limited edition Archives

Review | Kiehl’s Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol-free Toner

April 19, 2022
Hi Everyone!

Today, I’m reviewing the Kiehl’s Calendula Herbal Extract Toner. I was sent the Limited Edition holiday bottle.

Our cult-classic Calendula toner is formulated with hand-picked Calendula flower petals to visibly reduce redness, oiliness and minimize the appearance of pores. Our gentle, alcohol-free toner, gently cleanses and soothes skin for a balanced and refreshed-feeling skin!
- Helps visibly reduce redness, excess oil and appearance of pores
- Gently soothes, calms and refreshes skin
- Cleanses skin without harsh or synthetic drying agents
- For normal-to-oily skin types, including sensitive skin
Ingredients: Aqua / Water • Propylene Glycol • Pentylene Glycol • Methylparaben • Disodium Edta • Arctium Lappa Extract / Arctium Lappa Root Extract • Calendula Officinalis Extract / Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract • Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract • Hydrolyzed Corn Starch • Allantoin • Hedera Helix Extract – Ivy Leaf/Stem Extract • Althaea Officinalis / Althaea Officinalis Root Extract

The limited edition bottle is no longer available since it was a holiday collection. The original bottle retails for 500mL ($98 CAD), 250mL ($57 CAD), 125mL ($35 CAD), 75mL ($26)

It comes in a plastic bottle. Sometimes I find the bottle cap a bit hard to open. I think the calendula petals floating around are unnecessary. It’s cool to have on display, but when I pour the toner out onto a reusable cotton pad, the petals stick to the pads and I have to pick them off.

Looking at the website, the 500mL bottle comes with a cap too. It’d be nice if it came with a pump because lifting a 500mL bottle each time would be a bit heavy. I have a 250mL bottle which is fine, but the cleanser I used was 500mL which was quite heavy when full. Plus, turning the bottle sideways or upside down might waste some product if it spills out.

I’ve been using this toner for four months now (I use it every night). It’s a nice toner that doesn’t make my skin feel dry and tight. It doesn’t feel tacky. The toner smells like iced tea (the pure leaf or gold peak iced tea). I’ve previously used the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash which I liked. From what I remember, the cleanser smelled like tootsie rolls. The toner itself is brown, so it did slightly stain my reusable cotton pads.

I usually have redness around my nose and chin, so I was hoping that the claims of reducing redness were true. I have noticed the redness has gone down, but I don’t know if it’s only from the toner or if other products I’ve been using have helped as well.

Even though it says this toner is for all skin types, I think it’s more geared toward normal and oily skin types since it claims to reduce oiliness and shine.

RATING: 3/5

I had to dock some points for the floating calendula petals and the fact that I have trouble opening the lid sometimes. I don’t think I would purchase this once I finish this bottle.

Have you tried the Calendula products from Kiehl’s? What are your faves?
Love,

*I received this product complimentary from Kiehl’s with no obligation to review. Description and ingredients taken from Kiehl’s Canada website.
Read More
My Beauty Faves of 2018

January 1, 2019
Hi Everyone!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It’s my first post of 2019!!!

From now on, I will be posting on Tuesdays & Fridays. Posting Mon-Wed-Fri was getting to be too much for me, so I think cutting down to twice a week will be okay for now.

Here are 19 beauty faves that I will definitely repurchase once I’ve finished these:
- Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette – UPDATE: I no longer plan to repurchase this palette or any products from the brand. I do want to find a similar contour shade to sombre from this palette though
- Tula Acne Clearing + Tone Correcting Gel
- Tula Discovery Kit
  - Purifying Cleanser
  - Pro-Glycolic Resurfacing Gel
  - Illuminating Face Serum
  - Hydrating Day & Night Cream
- Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
- Kopari Coconut Deodorant
- L’Oréal Skin Pure Sugar Scrub (Kiwi)
- Physician’s Formula Murumuru Butter Butter Bronzer in Deep
- Physician’s Formula Butter Highlighter in Pink
- Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick in 260 Bisque N
- Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer
- Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation in Light Neutral
- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser Treatment Concealer in Light
- Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink
- NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer in Custard
- Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel
- Make Up For Ever Lustrous Palette (Limited Edition, but the shadows are available in singles) – I love the transition and shimmery shades in this palette. I need to work on using the darker shades more. I took these shadows out of this palette and put them into an empty MAC palette. The black part surrounding the shadows was made of foam. Every time I opened the palette, I would get a whiff of plastic/foam. Luckily, I was able to take the shadows out since it was just glued onto another layer of foam.
Make Up For Ever Lustrous Palette

What were your faves of 2018?

