The Beauty Haul continues...

To continue my last post about my beauty haul from my trip to Paris. Here are the rest of them!

Let's start with The Body Shop! I saw these when I was on my way back to my hotel after a day of exploring the beautiful city. Their body puree were all on half price sale and I couldn't resist (you got me there Body Shop). First, they are just 6 euro each, Australia are pricier (I think they cost about 22AUD here if I'm not mistaken). Second, my favourite satsuma range (especially the body butter) are facing extinction here, they are getting harder and harder to find now. Third, Autumn and Winter are coming and I will go through body moisturizer quicker! Anyway I bought the Satsuma body puree (the only one left in that store) and the Pink grapefruit body puree. I was tempted to buy more but I need to be-careful with the weight of my luggage back to Australia.

Discovering this brand, Yves Rocher and I got their Foot Beauty Care Anti-fatigue Iced Gel (link) for my tired feet. Then their 1 euro cute Fizzy Bath Cube (link). I bought the Vanilla and Blackberry flavour. I have used the Vanilla in my hotel. It's like putting Berocca into your drink but this one is for your bath. No bubbles but a nice scented clear bath with some moisture.

I went to the Fragonard Perfume Museum and it's really interesting. There's their own boutique shop at the exit of the museum and I really like what they have there. What got my attention is these solid perfume. You just apply them like a balm on your neck or anywhere you prefer and you're perfumed! It's more of a touch up through the day so you smell nice. They literally look like lip balm but I don't think applying them on lip balm would be nice. Here's a picture of how it looks like.

The packaging is so adorable and tiny, you can put them in your bag or your pockets. I got the 6 Amour Scent, set of 6 different scent with nice drawings. The name of these 6 solid perfume are: Ile d'amour, Cèdre, Fragonard, Cologne, Vétiver, Etoile.

 They gave me some samples for their best selling perfume too.

Sticking to the smelling nice theme at the moment, I went to Auchan, their supermarket to get the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover (link). Then I found out that Bourjois has their own deodorant (wow)! I am some what a Bourjois fan and finding out that they have expand to a non make-up product, I would want to try them please! They come in 7 scents I believe but I bought these two (the ones I like) to try them out. Keith bought 3 of the l'Oreal Spray Deodorant for Men from the same supermarket. He love them and Australia do not sell them. So, deodorant stock up time!

Make-up product wise, I was being a good girl this time. I just bought this Kiko Water Eyeshadow in 203. I did go into the biggest Sephora in Paris (apparently) on Champs-Élysée but I resist myself from all the temptation. I just bought the Naked3 palette for my sister-in-law as her birthday gift and a small spraying deodorant to put in my purse.

 

No, there's no Boots in Paris (they are English pharmacy). While I was in my transit at Abu Dhabi International Airport (I forgot which terminal), I saw Boots! It's a very small one but I dashed in, have a quick look at their products and I got these. First, the Boots Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm (link). This is my first cleansing balm and I'm quite excited to try them out. Second, I bought the Boots Gentle Eye Cream with SPF15. Yes, I was attracted to the SPF bit. I have no idea why I did not buy some Soap & Glory products (I asked myself that question when I was boarding). I would like to forgive myself with this excuse: it was a short transit and I need to rush to the gate.

That's all the beauty products I bought from this trip! It's quite a bit, probably will last me for months. Oh, I did not exceed my baggage allowance, SCORE!

Love, Carol

French Pharmacy Haul

How could I miss the chance of popping into the famous French pharmacy when I was in Paris. I have been hearing about French pharmacy products everywhere and since the time I watched this video by Lisa, there's no way I would leave Paris without the pharmacy haul. The specific pharmacy I went to is the Citypharma on rue du Four that recommended by most beauty bloggers.

