• 2019 beauty expenses

    Worth It? | My 20 Most Expensive Purchases

    January 24, 2020

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m sharing my 20 most expensive beauty purchases. I wore makeup in high school, but I just wore eyeliner and a dab of concealer if needed. I thought foundation was unnecessary for some reason. My face was relatively clear, I would get breakouts every now and then, but nothing unmanageable. I started wearing foundation in university. Also, I would just use the same moisturizer my mom used…Complex Moisturizer from the drugstore. It wasn’t until a few years ago that we both decided to upgrade from that. Since I started blogging, I’ve tried a lot more makeup and skincare, but I’ve still only scratched the surface. I’ve tried a few higher end products which are on the list. Keep reading to find out if all 20 were worth it!

    1. Sigma Essential Brush Kit (12 brushes) – $99 from Winners
    2. Tula Illuminating Face Serum – $88.30 (15% off)
    3. Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation Kit – $83 from Sephora (included full-sized foundation, primer and a foundation brush)
    4. Tory Burch Eau de Parfum kit – $80 from Mac Warehouse Sale (included a full-sized perfume, a mini perfume and a full-sized hand lotion)
    5. Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel – $73.95 (15% off)
    6. Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum – $69
    7. Tarte Maracuja Oil (supersize) – $66 (25% off)
    8. Sephora Flatter Yourself Contour Brush Set – $60 (includes 3 brushes – angled blush, duo fiber, buffing)
    9. Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer – $58.65 (15% off)
    10. Clé de Peau Stick Concealer – $55 (more than 40% off, purchased at Shiseido Warehouse Sale)
    11. Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact – $55
    12. Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado – $51 (20% off)
    13. Dior BACKSTAGE Face & Body Foundation – $50
    14. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder – $49.30 (15% off)
    15. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer – $49.30 (15% off)
    16. Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick SPF21 – $46.75 (15% off)
    17. Laneige Water Bank Serum – $46
    18. Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Redness Correcting) – $45
    19. Lancôme Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation SPF23 – $45
    20. Sephora PRO Featherweight Powder Brush #91 – $45.05 (15% off)

    I don’t know why I was so dumb before, but several items on this list were purchased at full price when I could’ve waited until the Sephora sale. Now I know better!

    Sigma Essential Brush Kit – This is a great brush kit. I’m glad I was able to find it at Winners for $99.

    Worth it? Yes!

    Tula Illuminating Face Serum (read my review) – This was one of my favourite serums, but Tula no longer sells to Canada.

    Worth it? Yes!

    Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation Kit – This was a beautiful foundation, but I still haven’t found my shade even though there are 40+. This is where I first tried the smoothing primer which I love and there brush is nice and soft.

    Worth it? Yes.

    Tory Burch Eau de Parfum kit – I love this perfume. I would’ve paid $80 or more just for the perfume.

    Worth it? Yes!

    Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel – I haven’t used this as an everyday cleanser, but it’s nothing SPECIAL.

    Worth it? No.

    Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum – Loved this perfume! It’s so much more expensive now though and the bottle is different. I don’t know if that means the formula has also changed.

    Worth it? Yes.

    Tarte Maracuja Oil (supersize) – I bought this during a Black Friday sale so instead of $88, it was $66 for the supersize bottle which is twice the size of the regular one.

    Worth it? Yes!

    Sephora Flatter Yourself Contour Brush Set – Sephora Collection brushes are okay, I’ve since bought a Sephora PRO brush which isn’t the same as any of the three brushes in this set, but it’s so much softer.

    Worth it? I would pass on this one.

    Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in #7 – I was buying my mom the Luminous Silk Powder Foundation and wanted to try the fluid sheer. It’s beautiful and looks great under foundation, mixed with foundation or on top of foundation. I have a shade that’s kind of pinky and it wasn’t the one I wanted originally, but it was all they had in stock. It’s beautiful though.

    Worth it? Yes! Would definitely try other shades.

    Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact – This is a face powder, but I use it as more of a highlight. Although it would be beautiful as a face powder for that glowy/dewy luminous look.

    Worth it? Yes.

    Clé de Peau Stick Concealer – This stick concealer isn’t as emollient as other sticks I’ve tried. I don’t know if it’s dried out because I bought it from the Warehouse sale, but it definitely wouldn’t be worth the full price at $93.

    Worth it? No.

    Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado – My under eyes had a reaction to this eye cream. I had to give it to my sister.

    Worth it? No.

    Dior BACKSTAGE Face & Body Foundation (read my review) – While this was a beautiful finish and looked very natural, it didn’t last very long on my skin. Dior foundations are also very fragranced. I gave this to my friend.

    Worth it? Not for me.

    Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder – This powder is a very finely milled pressed powder. It’s beautiful on the skin, but can look cakey if you apply too much. It also pans really quickly and there’s only 3 shades available. The medium one is the shade that I bought and it’s too orange for me.

    Worth it? Not for me.

    NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer – Beautiful tinted moisturizer!

    Worth it? Yes.

    Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick SPF21 – I really like this foundation stick.

    Worth it? Yes.

    Laneige Water Bank Serum – I originally loved this, but after using it for a month or so, my skin started having a reaction. This is also very scented. Ended up giving this to my sister as well.

    Worth it? Not for me.

    Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Redness Correcting) – I love the Smoothing primer from Make Up For Ever, but this redness correcting one didn’t do a lot. If you want to colour correct, use a colour correcting concealer.

    Worth it? No.

    Lancôme Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation SPF23 (read my review) – The shade range of this foundation is crap, but it’s a beautiful foundation/tinted moisturizer. I would definitely repurchase if they came out with more shades because the one I had wasn’t quite right and the shades above are too dark.

    Worth it? Yes.

    Sephora PRO Featherweight Powder Brush – According to the reviews on Sephora, this is called the ‘bunny punch’ because it’s so soft and fluffy. I really like this brush. Although it’s a little top heavy, it’s nice for setting.

    Worth it? Yes.

    As you can see, most of the purchases WERE worth it. Unfortunately some of them didn’t work out for me.

    What expensive makeup and skincare products have you purchased?

    Love,

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  • signature perfumes throughout the years

    My Signature Perfumes Throughout the Years

    January 21, 2020

    Hi Everyone!

    I think I started wearing perfume in high school. I never really wore perfume on an everyday basis until university. Whenever I leave the house, I spray on perfume unless I’m going to be somewhere like the movie theatre where I’m in close proximity to other people for long periods of time. I usually only do one spray and it’s enough for me.

    This is a longer post with three parts so you can scroll down to the parts you want to read:

    • List of Fragrances and their fragrance families
    • My opinions on the perfumes
    • Descriptions of the main accords and notes of each perfume

    These are all of the perfumes I’ve had over the years (in order):

    • The Body Shop White Musk
      • Floral, Sensual
    • Banana Republic Classic Eau de Toilette (unisex)
      • Citrus, Floral
    • Victoria’s Secret Forever PINK Sparkling Apple and Water Lily Body Mist
      • Fruity
    • Ralph Lauren RALPH Eau de Toilette
      • Floral, Fruity
    • Lady Gaga Fame Rollerball
      • Floral, Sensual
    • Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum
      • Fresh, Floral, Aquatic
    • Tory Burch Original Eau de Parfum
      • Fresh, Floral, Citrus
    • Dolce & Gabbana 3 L’Imperatrice
      • Fruity, Aquatic
    Please excuse this super grainy photo. It was taken with an old camera phone.

    For the Banana Republic Classic Eau de Toilette, I really liked the scent of this in-store, but  then it smelled different when I brought it home and I ended up decluttering it after using it a couple of times.

