Her Beauty Days

The timing couldn't have been more perfect.
I was curious in trying out Antipodes Apostle Skin-Brightening & Tone-Correcting serum, to address some pigmentation I've acquired during the summer months. It was difficult to convince myself to fork out over $50 to purchase 30 mL of  serum; so when this deal rolled around, I didn't think twice.
The deal was to spend a minimum of $65 on selected skincare products and receive the goody bag for free!

This year's bag came in a reflective silver tote, presumably a Model's Prefer one.

Here's what I got when I emptied my bag:


Antipodes Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream (15 mL sample)

Avène Eau Thermale Thermal Spring Water (50 mL)

Beauty Essentials Dry Skin Body Lotion (500 mL)

Biorè Steam Activated Cleanser (145 mL)

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (17 g)

Chapstick True Shimmer Lip Balm in Tropical (4 g)

Derma Sukin Daily Gentle Wash

Dr. LeWinn's  Firming Eye Cream (30 g)

Essenzza Fuss Free Naturals Natural Facial Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes)

Hope's Relief Goats Milk Sopa (with shea & cocoa butter) (125 mg)

Manuka Doctor (pack of 3 samples)
- apiclear skin serum (5 mL)
- apifine targeted wrinkle filler (3 mL)
- apinourish rejuvenating face mask (7 mL)

ModelCo Face Tan Hydrating Self-Tanning Gel (50 mL)

Models Prefer Cosmetic Bag

Models Prefer Kohl Pencil in Matte Black  (1.14 g)

Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser (177 mL)

Nivea Pure & Natural Hand Cream (75 mL)

No brand - Dual Mirror Compact

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Intensive Relief Concentrated Cream Hand & Body (100 g)

People For Plants Mist Toner (rose otto, burdock, kakadu plum) (125 mL)

Puretopia Gentle Exfoliating Face Scrub (75 mL)

Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub (200 mL)
Simple Kind To Eyes Eye Make-Up Corrector Pen

Suvana Organic Paw Paw & Honey Balm (25 g)

Swisspers Naturals Aloe Gentle Eye Make-up Remover (100 mL)

Thursday Plantation Macademia Oil (125 mL)
Yes To Carrots Lip Butter in Berry (4.25 g)

Samples

Montagne Jeunesse Dead Sea Mud Pac (Kelp & Seaweed) (6 g sample)

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Intensive Relief Moisturizing Lotion (5 mL)

Swisspers Naturals Cucumber Facial Cleansing Wipes (5 wipes)


There was also the inclusion of discount vouchers for some of the product brands included in the bag.

I ended up spending under $70 to qualify for the free bag.
The products I've purchased were also discounted; overall it was a great deal!


Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Power-Cream Wash (177 mL) $11.99

Biorè Pore Unclogging Scrub (135 mL) $8.79

Antipodes Apostle Skin-Brightening & Tone-Correcting serum (30 mL) $47.19


I can't wait to start using these products. I'm definitely stocked up in the winter skincare department.

To see what's in last year's skincare bag and my previous skincare haul, click here.

So, did you cave in for the skincare goody bag this year?!

The haul contents were purchased at Priceline and Target.

Priceline

I have no reason to be here other than I wanted to check out some new beauty products (not a good idea!). I ended leaving the store with the following:

Beauty Essentials Nail Polish Remover (conditioning)
I think these were on sale; you can't go wrong with stocking up on nail polish!

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural
I definitely do not need any more blushes in my collection, but naturally, I was drawn by those cute love hearts and pink packaging! Super happy that I purchased this for more than half price. I've tried it out and I love how I don't even need a mirror to apply this on - you can't go wrong with this shade!

Essence Metal Glam Eyeshadow in 03 frosted apple
I just love the colour of this shadow. A bit out of my comfort zone but I'm quite interested in experimenting with shades other than neutrals.

Essence 3D Eyeshadow in 02 irresistible purr-ple
Again, something out of my comfort zone. When I saw this in person, I was just overwhelmed how gorgeous it looked! The name of the shade is quite fitting, I couldn't resist to not purchase it!

Essence Kajal Eye Pencils in 08 Teddy and 23 Love Me Lavender
At under $2 a pop in an array of gorgeous shades, I couldn't pass up.