So I won't bore you with the details and here are the stuff I bought from the French pharmacies (I shopped in other pharmacy near my hotel too):

• Cattier Paris Pink Clay Mask with Aloe Vera for sensitive skin (link)
• 2 Klorane Repair and Protecting Hand Cream
• Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré 24 Hour Miracle Cream (link)
• La Roche-Posay Lipikar Xerand Hand Repair Cream (link)
• 2 La Roche-Posay Serozinc Zinc Sulfate Solution: Soothing & Purifying
• 3 Bioderma Crealine H2O Ultra Mild Non-rinse Face & Eyes Cleanser (link)
• Bioderma Atoderm Mains Repair Hand Cream (link)

• Caudalie Summer Travel Kit (Make-up remover cleansing water, Moisturizing sorbet, Divine Oil and Shower Gel)
• Caudalie Winter Travel Kit (link) (Gentle cleansing milk, Moisture recovery cream, Hand and nail cream and Nourishing body lotion)
• Caudalie Dehydrated Skin Moisturizing Kit (link)  (S.O.S thirst quenching serum and Make-up remover cleansing water)
• 2 Caudalie Zeste De Vigne Shower Gel (link)
• 3 Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream (link)
• Caudalie Beauty Elixir (link)
• Caudalie Divine Scrub (link)

• Nuxe Summer Travel Kit (link) (Micellar cleansing water, Youth and radiance revealing fluid, Multipurpose dry oil, Hand and nail cream and Fondant shower gel)
• 3 Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm (link) 

• Uriage Body Discovery Kit (link) (Nourishing and cleansing cream for sensitive skin, Gentle total exfoliant and Moisturizing and nourishing creamy body milk)

That's what I bought from the French pharmacies! Few trial kits to try things out before I buy the real deal. Unfortunately, these products are mostly not available in Australia, some you can find them in Priceline or some local 'beauty' pharmacy. I have included some links that I found if you would like to purchase the product online. I will do my other haul in another post just to cut this short. It's raining here in Melbourne and I hope you have a good day ahead.

Love, Carol 

When in Paris: What's in My Bag & OOTD

Paris, a foreign city that speaks the language I don't understand, being a tourist in Paris in my experience was quite relax and easy IF you're prepared. It was my first time in France and no, I did not take an express French class before I say Bonjour to them. It is always nice to pick up a book or download some podcast to learn about a phrase or two (enough to communicate with them and politely ask if they speak English).

Anyway, to travel around the city that has announcements in their galleries and museums to remind you to be-careful of pick pockets, I have been carrying the Mango white cross body bag. (This bag is no longer available on Mango site)

It's nice and simple, goes with every outfit I was wearing and all my stuff fit in that little bag (sometime it's too jam packed!). Here's a picture of me carrying it near the Arc de Triomphe.

Outfit of this picture:
Top: Portmans
Inner Top: Ally Fashion
Jeans: Massimo Dutti 
Belt: Mango
Bag: Mango
Necklace: Lovisa
Bracelet: Pandora

So, in my bag, there were my small Guess wallet, my Samsung Galaxy s4, Paris map, a French phrasebook, a pack of tissue, Caudalie lip moisturizer as mentioned here, a compact mirror and lipstick of the day (click here for the post about them). When the weather was wet and colder, I packed my wool gloves from Forever New with me and I have a camera bag to carry my camera with me separately. I know how annoying it is to have 2 separate bags because my camera could not fit in my small bag but it worked out fine. Sadly, this white cross body bag's zip came off half way due to the rough times it had and I had to say goodbye to it soon. On the other side, I get to use my other bags that have been sitting in my wardrobe (some untouched with tag). That's it for today, till next time!

Love, Carol

Chanel Rouge Coco: The Hydrating Lipstick

When I was in Paris, it was really cold and my lips were extremely dry. I have packed few lipsticks with me for this trip and I have realized the hydrating ones! I don't need to apply lip balm/lip moisturizer before I put the lipstick on, which made touch up after a meal easier (my lip did not chap at all). I'm speaking of the Chanel Rouge Coco, the hydrating lip crème colour.

I have packed 2 of the Chanel Rouge Allure, a Topshop Lips and 2 of the Chanel Rouge Coco with me for Paris trip. After 2-3 days of outings, I realized the Chanel Rouge Coco were the most hydrating ones out of the bunch I brought to Paris with me, love them. Not saying the Rouge Allure or the Topshop Lips are super drying but they are just not as hydrating as the Rouge Coco. So, Rouge Coco were my most used lipsticks, especially the 05 Mademoiselle. It is a nice pink lip colour with a brown undertone that made the finish look a natural pinkish nude lip. Also, this is the lip colour on Venessa Paradis from the Rouge Coco campaign. Looks beautiful on her, I like how the colour looks on me and I have darker skin. So, I would say this lip colour would suit most skin tone.