    RALPH by Ralph Lauren was a really nice scent, but I got tired of it after a while and that’s why I picked up the VS Body Mist. The body mist was a favourite of mine even though it was a cheap body mist that I bought 2 for $25. I had this other body mist that was okay, but I don’t consider it a favourite of my collection.

    The Lady Gaga Fame Rollerball was gifted to me for my birthday. I thought it was really cool that the liquid was black (which wasn’t black once you sprayed/rolled it on).  I liked the spiciness of it and only wore it when I went clubbing.

    The Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia is still a favourite of mine, but I had it for 4 years and it was time for a change. It has an aquatic scent, so I only wore it in the spring and summer. It felt weird to use in the winter time which is why I bought the Tory Burch one.

    Tory Burch is sophisticated, but still youthful. It’s not like Chanel No. 5 where it smells like a rich, older lady (no offense if you’re younger and you like it). I bought the Tory Burch perfume at the Mac Warehouse Sale in a set that came with a mini and a body lotion which I gave to my grandma. Before the sale, I researched which perfume brands were owned by Estee Lauder. I went to Hudson’s Bay to smell the different perfumes from Tory Burch, Estee Lauder, DKNY, Clinique, etc. and chose the original Tory Burch scent. Luckily for me, they had it at the sale and I bought it.

    While I was looking for perfumes (before buying Acqua di Gioia), I got different samples at Sephora. I liked the Dolce & Gabbana 3 L’Imperatrice one, but it was an Eau de Toilette and I didn’t want to spend over $100 on it. Last year, when I was at the Shiseido Warehouse Sale, I saw a smaller bottle on sale and I decided to get it.

    Surprisingly, I’ve never finished a bottle of perfume. From university to present day, I’ve always had more than 1 perfume. I’ve had a few perfumes for more than a few years and I stop using them once they smell different. I still have Fame and Acqua di Gioia, but I only use them for display now.

    On me, all of the perfumes are long-wearing. Sometimes I even smell the perfumes AFTER I’ve showered.

    I found descriptions of most of the perfumes’ notes on fragrantica. I am not associated with fragrantica in any way, it was just a website that had all of the perfumes and I wanted to keep the structure of the descriptions the same. People vote on what they smell in the Perfume Pyramid (top notes, middle notes and base notes). I am terrible at identifying scents unless it’s something really obvious like rose. So all of the descriptions are from the website.

    The Body Shop White Musk Eau de Toilette

    Main Accords: musky, white floral, woody, powdery, floral

    Top Notes: ylang ylang, galbanum, basil, jasmine, musk

    Middle Notes: lily, jasmine, musk and rose

    Base Notes: jasmine, rose, iris, amber, patchouli, vetiver, peach, oakmoss and vanilla

    Victoria’s Secret Forever PINK Sparkling Apple and Water Lily

    There’s no description of this one on fragrantica because it’s really old, but there was obviously sparkling apple and water lily in it.

    Banana Republic Classic Eau de Toilette

    Main Accords: Citrus, white floral, fresh spicy, green, woody

    Top Notes: bergamot, grapefruit, clementine, green notes

    Middle Notes: honeysuckle, syringa

    Base Notes: ginger, woodsy notes, musk

    RALPH Ralph Lauren

    Main Accords: floral, fruity, green, fresh, citrus

    Top Notes: Japanese Osmanthus, Apple leaf, Italian Mandarin

    Middle Notes: Magnolia, Boronia, Yellow Freesia

    Base Notes: musk, white iris

    Lady Gaga Fame

    Main Accords: floral, honey, sweet, balsamic, fruity

    Fragrance Notes: belladonna, orchid, jasmine sambac, honey, apricot, saffron, incense

    Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gioia Eau de Parfum

    I bought my bottle a long time ago. The new one looks different and I don’t know if the scent has changed at all. I would describe the one I have as aquatic and fresh.

