HAUL | Sephora.com and NYC

Warning. This post is long and may induce splurging. I will be showing you all my new beauty products that somehow made their way from store displays in the U.S into my makeup drawer back home in Hong Kong. 
           

This is a haul I’ve accumulated over the past few months – products that I bought while on holiday, and products I ordered online (that my best friend very kindly carried home for me). At Sephora, I am a Very Important Beauty Insider (VIB). Translation – I love makeup and I buy a lot of it. If I lived in the states, I’d be VIB Rouge for sure. Because I don’t, I only get to do Sephora hauls once, maybe twice a year. So when I get that opportunity, trust that I take advantage. Let's get started!
          

NARS Sheer Glow in Fiji | MAC Waterweight SPF 30 Foundation in NC 20 | bareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Buttercream 03 | Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizing Primer in Smoothing | Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
          

For the face, I caved and splurged on three foundations that have been on my wish list for quite some time. NARS Sheer Glow was the one product that I’ve wanted for years (probably since 2012) but just never got around to buying. I finally gave in when I found out recently that it was the foundation of choice by most brides on their wedding day. Flawless wedding-day skin? Yes please! MAC Waterweight SPF 30 Foundation was launched in the fall of last year, and I knew I wanted it the second I heard the name – I’m a sucker for natural, lightweight foundations and the SPF is a plus! I also picked up the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue, which seems to be the go-to foundation among beauty gurus for that radiant, everyday natural skin. I’ve heard glowing reviews on the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizing Primers and picked up the Smoothing primer for large pores and fine lines, because who wouldn’t want to hide those? The Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray was a spur-of-the-moment purchase while standing in line to pay at Sephora – also known as the Aisle of Doom. Oh, how I’ve fallen victim to it on so many occasions. But honestly, who could resist? The aisle offers a plethora of mini and travel sized products that are in the “that’s not too bad, I’ll give it a shot” price range that you can’t help but pick up more than a few. For setting powders, I picked up both the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder and Secret Brightening Powder after hearing that these are the best powders in the game, and also to cater to my newfound love for "baking".
       

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder | Secret Brightening Powder

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette | Sephora Collection Pro Flawless Airbush #56 | Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush | BeautyBlender | NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

          

I've craved for the Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette for so many months, and as you can read here in my recent review, I’m madly in lurve. The Sephora Collection Pro Flawless Airbrush #56 was the hardest to get my hands on – it was sold out in three Sephora stores in NYC and when I finally found it on my last day in the Big Apple, it was the last one left. Meant to be? I think so. The Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush is a “returned it, regretted it, repurchased it” product. I bought it a few years ago when Tarte first launched these blushes, and was disappointed in the color payoff. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve started to appreciate its subtlety and buildable quality. No Sephora haul is ever complete without getting a backup of my trusty BeautyBlender - I've been using it for years and it’s an absolute must-have in my books. The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer was another of my highly coveted products, but I couldn't seem to justify the price when so many drugstore concealers were doing the job. But cue the Aisle of Doom, and I’m checking out with a mini sized version.
          

Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette | Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion | Benefit Roller Lash Curling & Lifting Mascara | Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in 13 Marvelous Mauve

          
For the eyes, I had to pick up the Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette because matte eye shadows are my absolute jam, and the colors in the palette are right up my street. Neutral browns and taupes and purples. Yasss. I repurchased the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion after realizing my previous one was from more than a year (that’s a lie – two years) ago. Sorry, don’t judge. The mini size of the Benefit Roller Lash Curling & Lifting Mascara was another aisle-of-doom purchase and I don't regret it one bit. The Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve was love at first sight and I knew it had to be mine.
          

