Comes in the signature sleek Dior compact casing

Protective cover + 2 eyeshadow applicators which I never use

541 Pavillon in my opinion looks very peachy and a muted orange in the pan. When I swatched it with my finger, the pigment came off smoothly like butter. These eyeshadows can be used wet and dry as per Dior's usual eyeshadows.

While some Dior eyeshadows can be a total dud, this is a clear winner! Look at that colour!

Hand swatch in normal lighting with no primer

The colour came out as a peachy, gearing towards the bronzy side, with micro shimmers.

And here's the thing: the rope pattern is too thick to be wiped away so.... I can has awesome rope-like eyeshadows for a long long time!! :D

If you dislike strong eye colours, I would suggest getting this and pairing with a brown colour for an everyday look! Or you can put on a bronze or copper shade for a night look.

I think I will wear this tomorrow to the office haha.

I picked up another Dior Addict Fluidstick in 872 Mona Lisette. I already own 575 Wonderland which I don't have a review for (oops! will work on it heh.) so I wanted to go back for this because this was the first one that drew my attention back when this line of lip products was launched.

It was a personal preference then but the BA on that day persuaded me to get 575 instead because it just got restocked that day when I popped by and also one of the four 'IT shades' which are constantly out of stock. And this time round I went for this first thing!

872 Mona Lisette

Dior embossing on the outer casing

Applicator

872 Mona Lisette is a deep pink colour that is very much cool toned. The formulation is a thicker than gloss like product but with the intensity of a lipstick and you'd have to apply more layers to get an opaque lip colour. I usually put on 2 coats because the formulation is quite runny initially and takes time to 'set'.

These lip products leave a faint stain on your lips after they go away but can be easily removed with makeup remover not to worry!

Hand swatches under normal lighting

872 Mona Lisette is clearly much more muted than 575 Wonderland but deeper in colour. I like the purple undertones it has and just very nice to wear to work. I was obsessed with wearing 575 Wonderland when I first bought it and I think 872 Mona Lisette will be no different lol.

Comparison with 575 Wonderland (L) and 872 Mona Lisette (R)

Now onto the freebies!

The nice BA gave me a mini, sample-sized 5 colour eyeshadow palette in 809 Petal Shine! Hehe.

I just found it so freaking adorable! Just how awesome is this mini palette?! (inserts googly eyes with hearts)

It was just too precious for me to swatch so I left it alone lol. To admire hehehe. I wonder how mini my brushes should be when I attempt to use this.

Comparison of the mini sample with a full-sized 5 colour eyeshadow palette

I was just like... this looks like a parent and its mini-me version lol! Wouldn't you agree with me? :D

I also received a sample of the newly released Dior Addict It-Lash Macara in 092 It-Black.

This mascara was launched last week and when I was at the Sephora Members Sale on the same day, Dior staff were actively promoting this as well.

Now I am not a huge fan of branded mascaras. To me any drugstore mascara would suffice because mascaras dry out easily and I do not believe it paying so much for it. Oh and did I mention I have very short lashes too? LOL. So my lashes aren't thick and luscious ones hence I don't like to 'waste' money on high-ended mascaras.

The sample came as a mini tube with the applicator part of the lid of the tube.

Dior's claims for this line of mascaras:

Dior Addict It-Lash mascara creates long and curved, doe-like lashes as it coats for a smooth, radiant finish. The formula is supple and easy to layer for intense volume, and it becomes insoluble after it dries for long-wearing color—thanks to its unique latex gel polymer. The chubby mascara brush and easy-to-use handle makes this mascara super wearable, and allow it to coat lashes simultaneously along the full length and the entire fringe area.

It comes in 4 new shades - black, pink, purple and blue. I'm really looking forward to using it soon and see if it lives up to its name of creating volume for my lashes. 

Alright, that's the end of my haul. I will post my Sephora haul in another entry so look forward to that.

Thanks for reading :D

Selfridges Haul Part 1: Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer

Several weeks ago I blogged that I had purchased some items from Selfridges.

I am pleased to say that my order was successful and the package arrived at my doorstep intact with the correct items.