Target

I needed to pick up an under eye concealer that suited my skin tone and has a bit more coverage (didn't conflict with the rules of the ban I think...). I settled on Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles Eraser in Medium earlier and found out that it was on sale at Target yay! Unfortunately or fortunately, Chi Chi was also on sale; I've always been curious in their eyeshadow palettes (reminiscent of the Urban Decay Naked palettes) so I decided to pick up their Bases palette because the shades look simply lovely, plus it's something I'll get a lot of use out of. "Ok, time to remove myself from the beauty section", I thought after picking up what I wanted. But sadly, you know how the rest of the story unfolds and my eyes quickly spotted the Chi Chi Social Butterfly Gift Set on special for under $5?! Let me repeat myself, "for under $5!". I loved the idea of a phone case inspired eyeshadow palette and the included phone cases, sporting the Chi Chi brand. Even though I'm not a fan of the iPhone 5 case with the colourful zebra print, the price I paid for the eye palette was a pretty good deal! Additionally, I can use the iPhone 4 case - what a cute nail polish pattern! Don't you agree this set is quite similar to Too Faced's Jingle All the Way Makeup Palette?!

It's a bit ironic how I'm constructing today's feature on last month's haul after I posted up my announcement of a spending ban/Project Pan.

Anybody remember this song?


Because that's the song that played in my head the moment I picked up the Models Prefer Eyeshadow Quad in Hook Me Up.
I picked this up on sale for under $5 (half price!) at Priceline a few weeks back, partially because they reminded me of the Wet n Wild eyeshadow palettes, with the suggested use embossed into the product. For my benefit, they take the guesswork out of things - eyeshadow application for beginners like myself have been made a whole lot easier!



The eyeshadow quad features four shimmer shades - a champagne base, a gold lid shade, a purple-maroon crease shade with a pink sheen (gorgeous shade!) and a bronze corner shade.
Pigmentation is quite decent; the crease shade is noted to have poorer pigmentation than the other shades, albeit the problem can be fixed with applying them in a wet nature and building the colour up.
The shades are velvety but not creamy as other products plus they aren't chalky either.
I really adore the shade combination provided; the shades compliment my brown eyes quite beautifully.
The packaging is one aspect which I really dislike - it's what I expected from a brand as such, cheap plastic packaging that would easily break at the "hinge". Additionally, I found it difficult to open the quad without incurring damage to my nail polish.

Wear time without a primer underneath - 2-3 hours, by the fourth hour I noticed a bit of fading.



Overall, I'm quite satisfied with the product, considering I only paid $5 for them. It's not a bad product; I would suggest this quad to beginners in makeup and to those looking for something more affordable (but if you're looking for something that would give you more bang for your buck check out this palette.)

The product is made in China.

Limited (trend) edition with Justin Bieber thrown in the mix? You've got yourself a winner.
Just...kidding. I honestly have a love/hate relationship with the beibs.
However, I just couldn't pass up on these newly released edition from one of my favourite brands Essence featuring the boy/man himself.

Would you look at that?!


All of the Essence products mentioned in this post are made in Poland.
To see if your Priceline store is stocking this trend edition, please refer to Essence Australia's Facebook.

Pretty sure you've all heard about the amazing 40% off beauty sale Priceline hosted last week!

I was there alright, at midday and my, what a crowded scene it was. A bit cray-cray, I might emphasise.
My friend, being a guy, received this sale to be quite hilarious; there's a lot of females all in one place.

I entered the store, just to pick up a few items I'm interested in and left with a lot more than I expected!
Basically, I put in everything that I wanted to try in the cute basket given to me by the sales assistant.

I present to you the haulage:


Face products

1. Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder in Deep Natural
Why didn't I discover this earlier? I love it so far; love the inclusion of the mirror and sponge (underneath the pan of powder) and of course, the actual product itself!

2. Maybelline Dream Pure 8-in-1 BB Cream in Light
I've already tried the medium shade, loved it, so I'm picking up the lighter shade because the former is a bit dark for me.

3. & 4. Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in 100 Ivory and 103 True Ivory
My first foundation! I tend to steer clear of Rimmel's face products but after seeing the princess-themed advertisement, I was lured in. 103 True Ivory was the closest shade to my complexion and 100 Ivory  would be perfect for those days when my face becomes more paler.


Lip products

5. Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in 910 Shocking Coral
One of my favourite yet unique shades I already have in my collection. Repurchasing this shade because I'm actually running out of the lipstick. Read my review here (it's actually one of my first posts!).

