• March 2021 Product Empties

    March 2021 Product Empties

    March 31, 2021

    Hi Everyone!

    I have a few skincare empties this month!

    Volition Beauty Neroli Complete Crème* – I’ve tried a handful of Volition Beauty products and this one isn’t at the top of my list. I prefer products that come in bottles instead of tubs/pots because it’s more hygienic. It did a good job of keeping my skin feeling moisturized without feeling oily. I liked that my skin didn’t feel tacky after applying it too.

    Repurchase? Probably not.

    An empty and a newbie.
    If you have this eye cream, make sure to cut it open because I was able to get almost a week’s worth of cream after cutting it open.

    Pixi Retinol Eye Cream* – I liked this eye cream and it lasted a while since most eye creams are 15mL or less. It’s one of the few eye creams I’ve tried that didn’t give my under eyes milia. Unfortunately, I can’t say if it worked well under makeup.

    Repurchase? Maybe.

    Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb – This is one of the few eye creams that didn’t give me milia, but it’s not one that stands out. I would prefer one that isn’t scented.

    Repurchase? Probably not.

    Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo & Conditioner – I wanted to try the Briogeo shampoo and conditioner to see what all the hype was about. I decided to try the banana and coconut one even though neither of those are my favourite scents. The shampoo’s scent was fine, but the conditioner smelled more artificial to me. I found that my hair dried faster when I used this conditioner than when I use others. 

    Repurchase? No, but I might consider trying the Matcha + Apple shampoo and conditioner because I think I’d prefer that scent.

    Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water – I bought a mini 3-pack of Smashbox photo finish primers. It came with this primer water and the primerizer (my friend took the original primer). I like that it doesn’t make my face feel greasy, but it adds some hydration.

    Repurchase? Maybe.

    What products did you finish this month?

    Love,

    Products marked with (*) were sent to me.

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  • 2020 most expensive purchases

    Reviewing My 2020 Beauty Expenses

    February 22, 2021

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m reviewing my expenses for 2020! I bought makeup in January before our first lockdown happened. So I have some unopened makeup sitting in my drawer. The rest of my beauty purchases were all skincare or hair related.

    Check out my previous beauty expenses posts:

    2017 | 2018 | 2019

    My 2019 Beauty Budget

    CategoryBudgetActual
    Skincare500230
    Primers1500
    Foundations/Powders/Sprays1500
    Concealers1200
    Eyeliners500
    Brows5045
    Mascara500
    Lips10020
    Blush600
    Highlighter600
    Bronzer600
    Miscellaneous250–
    – Makeup Tools–10
    – Makeup Remover–30
    – Haircare–105
    – Perfume/Deodorant–15
    TOTAL1600460

    As you can see, I spent just over a quarter of my planned 2020 budget. I only purchased makeup in January and I also spent less on skincare. I’m not exactly sure why the skincare expenses went down too. I am still using skincare on a daily basis whereas I haven’t used my makeup in a year.

    My 6 most expensive beauty purchases of 2020 (all products purchased from Sephora during VIB sale at 15% off, prices are approximate):

    1. Volition Beauty Snow Mushroom Water Serum – $75
    2. Volition Beauty Helix AM/PM Eye Gel – $62
    3. Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector – $52
    4. Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Banana + Coconut Superfoods Shampoo & Conditioner Hair Pack – $53
    5. Briogeo Scalp Revival Soothing Travel Kit – $29
    6. Glow Recipe Papaya Enzyme Smoothing Cleansing Balm – $28

    Out of the products listed above, I would repurchase the Volition Snow Mushroom Water Serum, Clinique Even Better Eyes Darck Circle Corrector and Glow Recipe papaya Enzyme Smoothing Cleansing Balm. You can read my review on the Helix AM/PM Eye Gel.

     For the Briogeo products, I didn’t like the Scalp Revival Soothing Travel Kit and ended up sending the products to my friends. The Banana + Coconut Superfoods Shampoo & Conditioner are nice, but I’m not the biggest fan of the scent. I might consider trying the Be Gentle, Be Kind Matcha + Apple Replenishing Superfood Shampoo and Kale + Apple Replenishing Superfood Conditioner.

    2018 was the year I spent the most on beauty products. I bought a lot of makeup at Winners back then. In 2018, I had 340 makeup items (including nail polish, perfumes and makeup remover). The majority of those were eyeshadows (I counted each pan instead of the number of palettes). I decluttered a bunch of makeup/nail polish by the end of 2018. Since 2019, my makeup inventory has been under 100 items. I’m hoping that I can get my inventory down to 30-50 items by the end of this year. I know it sounds counterintuitive as a beauty blogger, but I’m just not as drawn to new launches as others. When new products launch, I don’t HAVE to have it immediately. I actually prefer to read the reviews on products and wait until the hype has died down to see if others actually like the products and continue to use them in their daily makeup routines.