Here's the first part of my Selfridges haul. (Edit: Here is Part 2 of the haul.)

I picked up 2 of the Tom Ford Lip Color Sheer in Paradiso 07 and Summer Fling 04.

These are part of the Spring 2014 collection from Tom Ford and my first ever Tom Ford purchase!

I am not gonna lie, when I read this post from Rae of The RAEviewer, I knew I had to have at least one of them. And these lippies were popping up all over my IG feed.

My bff always says I cannot tahan when it comes to 2 words: Limited and Edition. It's like these words always trying to test my self-control and see if I can score such items to add to my collection. Hence I was on a mission to get hold of them. Plus at that point in time the Tom Ford Beauty counter in Singapore had not brought them in yet.

Super difficult for me to hold off the resistance and I finally decided, no Paula you cannot have all 8 of them because they are bloody expensive and you are in perpetual debt. Choose 2 and put the rest at the back of your mind lol. I originally wanted to get a third colour - Incorrigible which is a gorgeous fuchsia - but I held back because I think I have a dupe somewhere in my makeup drawer. So I ended up putting only 2 colours in the cart - Paradiso and Summer Fling. Yay me for my self-control! /pats self on back/

Okay, I digress. Chose to buy them from Selfridges even though they were more expensive (US is selling them for USD$49 versus £36 from Selfridges) because they were mostly sold out on all the US sites.

Then I added on some stuff from Charlotte Tilbury which I will show in another entry.

So here are the gorgeous Tom Ford Lip Color Sheers in Paradiso and Summer Fling.

Paradiso 07 is a gorgeous corally, warm toned pink. Perfect summer lip colour to be honest. Fairly opaque too, you'll have to build up the colour on the lips. It comes with a glossy sheen and glided on oh so smoothly on my arm as I swatched it.

Summer Fling 04 is a nudish, pinkish colour that is fairly light. I like it for a casual day out or when I put on some lip colour for work. It also has a glossy sheen and glided on very smoothly when I did the arm swatch.

Now you will definitely be able to find plenty of lip swatches online because of the huge furor caused when these lippies were released so I won't be showing any lip swatches.

My verdict? Overhyped. 

When I wore Paradiso out 2 days ago, it dried my lips out so badly I was practically flaking away at the end of the day. It emphasized all the lines on my lips that when I decided to give it a second chance the next day, I topped it up with a gloss to hide all the lip flaws....

...which defeats the purpose right?

Please don't get me wrong, I loved the colours I picked out, texture was emollient when I swatched it but how come when I put it on my lips it became so drying?! /stabs self/

UGH! I was pre-warned because I had read some reviews online stating so but I refused to believe it because so many people were raving about it? Got so suay anot get a lousy one or one that doesn't work for me? :(

(Edit: Summer Fling worked better on me than Paradiso! Now it's become one of my most reached lip colours to pair with my Dior lipgloss.)

Anyway, I'm still glad I picked them up for my makeup collection because what worth is it if you don't collect limited edition stuff right lol (excuses).

These Tom Ford beauties (yup, still beauties because the packaging is so prett-ay!) should be available at the Tangs counter and I did see some still available online at Selfridges' website.

Go check them out if you're keen!

Alrights, end of my review. Will be back soon with more makeup goodies! :D

Enjoy your weekend everybody.

Sephora Haul!

I've been a really happy girl last week because I bought stuff from Sephora!

HEHEHE.

Now I want to say that I don't shop at Singapore's Sephora that much because it's way too expensive in my opinion.

Unless I know for sure that I cannot get the stuff online (cos the website accepts only US credit cards or it is OOS etc blah blah) only then will I buy it locally.

The rest of my makeup comes from overseas!

Sum-pah! LOL.

So last month was my birthday month and Sephora gives a free palette and a one-time purchase to get double points on your membership card.

Now I really wanted the free gift but not so much the points because I hardly shop at Sephora Singapore.

AND THEN I SAW THE WORDS 'SEPHORA EXCLUSIVE' & 'LIMITED EDITION'.

FML.

My wallet officially hates you Too Faced, yes you.

2 purchases in a span of 5 days!

So here's all the things from my tiny haul from Sephora