I love to travel but it isn't often that I get to. The last time I left Vancouver, on an airplane, was when I went to Oahu in 2009. Since then, I have only taken a handful of overnight trips to Seattle. Suffice to say, I haven't found the need for a travel cosmetic bag to hold all of my makeup and skincare. However, this recently changed when Mr. Waffle and I went on a 4-day trip to Seattle in July.
Truthfully, this post is mainly to showcase my favourite travelling cosmetic bag that I recently purchased: the limited edition and now-discontinued tokidoki Passport Medium Hanging Travel Bag.
Not only is this travel bag extremely cute but it's very well made too; sturdy and holds a lot. In fact, the bag is so spacious that it could hold all of my basics AND 6 sheet masks. If there were ever to be another tokidoki travel bag like this one, I'd snatch it right up.
So what would actually go into this too cute of a travel cosmetic bag?
All of that ^ of course.
For skincare, the basic necessities would be: Naive Facial Cleansing Foam (any non-drying facial cleanser will do), Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes, 100% Pure Argan Oil Hydration, Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer*, Creamy Eye Treatment*, and Blemish Control Daily Skin-Clearing Cream Treatment*, Caudalíe Lip Conditioner, and a trusty tube of Lucas Papaw Ointment. Oh, and a tube of Bioré Aqua Rich Watery Mousse Sunscreen!
For makeup, I would bring: Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm*, NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, Stila Set & Correct Baked Powder Trio in The Correctors*, Illamasqua Powder Blush in Lover and Cream Blusher in Rude, MAC Fix+, dejavu Lash Knockout, and Sonia Kashuk Eyelash Curler.
When it comes to travelling, I believe in less makeup and more skincare. Travelling can wreak havoc on my skin and because of that, I always bring what I use on a daily basis and the "just in case of emergencies/fix it" products. Makeup won't fix a sudden rash or inflamed cheeks but skincare can. Plus, I can't be bothered with eyeshadows during my vacation or the brushes I'd need to bring to apply it all.
What does your travel makeup bag look like and/or what would you put in it?
Products marked with * were provided by PR/company for review consideration.
The verdict is in and it looks like The Ultimate Splurge is going to go unpunished and today, I hope the same goes for the Hong Kong Haul. This haul is planned and only happens once a year too! So again, please remember that I do deserve to spoil myself now and then so.... go easy on me (again), okay? *Inserts innocent puppy dog eyes and hopeful smile here*
Before I begin, I want to share my favorite products from last year's haul:
1) Nexcare Acne Dressing - I will review this soon!
2) Hada Labo SHA Face Wash + SHA Lotion + Tamagohada AHA + BHA Face Wash
3) Panasonic Heated Eyelash Curler
4) Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara in Long & Curl + Volume & Curl
5) Cure Natural Aqua Gel
Big things like the mascaras were never formally reviewed but I'll eventually talk about them. But alas, onto the haul... *Insert whimpering here*
Dejavu Fiberwig Extra Long, Lash Knockout; Fairydrops Platinum Film, Platinum Waterproof, Volume Burst, and HbG (LE)
Now before you judge me, I've got one thing to say: Asian mascaras work best for me so I stock up whenever I can! With that said, I will now decrease my experiments with American/Canadian mascaras. The drugstore aisles can tempt me all they want but I will show restraint, promise!
Canmake Cream Cheek in Sweet Orange [10] & Heavenly Heart [11], Melty Nude Lip in Creamy Nude [02], Baby Pink [03], & Peach Beige [04]
Couldn't resist asking for more Canmake Cream Cheeks though... To confess, I haven't even gone through all of the cream cheeks from last year. I do plan on giving a few away though. Perhaps one or two may even make an appearance in a blog giveaway ;)
But everyone needs the perfect nude lipstick, right? The Melty Nude's are my attempt to find "The One"!
Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence & Watery Mousse SPF+ PA+++
The "MOM, YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO FIND THIS FOR ME" purchase were the Bioré sunscreens. Sunscreen is a top priority and after reading countless rave reviews, I knew I HAD to try these.