    Main Accords: green, citrus, aromatic, fresh, white floral, fresh spicy

    Top Notes: Amalfi lemon, mint

    Middle Notes: jasmine, pink pepper, peony

    Base Notes: French labdanum, Virginia cedar, brown sugar

    Tory Burch Tory Burch Eau de Parfum

    Main Accords: citrus, floral, fresh, white floral, woody, musky

    Top Notes: grapefruit, pink pepper, cassis, Mandarin orange, neroli

    Middle Notes: peony, tuberose, mimosa, jasmine, carrot seeds, alyssum

    Base Notes: vetiver, sandalwood, white musk, cedar

    Dolce and Gabbana 3 L’Imperatrice Eau de Toilette

    Main Accords : ozonic, aquatic, fruity, sweet, sour

    Top Notes: pink pepper, kiwi, rhubarb

    Middle Notes: jasmine, cyclamen, watermelon

    Base Notes: musk, sandalwood, lemon tree

    If you’re still here, thanks for reading!!

    Based on a roundup of all of the signature scents, I seem to gravitate toward fragrances with citrus, musk, pink pepper, jasmine, sandalwood and vetiver.

    What are your favourite perfumes?

    Love,

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  • First Impressions with MOR Emporium

    October 9, 2019

    Hi Everyone!

    Last month, I received a box from Calissa with 3 products and today, I’ll be reviewing the MOR Emporium Trio of Treasures. The trio includes: a soapette, hand cream and perfume oil. They sent over the Lychee Flower scent. It looks like Calissa doesn’t have the Trio of Treasures, but they do have the soap and candle in the lychee flower scent as well as a variety of other products from the brand.

    First of all, I love the beautiful design on the products and the tin is such a cute little container.

    All 3 products smell very strongly of lychee especially the perfume oil and hand cream.

    Hand Cream

    Enriched with Vitamin E, Shea and Cocoa Seed butters for smooth, soft and perfectly perfumed hands.

    I don’t like using scented hand creams, so I gave it to my mom to use. She tried it on and she said the cream felt very nice and moisturizing, but it was a bit too strong for her. So, she ended up giving the cream to my grandma who loves scented hand creams.

    RATING: 3/5

    While it is a nice scent and the hand cream itself is nice, the scent is so strong that you wouldn’t be able to wear it in an office.

    Perfume Oil

    Bountiful with Rosehip, Vitamin E, Sweet Almond Oil and flourishing with fragrance for silky-soft skin and perfectly perfumed pulse points.

    The perfume oil is a rollerball and as soon as I applied some to my wrists, I could instantly smell the lychee. The product felt very nice (not too oily). After a while, it started to mix with my body chemistry and faded a bit after I washed my hands. By the end of the day, it smelled quite nice. Personally, I love fruity fragrances, but this one is a bit on the sweet side for me.

    RATING: 3.5/5

    Soapette

    Housed in a collectable tin, each precious Soapette creates a decadent lather that leaves skin brilliantly refreshed.

    • Enriched with nourishing Shea Butter and Vitamin E
    • Velvety Triple-Milled soap for a smoother, creamier and more luxurious lather

    I think the soapette is my favourite product. It smells like lychee, but when you walk into the bathroom, you can’t smell it. You can definitely smell it when you use it though and it’s the most subtle of the three products. I’ve been using it for a few weeks as the soap on my sink and it hasn’t softened (like some soaps I’ve tried). There’s still quite a bit left.

    RATING: 4/5

    All of these products were nice, but if you have a sensitive nose like I do, you probably won’t like these. If you don’t mind stronger scents and you like lychee and sweet-smelling products, you’ll like these products.

    If you would like to make a purchase on Calissa.com, use code 10FRIENDSOFCALISSA to get 10% off! (This is not an affiliate code, just a code for you to get a discount!)

    Check out my other posts on products I’ve received from Calissa!

    Love,

    *I was sent this product by the team at Calissa. All opinions are my own.

