I love getting mail and that's no surprise.
I especially love large parcels, thick yellow bubble-wrap envelopes but regular mail is great too ;)
Sometimes I'll even make a small orders online just so I'll have something to look forward to as the weeks go by. When I'm having a day but suddenly find mail with my name on it, I light up and things are good again. It sounds ridiculous and expensive but most purchases don't exceed a $5 limit.
When I came across the BeautyBar.com half-off gift certificates on Hautelook, I carefully asked the SO if I could buy a few. The SO is not the biggest fan of online or in-store shopping unless it's a MUST. Luckily, I actually needed to replace something so he happily agreed to this purchase.
Since BeautyBar only ships within the U.S., the SO had to wait for the items to be sent to him so he could send them to me. A month later and this is what I find in my mailbox:
Confession time... the Clarisonic Delicate Brush Head replacements are the only things I need but my mom needed another Philosophy Help Me retinol night treatment so I picked that up for her. It's not pictured as it's an early birthday present for her (I love my mummy<3).
For the miscellaneous purchases, I chose the LORAC Close Up: Real Life to Red Carpet Eye Tutorial as I have had my eyes on the kit for over a year now. There just wasn't a better time to buy it so I happily paid $18 for the set that retails for $36 but is valued at $110.
The Pomegranate Regimen Kit by Korres was a "Buy Before You Think" purchase which means I regret the purchase. I still have loads of cleansers and exfoliators to go through so I have no idea when I'll be able to try this kit altogether. I may just use them seperately but that defeats the purpose of this new "Regimen Kit"...
I must note that the products are much smaller than the box it's stored in. It's quite deceiving but better I pay half of $19.75 (regularly $39.50) for deluxe samples than super tiny sample packets!
The (last) super unnecessary purchase - Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm with SPF 25 in Lemon & Chamomile. As unnecessary as the purchase is, the item is very useful and possibly HG-title worthy. It came with a bonus Jack Black Sun Guard too!
That's it for my May edition of "I've Got Mail". Be prepared for a June edition because I am expecting more goodies courtesy of the SO :P
Have you received anything nice in the mail lately?
(P.S. I'll be writing up another Hoarders post soon and it'll be on my lip balm collection so you can see why I'll be going on a lip balm ban for the next 3 years...)
This year, I was/am in no mood to celebrate my birthday. But of course I still took the time to enjoy a wonderful dinner with family and had a separate feast with my close friends. I had dinner Banana Leaf - a Malaysian restaurant - with my family which wasn't very eventful...Days before that, I went to Trafalgar's Bistro - a French bistro - with my friends for some fine dining. Trafalgar's is an absolute must-try. Our table of 5 loved everything. From the water, to the bread, to the butter, to the main course!
Do check their website: Trafalgars. If you like their menu, try reserving a table with them through OpenTable; it's quick and easy.
Dessert time was especially pleasing yet heartbreaking. The dessert menu is extensive and I honestly wanted to try EVERYTHING. I recommend going with at least 5 people so you get to try 1/5th of the menu. If I'm correct (and I think I am), the desserts come straight from Sweet Obsession. Sweet Obsession Cake & Pastries is located two doors down from the restaurant and serves delicious fine desserts. Drool worthy food pictures, click to enlarge: Salt Spring Island Mussels, Fraser Valley Farms Duck Confit, Black and White Mousse.
And all of our desserts together...
The Pear Sorbet was the table favorite but I absolutely love my Black & White Mousse! It's rich in chocolaty goodness but it never gets boring. My biggest fear was that it would be sickly sweet but it's actually quite light. Seriously, it's absolutely divine I tell you!
My favorite part of the "celebration" as always is the birthday gifts. This year was more extravagant than previous years. Here is why:
Technically the Clarisonic is a Christmas gift and Birthday gift all in one. I purchased it with a Sephora gift card from my brother & sister-in-law which I received as a Christmas present and then paid the rest on my own.
My parent's bought me a digital camera. My dad has gone through five digital cameras in 10 years but I've never had my own. I adore the camera on my iPhone but I'm looking for a camera that takes top quality photos. And from my lovely friend Ena, I got a MAC gift card. I don't know how she did it but I swear she read my mind. I'm in the market for a new duo fiber make-up brush and MAC has a few great ones or so I've read. Last but not least, I got money from my brother & sister-in-law and from my sister's boyfriend.
Overall, this birthday isn't the most exciting birthday I've celebrated but there's always next year. One last note: happy birthday to all March babies. May all your wishes come true ♥
Love,
Ashley.
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.