Love,
Read More
Review | Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer

October 24, 2018

Hi Everyone!

Today’s review is on the Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer! I bought this because it’s one of Tati’s favourite primers. When it comes to flawless looking makeup, I can always rely on Tati’s recommendations. I love getting recommendations from Beauty YouTubers. They try so many different products and brands, so if they have a favourite, then you know it must be good. Of course, not everything they love will be something I love too, but sometimes you just have to give it a try. So, when I bought some products from Tarte, I popped this into my cart. Keep reading to find out what I have to say about this primer!

The one that I bought is the Limited Edition (LE) one. The packaging is different, but I checked and the ingredients are the same as the regular primer from the permanent collection. The LE primer comes in a frosted glass pot that has a pink and green glittery lid. Although the top of the lid looks glittery, it’s smooth. The regular primer comes with a gold lid. Personally, I prefer the gold because it looks more luxe than the LE, but the LE was on sale for $9 less.

It’s quite expensive for such a little pot at $47 CAD, but hopefully it lasts a long time (assuming it doesn’t dry out or anything). You really don’t need very much especially if you’re only priming certain areas of your face. I only prime the areas that have larger pores.

This skincare-infused primer with innovative blurring & filling technology gives a more youthful appearance while prepping the skin for makeup. Formulated to fade out your biggest beauty boundaries such as large pores, fine lines and wrinkles. Antioxidant-rich formula gently melts into the skin delivering a surge of moisture, peptides and other naturally-derived elixirs for a firmer, smoother appearance. Has a lightweight texture and fresh powder scent as it provides the perfect blank canvas to enhance the look and wear time of makeup.

When I first opened it, I was looking at it and went in to sniff it. I tilted the pot a bit and the all of the primer plopped out (in one blob) of the pot. Luckily, it only fell onto my chair and I quickly picked it up and popped it back in. I pressed it down a bit so that it would stay, but now I know not to do that just in case. I am a bit worried that since it comes in a pot and it’s exposed to the air whenever I open it, it will dry out faster. By the way, it has a scent that smells kind of citrus-y.

I noticed that it takes a little more effort to work this primer into the skin than other smoothing primers I’ve tried (Smashbox and MUFE). I use my finger to pick up a very small amount (just enough to coat the pad of my finger) and then I use a finger from my other hand to warm it up a bit. Since this primer is a bit thicker than others I’ve used, I’ve found that I can’t just press it into the skin. I need to press and also spread it a bit to make sure there’s no clumps. The consistency is kind of like butter, so it’s like you’re spreading butter onto toast in small strokes. With other smoothing primers, you have to make sure to press it into your skin, but you can’t rub them or they will pill. With this primer, you need to smooth it out a bit.

I’ve used this with both liquid and powder foundation and it makes my makeup look flawless. It really does blur pores and make your skin look super smooth. It doesn’t claim to extend the wear of foundation or anything, but my Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation still looked flawless after being on for hours.

RATING: 5/5

This primer is definitely on my faves list!

Have you tried this primer yet?

Love,

Read More
Update (1 Year Later) | September 2017 MAC Warehouse Sale

September 7, 2018

Hi Everyone!

If you’re planning to go to the MAC Warehouse Sale, check out my Tips/Tricks post. This is an update post to my September 2017 Haul from the MAC Warehouse Sale. It’s been a year since I went to the sale and I’m telling you which products I’ve finished or decluttered and whether I’d purchase them again. If you want to see how much I bought the products for, click the link above to see my haul.

I’m only going to mention products that are still available for purchase. Some shades may not be available any more, but the product, i.e. lipglass is still sold in stores.

Smashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation in Shade 1 – I made the mistake of buying Shade 1. It’s way too light and I was going to do a review on the powder itself (trying not to judge the shade), but it just looked powdery on my skin because it was so pale. I decided to declutter. It felt very velvety and maybe if I had the right shade, I would’ve loved it.

Repurchase? Probably not.

Mac ZOOM Mascara – I bought one that was green (by accident) and a gray one that I put in a giveaway. I liked the brush of the mascara, but since mine was green, I didn’t do a proper wear test to see how well it kept a curl or if it added any length or volume to my lashes.

Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss – This was sticky and I didn’t like it that much. I put one in a giveaway and finished the other.

Repurchase? No. Even if I got it at the MAC sale for a cheaper price, I still wouldn’t buy it again. It was so sticky.

Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Hi-Lustre Light Sculpting Lipstick in 210 Bold Innocent – This was also too pink for me.

Repurchase? I would buy another shade in the lipstick.

MAC Lipglass in C-Thru – I saw a video where Tati was wearing this and I thought it was so pretty. Obviously, since Tati is white and I’m Asian, it looked different on me. If I put too much, it would make my lipstick or lips look milky (because it’s a light pink shade).

Repurchase? No.

MAC Mineralize Glass in Lap Dog – I love the applicator on this lip glass. It’s a flat one that bends easily.

Repurchase? I would buy again (in a different shade because I think this one is discontinued).

MAC Cremesheen Glass in It’s a Strike – I love the shade of this one. It’s a mauve-pink.

Repurchase? Yes, but I will have to find a different shade because I think this is also discontinued.

MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Kittenish – I really like this chubby lip pencil and I love the shade. I’ve barely used it because I want to use other ones first.

Repurchase? This is probably one of the few ones that I like that’s still available.

MAC Ultimate Lipstick in Marque – This lipstick was discontinued. I’m still working on it.

Repurchase? Unavailable.

Estée Lauder x Victoria Beckham in Moroccan Heat (Limited Edition) – I used this a few times and it’s quite sticky. It’s not the best formula to put in a click pen (like the YSL Touche Éclat) because it’s hard to clean the brush after. I hadn’t used it in a while and used it again and when I was wiping it, I saw some gray on my cotton pad. I don’t know if it was from the brush itself or if it was mold. So, I decided to click out the rest of the lip gloss so I can keep the empty gold pen.

Repurchase? No longer available.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick in Ivory 0.75 – I’m still working on this stick foundation and I really love it. I just need to find the right shade because Ivory is too light.

Repurchase? I would even purchase this at full price, but if I ever go to another MAC warehouse sale and see a better shade match, I would definitely get it.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Makeup To Go Liquid Compact in 1N2 Ecru – I decluttered this because it was way too light and for some reason, the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation makes my eyes water every time. Maybe because of alcohol content (if there is any).

Repurchase? No.

Tory Burch Signature Deluxe Gift Set – I gave the cream to my grandma who loved it. I’m still working on both of these perfumes (it’s the exact same perfume, the small one just doesn’t have a spritzer).

Repurchase? Yes!

Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleanser Brush (read my review) – I didn’t start using this brush right away, so I’ve only had to replace the brush head once so far. It’s recommended to replace it after 3 months.

MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklite (Original) – I love the strobe cream.

Repurchase? Yes. I’d repurchase at full price because it lasts so long.

I originally said that my fave purchases were: the Estée Lauder Pink Perfection Kit, Tory Burch Perfume kit and Victoria Beckham’s lipgloss.

After trying out the products, I still agree with the Tory Burch perfume. I don’t love the Estée Lauder kit as much as I originally did and the Victoria Beckham gloss was just too sticky; I think it was just because I love Posh Spice. Instead, I would add these to my faves: the MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil, Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipsticks and the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick.

Save

Read More
Haul | September 2017 MAC Warehouse Sale

September 15, 2017
Hi Everyone!

If you’re planning to go to the MAC Warehouse Sale, check out my Tips/Tricks post. This is my personal haul of what I got at the MAC/Estée Lauder Warehouse Sale. This haul doesn’t include products my sister got or products I got for my mom, friends and family. Before I begin, I wanted to say that I swatched the lipsticks and the stick concealer before taking pictures, so if you notice any imperfections, it was me. All products were brand new and unopened. A lot of products have been discontinued or were limited edition, so unfortunately they are no longer available in stores (maybe they’re available on Amazon or eBay. I will provide any links to products that are still available and retail prices so you can see how much I saved. For products no longer available, I tried looking them up, but the listings are no longer available so I will provide an estimate based on products that are similar.

I am going to sort this by the types of products, i.e. eye makeup, powder and blush, skincare, lips, fragrances, kits and palettes. All prices are Canadian unless otherwise noted.