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser | GlamGlow Powermud Dualcleanse Treatment | Fresh Seaberry Restorative Body Cream

          

For skincare, I had to repurchase my favorite Fresh Soy Face Cleanser - it smells like cucumbers and removes all my makeup while keeping my skin feeling super soft. The GlamGlow Powermud Dualcleanse Treatment is another exciting addition to my growing GlamGlow collection. I had dragged my boyfriend to Sephora (for the second time that day) and he bought this for me while checking out the Aisle of Doom on his own. No one is safe, I'm telling you. The Fresh Seaberry Restorative Body Cream was an impulse purchase - I had never seen it in Hong Kong stores before - and I loved it so much that I went back the next day and bought an extra bottle (which I ended giving away to my dad, because I’m just that sweet of a daughter, you guys.)

Phew, we’re done!

I hope you enjoyed this haul and that I inspired a few (or more) beauty purchases! I will be doing in-depth reviews of these products in the near future, so stay tuned!

REVIEW | M.A.C Pro Longwear Paint Pots

It's time to rewind and revisit an old favorite of mine, the highly-raved-about cream eye shadows from MAC Cosmetics. Ah... the memories.
 

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots

$22 USD at MAC Cosmetics, Nordstrom

26 shades

I first heard about this product about three years ago, when one of the shades, Painterly, became a staple in every girl's makeup bag. Back then, I couldn't watch a single beauty video without seeing Painterly being featured. So naturally, I ran out, bought it, fell in love, and bought two more shades, Groundwork and Quite Natural. I ended up wearing these paint pots every single day for months. Then life happened, new products came out, and these ended up in the back of my makeup drawer... until last week. Now I can't remember why I ever stopped using them!

Quite Natural | Groundwork | Painterly

These paint pots come in a sturdy glass pot with a screw-on lid, which makes it perfect for travel. MAC describes the paint pot as "A highly pigmented, long-wearing eye shadow that goes on creamy and dries to an intense, vibrant finish. The innovative second skin-like formula blends smoothly over lids and creates seamless, buildable coverage without looking heavy or cakey. Its superior colour purity stays true and will not streak or crease."

Those may sound like big claims, but I'm here to tell you that they are all true. These are not only super creamy and pigmented, there is no creasing or fading on my lids whatsoever. MAC claims that these last for 15 hours, and while I've never had the pleasure of wearing these for that long, they look just the same after I get home from a long day. I find application easiest with just my fingers. Here's a closer look at the three shades I own.

Swatches in natural light

Quite Natural | dirty chocolate brown
This one is my absolute favorite. It's completely matte, which I love, and the color is just as MAC described - a beautiful, dirty chocolate brown. It's much more versatile that it looks - pat it lightly all over the lid for a natural, soft brown neutral eye (like the shade name suggests), or pack it on for an intense dark brown smokey eye. This one's a must-have! But be warned - this dries the quickest out of the three shades, so work fast.

Groundwork | mid-tone neutral taupe

This is the perfect shade for an everyday look, and if you want some color and definition on the lids without all the work. There's a subtle sheen to the finish, and it makes you look so pretty and put together. This is the perfect choice for a "no makeup" makeup look. Also a must-have! Sorry!

Painterly | nude beige
Ah... Painterly. This was the most raved about shade in the entire range. It's a beautiful matte nude, pink beige color and helps cover the veins and discoloration on the lids. It was my perfect eyeshadow base for any eye look - emphasis on the was. At first I refused to believe Painterly could do any wrong, but finally realized it was pulling a bit too pink on my warm, light skin and made me look a bit sickly. If you have a similar skin tone as mine, you might want to consider picking up Soft Ochre, a neutral matte, yellow-beige shade which works exactly the same way as Painterly. Choose the right one for you out of the two and you'll be a happy camper.

MAC's Pro Longwear Paint Pots were, and still are, one of my favorite cream eye shadow products, and I highly suggest you run out to the closest MAC store and take a look for yourself. I guarantee you'll find a shade (or two, or six) out of the 26 that catches your fancy. But watch out - these paint pots set and dry fast, so you need to work quickly. It might be a little tricky for the makeup beginners out there, but practice makes perfect! Here's a tip - make sure the lids are screwed on tight and store these babies upside down in your makeup drawer; the moisture from the bottom of the pot moves upwards to keep everything creamy. Yipee!

