Haul: Sephora F&F/ VIB Sale

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend! We were excited to host our very first Thanksgiving this year and am happy to report that it ended up being a delightful night with some close friends and one very delicious turkey.

As pertaining to the haul, let me just say, the initial Sephora F&F sale didn't go so smoothly for me. Apparently, my order included an out of stock item and the entire order was cancelled. I was not a happy camper. Luckily, the VIB sale was around the corner and I could take advantage of it to pick up these beauties.

Click for a larger image

1. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Blissful: The photo makes it look a bit more intense than it actually is- it's supposed to be more of a peachy coral. A little goes a long way with this blush so a light hand is recommended. It turns red on my cheeks (more than I would like) so I may actually opt to return this or exchange it for a more flattering shade.

2. Dior Hydra Life Skin Energizer Pro-Youth Hydrating Serum: something to get me through the dry winter months. It's a light, watery (as opposed to some more creamy-type serums) formula that the skin seems to drink up. Friends have been recommending the Dior Capture Totale One Essential a lot lately so that's on my list to try next.

3. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser: my favorite cleanser of all time. It removes my makeup in one step (like Purity Made Simple by Philosophy) but also leaves my skin feeling hydrated after wash. If you buy in store- look for the bundle pack with a deluxe sample of the Soy Face Cream attached, which is what I got.

4. YSL Touche Eclat in #1 Luminous Radiance: I've tried more concealers than I'd like to admit but my search for the perfect concealer/ highlighter ends with the Touche Eclat. It's a potent formula that brightens up my eye area like no one's business yet feels lightweight on my skin. It doesn't crease into fine lines or look caked on. It even looks natural over makeup should you want to touch up throughout the day. I could have gone with #2 Luminous Ivory since that's the one for fair to light complexions with yellow undertones but the pink in the #1 seemed to give my face a more livelier look (I had tried some samples beforehand) so I went with the #1 and am happy with my choice.

The rest are samples I got during the online order. So that was my haul. I hope you enjoyed!

New: Fresh Holiday 2010 Sets

I am loving these Fresh sets out for the holidays!! I remember they had something similar to the set with the Sugar Rose lip treatment (Sugar Rose Get Away Set $28) last year but they were sold out rather quickly. I later ended up getting just Sugar Rose all by its lonely self and kicking myself for missing out on the set.

This year they've added a set with the Sugar Plum lip treatment (Sugar Plum Let it Glow Set $28) that comes with a deluxe sample of the Twilight Freshface Glow. Loving it already.

Or you could go with the more basic (but comes with a metallic plum colored pouch!) Sugar Rush Set $28 that comes with the lip treatment that started it all: the Sugar lip treatment. This comes with the Brown Sugar Body Cream (which I love to death) and a sample of the Brown Sugar eau de parfum.

Last but not least, the Soy Skincare Set $38 is out for those of you who want to take better care of your skin for the new year (and you know it'll be here sooner than you can say "I will lose 10lbs this year.") The Soy Face Cleanser is the best cleanser hands down. The Soy Face Cream is a bit rich for me but my skin definitely feels nicer the day after I've applied it. I am currently using the Soy Face Serum in my skincare routine and love it. The Soy Face Exfoliant is the only thing I haven't tried yet but I have a little sample packet ready to go so I'll be trying it out soon :)

Click on the links for more details. Hm... I think I have effectively used the word "love" in every single paragraph!


(Links current as of Sep. 24, 2010)

Fresh Eat Pray Love Collection: Eat eau de parfum

I have to be honest- I did not read Eat Pray Love. But I was still excited to hear that Fresh was releasing a special collection in time for the film. Fresh is one of my favorite brands ever and I find their fragrances rarely disappoint. Sugar Lemon was my signature scent for most of my college years and a still remains one of my favorite.

Fresh stores are limited mostly to New York and so I had to order online without having a chance to try out the scents (an endeavor I would not recommend in most situations.) However, based on the description I had a feeling I would like Eat so I went ahead and took the chance.

I love the patterns Fresh uses on their boxes- always pretty, always classy and clean

I'm so glad I did because I love it! (And they were sold out the next day.) Fragrances are hard to review because everyone's preferences are different and there is no method of conveying the critical aspect, the scent, of perfume through a computer screen, but here goes:

The scent itself is sweet but not overly so. I'm not a big fan of heavy vanilla scents (although I don't dislike them) but this just has the perfect hint of vanilla. The sweetness is balanced out with a citrusy zest. The scent ends up being light and refreshing and almost girly at the same time. (One caveat: the scent does not linger as long as one would like)

Here's what the official description is:

This sweet, effervescent scent indulges in Italy’s most addictive desserts and sensual wines. Notes of bright Italian lemon and basil are balanced with creamy textures reminiscent of cannoli and tiramisu topped off with sparkling Prosecco and Limoncello for the ultimate gourmand experience.

Top Notes: Italian lemon, basil, bergamot
Middle Notes: plum, red currant, rose
Bottom Notes: caramel, meringue, vanilla


mmm... wine... creamy textures: totally get that.

I guess another thing you should know is I prefer fresh citrus scents over anything else so if to you Sugar Lemon smells like household cleaner, you and I will not agree on what smells good, so steer clear of my recommendations. Just warning you.

In comparison with the more common 1oz bottles Fresh uses

I like the fact that these came in 1oz bottles which are shaped like 3.4oz ones. Although... I'm already wishing I had picked up another bottle. Unfortunately, Eat, Love, and the candle trio are all sold out on the website. You may still be able to track them down in stores if you live near a Fresh boutique in which case you're lucky and I envy you.. grrr