Face Powders & Blushes | $15 each

Smashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation in Shade 1

Paid $15 | Retail Value $49

Shade 1 is natural vanilla for fair complexions. It looked pretty close when I swatched it, but obviously the lighting is terrible to get a good idea of your shade. It’s quite light though, I think I’d be Shade 2 or 3. It comes with a double-sided sponge, one is a regular sponge you get with powders and the other side is softer. They’re meant for different coverages. According to the Sephora website, you use the velvety side for a natural, sheer-to-medium finish, or the smooth side for full coverage. I have yet to try the sponge, but I used a brush and despite the fact that it was too pale for me, it looked pretty flawless.

Mac x Star Trek Luna Luster Trip the Light Fantastic Powder (Limited Edition)

Paid $15 | Retail Value: estimated at $30-40 USD

I didn’t realize this was part of the Star Trek collection until I bought it since the container was open and I was just looking at the shade of the highlight. I thought it would feel more velvety smooth, but when I swatch with my finger, you can hear my finger move around (almost like a sandpaper sound). It’s super nice though and hopefully I find a MAC highlighter I like that’s part of the permanent collection.

$4 Deal Bins

I got two MAC Zoom mascaras (accidentally grabbed a green one…oops! maybe I can do something for Hallowe’en), two clear Bobbi Brown lip glosses, and two Estée Edit Stress Relief Eye Masks. I realized after getting home that the eye masks were just the Estée Lauder ones in Estée Edit packaging. I assume since they were Estée Edit, they’d be cheaper. This wasn’t a very good deal considering you can buy a pack of 10 for $46 ($46/10= $4.60, I paid $4 for one package of two).

Mac ZOOM Mascara in High Esteem

Paid $2×4=8 | Retail Value: 2x$12= $24

Estée Edit Stress Relief Eye Masks

Paid 2x$4= $8 | Retail Value: 2x$4.6= $9.20 ($46 for pack of 10, $4.6 each)

Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss

Paid 2x$4= $8 (for 2x7mL=14mL) | Retail Value: $23 (for 15mL)

Mascara- Buy One Get 1 Free ($6 each)- not pictured

Paid $12 | Retail Value: 2x$29= $58

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have way too much mascara already (and I didn’t want to purchase any more because they’d probably dry out by the time I got to them), so I only purchased two for my friend. I got two of the MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara in Black Extreme.

Smaller Palettes and Kits ($25)

I got 4 kits/palettes:
- one is a MAC quad eyeshadow palette (which is really frustrating that I paid $25 because my sister and I got two each in our charity bags…more on that later!)
- two MAC Nutcracker holiday sets (pigments and a lip set)
- Estée Lauder Breast Cancer Awareness Kit (they don’t have shade names for each eyeshadow, but rather, they are numbered to tell you which shades they are from the 5-shadow palettes available). The blush is still available for purchase, and I actually got one for my mom at the sale ($15).
MAC x Helmut Newton Point ‘n’ Shoot | Clockwise from left: Real Fantasy, Hard Currency, Influential, Point ‘n’ Shoot

Paid $25 | Retail Value: estimated at $30-40 USD

Estée Lauder Pink Perfection Kit for Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

Pure Color Envy Lipstick in 220 Powerful

Pure Color Envy Blush Sculpting Blush in Pink Ingenue

Pure Color Envy Sculpting Eyeshadow

Paid $25 | Retail Value: estimated at $35 USD

Mac Nutcracker Sweet Bronze Pigments & Glitter | from left: Sugar Rush, Stardream, Handsome Prince & Reigning Riches

Paid $25 | Retail Value: unknown (estimated at $35 USD)

Mac Nutcracker Sweet Nude Lipstick Kit | from left: Crème Cup (cremesheen, permament collection), Nouvelle Vogue (satin, limited edition), Kinda Sexy (matte, permanent collection) & Whirl (matte, permanent collection)

Paid $25 | Retail Value: estimated at $35 USD

Eyeshadows ($12)

I didn’t purchase any individual eyeshadows because I thought the kits were a better deal.

Eyeliners ($15)

My mind is blanking…I think the eyeliner was $15, it may have been $10/12.

MAC Fluidline Pen in Retro Black

Paid $15 | Retail Value: $24

Lipstick and Lip Gloss (2 for $15)

We bought 16 lipsticks altogether (for me, my sister, mom and friends).