Hada Labo Air BB Cream, SHA Moisturizing Milk, SHA Moisturizing Cream; Beauty Formula Cucumber Body Cream; T-Sing Magnetic Nail Polish
Lastly, the items pictured above were accidental buy's. This happens each and every year, despite my very clear wishlist! Actually, none of these items were even on the wishlist so this is entirely not my fault.
Fortunately for my mother, this will be my last "big" Asian-cosmetic haul for the next year or two. What with The Ultimate Splurge and a few more items coming in the mail, I simply cannot justify any more make up or skincare. I am a sick, sick person but at least I'll admit it, that counts for something right?
Right!?
As diligent as I am with plowing through my stash, I just can't get through it fast enough!
Adopting Liz's rule of thumb, every two travel/sample sized items will equal to one full sized product and one jumbo sized product will equal to two full sizes. The first 3 contenders:
Skincare: Korres Pomegranate Cream Gel, Mask, and Scrub
The Korres Pomegranate Cream Gel and Scrub have already been reviewed but the mask deserves no such mention. It's mediocre at best.
I briefly mentioned the Bioré cleanser in my first empties post but this is my second bottle. I don't use it on my face because it's too drying but it's a decent brush cleaner.
Makeup Removers: Soap & Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser + Lancôme Bi-Facil
I will genuinely miss the hot cloth cleanser. I wish it were available at Shoppers Drug Mart but I purchased my tube at Target before the brand was pulled from their stores. Sephora carries it on their website but the price has been raised along with many other Soap & Glory products. I'll give the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser instead of repurchasing Soap & Glory's.
Lancôme's infamous duo-phase eye make up remover - doesn't need further introduction. If you're looking for an affordable dupe of it, try the Sonia Kashuk Eye Makeup Remover. I absolutely love it and I have to review it soon!
Evolution of Smooth (EOS) Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream + Shiseido Tsubaki Golden Repair Shampoo
I reviewed the Shiseido shampoo at the beginning of the year but count me excited that it's finally out of my shower caddy! Even though it's a huge bottle, I don't count it as a total success because the conditioner is still half full *sigh*.
The EOS shave cream is good; much better than the average shaving foam. It leaves my legs soft and has helped prevent ingrown hairs. Since it goes on sale often at Shoppers Drug Mart, I'll be repurchasing this one over and over again.
Moisturizers: HadaLabo GOKUJYUN Moisturizing Cream + AmorePacific Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Cream
I actually finished the HadaLabo cream right after my first empties post of the year so this one has been sitting on the counter uselessly for awhile. Click the link above for my first impressions of the AmorePacific cream but if you've already read it, you know I already like it!
Lip Products: Carmex Moisture Plus + C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve + Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm
Now the Neutrogena lip balm is obviously 80% full but it's one of those lip balms that should never be used - it does more harm than good. Stay away - far, far away from it!
The Carmex Moisture Plus Tint and infamous C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve are legitimately empty though. I'm actually really depressed that the Carmex tint has been polished off but that's why I got back ups *maniacal laugh*.
Whether you use Smith's or C.O. Bigelow, a tin of rosebud salve lasts forever. I hope to finish my two back up tins quicker than this one as it is no longer a must have for me.
In total there are 13 empties; 6 samples, 8 full sizes, and 1 jumbo sized product. This has been a very successful run but not as successful as the first. I am still very proud of myself though and I promise to do better on the third run!
What have you emptied lately?
Boy, what a depressing blog title...
Don't fret dear, I'm only talking about all of the products I have used up since January to July!
Besides showing off my most amazing purchases, I also love to brag about using up a pile of products. It's insanely hard to use up anything when you're a hoarder like me, believe me.
I'll start off with the small stuff:
My new favorite hair products. If only the Suave dry shampoo was available in Canada.
Good thing I picked up two bottles of it when I was in Seattle because I only used my first bottle ten times before it went empty (wtf??). The Body Shop shampoo & condition will be reviewed very soon. It's good stuff!