Let me know which MAC paint pots are your favorite and why!

JUST IN | Now Online - Sephora Hong Kong

Oh My Gosh. I can't believe it. Sephora has finally answered my makeup prayers and made its way over to the 852 via it's new online store, sephora.hk! When I saw this in my inbox this morning, I swear I let out a muffled scream. Goodbye, savings...

All us beauty lovers in Hong Kong can now enjoy full access to a wide range of beauty products and brands that we've been coveting for so long but could never get our hands on. You can also get free shipping on orders over $350 HKD. Can I get a woop-woop! The website doesn't carry all the brands that are on the Sephora US website, but I spy a few new brand additions that aren't sold in Sephora anywhere else, including 3CE, Sleek, Mario Badescu and Zoeva. Yasss.

But wait, there's more!

Until March 29th, purchase over $600 HKD and get $50 HKD off, PLUS free shipping. Gotta run, my wallet isn't going to empty itself! 

REVIEW | L’oreal Lucent Magique Cushion Lumiere

I am quite possibly the last person on earth to jump on the BB cushion wagon, but better late than never, right? I saw this product on sale in Sasa recently and did a double take - this girl loves a good sale. Swatched it on my hand and before I knew what hit me, I was waiting in line at the cashier.

L’oreal Lucent Magique Cushion Lumiere SPF 29 PA+++

$199 HKD at Sasa, Watsons, Mannings (around $25 USD)

2 Shades: Nude Rose, Nude Miracle

First of all, let’s all take a minute and take in the gorgeousness that is the mirrored rose gold packaging. Swoon. Okay, minute over. Inside you’ll find a nice sized mirror and a sponge puff on top of the plastic separator, and underneath that is the cushion. This would be great to bring when traveling since you can apply on the go, and there's no worry that the foundation might leak out.

This only comes in two shades - Rose Miracle R2, which is the lighter, pinker shade, and Nude Miracle N3, which is the slightly darker, yellow shade. I chose Nude Miracle and it’s just a tad light for me but workable. Yes I know, the shade range is not ideal. But since this product is sold exclusively in Asia, I guess the idea was to try and cater to Asian skin tones (but come on, there are some tan Asians out there, people). I believe L’oreal sells this cushion under a different name, the True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation, in the US and the UK and it's available in 12 shades. Lucky peeps.

The texture of this foundation is very smooth, and blends into the skin quite beautifully. The sponge does a decent job of applying the product but I find that I have to dip it back into the cushion quite a few times in order to cover my entire face. Hmm.. hygiene issues? I’m not even going to get into it, but if you’re a germophobe, then this foundation format might not be your cup of tea. The coverage is quite light and natural, as it claims to be, but can be built up to a medium coverage.

Blended out | Swatched

 In natural light

I’ve worn this foundation a handful of times, and so far, I'm in like, not in love. Guys - it is dewy. Yes, I know, the claim of this foundation is exactly that. But I can't help but notice it stays quite tacky on the face. It's not uncomfortable by any means, just a tad sticky. So setting the face with translucent powder is a must for me. Even so, my face starts to look shiny, especially in the T-zone, after just two hours. After four hours, it's girl-please-blot-your-face-that-ain't-cute shiny. It certainly doesn’t help that I have combination oily skin; if you have dry to normal skin, this should have much longer staying power. 

The SPF 29 PA+++ is nice and helpful for those of you who are too lazy to put on a separate SPF. But experts do recommend an SPF of at least 30 if you want adequate sun protection. Do not use this foundation at night and especially if you know you'll be taking pictures - the SPF does give your face a bit of a white cast. Not the look we're going for, girls.

Bottom line, I would say if you prefer a natural, light coverage foundation, and appreciate a dewy, glowy finish, then definitely give this a try. I see myself using this foundation when I want a natural look and don't mind blotting throughout the day.

For those of you who use cushion foundations, I would love to hear some recommendations from other brands!