I still need to browse through other bloggers’ holiday hauls (I love haul posts!), but here’s my beauty-related Christmas and Boxing Day sale haulage for 2017.
CAKE BEAUTY
Deck the Haul Gift Set
The ‘Do Gooder Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray (7 fl oz)
The Locks Smith Hydrating Dry Conditioner Spray (7 fl oz)
The Wave Maker Texturizing Beach Spray (2 fl oz)
The Brush Crush Dry Styling Dual Bristle Brush
2 × The Grip Clip Dry Styling Hair Clip
The MSRP was C$73 (really?) but I got it after the holidays at Shoppers Drug Mart for $11!
As a VIB member at Sephora, the annual 20% off VIB sale was open to me on Friday, November 10, and I’ve since placed two orders, even though I was trying to limit myself to just the first. This always happens, and I blame November being my birthday month so usually I give myself a little more license to splurge.
(Look at that fine print! I never realized this but we “clients” are limited to 1 Dyson item and 5 Pat McGrath eyeshadow palettes per transaction; Canadians are also limited to 3 Fresh, Yves Saint Laurent, and Dior items per transaction.)
Of course, for the last couple of months, I’ve been anticipating this sale. I’ve been chucking things in and out of my shopping cart (it helps that I don’t bother to consider brands I can get at Shoppers Drug Mart / beautyBOUTIQUE, like Urban Decay, Dior, Estée Lauder, Smashbox, and Clarins).
Here’s the list of stuff I hauled, the freebies, and the stuff I wanted to haul but didn’t!
Once again, I bought more lipstick (granted, they were all marked down before the 20% discount) even though I need ’em like I need a hole in the head.
Stuff I Hauled
Too Faced Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Palette [C$59]I’ve loved the Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette that I got during last November’s VIB sale! It was a no-brainer to get the Sweet Peach palette this year.
Nails Inc. Sparkle Like a Unicorn Set: Illuminating Sheet Mask, Mini Nail Polishes (2 × 5 mL) in Unicorn Vibes & Unicorn Dot Com, Lip Trippin’ Iridescent Strobe Lipstick in Unicorn Tribe [C$21]I already picked up the previous Sparkle Like a Unicorn set, so obviously I had to get this one, too. It comes with a lipstick and a sheet mask! I’ve never tried any non-nail polish things from Nails Inc., so this will be interesting.
Bit of trivia: I have never seen a Friday the 13th movie! (Well, unless you count the crossover movie Freddy vs. Jason.) I think this month, I should catch up on my classic slasher films. I haven’t watched any horror movies this October, at all!
Anyway, today’s polish is as far as you can get from horrifying. It’s from Nails Inc.’s Sparkle Like a Unicorn Nail Polish Duo. Pretty much everyone has jumped onto that shiny unicorn bandwagon, these days! I can’t say I hate it: I love me some iridescent nail polish, and purple and rainbows and stuff. Also, it’s produced My Little Pony makeup collaborations (yes, I have a mini set of the China Glaze MLP polishes, and I have the ColourPop MLP palette on order), so you’ll hear no complaints from me.
Today’s polish, Argyle Street, is a 5 mL mini that I got in a set last fall. The formula is one of Nails Inc.’s many, inconsistently named Nail Fuel polishes, which include random ingredients from popular “superfoods” and other trendy substances.
This particular line is called Gel Effect All Fired Up Nail Polish, or All Fired Up Fuelled by Charcoal Gel Effect Nail Polish, or…I don’t know. Some retailers just label it as Charcoal Nail Polish, too.
Activated charcoal is an ingredient that has been popping up in skincare and haircare products. It’s normally used in water filters and other purification systems, since it adsorbs a variety of organic and inorganic impurities. Nails Inc. claim their charcoal polish will “protect your nails against harmful pollutants”. They don’t tell us what kinds of pollutants these might be, of course. Frankly, if the charcoal is mixed in with the polish and just hardens into it, I don’t see how it’ll be doing much adsorption of various substances from your nails (or is it adsorbing substances from the polish itself? Heh).
Anyway, Argyle Street is an opaque, soft pastel pink with a peachy undertone. It’s quite a lovely neutral for warm-toned skin. Incidentally, in this creamy polish, I see zero hint of black charcoal. Can charcoal be ground finely enough that it’s not visible in a pastel-colored nail polish? I’m curious!
