Black Friday/Cyber Monday Haul
/“Buying something on sale is a very special feeling. In fact, the less I pay for something, the more it is worth to me”
So this year I tried not to go hard, I think I succeed in that, but only because the websites were working against me. I had wanted to take advantage of the 60% off Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadows, and I did place an order only to have it cancelled. Yeah disappointed doesn’t describe how I was feeling. I tried to call but no luck getting through. I placed an order on Ulta.com, it too went through and then was later cancelled. I think they were confused by the fact that my billing address was in Canada and my shipping address in America, why they should have difficulty with that I’m not sure but they did. So no shadows or Becca blush palette for me.
It was hard not to take advantage of other sales, like the ones Sephora had, but I was good and restrained myself.
I did grab some shadows from Blackbird Cosmetics, a ton of skincare from Deceim who had some amazing deals if the products were what you wanted. After that it was just the Nar’s Narcissit Unfiltered palette from Sephora and a foundation from Clinque. That’s it folks, oh and I picked up some jackets.
BlackBird Cosmetics:
I have eight matte shadows from this brand already and I enjoy them. They are creamy and smooth with little to no fall out. They're pigmented and apply to the lid beautifully. I’ve kept my eye on this brand for the last year waiting for a sale. I picked up seven shadows.
Endless - This shadow is described as a deep, dark violet, the shadow feels creamy and applies smoothly with great pigmentation. Does look to have more of a grey undertone, I don't find it to be deep and dark, it's more of a medium toned purple
Ranger - This is a forest green, it has a grey undertone so appears to be a bit lighter and more of an olive green.
Hearth - This is a dark brick brown with orange undertones, pigmentation is great with one swatch.
Fire Pledge - This is a vibrant burnt orange and feels creamy to the touch, pigmentation is okay but does need to be built up a bit.
Hatchet - This is a medium olive green, the texture is a bit dry lacks pigmentation. It can be built up so that the colour shows better.
Lantern - This shadow is described as a brilliant gold, when swatched it appears to be a creamy orange toned yellow. Upon initial application pigmentation is weak but it can be built up.
Third -This is described as a dark haunting navy blue, this applies smoothly and feels creamy when applied, pigmentation is good
Deciem:
I grabbed this set mainly because of the Copper Peptide Serum and the Sanskrit Saponins cleanser which I’ve had my eye on for a while. I’ve seen a couple reviews on it and thought well that’s different. I no longer have an issue with the size of my pores since I’ve started using chemical exfoliants correctly but I still thought the concept was interesting.
I purchased the NIOD set for $90 CDN and the Hylamide set for $49. Though there are some duplications I feel that the value is there. The Hylamide set was a complete impulse purchase, I hope it works out for me. :)
Ihaven’t been able to try much of these items out yet so I can’t give you a review on these but I’ll give you a quick breakdown of what the company says each product is intended for.
Hylamide Subq Anti-Age- An advanced serum for rehydration, a plump, healthy appearance and visible texture regularity. The main focus is hydration. Regular price $38 CDN
Hylamide Subq Eyes - Clinically-advanced serum to target multiple signs of under-eye aging, it’s supposed to help with fine lines and dark circles, which are my primary concerns. Regular price $35 CDN
Hylamide High Efficiency Face Cleaner- A highly-efficient, crystal-clear micro-emulsion brings together oils, esters and water-compatible cleaners into one advanced formula that works like an oil cleaner but acts like a water-based one and rinses off effectively. So this is basically a souped up oil cleanser. Regular price $21 CDN
Hylamide HA Blur- Is a blurring products promise to scatter light in many directions to hide pores and lines and create a retouched skin finish. Regular price $19 CDN
Hylamide Hydra-Density Mist- Advanced treatment to support dermal water density for intense lightweight hydration and comfort.This reminds me of the NIOD SDSM mist. Regular price $18
NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 1.00%- According to the website this serum targets signs of skin aging, including visible textural damage, uneven tone, visibly enlarged pores and a general lack of a visibly healthy radiance normally present in younger skin. Regular price $90 CDN for 30 ML
NIOD Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex- This serums is comprised of 12 forms of hyaluronic compounds which is meant to offer hydration and to help skin surface look plump, comfortable and uniform. Regular price $60 CDN for 30 ML
NIOD Sanskrit Saponins- An intense cleansing balm, used after you’ve removed all makeup, applied to wet skin. Can also be used like a face mask for deep pore cleansing. Regular price $29 CDN for 90 ML
NIOD Superoxide Dismutase Saccharide Mist- They call this a dermal treatment mist - not to be confused with a toner. It’s meant to be used as a daily force against oxidative stress, water loss and inflammation. This is used right after cleansing before any other treatment is applied. Not sure if it reduces the efficacy of other products that will be placed on top. Regular price $50 CDN
Sephora:
I first saw images of this palette on Instagram, yup Insta is quickly becoming the biggest enabler. I loved how the palette and swatches looked. I’ve purchased Nar’s blushes before and I like them, they have great pigmentation, so I wasn’t worried about there being a quality issue. Blushes after eyeshadows are my favourite makeup products, I’ve got quite a few blushes and feel no way about that.
Five of the colours are new: Watch Me, Me First, Take over, Out There and Chic. Exhibit A the bright orange red has been around for years and has been a brown girl favourite.
I got the Caudalie face cream as my free gift. I like it, there is a slight fragrance but it's not too strong. The cream absorbs quickly and easily into my skin without leaving any residue at all. I've been using it to help calm my skin from my recent testing with some new skincare products that I had purchased.
Clinque:
I purchased a full size of the Beyond Perfecting foundation and concealer. Earlier this year I got a deluxe sample from Sephora and I liked it. I use it primarily in the centre of my face. It brings out the yellow undertones in my skin.
Garage:
I picked up a fall jacket and a spring jacket. I saw the fall jacket first, it’s a beautiful deep green which I love. For the last few years I’ve been loving all things dark green, bags, shoes, scarves you name it. I have very specific requirements when I’m purchasing a jacket, the weight of the jacket is good so it’s be able to protect me from the cold fall winds, it has pockets where I can hide my hands and it has a good that is adjustable- which is very important. If the hood isn’t right I will walk away from the coat.
The Spring coat is a lighter green, but is very light weight and it has a hood.
Body Shop:
I finally got my Vanilla fragrance, I’ve literally had my eye on this for over a year. I’ve had an old bottle from about 2006 that I was finally able to start wearing again. I developed a scent allergy and for years was unable to wear any fragrance, I still can’t wear or smell anything too heavy it’ll give me a headache. Even now If I apply the vanilla too strong it causes problems for me.
I wanted to grab the fragrance now while they had it in store because I don’t know if or when they will discontinue the fragrance after all they’ve stopped making the lotion and body washes that used to be available in this scent.
I’m not the best at describing fragrances but this is my favourite vanilla fragrance it reminds me of tobacco a bit. I know that sounds strange. I love the fact that it doesn’t have the roach spray smell. A lot of vanilla fragrances I’ve smelt have that and it disgusts me, I can’t wear something that reminds of Raid.
Did you pick up any Black Friday or Cyber Monday goodies? How are you finding them?