The other colour I have is 76 Sari Doré. This is a nice orange colour that suits my tan skin, great for summer! However, Paris was not quite summer when I visit so this lipstick colour stay in the hotel in my makeup bag for the most of the time.

Rogue Coco has a soft and creamy texture, very easy to apply (it literally just glide on). It claimed to deliver 8 hour hydration with a single application. I didn't count the hours but I can say for one application, it lasted for a long time (until I wipe it out with my napkins after lunch/dinner), it did not bleed out, very pigmented and the best yet! it hydrates my lip from the harsh weather (strong cold wind that pierce). Nice classic and sleek packaging. A good lipstick to invest on!

Love, Carol

Long Flight Beauty Regime

Hello there! I went to Paris 2 weeks ago, had a great trip but the flight was deadly. Luckily there were lots of movies for me to watch in-flight (and I was tired enough to sleep in the plane for couple hours).

I used to take short flights a lot (2-3hours) and putting moisturizer just before the flight was sort of enough for me (my skin will still be dry but not that bad). When I start taking long flights, I realized my skin just started to give up on me. My skin felt dry (like Sahara desert dry), hurts, dull and tired looking (it's just not a nice scene). I knew I need to do something and after watching the Long Haul Flight Beauty Regime by Lisa Eldridge, In-flight Beauty Essentials/ Skincare Routine by Fleur de Force and My Holiday Beauty Bag & In-flight Essentials by Amelia Liana, I built my own in flight beauty regime. It works and I get compliments too.

The trip to Paris took about 21 hours (14 hours to Abu Dhabi then 7 hours to Paris) and about 20 hours back to Melbourne (14 hours to Abu Dhabi and 6 hours to Melbourne). So, let's talk about the long flight beauty regime:


THE TAKE OFF:
After the plane food, I start my in-flight beauty routine (sort of like getting ready to sleep) by cleaning my hands with some  Dettol Healthy Touch Instant Hand Sanitizer (I was in a window seat, walking in and out to just wash my hands is quite annoying). Next I remove my makeup with the Estee Lauder Long Wear Makeup Remover Towelettes (travel pack). Then follow up with some cotton pads and Sephora Collection Triple Action Cleansing Water to cleanse my face. I like the fragrance of the Sephora cleansing water but it irritated my eyes for like few seconds.With my face clean! I then spray some of my favourite Caudalie Beauty Elixir to freshen up my face. Love the scent (it's very refreshing).

Then, I apply a layer of the Laneige Special Treatment Water Sleeping Mask and massage in circular motion like applying moisturizer. Good thing about this mask, it's clear! I apply another layer and leave it. When you're stuck in a plane for hours, there's never too much hydration mask. I have scooped the mask into a small tester container and I did the same with the perfume so I don't have to carry the whole bottle (I pumped some of my Chanel Allure Sensuelle into the little travalo).

Last step on my face, I used Caudalie Lip Conditioner to give my lip some moisture. Put some L'Occitane Shea Butter Passionate Jasmine Hand Cream on and I'm ready to rest. I put on my purple Lavender Eye Mask (from Daiso) to block out the lights and the lavender smells helps me to sleep.

THE TRANSIT:
I arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport for 2 hour transit. It was 6 in the morning local time, so I went to the bathroom, brush my teeth with the toothbrush and toothpaste I got from the in-flight pack.

I clean my face with the Sephora cleansing water and spray Caudalie beauty elixir on my face. For moisturizer, I put on the Elizabeth Arden Intensive Daily Moisturizer for Face over my face and neck. It is their 8 hour cream range and it has SPF15 to protect my face from the sun. Since I can't really take a shower after the 14 hour flight, I use the Guardian Flushable Feminine Wipes to clean myself a bit. Spray some deodorant (bought a small bottle from Sephora in Malaysia) and the Chanel perfume and I'm good to go. I did put on my hand cream again.

