This post is long overdue but I’ve been running around with multiple memory cards and lost these pictures so I just found them. You’ll be glad to know I’ve upgraded my 2 & 4 gigs to an 8 gig now so I can run around with just one card and not get confused 🙂 .

The Friends and family sale was I think the last weekend of October and anyone who entered an email address got 20% off their entire purchase for about a week. I was actually stressing out after my first order because I was wondering if I bought everything I wanted. I didn’t want to forget something and pay full price later. And then in the middle of the sale week I got a little card from sephora about the VIB sale in the following 2 weeks that also gave me 20% so I was so relieved!

Anyways here is what I got total. I am missing one thing though which was actually my first and most important buy. For some reason I didn’t take pictures of it. It was the NARs Danmari cheek palette with the 6 pans. I’ll post that up later when I get a chance but here’s the rest.

First a group shot:

I got a shiseido eyecream. I was on beautypedia 24 hours straight before finally deciding on an eyecream. Apparently Jar style packaging is not ideal for keeping the chemical balance of products.

It’s the Bio-performance eye contour cream and it’s super concentrated. I’ve been using it for over a month now and I had to take a 2 week break because it was irritating my eye so much. I started out using it every night and then I read the ingredient list and saw retinol and realized I should’ve eased myself in. So then I took the break and then started up again with twice a week for a week and then every other day for another week and now I use it every night and it doesn’t irritated my eyes or make them watery at night anymore. The problem is it seems to not sink in really well because some days I’ll wake up to wash my face and my eyes will burn a little and I don’t even use that much. I literally use like half a pump for both eyes because my eyes are sensitive to developing milia so I try not to put too much on them. I don’t know, I guess I’m still trying to figure out the best way to use this but one thing is for sure, I’m not stopping my eye cream usage. And I like the packaging of this product because the dispenser hole has a little cover too so it seems extra clean.

Next, more skin care. I’m trying to up my skincare game and find the perfect combination of things to fit me. I got a new moisturizer, the Kate Sommerville spf 55 sunscreen. Previously I was using Neutrogena oil free moisturizer spf 30 but that’s running out so I decided to try something new and with higher spf. I was deciding between this one and the philosophy one that’s also spf 55. I almost went with that one because its supposed to also have anti aging properties but in the end I decided to let my night routine cover my antiaging needs for now and go with this one.

I actually really like it so far. The packaging is a nice pump and it comes out like a white liquid but it applies smoothly and not greasy. It’s not thick either. The only thing I don’t like is that it has a problem standing up probably because the weight of the product is at the top and not the bottom.

Next I got the Laura Mercier Face Polish (which I’ve just returned two days ago and exchanged it for something else.)

At first I liked it because it’s very grainy and super abrasive. I liked that it felt like I was really scrubbing my face but after using it once a week for over a month I realized that’s all I liked about it. It didn’t feel like it was doing anything other than scrubbing. I want to have a product that I like because of the chemical properties, not the added bead particles. So I exchanged it for a different exfoliater that you’ll see in a few posts.

Next and Last from the friends and family sale I got the Laura Mercier silk crème foundation. I am in Bamboo Beige.


I like it. It’s a medium to full coverage but it’s a very thick consistency when it comes out. I was shocked at how small the bottle was a first because it’s around $40 but I’m used to the size now and I’ve barely made a dent in it so its ok. I like it well enough but I feel like it doesn’t set well even with powders and spray setters like it doesn’t quite sink into the skin enough to not come off with a tissue. I also feel like it doesn’t help stop the oils on my face but I like it well enough to keep.

Next are things I got from the VIB sale. I got the perfume I’ve been wanting forever, Gucci Guilty intense and it every bit as delicious as I remembered! The intense version is super concentrated though so I just do one spray on my left wrist, rub in my right wrist and then rub both on the sides of my neck and I’m good to go.

It’s sort of a nice sexy scent without the dark florals, citrus and oriental type smells. I already have two new perfumes in the line up to buy. I’m now eyeing Armani Aqua di goa and the Chloe perfume.

Next I got a Nar’s lipstick that I’ve been wanting forever. It’s a bright hot pink in Schiap.


I didn’t use if until just this past week because I was a little disappointed in it when I first got it home and tried it on. It turned out to be much more on the magenta side and less true hot pink but last week when I used it finally started falling in love with it and appreciating the color. It’s quite pretty!

And then you know I can’t resist a good holiday value set so I got two, both from MUFE. First is the aqua liners set.

I’ve never before tried the aqua liners so I thought this would be a great way to try them. I’ve only used the large black one so far and I like it. It’s quick drying though so you can’t really smudge it. I mostly use pencil liners for the waterline though because I prefer liquid and gel liner for over the lid. As far as its waterline performance goes I’d say it’s alright. I do find that If I put it on my top waterline, I’ll get black smudges on the bottom of my eyes after a few hours so that’s a little disappointing but so far I still having found the perfect waterline pencil that will not transfer at all during the day.

Then I got the best of MUFE set.


It comes with three full sized products and three samples. The full sizes were the lipgloss, mascara and aqua cream. I mostly bought this because I wanted a new smokely lash mascara and I wanted to give the HD powder another shot. Out of this group I really only love the mascara. I liked the aqua cream because it works nice as a base but it’s a champagne shimmery color which I already have in a mac paint pot so not super exciting. I hated the lipgloss because it’s super sticky and shimmery, like middle school shimmery. I like the little pencil but I already have one from the other set so again not super exciting. And then I just don’t like the primer that much. It goes on as a sort of thin lotion and I don’t feel like it does much for keeping my makeup nice and intact. It feels like just putting on another moisturizer. To be fair I do only have my Smashbox primer and a Bare minerals primer to compare it to so I’m not a primer expert or anything. I just find that I like how the smashbox one performs better in terms of smoothing my face for foundation and locking in oils. The HD powder I know is a cult favorite but I just don’t love it still. I’ve tried it once before and wasn’t impressed with it and this time is sort of the same. It’s very fine and ok on the face but it gives your face a shiny layer of sheen. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s sort of like putting Bare essentials mineral veil on your face and it gives you sort of that angelic glow like a soft line is shining on the side of your face but instead this one looks like a white cast, not an angelic glow. I don’t know, I’ll still try to use it and see if I can find some way to like it. I have to play around with it first.

Then I got a sample bag of tons of fragrances that I have not tried.

And then some random bonus items I got around the same time. My aunt gave me this lash growing serum from Walgreens.


I’ve used a bit of it so far but not on my lash line, just my brows. I’m too paranoid to use it on my lash line because again I’m prone to milia and because I wear contacts and have a special fear of things getting in my eye so I figured I’ll test it out on brows first. I haven’t used it religiously so nothing’s changed yet but I’m working on putting it into my skincare night routine so I can get a better feel for how it works. Its just like a clear gel, no smell or anything.

And then with ulta’s 20% off sale + buy one get one 50% off I got some real techniques brushes for a really good deal. I got these two sets.

I will probably do a separate post about these later but for now I like some and dislike some so it’s still up in t he air.

And that’s it for my earlier haul that’s being posted out of order.

♡ PaNhia