I finished a few full sized tubes of mascaras too but I accidentally threw those out yet I remembered to keep the sample sizes... Let's blame my selective memory for that.
I'm really glad I get to throw out this small collection of eye make up though.
The Physicians Formula Eye Booster serum in Clear doesn't work. I'm glad there was a full rebate sticker included because I seriously want my money back.
Clinique mascaras are horrible for my thin, pin straight lashes. They weight down my lashes (can't hold a curl for the life of it) and smudge at the tiniest sight of tears. I have tried Benefit Bad Gal twice now and I still hate it.
Lancome Définicils is the best mascara I have tried for lengthening but it's not something I'd purchase. I don't pay for mascaras over $10 unless it's a Japanese brand. I've been spoiled by Kiss Me Heroine Make and Dejavu Fiberwig!
A random assortment of cleansers and make up removers.
I used the Bioré cleansers to clean my facial clothes and make up brushes. Good for the brushes, bad for my face. The make up removers to remove make up of course. I prefer cleansing oils/waters now but these duo-phase make up removers are good. Too bad they're a waste of cotton pads and tissue. Can't you see I'm trying to shrink my carbon foot print??
The Vaseline lotion was only half full (or empty) when I started using it in January. The SO left it with me so he didn't have to take it back home with him on his last visit (lazy); yet it took me half a year to finish it. My excuse is that I have been rotating various lotion samples throughout this time. The Elizabeth Grant Lubricating Body Cream was from a Luxe's May order. Do not like it - it's sticky and smells like glue. Do not like Nivea's lotion either but I had to use it all up, including this extra sample packet of it from an Elle magazine.
When did I buy this exfoliator? It feels like I've had it forever but it can't have been too long.
I actually really like this and will probably do a review on it. If I didn't have the Salux, I would repurchase this or try out the infamous Soap & Glory Flake Away scrub!
Another random assortment of cleansers but toners as well. Eye spy a sad and empty bottle of CURE Natural Aqua Gel, do you?
I have reviewed most of the items in this picture or have spoken briefly about them. The only products I am not a fan of is the Lancôme toner and the Clinique toner. Something about mid to high-end toners always ticks me off. It could be the amount of alcohol that's in them or my skin but I'll stick to softeners and lotions from now on. Hada Labo Gokujyun Lotion, anyone?
So this is my collection of empty bottles and tubes dedicated to a post where I can brag about the stuff I have used up instead of stuff I have purchased! I am upset that I can't brag a bit more because of empty bottles that have gone missing but there's always a next time.
In fact, I have a few bottles nearing it's recycling death but I'm saving that for later!
What have you used up recently and do you ever recycle afterwards? I'm thinking of joining Terracycle.com but I normally put my empties in the blue recycling basket for weekly recycling.
Before I begin anything cosmetic or non-school related... I got the iPhone 4 (32G)!! For the next THREE years that I'm signed onto a contract with Rogers, I'm paying $302 (CAD) for the phone AND another $xxxx for the phone bill. I've calculated the total cost of the phone bill after the 3 years are over & you wouldn't believe how much I'll be paying. I dare you to take a guess at my total, the answer will be at the very bottom of this post! Hint: Every month for the next 3 years, I'll be paying $80 unless I change my phone plan or my phone company gives me a special deal (unlikely). I've never had an iPhone before and I'm not a geek but this phone is decent. I absolutely hate people who tell me I'm a fool for buying the iPhone 4 or pressuring me to buy into the BlackBerry but honestly, whatever! Technology is changing day by day & in the end, no ones a winner because there is always something better. Nothing comes without a price or a flaw.
And onto something less depressing but boring, my review! I've been impatient but excited to do this review but I waited a good 2-to-4 weeks before I gave it my good word. I I still have a lot of time to judge & technically this could be another "initial" experience but I think it'll be alright if I did the review now. I will compare the Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser to the Passion Fruit Cleansing Gel somewhere along the way, don't worry.
