Saturday, December 31, 2016

HAUL | Sephora VIB Sale

It's officially the last day before 2017 - a very Happy New Year to all of you! I've been having a wonderful Christmas break spending time with family and Riley, just huddled up on the couch watching classics like Home Alone and The Santa Clause while sippin' on hot cocoa. It was Riley's first Christmas with us as well so the highlight has been dressing her up in Santa outfits.. hehe. Dog owners, right?

Before 2016 is over, I wanted to share everything I picked up in the Sephora VIB sale earlier last month - again, I had my order shipped to my best friend's house in the states and she kindly brought everything back for me when she flew home for the holidays. Thanks girl! This time, I really capitalized on the 20 percent off discount and splurged on a few much needed skincare products, while making a conscious effort to minimize makeup purchases - props to me.


HAUL | Sephora VIB Sale

Let's start off with all my new goodies! I picked up not one, but two eye creams to add to my skincare collection - the Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate and Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream. Both samples left my eye area smooth and rejuvenated, and also wore well under makeup, so I splurged and got both. Guilty as charged! I also got the Bobbi Brown Protective Face Base SPF 50 after trying a sample my sister gave me, and really appreciated how lightweight it felt on my skin and under makeup. I've always had to mix shades Vanilla and Custard together to use as concealer, so I went ahead and picked up one of the new NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer shades in Cannelle, which thankfully turned out to be the perfect light yellow shade with a peachy undertone for my under eyes. I never had the intention to try out the Beauty Blender Micro Mini, but with such a significant discount I thought, 'why the heck not?'. I can't wait to try these tiny sponges out for concealer as well as detailed contouring and highlighting. The last thing I need in my life is another foundation brush, but the Sephora Collection Pro Featherweight Complexion Brush #90 had overwhelmingly positive reviews - some people even raved that it gave a more flawless finish than the Beauty Blender - so I just had to try it out for myself. After just a few uses, I have to wholeheartedly agree with the masses - softest bristles ever and blends like a freakin' dream.


HAUL | Sephora VIB Sale - Sephora Collection Pro Featherweight Complexion Brush #90
Sephora Collection Pro Featherweight Complexion Brush #90

As for repurchases - which translates to tried-and-true favorites - I got a new Benefit Erase Paste Brightening Concealer in Medium to replace my old (and quite possibly expired) jar. I also got another trusty Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, my favorite Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, and another backup of the Beauty Blender with a Mini Blender Cleanser SolidLast but not least, I redeemed my annual birthday gift from Sephora - the Marc Jacobs Birthday Gift including the Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner in Blacquer 42 and Le Marc Lip Creme Lipstick in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 216. I don't own any Marc Jacobs makeup as of yet, so I'm itching to try these out. Thanks Sephora!


HAUL | Sephora VIB Sale - Marc Jacobs Birthday Gift
Marc Jacobs Birthday Gift

That's a wrap - thanks for checking out my Sephora VIB haul! I hope that in 2017, I can give you guys more exciting hauls, reviews, first impressions, travel diaries and all that good stuff! 

I'm off to go countdown now - thanks for a great year and see you all in 2017!

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016

My family is a family of Scorpios. In November, we celebrated my birthday, my mom's birthday, both my uncles' birthday, and our dog's first birthday. Pretty crazy, right? Well, my sister's birthday was at the end of October (she's right on the cusp between Libra and Scorpio, but we just call her an honorary Scorpio), and in celebration of her big day, we took a short weekend trip to one of our favorite cities, Tokyo!

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Ginza

We crammed all the food, sights and activities we could manage into our four day, three night stay, and had an awesome sisters bonding trip without the parentals. Freedom! Just kidding - my parents wanted to stay home to take care of Riley. Awww. I've been to Tokyo a handful of times, but I still manage to experience something new and exciting every time I visit. One thing's for sure - you will never see enough of Tokyo. Here are the highlights from my trip!

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Tsukiji Fish Market
Tsukiji Fish Market |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Hamarikyu Gardens
Hamarikyu Gardens |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Bunon Restaurant
Bunon |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Harry's Hedgehog Cafe
Harry's Hedgehog Cafe |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Gonpachi Restaurant
Gonpachi |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Hachiko Statue
Hachiko |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Shibuya Crossing
Shibuya Crossing |


TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Harajuku Gyozaro
Harajuku Gyozaro |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Mori Art Museum - Origin of Species
Mori Art Museum |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - TeamLab Exhibition at Mori Art Museum
TeamLab Exhibition |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Shopping in Ginza
Ginza |

TRAVEL | Tokyo 2016 - Midori Sushi
Midori Sushi |

And of course, no holiday is ever complete unless there is some sort of beauty haul involved. While I indulged mostly in food this time around (and currently rocking the extra five pounds), I did snag a new foundation, the Shiseido Sheer and Perfect Foundation SPF 17, and two repurchases, the Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil and Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Lotion. I will be doing reviews on these products in upcoming posts, so stay tuned!


Hope you guys enjoyed the pictures, and please let me know your favorite spots in Tokyo!