    For 2021, I hope to spend the same amount on beauty products (around $500). I doubt I will buy much makeup this year, but maybe I will buy a few items just so I can have some new reviews on the blog. I know last year, I didn’t write many blog posts and I’d like to get back into it again.

    Love,

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  • 2020 Sephora VIB Sale Haul

    Haul | April 2020 Sephora VIB Sale

    April 17, 2020

    Hi Everyone!

    Here’s my haul from the Sephora VIB Rouge Sale. I decided not to buy any new makeup because I already have more than enough makeup to get me through the year. So, I only purchased skincare and hair products…and one lip oil. I’ve been wanting to try Briogeo and other Volition Beauty products. I’ve tried the Celery Green Cream and Strawberry-C Brightening Serum from Volition Beauty. I thought I’d give their eye gel a try and also one of their serums. At the last minute, I decided to throw in a Sephora PRO eyeshadow brush.

    2020 Sephora VIB Sale Haul
    • Fresh Rose Cleansing Foam
    • Volition Beauty Snow Mushroom Water Serum
    • Volition Beauty Helix AM/PM Eye Gel
    • Jouer Cosmetics Essential Hydrating Lip Oil
    • Briogeo Scalp Revival Scalp Soothing Travel Kit
      • Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo
      • Scalp Revival Charcoal + Peppermint Oil Cooling Jelly Conditioner
      • Scalp Revival Charcoal + Tea tree Scalp Treatment
    • Briogeo Banana + Coconut Superfoods Shampoo & Conditioner Hair Pack
      • Be Gentle Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo
      • Be Gentle Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Conditioner
    • Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
    • Tatcha Routine Refresher
      • The Deep Cleanse Exfoliating Cleanser
      • The Water Cream
    • Sephora PRO Fan Shadow Brush #25

    Will you be ordering anything during the sale?

    Love,

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  • 2020 Beauty Wishlist

    March 3, 2020

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m sharing some brands and their products that I have on my wishlist. Most of the products I want to try aren’t new, but I haven’t had a chance to try yet. I wanted to cut down on my makeup buying this year and finish up what I have before buying more. I have a lot of lip and cheek products on this list.

    Biossance

    • Squalane + Peptide Eye Gel
    • Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer
    • Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm
    • Squalane + Tea Tree Balancing Oil
    • Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil

    I might get the Top Shelfies Kit from Sephora since it has 3/5 items I want to try.

    Briogeo

    I’ve only tried a sample of Briogeo and that was a long time ago.

    • Be Gentle Be Kind Banana + Coconut Nourishing Superfood Shampoo & Conditioner
    • Be Gentle Be Kind Kale + Apple Replenishing Superfood Shampoo & Conditioner
    • Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask
    • Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-exfoliating Shampoo

    Charlotte Tilbury

    • Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow
    • Hollywood Contour Wand
    • Hollywood Flawless Filter
    • K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick
    • Lip Cheat
    • Magic Vanish Color Corrector

    I’ve only tried two products from Charlotte Tilbury. While I do like both, I’m not sure I would repurchase them (Legendary Brows Eyebrow Gel and Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder).

    Em Cosmetics

    • Color Drops Serum Blush
    • Micro-Fluff Sculpting Brow Cream
    • True Gloss

    Glossier

    • Balm Dot Com
    • Boy Brow
    • Cloud Paint

    Jouer

    • Blush Bouquet Dual Blush Palette
    • Essential High Coverage Concealer Pen
    • Essential Lip Enhancer Shine Balm
    • Soft Focus Hydrate + Set Powder
    • Sunswept Bronzer Duo

    I might get the Essential Lip Care Duo since I like the Essential Lip Enhancer Balm.

    Lilah B

    • Divine Duo Lip & Cheek
    • Lovingly Lip Tinted Lip Oil

    Volition Beauty

    • Hibiscus Unspottable Correcting Oil
    • Snow Mushroom Water Serum

    Wander Beauty

    • Mile High Club Mascara

    This mascara is a favourite for a lot of people. I don’t usually like to spend more than $15 for a mascara, but I might consider trying it once to see if I like it.

    YSL

    • Glossy Stain Lip Color
    • Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-in-Stick Lipstick
    • Tatouage Couture Liquid Matte Lip Stain

    There’s more on my wishlist, but these are a few I’m considering trying this year.

    What’s on your wishlist?

    Love,

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