Here's what The Body Shop said about their (Originals) product:
Best if you want to: Wash away excess oil, makeup and impurities with a refreshing cleansing milk that gently cleanses without drying to leave skin feeling soft, smooth and refreshed.
Best for: all skin types
How it works:
- Community Trade honey moisturizes and conditions the skin.
- Passion fruit extract is a gentle ingredient that helps refresh the skin.
- Glycerin helps moisturize the skin.
In Detail
Did anyone notice The Body Shop described the Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel as a, "refreshing cleansing milk"? I don't want to be a grammar snob but it seems like The Body Shop made a few typos. Better higher a new typist, ha!
The Body Shop asserts the Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel is best for all skin types but while I found that hard to believe, it was infact very gentle. I've grown very fond of cream cleansers and wish they made this cleanser in a cream formula but an unscented cream cleanser is key to an ultimate extra gentle cleanser. After being spoiled by the Aloe Calming Facial Cleanser, I gather the Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel isn't as gentle but far better than the Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser. I can use this cleanser twice a day without dryness on my cheeks. The Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser made my face dry in patches, especially around the nose and eyes. It helps remove all the oil on my forehead but cannot prevent the acne there but atleast it doesn't promise that ability. It's good for removing the heaviest of eyeshadows but fails with waterproof mascara. It can't defeat heavy facial make-up but light make-up? A-Ok. The fruity scent isn't an abundance of tropical fruits, just the aroma of passion fruit! I've also been using the Fuzzy Peach Shower Gel by The Body Shop & that smells equally delicious. If only I could use it for my face! The cleanser comes in 250 ml for $5.99 so it'll last a good 3-to-6 months. My only issue is the lathering. You only need two pea sized squirts to get a nice bubbly but your hands and face should only be barely damp! While it seems like everything is fine and dandy, think again. The Body Shop Passion Fruit cleanser comes housed in a flip cap bottle & could make it or break it for some people. Atleast sell us an individual pump. I'm beginning to hate having to switch my cleansers into different bottles to fit my liking!
In Short-form
Would I recommend this? Sure, give it a try if you're interested. Right now, The Body Shop is having a 2 for $10 deal on their Originals line. You could try a scented shower gel while testing the waters with this cleanser for $10 or pay $5.99 for the cleanser alone.
I like The Body Shop's Passion Fruit Facial Cleansing Gel. It's a simple cleanser that works well against heavy eye make-up or light facial make-up. It doesn't help my acne but nothing can besides better eating habits. I dig the delicious fruitful scent but some may not. I wish it didn't dry my cheeks but atleast it wasn't my whole face. The flip-cap bottle annoys me but luckily, I have an extra pump bottle laying around! The size is well worth the price for all it does too.
I sincerely hope someone found this review useful, there wasn't much to it. If you stuck around for the answer, it's....
$2,800!
I promised a few posts ago I'd post more pictures on my blog, not just stock photos. Anyhow, I didn't want to title this post as "haul" because I don't like that word... (I don't like a lot of words). I'm not purposely flashing my purchases, I just want to share with everyone my great finds. Believe me, these purchases were bargains I couldn't resist.
I don't remember how many times I've mentioned this but I'm from & currently residing in Vancouver, B.C. Most beauty addicts here in Canada (or even B.C.) don't realize that NYX Cosmetics IS available here & not just online. NYX Cosmetics can be found at Rexall Drugstores and Save-On Foods grocery stores(some, not all). I only recently learnt that Save-On's has NYX Clearance baskets with items all for a $1. So here's what I found about a week ago at Save-On's:
I bought 7 Chrome Eye Shadows (pigments) & 4 Triple Shadows For Sexy Babe's Eyes Only! (trio palettes) for myself, all for a $1 each. I bought a few for my friend's birthday too but those aren't pictured in case she reads this post & thus ruining her surprise!