MAC Huggable Lipcolour | from left: Touché, Goodluck Mochi & Cantonese Carnation (discontinued)

Paid 3x$7.50= $22.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $24

Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Hi-Lustre Light Sculpting Lipstick in 210 Bold Innocent

Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: $36

MAC Lipglass in C-Thru

Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: $21

MAC Mineralize Glass in Lap Dog

Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $20-24

MAC Cremesheen Glass in It’s a Strike

Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $24

MAC Patentpolish Lip Pencil in Kittenish

Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: $24

MAC Ultimate Lipstick in Marque

Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $23 USD

Estée Lauder x Victoria Beckham in Moroccan Heat (Limited Edition)

Paid $7.50 | Retail Value: estimated at $45-55

Liquid & Stick Foundations

The shades I got are quite light, but I can always warm them up with some bronzer or use as highlight. I believe the Estée Lauder liquid foundation I got is a refill for a cushion foundation. It doesn’t say how much is in the container, but it’s huge and a way better deal than the retail price.

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick in Ivory 0.75

Paid $21.20 | Retail Value: $55

Read my This or That post featuring the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick and Maybelline’s Fit Me Shine-Free + Balance Foundation Stick

Estée Lauder Double Wear Makeup To Go Liquid Compact in 1N2 Ecru

Paid $20 | Retail Value: $50 for a cushion compact (12mL)

Skincare & Nails

The top of the line skincare and fragrances are in the last building and you pay for them right after you get them. The cost of these products are not included in the $800 limit (before taxes). They had Estée Lauder products that retailed for $300+ and were about $150.

Tory Burch Signature Deluxe Gift Set

Paid $80 | Retail Value: $146 ($221 value)

Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleanser Brush

Paid $40 | Retail Value: $111

Read my First Impressions review on this cleansing brush

GLAMGLOW THIRSTYCLEANSE Daily Hydrating Cleanser

Paid 2x$17.20= $34.40 | Retail Value: $43 (original price, $34 on sale)

Read my review on this cleanser

MAC Strobe Cream in Pinklite (Original)

Paid $24 | Retail Value: $40

Clinique Pep Start Quick Cleansing Swipes

Paid $9 | Retail Value: $10 USD

MAC Nail Lacquer in Midnight Sky & Vintage Vamp (discontinued)

Paid 2x$10= $20 | Retail Value: unknown

Once you’ve checked out, there’s a corner where you can purchase a charity bag, 100% of the proceeds go to whichever charity they have chosen, this year was the Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation. You can give increments of $5 ($5, 10, 15 or 20), and they will give you a bag of MAC products depending on how much you donate. My sister and I both paid $20 and we got seven products each.

After you get your charity bag, you hand in your ticket (it must have the stamp from when you came in, you’re not allowed to hand in multiple tickets). You get a free gift just for giving your ticket. They gave us two nail polishes each.

Freebies

3x MAC matte lipsticks in Leap of Delight

2x MAC Extreme Dimension Work It Out Mascara in Abs of Steel & No Pain, No Gain

2x MAC x Helmut Newton Point ‘n’ Shoot Eyeshadow Quad

2x MAC Nail Lacquer in Soiree & Midnight Sky

FREE | Retail Value: $48 for the mascaras, other products unknown

I think my favourite purchases were the Estée Lauder Pink Perfection Kit, Tory Burch Perfume kit and Victoria Beckham’s lipgloss, just because I love her and the packaging is gorgeous…I wish I bought another now.

If you’ve read this far, thank you so much! I know it was a long post, but I wanted to share with you what you can get from the sale. I bought so many products that I want to share the wealth and I have decided to do a giveaway of some of the products I got (plus two Simple Glam Girls Rose Gold Lush Oval Brushes- H & I).

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Canadian and US entrants only. Contest ends Sat, Sept 30th 11:59pm EST. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on this IG page and my blog. Winner will be DM’ed on IG or emailed (If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected at random).

This giveaway is not sponsored or associated with Instagram, MAC Cosmetics, Simple Glam Girls or Bobbi Brown.

Products included:
- MAC ZOOM Mascara in High Esteem
- MAC x Helmut Newton Point ‘n’ Shoot Eyeshadow Quad (shades: Real Fantasy, Hard Currency, Influential and Point ‘n’ Shoot)
- MAC Nail Lacquer in Midnight Sky
- MAC matte lipstick in Leap of Delight
- 2x Simple Glam Girls Lush Rose Gold Oval Brushes (H & I)
- Bobbi Brown Crystal Lip Gloss (Travel Size)
Have you been to the MAC Warehouse Sale?

Love,

Save
Read More