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  • ouai texturizing hair spray wave spray

    First Impressions with OUAI Haircare

    December 5, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m doing a first impressions review for two OUAI products I picked up at Sephora: Texturizing Hair Spray and the Wave Spray. When I first heard of the brand, I thought it was pronounced Ou-Ai…anyone else?? I’ve been searching for a texture spray that helps my hair from looking frizzy and gives me volume. I bought the texturizing hair spray in a Sephora favourites kit and I thought I would give the OUAI wave spray a try as well. Let’s get started on the reviews!

    Texturizing Hair Spray

    Like dry shampoo and hair spray had a baby—this ultra-lightweight hair spray builds incredible volume and texture. Packed with volcanic minerals to absorb oil and refresh hair.

    Wave Spray
     
    A weightless texture mist for effortlessly chic, undone hair. Infused with rice protein to add hold and memory for that “just got out of the ocean and my hair dried perfectly” look.
    Both sprays have the same mix of fragrances listed:
     
    North Bondi: Bergamot, Italian Lemon, Rose De Mai, Magnolia, Lily, Blackberry, Violet, Cedar-wood, Amber, Patchouli, Sandalwood, and White Musk.

    I prefer the Wave Spray to the Texturizing Spray since it comes in a plastic bottle instead of an aerosol can.

    RATING: 3/5

    I’m rating them both the same. They both work well to texturize and give some volume, but I had to dock off points for the fragrance. They’re a bit too perfume-y for me, so unfortunately, I will be giving the texturizing hair spray to my friend and returning the wave spray.

    What’s your fave texture spray?

    Love,

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  • First Impressions with Juicy Couture OUI Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum Sample

    November 5, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    I received a sample of the Juicy Couture OUI Juicy Couture Eau de Parfum from Topbox Circle.

    Get hooked right from the start with the tart freshness from a fusion of watermelon and lemon in a special water lemon note. The chic sophistication of jasmine absolute paired with provocative wild tuberose creates an iconic duo, while a modern sense of addiction is born through sleek techno woods. Just say OUI to addictive energy and movement that don’t stop.

    • Top notes: watermelon, acai berry, tea and pear
    • middle notes: jasmine, tuberose and honeysuckle
    • base notes: woodsy note, amber and musk

    When I test perfumes, I like to test it in different ways:

    • Longevity
    • Scent
    • How it smells after a few hours on my skin (after reacting with my body oils)
    • How the bottle looks (this isn’t super important, but it’s a plus. If a perfume smelled amazing and lasted long, I would still purchase even if I didn’t love the bottle).

    I did one spray of this perfume in the morning and I went to the dentist and went shopping. I asked my mom how it smelled and she said she couldn’t smell it when she was sitting right beside me (only an hour after spritzing it on). With my two signature perfumes, she can always smell them sitting beside me.

    I love a fruity perfume, especially if it’s a bit aquatic and similar to my Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gioia perfume, the OUI perfume has jasmine. I don’t know what it is about the OUI perfume, but it has something (possibly the musk) that makes it smell like a more mature woman would wear (no offense to anyone who’s younger that likes this perfume). You know how there’s certain scents that older ladies usually wear? Like Chanel No. 5? The OUI perfume has something that makes it smell a bit too mature for me.

    After wearing the OUI perfume for 6-8 hours, I couldn’t smell it at all. I tried rubbing my sweater on the spot I sprayed it and sniffing it, but I couldn’t smell anything. I even asked my mom to sniff me again and she said she didn’t smell anything. Usually with my Armani perfume, I can still smell it after a whole day and sometimes it still lingers after I’ve showered.

    RATING: 2/5

    I think the bottle is a bit gaudy. I would’ve liked it a lot better if they had chosen either pink OR red (not both) and if they hadn’t added the gold chain that says ‘OUI.’ To be completely honest, I’ve never liked any of the Juicy Couture perfume bottles. If I were to buy the full size of a perfume, I want it to smell good, last long and come in a pretty bottle that I can display. I love the simplicity of the Jo Malone perfumes, but I find all of the scents a bit too strong for me.