THE LANDING:
The flight to Paris from Abu Dhabi took about 7 hours. I had some food, watched some movie and put on the eye mask and slept a little. When the plane was about to land, I pulled out my beauty bag again. I reapplied face moisturizer (since the in-flight air condition just sucks all the moisture as usual) and I had Systane Ultra Lubricant Eye Drops to ease the irritation of my eyes from the dryness. I didn't bring any eye cream but I brought the Garnier Light Brightening Eye Roll with me. I just love this stuff, you can roll around your eye area whenever and it feels so good!

I couldn't walk into another country with my naked face so I apply my Bourjois CC Cream which act like a tinted moisturizer and it's SPF15 (even better!). Also, I dab some Bourjois Blush Exclusif on my cheeks and a mascara is a must! I used Clinique High Impact Mascara in black. (The guy next to me was like, what is she doing? at this point)

Moisture my lips again with the Caudalie lip conditioner, spray my Caudalie beauty elixir on my face again (I just love that stuff so much!), spray some perfume, brush my hair to detangle them and I'm ready to land!

So that's pretty much what I did during long flights, they are more or less the same (sometimes just different product of choice).

*Reminder: drink as much water as you can and do not wash your face with the water from the bathroom in the plane (you never know where the water come from and if it's clean).

Here are some videos for your reference:

• Top 10 Travel Essentials
• In-flight & Travel Essentials 
• Inside my travel makeup bag & in-flight beauty bag

I hope these would help you to build your own in-flight beauty regime! It's always nice to hydrate your skin and this would occupy you for a little while in your long flights too.

Love, Carol

March Australia Haul

My name is Carol and I'm a shopaholic. I don't think I am that bad.. they were all on sale, so I couldn't resist (technically I'm saving money in a sense since these are the products I will use). There's a reason I call this an Australian haul because there will be a Paris haul in the same month! So let's get cracking.

Let's start with face product. The Beauty & Me Cucumber Lime Peel Off Mask I bought at Chemist Warehouse. I always wanted to try the peel off mask at home (I tried them when I went for facials but never get to peel the mask off). So I bought this little one to try it out and yes it's on sale for 2 dollars!
Next I found Elf Lip Exfoliator at local Kmart here in Melbourne. It cost 8 dollars (sadly not on sale). I thought this would be a handy lip exfoliator to keep in my bag or my travel bag as the packaging is just like a lipstick. I still like my Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub but that will be station in my bathroom and this Elf Lip Exfoliator is more to a 'to-go' product. I bought the Elf Concealer Brush as well at 3 dollars at Kmart together with the lip exfoliator.

Move on to makeup products. Priceline just had their 40% off all cosmetic products for 2 days (mid March I think) and I dash in there quickly of course. I bought the Bourjois CC Cream since everyone is raving about it including Lisa Eldridge herself (she spoke about it more than twice in few of her videos/blogs). I got the shade 32 Light Beige I think (I took the sticker off) and loving it. It is very light like a tinted moisturizer, smells good like other Bourjois foundation and the coverage is quite surprisingly good. I love how my skin look after I put it on, it's great for no makeup makeup look if you get what I mean. These are some reviews by Lily Pebbles, I CovetThee at 5.30, A Model Recommends at 5.23, Essiebutton at 2.45 and Lisa Eldridge at 0.45. Then, I bought Bourjois Healthy Balance Compact Powder in shade 53 Light Beige. I bought this to try it out because Amelia Liana spoke about it at 8.18 and her other video at her 2013 favourite at 4.07. It was 40% off, so why don't give it a try since I don't really have a compact powder I like. I've been looking for the Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in nude for awhile and it's always out of stock. It finally back in stock at Priceline and I grabbed it without a second thought. I use it on my lower waterline to open up my eyes.