Nails Inc. Gel Effect Nail Polish in Argyle Street (mini)
Nails Inc. is a British brand that I first tried many years ago—I swapped for some with a lovely Scottish girl, but my first might have been bought off eBay. The older bottles were little cylinders; their newer lines come in rectangular bottles that are similar to polishes by British-inspired (but actually American) brand butter LONDON.
In recent years, Nails Inc. have been hopping on the superfood bandwagon and they put all kinds of foodstuffs in their polishes, from kale to coconut. I don’t get it at all, but I suppose I’m not the target market.
Nevertheless, I’m still a sucker for pretty polishes even if they have some nuts or berries in them, so last November I picked up a Nails Inc. set including four mini “Nail Fuel” colors and one base coat.
This new range of Sweet Almond nail polishes provides a fresh take on the classic nude palette. Choose from muted yet rich shades in porcelain grey, linen blue grey, warmed pink and a luxurious, subtle rose gold. Each shade is formulated with a sweet almond oil base and enriched with Matcha powder – a powerful and potent antioxidant. The result is an intense moisture booster for optimum nail health and protection.
Mayfair Market is a lovely pinked copper penny shade that is, rather unfortunately, also a superfrost. I think Nails Inc. are calling this a rose gold, but I feel it’s a bit too orange.
Nails Inc. Sweet Almond Nail Polish in Mayfair Market (mini)
Time for annual Sephora haulage! It’s hard to pass up 20% off, even when I haven’t been shopping much at Sephora all year.
Ugh, you know it’s winter when everyone starts getting sick! My husband started feeling a little under the weather yesterday, and this morning poor Peanut started feeling badly, too. A couple of barf-ups later, he’s much better—I have a sinking feeling it’s a norovirus-kind of bug. We all got hit with it around December last year, and I hate it. I remember hugging the toilet half the night, yet not actually barfing. I hope I don’t come down with it again (if I do, it’ll probably be tonight! Joy!) and especially that our little infant Olive doesn’t get affected.
Anyway, on to the fun stuff. (Cleaning up barf? Not fun.) I posted my first order here; also, just before the sale ended, I snuck in one extra order! Here are all the goodies from both orders:
Deborah Lippmann Her Majesty Gel Lab Pro Set (8 color polishes + Hard Rock base & top coat)
Kat Von D Lock-It Setting Powder in Translucent
Kevyn Aucoin The Expert Lip Color in Bloodroses Noir
Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in C406
Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lacquer in Sally
Nails Inc. Superfood Nail Fuel Collection (4 color polishes + NailKale Superfood Base Coat)
NARS Audacious Lipstick in Audrey
Too Faced Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay Pro Essential Brush Stash
Freebies:
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser & Rose Face Mask (Sephora Birthday 2016 deluxe samples)
Versace Bright Crystal EDT (sample) — they didn’t send this! 😦
Versace Eros Pour Femme EDP (sample)
And with this haul, I am VIB for 2017, as well.
Haulage Photos
Deborah Lippmann Her Majesty Gel Lab Pro Set: Emperor’s New Clothes, Ever After, King of the Road, Blue Blood, Crown Velvet, If I Ruled the World, Hard Rock Nail Strengthening Base & Top Coat, Reign of Love, Queen of the Night (all Deluxe Sizes).
I actually still have a couple Deborah Lippmann sets to go through from previous years (yes, not one but two). I promise to go through them SOON! Aaaack. Also, super excited to try the new Gel Lab Pro line in this set.
Nails Inc. have announced their new product innovation, Sweet Almonds Powered by Matcha. Previously, Nails Inc. has come out with various nail polishes and products infused with “superfoods” like kale, acai berries, spirulina, and green tea—I guess it’s only natural that almonds are the newest addition. I’m waiting for my pomegranate-and-goji-berry-and-banana-infused polishes, Nails Inc.! (I kid!)
This new range of Sweet Almond nail polishes provides a fresh take on the classic nude palette. Choose from muted yet rich shades in porcelain grey, linen blue grey, warmed pink and a luxurious, subtle rose gold. Each shade is formulated with a sweet almond oil base and enriched with Matcha powder – a powerful and potent antioxidant. The result is an intense moisture booster for optimum nail health and protection.
They must be marketing to the Na’vi, as well, if that blue is meant to be a nude shade. Image: nailsinc.com
The four available shades are (descriptions from Nails Inc.):Read More »