5. L'Oréal Color Riche Made For Me Intense in 370 Crazy Fuchsia
I'm a crazy lover of pink lippies; I'm so glad I picked this up - it's becoming a favourite of mine!

6. L'Oréal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain in 102 Romy
I heard these were a probable dupe for YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) Glossy Stains, I love stains and a bit of gloss so I had to try these!

7. Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Gloss in 90 Electric Shock
This shade is just gorgeous. I think there's something youthful about sporting a pink lip gloss, what do YOU think?

8. Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon in 04 Peach on the Beach
I discovered this gem on Sleep and Water's blog. When I saw the shade in real life, I was quite surprised to see what a unique and beautiful shade it was; perfect for summer!


Other products

9. Face of Australia Gentle Make-Up Remover
This is a repurchase. Cheap, does a great job at what it's supposed to do and certainly of a gentle nature.
Comes pretty close to Lancôme's Bi-Facil - that's something quite notable.

10. L'Oréal Super Liner Liquid Eyeliner
I've seen this used by my mum a few times. Curiosity got the better of me; this had to come home with me.

11. L'Oréal Colour Riche Le Vernis in 601 French Riviera
A pretty baby blue polish with darker blue shimmers? How could I resist?!

And that concludes my haul!
I don't understand the relationship I have with sales. Please stop calling out to me!
Well done to those who are on or have completed spending bans!

I hope you've enjoyed this post.

I'm finally back from my month-long absence.
Studying, exams, personal dramas and indulging in comfort food were certainly part of the equation.
I'm so glad to be liberated from my studies (for a while); definitely looking forward to engaging in more of my favourite leisure activities like cooking, hanging out with dear loved ones and SHOPPING.

On the topic of shopping, I am guilty of spending way too much this month.
As usual, I couldn't resist the pre-Christmas sales. I had to get my hands on those limited edition, released-around-Christmas beauty gifts and pressies for the special people in my life.

One unrelated purchase was a relatively new skincare product, Indeed Laboratories (Indeed Labs) Pepta-bright, purchased from Priceline (now available!) at an introductory price.
Now, I've heard of Indeed Labs' Hydraluron (earlier released product) but I wasn't interested in it much as hydration wasn't a main skincare concern of mine.


Pepta-bright is an "ultra-concentrated cream-serum" that helps to
1. Even skin tone
2. Reduce and lighten hyperpigmentation
3. prevent, treat and diminish dark spots
4. Restore luminosity and radiance to the skin
5. Prevent photoaging
6. Stimulate cell turnover
7. Maintain skin's hydration

Points 1. 2. and 3. is what I'm currently looking for in a skincare product. I'm still relatively young (early twenties), so I didn't want to use anything too harsh on my skin. After reading Caroline Hirons' review and others from younger bloggers like myself, I gave it a shot.

So yesterday, straight after cleansing, I applied the serum all over my face, minus the eye area, then topped it off with my current moisturiser. The smell was unpleasant but I didn't really mind. I went to bed and woke up four hours later to cram in a bit of studying before my exams.
Before I even observed my face after waking up, I could feel some inflammation happening under the nose area and a bit on my cheeks. The area under nose and my left cheek were covered in clusters of papules (no whiteheads) that left my skin irritated and dry. This was my first time having such an adverse reaction to a skincare product. I am actually a frequent user of relatively harsh products e.g. contains salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, so I wasn't expecting a reaction like this.

Fast forward to the next day (that's today!) and my skin has well improved after I continued with my regular skin routine and skipped Pepta-bright altogether. Papules have shrunk and hardly noticeable (some gone) but my skin around the nose and cheeks area is still dry.
There are a few factors to consider why this didn't work for me, but I won't be trying the serum again. Better safe than sorry!

Lesson learned: a product that works for another might not (unfortunately) work for you! I'm a bit letdown by the "results" but don't let that stop you from trying this product out if you're interested.

There is a lack of reviews reporting on adverse reactions, so here's my one!
If you have sensitive or "young" skin, I'll be cautious.
Product is made in Canada if you're wondering.
You can pick up Indeed Laboratories  Pepta-bright from Priceline for $27.99 during the promotional period.

I hope you found this review helpful.
Have a beautiful day everyone!

Update: After consulting with Priceline's customer service, I was told to return the product for a full refund. The product was deemed "faulty" and was to be returned to the company (or so I was told).

September celebrates Priceline's 30 Days of Fashion and Beauty!