Hair products wise, I bought Sunsilk Captivating Curls and Waves for my travel use (the bottle is smaller) since my Tresemme Thermal Styling Heatspray is a bit big to put in my travel beauty bag. It was on sale at Priceline for 3 dollars, great timing (I needed it for my trip to Paris). Then I bought Polished London Blightly Brunette Dry Shampoo at Priceline for 4 dollars and Toni & Guy Cleanse Dry Shampoo at Coles for 10 dollars (when it was on sale). I bought the Beauty Essentials Cosmetic Brush Deep Cleanser at Priceline for 10 dollars to wash my makeup brush (I've been using my shampoo for them and wanted to try using a proper brush cleanser). I don't know why I can't find a link for this product (maybe they discontinue it?).

Nail Polish! They were all on sale and I bought Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in Sun kissed, Essie Nail Color in Meet me at Sunset, Maybelline Color Show Brocades in Knitted Gold as mentioned in Essiebutton's video and Maybelline Color Show Nail Color in Green with Envy.

Last from the bunch, I bought the Body Shop Jumbo Satsuma Shower Gel for just 19.95 dollars (750ml of product with a pump!). I was very excited when I saw the price because for the smaller bottle of this (250ml), it cost 12.95 dollars with no pump. So, it's pretty good deal and I love the smell of satsuma (TalkBeckyTalk freaking love the satsuma range too).

I need to sneak this great buy into this post! I heard about Sanctuary Spa Convent Garden from beauty blogger Amelia liana at 10.10 and Tanya Burr at 6.48. Saw this set at Priceline selling at 4 dollars?! I grabbed it right away (it was the only set unfortunately). For 4 dollars, I get the body wash (75ml), foaming bath soak (75ml), body scrub (50ml), body lotion (75ml) and luxury bath float (75ml). What a bargain! It's a great pack for discovering the products (they smell amazing by the way, very luxury spa like!).

So that's what I bought in March (Beauty & Makeup wise). I'm now in a no money month after all that shopping (including the Paris haul which I will blog about soon!).


Love, Carol

American Sephora Haul

I have been drooling over these on Sephora website, YouTube videos (everyone was raving about them) and beauty blogs. Sadly, there's no Sephora in Australia or any store that sells Urban Decay and Marc Jacobs Beauty line. Also, I was really sad to find out that the Naked3 was out of stock when I was in Malaysia's Sephora. Just my luck!

It took me awhile to make the decision to buy them via Sephora online, mailed them to my cousin who live in New York and he mailed the package to me (American Sephora do not ship to Australia). The package took awhile to reach and there's shipping cost to cover but still worth it (they ended up cheaper than the retail price in Malaysia and Singapore's Sephora surprisingly).

I was really excited to get my hands on these and my first impressions for these are:

• Urban Decay Naked3 Palette: First of all, the packaging is way better than the first Naked palette I own (I didn't buy the Naked2 palette, maybe I should one day?). The thin metal like 'clip lock' packaging will last longer than the card board, suede like packaging (my Naked palette is quite beaten up after a few trips in my bag). Moreover, the mirror in the Naked3 is way bigger and it came with a good quality brush and a set of eyeshadow primer samples. The colours are rose gold theme (very pretty), very wearable for any skin tone and they are very pigmented. I have been using it since (still exploring) and loving it. 

• Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No.7 - Plush Shadow in 202 The Tease: This is the most gorgeous and expensive looking eye shadow palette I have ever own. Look at the packaging! It's very sleek, skinny and expensive looking (it's not cheap). I like the fact that it came with a little pouch to protect it. I bought the tease (the purple theme ones), I know everyone would go for the lolita (neutral theme) but I have neutral eyeshadow palette already and I love purple (they accentuate my brown eyes), it came with a nice selections of matte and shimmer eye shadows. They are pigmented, build-able and easy to blend. 

• Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat in 3: I heard so much about the Touche Eclat. After years of consideration, I finally caved in to this Touche Eclat community. I love the gold pen packaging but the click at the back is a bit annoying, I always click it when I try to close the lid (clicking it will release product to the brush). I use it to highlight and tidy up my lip and brows. I'm not sure if I really like it but don't mind having it (need time to decide).

That's it from the American Sephora Haul, what I like about the American Sephora is they let you choose your samples to go with your purchase and you can collect points based on the amount of money you spent. I think I would start to accumulate my 'wanted items' and purchase them this way again (the only down side is to wait longer). It would be great if Sephora start shipping to Australia, don't you think?

Love, Carol