F.Y.I - NYX is a drugstore cosmetic line that is said to be comparable to MAC & other medium-to-high end cosmetics. For $1, the NYX eye shadows I bought were well worth it and I would pay full price for them if I had to! Both the pigments and pressed e/s are plenty pigmented but foiling them makes them even more amazing (with regular water!).
Then at Wal-Mart on the same day I bought the Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover Lotion - Hydrating, I also bought the Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color in Just Peachy (903C). I'm not the type to wear lipsticks or lip liner but the color looked nice & it was no more than $4(??).
I wish it was as pretty on my lips as it is in the tube. The formula also doesn't work with my lips. I'll write a review on it later but this was a no-go for me :(
My Wal-Mart trip wasn't a complete bust however! I also picked up Revlon's new Top Speed nail polishes in Jaded (320) and I absolutely love it! I prefer this to Revlon's Minted nail polish & China Glaze's Re-fresh Mint. I was supposed to do a comparison review but I keep screwing up my nails before I can take pictures!
And after ages of waiting for Bioré to go on sale (anywhere!), London Drugs was having a sale on Bioré products and a BOGO Free deal!
I initially wanted to use $2 off coupons I had saved but London Drugs coupon policy does not allow stacking. (The BOGO deal was through London Drugs in-store coupon *sigh*) Another catch was that the "free" item had to be the
Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser. Conviently, a week before the sale I knew there were certain Bioré cleansers that came with a free razor or John Freida Frizz-Ease Hair Serum. In the end, I bought two different cleansers so I got two Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleansers free, plus two John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serums! My total was $23.27 for 6 products & divided evenly, I paid $3.87 for each product. I know I have a lot of cleansers left to finish but I also use my facial cleansers to wash my brushes and face cloths! I'll run out in no time....
Ontop of the abundance of cleansers I got, I also bought more nail polishes. Revlon recently released previously limited edition nail polishes onto their permanent display. I bought Minted & Gray Suede for $2.99 each as it was on sale but I haven't tried them out fully yet.
I can't explain why but London Drug was having a massive clearance on beauty products & I found quite a lot of great beauty products on sale but still a little too expensive for my taste. The whole L'Oreal Passport to Paradise Collection was on clearance; nail polishes for $2.99 and eyeshadow quads for $5.99. I bought a nail polish in Ocean Breeze (606) from the Passport to Paradise but I also don't like this one. The first coat leaves little streaking but during the second coat, the formula gets goopy making it hard to apply. Atleast the second coat leaves a very opaque blue nail! I never quite liked L'Oreal nail polishes, they separate in the bottle too quickly and are waaay to thick. Lastly I bought Seche Porcelain.. I don't know why but I can't return it so I might swap that too. I couldn't take clear pictures of the nail polishes or find stock photos so... I'm sorry!
I think I've gone on for long enough anyway so I hope this was an interesting read for someone! Happy Weekend, hope no one has a dentist appointment tomorrow like I do! :(
I'm finally getting it together with Blogger & trying to do more reviews. While it's usually a "mini" review, it is a review nonetheless. Today I wil be reviewing the Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser (with SteamActiv beads).
What Bioré has to say about their new product:
Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser with SteamActiv beads harnesses the steam in your shower to give you your best clean! The unique SteamActiv beads are activated as the cleanser is lathered, providing a mint infused sensorial experience you will want to experience everyday!
What they recommend (instructions and frequency): Pump cleanser into hands. Beads activate as you work the cleanser into a creamy lather. Gently massage face. Rinse thoroughly. Use product daily in the shower for best results.
After one week of testing the product I've decided to do a review on it. I started using it on Monday and continued to; once a day in the shower for a week. I wasn't expecting much out of this cleanser or to even like it but I actually did. I'm really surprised because I usually dislike Bioré products. While I'm not running to Wal-Mart or Shoppers Drug Mart to buy it any time soon, it is on my To Buy list when I run out of a cleanser (I have atleast 2 or 3 bottles of cleansers to finish off, *sigh*). I would buy it if I wasn't on my No Buy Oath though...