    Love,

    jen

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  • November/December 2017 Faves

    January 19, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Here are November & December’s faves:

    media-20171117Clean and Clear Morning Burst Fruit Infusions Purifying Cleanser is my fave to use in the morning. There are strawberry seeds in it that gently exfoliate. It may not give me that squeaky clean feel like cleansers from The Face Shop, but the refreshing citrus scent helps me wake up in the morning.

    sss.jpgI love the Dove Nutritive Solutions Coconut and Hydration Shampoo. It smells good and makes my hair feel smooth and moisturized. It’s scented with coconut water and sweet lime. I’ve used a few other Dove shampoos, but I think this one smells the best so far out of the ones I’ve tried: Energize, Daily Moisture and Cool Moisture.

    20171115_195053.jpgI bought the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler during the Sephora sale (check out my haul here!) and I must say that I am loving it! I got it for $25 CAD. It just works so much better than the other ones I’ve used and I don’t have to worry about it pinching my eyelid by accident. I’ve used several other curlers, I still have a Tweezerman and a Sephora one. The Tweezerman is a pretty good dupe in terms of how the curler looks, but you can feel the difference when you squeeze the curler to curl your lashes. The shu is almost springy whereas the Tweezerman opens really wide. It’s hard to describe unless you have both and you’re trying them out. I have a purple Sephora one and it’s definitely not suited for Asian/hooded eyes (especially if your lashes are short). I don’t think any of the Sephora ones would be good for Asians (even though they might be $5 cheaper or around the same price, I’d rather spend $25 on the shu. For the Sephora one, I have to hold it at an angle just to get the curler to line up with my lashes.

    media-20180129ee-e1517269390787.jpgI only wish they sold replacement pads separately (it comes with one replacement in the box), but then you need to buy a new curler. I’ve heard the Shiseido ones fit in the curler, but they’re just a tad shorter than the shu ones and Sephora sells replacements for $8 CAD. It’s a bit ridiculous because on the box it says that a rubber pad will last about 3 months and you should replace the whole curler once the refill pad has worn down. I don’t use my eyelash curler daily, but my other eyelash curlers’ pads have lasted longer than 3 months. I wish they sold replacement pads separately. I think it’s too expensive to have to shell out another $25 every six months according to the box.

    media-20180301jjj.jpgSmashbox’s Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer and Essence’s I 🖤 Colour Intensifying Eyeshadow Base. The Smashbox helps brighten my under eyes and the Essence eyeshadow base makes my shadow colours even more vibrant and it’s less than $6!

    media-20171209ddI love both of these powder bronzers that I got as deluxe samples from Sephora. I would definitely buy the full-sized versions. I have loved everything I’ve tried that’s from Tarte (except for the Opening Act Lash Primer), so it’s no surprise I love this bronzer. I have Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer in Park Ave Princess and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Medium/Deep Matte. Both blend well and are great for contouring.

    cI am loving this original Tory Burch perfume…it’s a mix of citrus and floral and great for winter and fall. I use Giorgio Armani’s Acqua Di Gioia in the spring and summer because it’s got that acquatic, fresh smell. I love the bottle of the Tory Burch perfume and it makes me feel more grown up. It has neroli, grapefruit and peony to name a few notes.

    sdaI’m loving the GummiBand hair cords. They don’t make my hair crease after wearing my hair up for hours and they don’t tug on my hair like regular hair bands. I love the colour variety and they’re a Canadian brand!

    Read my review and get a coupon code for the GummiBand hair cords!

     

    Everyone loves a red lip for the holidays. This L’Oreal Infallible Le Rouge lipstick in 337 Refined Ruby is a beautiful satiny blue-red. I don’t wear red that often so finding a beautiful red at a drugstore price was my goal.

    What were your faves from November and December?

    Check out my other monthly favourites:
    2017
     Sept/Oct

    Love,

    jen

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