Perfume sampling

All about perfumes!

Truthfully, a couple of weeks ago a guy friend of mine inadvertently told me I stink, I was so self conscious after that moment that as soon as I looked at the shoppers drug mart flyer and saw this perfume sampler, I figured why not!! I have yet to find a 'signature scent', so I was hoping to find one! 

I'm sure that Sephora has a box similar like this, but I have never really seen them in Canada (nor do I go to Sephora as often as Shoppers). I just checked the Sephora US website and they do have them for cheaper! Same sample size but cheaper price it comes as a set of 12! Aish, maybe I should've waited for Sephora's :( 

The same price set they offer at Sephora comes with mini bottles of each set! But then again I have to factor in the fact that everything in the US is cheaper, so I'm sure that set of 12 will be the same as this set, $75. But oh well. 

Included in box was: Dolce&Gabbana - Light Blue
Calvin Klein - CK One shock for her
Vera Wang - Lovestruck
Calvin Klein - Euphoria
Nina Ricci - L'Air
Marc Jacobs - Oh, Lola!
Juicy Couture - Viva La Juicy
Givenchy - Very irresistible Givenchy L'intense
Paco Rabanne - Lady Million
DKNY - PureDKNY A drop of verbena 

The price was $75, and when I bought it there was a spend $75 receive 20x the points. I picked this up, along with the Revlon matte lipstick in Nude Attitude (shown in the last post).

It includes a gift certificate that you can use to redeem a full size bottle of one of the scents that were in here, along with a fragrance guide. That'll be super helpful, because I can't describe scents for the life of me!

 HOWEVER once I opened it I was a little disappointed. $75 for tiny sample scents that I probably could've gotten for free if I had gone to any Bay, Sephora, or Shoppers and asked.

  Speaking of Sephora, I compared the size of the one I paid for compared to the one I got for free. They're pretty much about the same, I haven't tried the one I bought, but the Sephora spray is a little tricky at times, and I always spray out too much.  

 With the purchase of the samples, I also got these three samples for free!

My cashier was super nice, and I actually tried on some Chanel perfume on me in the store and she said I smelled amazing (now I want samples of the Chanel perfume), so she included the Chanel No5, which I'm super excited about!

At the same time, I felt paying $75 wasn't exactly justifiable for my 10 samples, since I got these 3 for free...

I compared it to the one I got for free and I MUST SAY, I am even MORE disappointed!

The bottle I bought was half full, whereas the one I got for free (the one on the left) was filled around 3/4 of the way. What the hell! I was disappointed again, but compared it to some of the other bottles in the box and it was the same amount. I guess that's the way it goes, either way I was disappointed.

Final thoughts: The certificates maximum value is $93, so essentially I'm paying $75 for a $93 value perfume. A savings of a whopping $18! So I am paying a bit for the samples in a way, which still kind of disappoints me. Also while I'm excited to try different perfumes, the price for these samples did kind of hold me back. This is a mini gift for myself, I actually have a favourite "sweet" scent that I love, and want to find one that's more "professional" and "mature" smelling. 

I am trying Nina Ricci's perfume in L'Air, I have mixed feelings about it.

I'll definitely do a more in-depth perfume post about all these perfumes in the future!

Lips collection

Hello hello!

Here is a couple of pictures of my lipstick/lipgloss - otherwise known as lips - makeup collection!

One of them is a freebie I got from a friend, I did a previous post on it before, the rest I bought with my own money, and coincidentally it's all from Revlon!

The lipglosses, however, are either from Revlon, or small clinique samples I have received.

From top to bottom: Revlon colourburst in peach, Estee Lauder in 161 Pink Parfait, Revlon Pink in the Afternoon, Revlon Temptress, and Revlon matte Nude Attitude

This picture makes it a little more true to colour, but the top photo shows the sheen a bit better

Lipsticks with the gloss put on top

Over "Pink in the Afternoon" and the Estee Lauder lipsticks, I usually use the Revlon super lustrous lipgloss in "Pink Whisper" or the Clinique full potential lips plump and shine in "Play-full plump".

Over Revlon's "Temptress", I use Clinique's full potential lips plump and shine in "Mimosa Blossom".

Over Revlon's "Nude Attitude", I use Clinique's long last glosswear in "Air Kiss". "Air kiss" is what is swatched right beside "Pink in the Afternoon" (4th from the top). Currently this is my favourite lip combo because it's a light pink nude colour, and I love it!

I like all the lipsticks I have, with the exception of the Estee Lauder one. The smell of it is rather... off putting, and almost nauseating. Which is why I'll rarely ever use it because it smells so fragrance-y. 

The glosses, I love! With the exception of Clinique's long last glosswear, none of them are extremely sticky. I hate the feeling of my lips being stuck to each other, it just doesn't feel good at all.

However I do still like the long last glosswear, even after eating/drinking something light (such as when I'm snacking or drinking a cup of coffee/tea), it still manages to stay on! So being super sticky is fine with me!

As I have slightly mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of lip products. I use lipbalm/vaseline 24/7. I usually reapply every couple of hours. I can not live a day without using a chapstick of some sort! I end up licking my lips dry!

That being said, I usually never bother touching up my lips unless it's for a special occasion that I'm going to. Other than that, I don't even bother. Personally I don't really like the super glossy lip look, so I usually avoid that as much as possible. I also drink a lot of liquids throughout the day, it's a hassle to keep reapplying after every time! I also don't like it when I'm drinking coffee and my lips just come off on the lip of the coffee cup. It's kinda disgusting in my opinion, I just hate that!!

Overall I'm happy with my lip collection! I'm not ready to venture into the red lip looks or super bright colours, but I think I might invest in a nice deep purple lipstick for the time when I want to give myself a more sophisticated look.

Collective Haul!

First off, apologies for disappearing! 

As much as I like looking at blogs, I can't say blogging is a priority for me at the moment.

With that said, a small collective haul of what I picked up in the past few months!

First off, some mascaras! 

Around September or so, rexall had their 50% of all mascaras! I was hoping for this because last year when it happened, I stocked up like no other.

Although I have rather straight Asian lashes, they are rather long and I find mascara one of my favourite makeup products. Therefore I really love trying new and different mascara!

With the exception of the loreal voluminous, the rest I have never tried before and I am excited! Reviews to come! :)

Also decided to pick up a lip gloss in "pink pout", I've seen and heard reviews that I wanted to try it out! I have the rest of the other colours that were from this collection ~

Also picked up the physician's formula eyeliner! It has a full price rebate, which is the only reason I got it. If it wasn't on sale or had a rebate, I wouldn't have bothered. This ranges from $14 - $17!

I also work at a small IDA/Rexall store, and figured since I hadn't picked up a foundation of my lighter winter tone, I started putting makeup along my neck and down a but on my chest. I wear v-neck shirts a lot, so the stark difference from my face to chest is quite obvious.

On sale at shoppers! I went to all the major drugstores and it was the cheapest there. Still fairly expensive - with tax it ended up being $10.49 - but I figured I heard great reviews about it that I'd give it a try!! And I was looking for a pale winter foundation anyway~

I actually tried it out last Saturday (Nov 12), because I had a friends wedding to go to. I found application extremely rushed, as soon as I dabbed it on my face and went back to smooth it all out it was somewhat dried. I guess I'll have to keep trying different techniques.

I actually also picked up a lipstick, Revlon matte in "Nude Attitude", as well as a perfume sampler from shoppers. 

Next post - whenever that is - will be all about my lip products! I don't have a lot, so it's easy swatching and maintaining them. The lipgloss I picked up won't be featured, just because I got it after I took the pictures and everything. 

:)