So I've read some reviews on the Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser & Muse from Musings Of A Muse is very keen on this stuff too. The downside was that she didn't find it lathered on the face very well so the cleanser had to be rubbed in between hands first. I actually didn't have a problem with the foaming abilities. A pea size amount slathered on the side of my cheek would lather enough to cover my whole face. Another review said there was inconsistency with the beads. From my sample*, I agree 100%. I only many beads in my sample* but I only caught them on my hands twice. I'm sure if I had the actual product in a pump bottle things would be different. Even so, there aren't enough beads to exfoliate & neither does it "activate" as I cleanse like Bioré says it will. The "mint infused sensorial experience", I find came from the cleanser itself & not the beads. Seriously, I think the beads are useless! If anyone argues otherwise that's entirely fine by me. Considering how I used 2 beads out of the 7 times I tested the product I can honestly say that the refreshing & cooling sensation I felt in the shower definitely did not come from two beads that I only used twice on separate occasions. Yeeeesh! Besides the bead fiasco, the cleanser itself is alright. It produces a nice creamy lather & cleanses well. On the downside, after 7 straight days of testing the cleanser I noticed my skin has become tighter & drier. That only means I can only use this every other day :( Another downfall is that eyeliner and non-waterproof mascara cannot be fully removed with the cleanser (without leaving black smudges under the eyes). I use the cleanser to remove light foundation or tinted moisturizer in the shower because the steam in conjuction with the cleanser work well to break down my facial make-up. The major highlight for me is the scent. I was expecting it to be a plethora of minty freshness but I find it smells like vanilla mint toothpaste but less toothpaste-y/minty & very pleasant. I was expecting a burst or a super charge of "invorating" and "refreshing" because the description said it would provide a mint infused sensorial experience but that didn't happen. It is a tinge refreshing in a hot shower but not annoyingly so. I expected this to be very irritated after using the cleanser daily for a week because it contains menthol and that held true... It sucks that I can't use this daily but it works, sort of. Right?
All in all this cleanser worked fairly well, smelled great, & costs at most $10 at drugstores or grocery stores. If I use it strictly for the shower, it would last me a year tops! I dig it. It is one of those basic cleansers that are enjoyed best in showers. After two days with a new cleanser I usually notice signs of tight skin & redness or drying but it took five days for visible confirmation. You'd think I'd push the product away for that but I have issues, okay!?!
Last note: I recommend it for those who don't have sensitive skin or drier than dry skin but if you insist on trying it, don't use it daily! This should work well for normal to combination or oily skin types but I'm not an expert, this is based on assumption.
P.S. That "Ass out of U & Me" saying is true but I'm rubber and you're glue! What ever negative things you have to say about me bounce off of me & stick onto you! (Or something along those lines...)!
Ingredients:
Aqua, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Ammonium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Camellia Sinensis, Mentha Piperita, Cocos Nucifera, Withania Somnifera, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis, Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Mannitol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Chromium Oxide Greens, Iron Oxides, Potassium Hydroxide, Benzophenone-4, Menthol, Menthyl Lactate, Polyquaternium-10, DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl
Butylcarbamate, Parfum, Blue 1.
P.S. I signed up for a sample* of this product on the Bioré website and only 30,000 received a sample* of it, I was one of the lucky few. The sample* came with a $2.50 off coupon on the purchase of 2 Bioré products & of course a sample* of the Bioré PURIFY Steam Activated Cleanser. I decided to do a review on the product for fun & to share my experience on this blog. I'm not being paid for this review. Neither am I affiliated with the company.
Disclosure
Make-Up Kismet is a personal blog written and edited by myself. This blog was created to share my experiences with whom ever reads it.
All reviews posted are written by me and are my honest opinions. All products reviewed are purchased by me for personal and/or review purposes unless stated otherwise. Each person is different, as are our experiences. With that said, I cannot be held responsible for any unsatisfying reaction to a product I review or recommend.
Photos on this blog are either from Google, other Bloggers or, my own. I try to depict all products as accurately as possible. I may edit photos for this purpose.
