Birthday Goodies

This Delicate Asian Beast is now 19!

Last week, I celebrated by champagne birthday. To celebrate my day of birth, I decided to splurge and buy myself a little something that I have been wanting for a while. I'm also going to include a couple of things I picked up with a birthday coupon I received! October is honestly my favourite month to check my emails because birthday coupons just make life better...

Anyway, here's what I got!

** I took these pictures after dinner on my deck because I procrastinated on this post.. That's why the pictures are a little different today. Don't judge me.

Shiseido

To start of this birthday haul, I picked up another Nourishing Mascara Base from Shiseido. I'm planning to do a review on this product soon so I don't want to say too much about this. But since I am repurchasing this, there is a good chance that I'm digging this product... (hint hint, nudge nudge)

While I was at the Shiseido counter, the girl at the counter asked if I wanted the bronzy champagny(?) bag that is pictured above. She said she didn't have enough room for them so I got one for free! I didn't know that the bag was actually apart of Shiseido's gift! To top that off, when she found out if was my birthday, she threw in the smaller makeup bag and an oil cleanser. Basically, I got everything pictured above for free. The only thing I actually paid for was the Nourishing Mascara Base that cost me around $20 after my discount!

Here is a list of all the free samples I got from Shiseido:

• Ultimate Cleansing Oil for Face/Body
• Lipstick in "Perfect Rouge"
• White Lucent: Brightening Cleansing Foam
• Refining Makeup Primer
• Lacquer Gloss (doesn't say what colour it is)
• Bio-Performance: Advanced Super Revitalizing Cream

The Body Shop

Would you believe me if I told you I only paid $5 for all this stuff, even after tax?! The Honey Bronzer retails for $20 and each eyeshadow is worth $10. The entire purchase retails for $40. Because of the buy two get one free promotion, I got one of the $10 eyeshadows for free, plus my $10 off birthday coupon made the other eyeshadow free. I then redeemed 4 points which equals to $15. That is how I only paid $5 for all 3 products. Crazy, I know! I feel like I'm Tati during her Madness Monday videos. (In case you're wondering, I got the Honey Bronzer in 02)

Caramel Flirt (205)

Brownie & Clyde (225)

These are the 2 eyeshadows I picked up. I've never tried The Body Shop's eyeshadows before so hopefully I get on well with them. I have a feeling I'm going to love these simply because swatching them in store was honestly heavenly. They are super smooth and have a good amount of pigmentation. I find the colours on the website don't look the same as they do in person. If you are interested in any of their eyeshadows, I suggest you check them out in store first if possible! 

Sephora

I had run out of my Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray so I went back to get more. I decided I would get the big one as I've gone through 2 of the smaller bottles. I think I've tried out their setting spray enough to justify buying the big size. Unfortunately, they didn't have any of the All-Nighter sprays in the larger size, so I decided to give the De-Slick one a try. I have combination skin so I was hoping this would work for me. 

I also redeemed a 100 point mascara while I was checking out. I've heard alot of buzz around Buxom products recently so I wanted to give their mascara a go. I have been considering redeeming the Marc Jacobs mascara for a couple weeks now and wanted to redeem it as well but they didn't have anymore. Note to self: don't hesitate on 100 point redemption's, just do it. 

*I've used the spray for about a week now and I think I've come to the solution that the De-Slick works better for me than the All-Nighter.

These are the samples I got with my purchases. I haven't tried any of them yet but I thought I'd share them with you because free stuff.. Am I right? I love the idea of getting perfume samples but I find I never like the scent. It seems like I always get the super florally, on the edge of old woman perfumes. I don't know, maybe it's just me.

This is the moment we're all been waiting for, the main reason for this blog post. This is a little something I got as a gift for myself. Yes, it is the infamous Naked palette from Urban Decay. After I bought the Naked 2, I've been debating which one I wanted to get next, the original or the 3rd one. The cost had also been holding me back from making this purchase but I figured you only turn 19 once, just do it. So I did. I've been using it for about a week now and I'm definitely loving it! 

Do you buy yourself gifts for special occasions? Is there anything you've been dying to buy yourself?

- Amelia

Hopping on the Bandwagon

First off, I'd like to apologize for the lack of posts the last couple of weeks. I've been busy with school but I have time right now to sneak in a quick post.

Over the past few months, possibly a year, I've been contemplating whether or not I should buy the two products I'll be mentioning in this post. They are two products that literally everyone has. They have been featured at least once in EVERY SINGLE beauty channel that I watch.

You may be wondering what two products I'm talking about...

Yes, they are the Beauty Blender and Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Concealer!

These products have been reviewed and mentioned so much that I'm sure everyone knows about them. Instead of giving a full blown review on the products, I thought I'd give a quick run through of what I like and don't like about the products, and if they're worth the hype that surrounds them. I've had a chance to try these products out and I think I've developed a decent opinion on them.

Beauty Blender

I'll start off with the Beauty Blender. I've always been skeptical of the Beauty Blender. I never really understood the whole applying foundation with a sponge thing until I used this product. It's definitely a lot different from using a brush! Here is a quick overview of my thoughts on the Beauty Blender.

Pros

• Blends makeup well
• Leaves the skin looking slightly dewy and stops make up from looking cakey
• Easy to use
• Tapered edge is great for small nooks and crannies

Cons

• Expensive (for a sponge..)
• Hard to clean
• Might not provide enough coverage for those who want a fuller coverage

I want to quickly talk about how I use the Beauty Blender and what I found works best for my skin. Before I start, I just want to mention that the first time you squish the Beauty Blender like the way you see in videos, is very satisfying. It was a bit of a surreal moment for me, not going to lie!

Anyway, I start off by wetting the sponge and drying it by squeezing out the water and giving it one last dry with a towel. Then I like to dab the foundation onto my face with my fingers and quickly blend it out with my brush. Then I go in with the Beauty Blender and use it all over my face. I find it very hard to bring the foundation down to my neck with the Beauty Blender. I like the way the sponge finishes the foundation but I find it a little hard to blend it out everywhere. I find if I use the brush first, I get better coverage than if I were to use the Beauty Blender alone. I basically use a combo of both tools when applying foundation. 

My one pet peeve of the Beauty Blender, aside from the price (yikes!), would be the cleaning process. I feel like I have to clean it after each use but I don't have time to do that especially in the mornings when I'm trying to catch the bus. Other than that, I'm very happy with the Beauty Blender! It isn't for everybody but if you are interested and are willing to pay the price, I would definitely suggest you pick it up!

Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Concealer

I have more of a problem with puffy eyes (lack of sleep?) than with dark circles but I've seen people apply this product SO MANY times that I had to get it just to see what it was like (it was on sale, don't worry!). I haven't used this long enough to notice any effects but here are some pros and cons that I have noticed since I've started using the concealer.

Pros

• Very blendable 
• Stays on all day

Cons

• Applicator and lid can start to look gross after a couple of applications

I find that throughout the day, the foundation underneath my eyes seems to disappear. I've noticed that when I use this concealer, the foundation doesn't disappear as much. So if you suffer from the same problem, give this a try and see if it helps!

I'm glad I gave these products a try! I can see why everybody raves about them.

Are there any products that you want to jump on the bandwagon of? Anything you've been dying to try?

- Amelia