SAMPLE SUNDAY | Bobbi Brown Skin Nourishing Glow Foundation x Wei Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask

Bobbi Brown Skin Nourishing Glow Foundation |

I'm always psyched to try out new products from Bobbi Brown - especially their base products - and my expectations are always sky high. The words "nourishing" and "glow" may sound a tad intimidating for someone with oily skin, but I am always down to try anything and everything. Bobbi Brown claims that this "richly emollient yet lightweight hybrid cream foundation delivers moisture and luminous coverage for a polished, lit-from-within look", and that it contains the skincare benefits of a rich, luxurious moisturizer that makes skin look instantly plump, smooth and radiant. The shade Sand 2 is yellow-toned and matches me to a tee, despite it oxidizing a smidgen darker after application. The gel cream consistency feels very weightless and comfortable on the skin, although I found it a bit streaky in application with a brush and much better with a BeautyBlender. Although it claims to have high coverage, to me it's more of a light to medium buildable coverage, and there are tiny, barely-there shimmer particles that help achieve that lit-from-within, glowy complexion. This wasn't particularly long-lasting on my oily skin and my T-zone got shiny after just two hours - it does advertise to be catered for normal to dry skin types - but it faded away evenly and didn't emphasize any dry patches. This is just one of those products that is very pleasant to use, but too pricey for what it does - the foundation costs a whopping $75USD here in Hong Kong, and my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation can essentially achieve the same natural, luminous effect, with both better coverage and lasting power. So reluctantly, I'm going to have to pass.

Wei Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask |
WEI is a skincare brand that I've wanted to try for ages - the products are created based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, which really tickled my curiosity, and the Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask is their best seller. This ultrasoft mud mask is formulated with seven herbs that claim to deeply penetrate the skin and help counteract cell damage, minimize pores, diminish breakouts, refine skin texture, and renew lifeless-looking skin. And let me just cut to the chase and say that I am officially obsessed. This has a nice, subtle scent - an earthy, herbal, perfumy mixture - and has a smooth, velvety consistency that feels oh-so-soothing to apply. It's slightly cooling (and tingly) upon application and dries down quickly, but isn't at all tight and stiff like other mud masks - you can talk and laugh and make facial expressions without feeling like you're creating bloody wrinkles! I rinse it off after the recommended 10 minutes, and the water transforms the mask into a rich, oily consistency that makes my skin feel ultra nourished, soft, and firm. I was sold after just one application, and will definitely be dropping the $42USD to get the full size, which consists of 8 individually packaged pods and an application brush.

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.

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.

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 Solid. Last 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!

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!

SAMPLE SUNDAY | YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking Mascara x Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream

YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking Mascara |

I was always skeptical about high-end mascaras until I tested out the Guerlain Cils D'Enfer So Volume Maxi Lash Mascara in the first ever edition of Sample Sunday, and since then I've been on a mission to test out all the high-end mascaras I can get my hands on. This YSL mascara claims to "exaggerate lashes with excess volume from every angle", and reminded me of the Guerlain mascara in almost every aspect - both mascaras gave my lashes volume and lift all day with minimal smudging, has a similar floral fragrance, and are both $32 for the full size. If I had to differentiate between the two, I would say this YSL mascara gives me bigger, more voluminous lashes (at the cost of slightly more clumping), while the Guerlain's short, bristly teethed mascara wand gives longer, more fluttery lashes. Both are great volumizing mascaras (and it really depends on personal preference), but if I had to nitpick, the bigger, bushier YSL wand is trickier to work with in terms of trying not to get mascara on the lids and ruining that bomb smokey eye - that is the worst.

Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream |

After testing out the Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream in the last Sample Sunday, I wanted to stay on the Bobbi Brown train and try out the eye cream sample as well. The Extra Eye Repair Cream claims to repair, revive and strengthen the eye area by targeting fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles, puffiness and dryness. That's an impressive list of claims! First of all, this stuff is thick, so a little goes a long way. It feels rich and luxurious but does take a bit of warming up between the fingertips to spread smoothly under the eyes. The ultra-creamy consistency means it takes a while longer (I give it at least 5 minutes) to absorb fully, so for those of you who like to snooze in the morning like myself, this won't work as part of your 5 minute makeup routine. Under makeup, I have yet to notice any creasing or pilling up which is a good sign. As a nighttime eye cream, this feels wonderfully moisturizing and I do think my under eyes look smoother and my fine lines less pronounced after just a few days, while my dark circles are still beyond repair (excuse the pun). Bobbi Brown does also offer the Hydrating Eye Cream which is lighter in consistency and may be a better option for daytime. So far, I'm loving this Extra Eye Repair Cream as part of my nighttime skincare routine and would be willing to fork over the $72USD for the full size.

SAMPLE SUNDAY | Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream x NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint SPF 30

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Cream |
You all know that the only face cream I've used for the past few years is the amazing Aesop Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream, but hey, it doesn't hurt to experiment! Especially when it comes to Bobbi Brown products. I remember playing with my mom's Bobbi Brown makeup and skincare products as a kid (without permission, hehe) and now it's time to give it a proper test. Bobbi Brown claims this is a "light moisturizing cream that leaves skin healthy and prepared for a seamless makeup application". Yasss, sounds right up my street! I love the lightweight texture and how it doesn't leave that dreaded greasy film after it absorbs into the skin, leaving it soft and plump - no more dry patches! So yes, it does seem to enhance makeup application as claimed. Unfortunately, I've noticed some texture and clogged pores on my forehead and cheeks after using this for a few days, which has never happened with my Aesop face cream. I can't say for certain this is the culprit, but needless to say I'll be holding off on this for a while until I can give it another fair try just to be sure. For now, I'm sticking to my trusty Aesop cream!

NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint SPF 30 |
After trying my luck with the NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, it was about time I gave their new(ish) foundation a go. Velvet matte sure sounded like a winner for my oily-combination skin, but I was so wrong. This NARS base is an "oil-free skin tint to protect and perfect with medium, buildable coverage and a soft-matte finish", and it has a whipped, mousse-like consistency that, while much thicker than other bases I own, was easy to spread and blend. The shade Alaska looks a shade too dark on my arm, but actually matches my face nicely. This felt comfortable upon application, but I was distracted by how visibly drying and cakey it looked, particularly around my nose, mouth and forehead. I was hoping it would look better as the day went on. Nope! In fact, I'm just going to come right out and say this was pretty terrible. This looks alright far away, but all sorts of bad close up - cakey, thick, dry, messy, settled into my fine lines (especially my smile lines), and worst of all, it faded incredibly patchy and streaky, to the point where I was self-conscious of talking to people up close! I will say that my dry, parched winter skin probably isn't the best canvas to try this formula on, but nevertheless, this just did not work for me. Shame.