Haul: The Body Shop: Banana Conditioner, Watermelon Body Lotion, Satsuma Set

The Body Shop reminds me a reliable old friend- you may have drifted apart and inevitably moved on with your lives but even after that long absence, when you meet again- the relationship's still pretty good. :)

I ordered the Banana Conditioner, Watermelon Body Lotion and a mini-Satsuma Shower Gel, Body Lotion set tied with a loofah.

First, the Banana Conditioner, just because it's such an awesome idea. I mean why hasn't someone thought of this sooner? (Maybe someone has.) It looks and feels like a real (albeit extremely thick) banana smoothie and smells so sweet and yummy. I've already tried it on my hair (I apply conditioner/ treatment only on the tips of my hair) and love it to death. My hair definitely feels softer!

Second, the Watermelon Body Lotion. I love watermelons; the fruit, the scent, the color, but watermelon-scented body lotions are unusually rare so I knew I had to try this one out. I think the difficulty in making a watermelon-scented body lotion is that watermelon isn't a scent that mixes well with the natural creaminess? of lotion. The end result of this one was something like a watermelon milkshake gone bad. That sounds worse than it actually is as I've still been using this on a daily basis (it's a good lotion) but I was anticipating something a bit more refreshing. It's a nice try but sadly, not a horribly successful one.

Next up, the mini Satsuma Shower Gel and Body Lotion set with a cute small-sized loofah. Satsuma is actually one of my favorite scents from The Body Shop so no surprises with this one. If you haven't tried it already, take in a whiff of Satsuma the next time you're in The Body Shop. It smells like fresh tangerines, but BETTER.

Sephora-Exclusive NARS Spring Sets

Did all of you on the upper east coast get home safely last night? I had one chaotic rendezvous with the mid-atlantic snowstorm as I headed home from Baltimore; details of which I won't get into here but let's just say that at the end of it all there was one stranded Honda on the wrong side of East West Highway and a hungry asian girl walking home in snow-encrusted office clothes thanking the shoe gods that at least she wasn't wearing heels.

On to more cheery matters. Like the new Sephora-exclusive NARS Spring 2011 sets! These are available to Beauty Insiders only for the time being (I don't know if or when these may be available to non-Beauty Insiders), but it's super-easy to sign up if you haven't already. At $59 these sets provide a great chance to try out some of NARS's most-loved items like the Multiples or Orgasm blush conveniently paired with items that go well with it.

"Fashion Icon" Set

 "Front Row" Set

"Fashion Forward" Set

Available at Sephora.com (Click the names of the sets to go to corresponding product page :)

Philosophy Has Some New Shower Gels!

Philosophy is usually a hit or miss for me. While items like Purity Made Simple and Microdelivery Peel are phenomenal hits that have changed my life (no seriously), some of their 3-in-1 shower gels are kind of... blah. Even so, every time Philosophy comes out with some new bath item I am immediately intrigued. I don't know if it's the cute packaging, the insightful little quotes on them or just that I like the way they look sitting on the edge of my tub, all chubby and ready to go. Here are some new spring items that are difficult not to fall for. I am especially enamored with Orange in Bloom.

philosophy: savor life's funfilled moments

philosophy: joy is the center of all good things.

philosophy: a laugh is the sweetest expression of joy

philosophy: a dream let's the spirit bloom

Just looking at the blossoms on these makes me feel like spring is almost upon us. Although based on the in-your-face winter cold I experienced today, it's pretty obvious that spring is so not almost upon us. Still a girl can dream..

On another note: Have you seen the promotional images of the Chanel Summer 2011 collection? And did you hear about the Rouge Coco Shines to be released soon? My heart skipped a beat when I saw these images on KarlaSugar.

Chanel Spring 2011 Collection Swatches and Pêche Nacrée

Last last last week, (can you say "overdue post"?) I stopped by Nordstrom to take a look at the Chanel Spring 2011 pretties. btw, who is that girl Chanel's been using as their model lately? I think I'm in love with her.

I swatched a couple of the lip products I was interested in. Nakkar was more strawberry pink than I had anticipated. For some reason I was under the impression that it had more of a coral tinge to it even though Chanel distinctly describes it as being a raspberry color. I think it's because I saw various in-person photos of Nakkar showing off more of a coral pink. Oh well, maybe it was just the difference in lighting. It's the type of shade that can look different depending on the angle and the lighting; perhaps that's what makes it all the more pretty and alluring.

I ended up passing on Nakkar, but brought home Pêche Nacrée, a soft pearly peach nail polish. Even though Black Pearl has been getting more publicity, to me, Pêche Nacrée seemed a better representative of the collection as a whole. Additionally, I've been wearing dark colors on my nails nonstop this winter, so Pêche Nacrée felt like a breath of fresh spring air! The pinky-peach shade lightens up significantly once on the nails but its still very pretty. The slight pearl finish makes the hands look soft and feminine.

Sephora Haul: L'Occitane, Clinique, Frederic Fekkai and more.

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to shop less? To practice some long-lost self-restraint when it comes to hoarding all things beauty? Good for you, you are off to a better start than I.

For as you can see, I have made no such resolution.

Say hello to my first (and second, since this is actually two orders) beauty haul of 2011!

Here are the samples, Skincare Challenge rewards, and promotional code offers I received.

- Kate Spade Twirl: Super excited even for this little trial vial since I've been really wanting to try this out. I love it! It's mostly floral which is usually not my cup of tea but there is a girly-ness to it that makes the scent more fun and lighter than regular florals. 

- YSL Parisienne: I like it, but I wish I could love it (as much as the chic design of the full-size bottle.)

- Prada L'eau Ambree: A pass for me. Musk attack.

- Dior J'adore

- Phyto Intense Hydrating Shampoo

- Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream: Smells like medication but it's good for the elbows.

- Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel & Green Apple Antioxident Moisturizer

- Kate Somerville CytoCell Dermal Energizing Treatment

- PeterThomasRoth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion

- Boscia Vital Daily Moisture SPF 15

Here are the things I actually purchased.

- L'Occitane Fabulous Serum

- Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Pressed Powder: I've used the loose powder version before and thought it was pretty effective against the minor redness in my forehead and nose area. So of course, I HAD to get this pressed powder compact version!

- Frederic Fekkai Apple Cider Clarifying Shampoo: My favorite shampoo ever! It gives my hair and scalp and clean feeling without stripping it of moisture. I know lots of shampoos that claim to do that but this is the only shampoo that actually delivered just that!

- Clarisonic Sensitive Brush x2: I'm currently using the Delicate brushhead with my Clarisonic but I went back to the Sensitive ones because the bristles feel softer on my face.

So that's that! I hope everyone's having a good start on 2011. Let's hope for an exciting and refreshing year in the beauty market as well. What are some things you're looking forward to this year?

(I, for one, am super-excited about the skin-colored Guerlain Meteorites compact.)