HAUL | Sephora VIB Sale 2017

So my dad just came back from Beantown after running his third consecutive Boston marathon, and it just so happened that he was scheduled to fly back to Hong Kong the day after Sephora's VIB sale officially started. So - yes, you guessed it - I sent my dad detailed instructions (pictures, maps, floor plans, blueprints, the whole nine yards) and had him venture into Sephora on his own to pick up a few items on my wishlist. What a champ!

The first item on my list was the Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash that I had tried out and reviewed in a previous Sample Sunday, and I knew I needed it in my life after just one try - it's a gentle yet incredibly effective scrub that makes my skin feel new again. I had instructed my dad to get the 8oz bottle, but he went ahead and got the 16oz instead because "it worked out to be a better deal"... Asian parents, I'm telling you. Next up was the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer that I had heard rave reviews about ever since it launched two months ago. I've been a longtime fan of their Radiant Creamy Concealer, but reviews kept referring to this as even smoother, creamier, and long lasting with full coverage. I picked up the shade Cannelle, which is actually a shade darker than its counterpart in the other formula, so using it under the eyes is a no-go (until I get more tan). But so far, this is working wonders on the face (I'll be comparing the two concealers in an upcoming review so stay tuned!). Since it's approaching summertime, I thought it would be a good idea to repurchase an old favorite in a darker shade, the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Ginger 06. The last tube I used up was in the shade Buttercream 03, but because this base blends out to be quite sheer, the shade difference isn't too drastic. I love how natural and healthy this looks on the skin, while also providing SPF protection - a definite win for effortless, summery makeup! I also repurchased my trusty Origins Super Spot Remover Acne Treatment Gel that I swear by for helping treat and clear up any breakouts, and another tub of the BeautyBlender Solid Cleanser that is the only product that I feel thoroughly cleans out my sponges and brushes.

The only other item I wanted was the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Poreless Finish Airbrush Press Powder - phew, that's a long one - but unfortunately it was out of stock in stores. I've heard somewhat mixed reviews on both this and the loose powder version, but I was intrigued about the poreless and airbrushed perfection claims, so I definitely will keep an eye out for it to test it out for myself!

Lastly, my dad went off script and brought back this Lancôme Say It With Your Eyes Essential Eye Kit that, and I'm trying hard to hold back tears as I write this, he had accidentally used my Beauty Insider points to redeem - 500 of them! And keep in mind, I have never redeemed anything with my points ever, 'cos I just wanted to accumulate and save up for something epic. Sigh. I am not a big Lancôme fan - only because I haven't tried much from the brand - and could've definitely lived without this set, but, I'm just going to take a deep breath and be thankful that my dad went to Sephora for me in the first place - and grateful he didn't use up all my hard-earned points. This set comes with the Hypnôse Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara, Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Base, Génifique Yeux Youth Activating Eye Cream and the Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover. I sincerely hope these are good products and that they can make up for all my quiet sobbing and silent tears. Keep an eye out for these in upcoming Sample Sundays!

REVIEW | Chantecaille Just Skin Anti-Smog Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15

Every morning for the past two weeks, I have been blindly reaching for the same base to help the situation on my face, and that would be the Chantecaille Just Skin Anti-Smog Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15. This was one of those iconic products that I had lusted after forever (side-eyeing it after time I passed by their counters), but held off on purchasing due to the hefty price tag. Last Christmas, I decided it was finally time - thank the holidays - to bite the bullet and see just what all the fuss was about.

Chantecaille Just Skin Anti-Smog Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15

$670 HKD at Chantecaille HK, Lane Crawford | $72 USD at Chantecaille US, Nordstrom

50g, 1.7oz | 7 Shades

Chantecaille describes this as a lightweight tinted moisturizer that has anti-irritant, antioxidant and antipollution properties to protect the skin from free radicals, smog and the sun. It aims to provide excellent coverage and smooth fine lines while locking in the skin's moisture, and is suitable for sensitive skin. Not going to lie, don't exactly know how all that anti-whatever works (or how to test those claims out) but it all sounds great and dandy! So how good is it really?

First and foremost, I have to say that this has one of, if not the best texture of any base I've ever tried. It's so incredibly creamy and velvety - to the point where it feels more like applying a face cream - and truly blends seamlessly into the skin, perfecting the face without looking like you have anything on. Just skin. To whoever named this product - bravo, you were spot-on. Now, keep in mind that the coverage is sheer to light, so it's definitely catered to those who have quite good skin to begin with, and not for problematic skin or medium to full coverage junkies. The shade I got matched to, Vanilla, oxidizes ever so slightly, but it isn't at all noticeable on the face. This applies smoothly with just the finger tips, while using a brush gives a touch more coverage. I find that this lasts a good five, six hours on my face before starting to fade, but I do get shiny in the T-zone after just two hours, especially with the lovely Hong Kong humidity. 

I picked my tube up at Lane Crawford for $670 HKD (which translates to $86 USD), so it works out to be a tad cheaper if you get it in the states. You do get 1.7oz of product as opposed to the standard 1oz, but still, dang! The ultimate question is, do I think this is worth the splurge?

My answer is.. it really depends! Here's the deal - if you enjoy a creamy, smooth base that offers light coverage and an effortless, luminous finish (and you don't mind treating yo'self) then you will absolutely adore this. For those of you who simply can't justify the eye-watering price tag but want something similar, then might I suggest trying out the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue ($29.5), NARS' Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer ($44) or Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer ($44). Although none of these are able to exactly duplicate the same velvety consistency, all three give a very similar finish - dewy, radiant skin at a considerably cheaper price point. Out of the three, I would say NARS has the most comparable texture, and bareMinerals the most similar, dewy finish. 

And not to keep rambling on - but I'm gonna - there are two issues I have with this. The first is the flat out awful shade range. Eyebrow raise. The second is with the SPF - what in the heck am I going to do with an SPF of 15? That might as well be SPF 0 in my books. But I find that pairing this with my trusty Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ underneath negates the "just skin" effect that it's going for. For now, I've resorted to wearing this around the house or at night (the SPF doesn't seem to give me a white cast as it should in theory). But for the moolah I've shelled out for this baby (and the beautiful finish it gives to the face), I should be able to wear this all day and parade my face around. Sigh.

Swatched | Blended out

So unless you fancy a bit of a splurge and want to experience that creamy texture and naturally radiant, "I-have-amazing-skin-cos-I-drink-eight-cups-of-water-everyday" finish (and you trust all the wonderful skin-benefiting claims), then I would say you could live without this Chantecaille Tinted Moisturizer. Am I happy I bought this? Heck yes. Will I run out and repurchase this when it's finished? For now, probably not. I am more than content with my current collection of tinted moisturizers, but, if you catch me in a spendy mood (which is quite often, unfortunately), I can't guarantee that I won't be spotted lurking by the Chantecaille counters. 

MONTHLY FAVORITES | April 2016

Finally, my first monthly favorites post!

Let's press pause on all the travel chatter and talk about my beauty favorites this month, aka the products I decided to bring with me on my two week trip. You know I absolutely love these if I handpicked them from my entire makeup collection. You'll see that most of them are products that are easy to apply but look super effortless. Winning.

Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Instant Infusion Treatment Toner | 

Fresh is one of my all-time favorite skin care brands ever, and this toner is incredible. I got a sample size of this as a gift with purchase and immediately went out and bought the full size when I was done. This has a blend of black tea, blackberry leaf extra and lychee seed extract, and smells super fresh (dangit!) and soothing. I remember how amazing my skin felt the first time I tried it, and I've been obsessed ever since. I use this both in the morning and night after washing my face. Two thumbs up!

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Buttercream 03 | 
I talked about this previously in my Sephora haul, but this is, by far, the easiest and most effortless base to apply on the go - I can either use my hands or a brush - and it melts into the skin flawlessly and gives a healthy, dewy, natural everyday complexion. Also has SPF 30!

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ |
My face got burnt the day after we arrived in the Netherlands (that Dutch sun, man), and I am so proud of myself (hehe) for deciding to throw this in my makeup bag last minute. This sits really nicely under makeup, and the high SPF ensures that my face is well protected - my dad even used this for his race! The price is a bit steep - I got the 30ml bottle for $325HKD, which is a little over $40USD - but sun protection is crucial, and I haven't been able to find another sunscreen product that sits as well under makeup.

Sephora Pro Flawless Airbrush #56 | 
Okay, the long handle on this brush makes it not the friendliest option for travel, but I love, love, lurve how this brush flawlessly buffs in foundation. It's also super versatile - I can use it to buff in my concealer, apply my contour, blush and even highlighter. One brush to rule them all. It should be called Sephora Pro Flawless Everythanggg #1. You need this in yo life, peeps.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Light 10 |
My absolute favorite concealer from the drugstore - amazing texture and coverage, super blendable, and works great for both the face and the under eyes. It's also a very close dupe for NARS' Creamy Concealer, at close to one fourth of the price! The shade range is a little lacking, I have to say, but a must-have if you do find a suitable shade.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer |
I usually don't have time to contour and chisel out my (nonexistent) cheekbones while on holiday - sorry Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour palette, I still love you - so this old favorite was the obvious choice for a warm, natural bronzer for everyday. 

Urban Decay 24 Hour Eye Shadow Pencil in Juju and Rehab |
My favorite easy, no-fuss eyeshadow combo. Apply, blend, wham-bam done. These are beautiful and don't budge or smudge once they set. I use Juju all over the lid, and Rehab to darken along the lash line. Easy, breezy, beautiful, shadow pencils. 

Benefit Roller Lash Super Curling & Lifting Mascara |
I've been using this mascara every single day since I hauled it a few months ago. Yes, it really does curl (yay!) and lift (yipee!) my lashes and also hasn't smudged on me (yet) which is a huge plus. 

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk |
I bought this a few months ago after giving into the hype, and it's been my number one go-to lip product - it's super creamy, and the perfect my-lips-but-better shade to make them look poutier and more perfected. I can wear it with any makeup look, by itself or under lipstick. So in love!

Fresh Hesperides Grapefruit Eau de Parfum |
Just look at how cute and tiny this bottle is! -squeals- I got this in a limited edition Fresh perfume set from Nordstrom last year. It smells super citrus-y and fresh (dangit! Not again), like you drenched yourself in a mixture of oranges, lemons and grapefruit. That might sound off-putting to some of you, but I really dig it. The lasting power is not the best, but the bottle is so cute and small that I don't mind just throwing it in my purse and reapplying whenever. Go check it out in stores! My ultimate favorite is still the Sugar Lychee scent. So. Good.

Origins Super Spot Remover |
This product is a life-saver and an old favorite since high school. You can apply the gel straight onto your blemish using a cotton bud, and you should start feeling it tingle and sting straight away, which I find super satisfying. My blemishes are much less inflamed the next morning and usually dry up within two, three days with continuous application, morning and night. Can't live without it.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Buttercream 03 | Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Light 10 | Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense Sunscreen | Benefit Hoola Bronzer | Urban Decay 24 Hour Eye Shadow Pencil in Juju | Urban Decay 24 Hour Eye Shadow Pencil in Rehab | Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk

I would love to know your April beauty favorites, and I hope you enjoyed seeing mine!

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!