What I Bought This Month – June 2016
Monthly haul time! Looking back, this month ended up being pretty palette heavy!
I was really excited to get my hands on the BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette earlier this month… although it may have been really late May.
I got my review up a week or so ago, and I’ve been really enjoying the palette. I love each of the blush shades quite a bit. I was predominantly drawn to Pamplemousse, but Rose Spritz has been my most used shade so far! Prosecco Pop looks a bit odd on me (more yellow than I expected), but I’ve been using it regardless!
The BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette was very short lived in my collection. As my review said, I didn’t suffer with inconsistencies like some other people did with the formula. However, I discovered it was so similar to my Ombre Rouge palette that I just couldn’t be bothered to keep it, so I returned it shortly after my review was posted.
The palette was no longer available by the time I wrote my review (and had subsequently pulled from Sephora’s lineup for this collection), but I wanted to get my thoughts and opinions out there regardless. The frenzy and hype surrounding this palette was fast and furious, as was the subsequent hate that came out of the production issues. I was nervous to put my post up, but it was incredibly well received and Jaclyn Hill actually read it herself and thanked me for it on Twitter. I was more than a little bit surprised by that, but it was really nice to get some reaffirmation from the person who helped to create that palette, regardless of the outcome. And in case I’ve piqued your curiosity and you still have no idea what I’m on about, you can read that post here: BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Eye Palette (Swatches + Discussion).
This was easily the item I was most excited about this month. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette kind of popped up on Instagram suddenly and beauty lovers went NUTS for it. This is the first permanent palette for ABH and it’s a good one. I’m amazed at how many RED shades there are in here! I’ve already done a Swatch Sunday, and there will be an upcoming Challenge Week featuring this palette soon!
I also picked up some more Makeup Geek shadows and some Z-palettes to go with them. My quest to own ALL of the Makeup Geek shadows keeps being hindered by the fact that Marlena keeps releasing new ones! ACK!
While my parents were in France a few months ago, I asked if they could grab me an Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre while they were there since it’s a fair bit cheaper. This is a staple moisturizer in my routine and I’ve gone through about 6 tubes or so now over the years.
This is a smaller sample size of the Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer that my mother in law isn’t a fan of. I’m okay with the scent so she gave me the freebie that came with another product. If you haven’t tried this, it’s an after shower moisturizer that sinks into your skin no matter how wet it is. So a unique formula.
And of course, what’s another month without me purchasing some more Too Faced products? My friend Julie of Swatch and Review was in Chicago with Zoe (of Writing Whimsy) and they were at a Nordstrom Rack that was selling discounted Too Faced La Creme lipsticks. So she snagged me two shades I didn’t already own! LOVE this formula so, so much.
One of the items I was trying to get my hands on this past month was the Lancome Juicy Shaker in Mint To Be. As it turns out, this particular shade isn’t available anywhere on the Canadian market. So I had my lovely friend Sara in Baltimore order it from Macy’s, she then had it shipped to my in laws in Wisconsin who then brought it up to me in Canada while they were visiting in early June. What an ordeal for a lip product!
That’s it for June! Did you pick up anything new and exciting this month?
Swatch Sunday: Wet n Wild Comfort Zone
It feels like the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette has been around for eons by now. And for good reason! This palette is one of the best formulated, pigmented and easy to work with eyeshadows I have ever had the pleasure of using. And the kicker is that it’s only about $5!
Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Swatches
The Wet n Wild Comfort zone palette can be purchased on walmart.com for $4.68 USD.
Skincare Saturday: Sephora Collection Intensive Instant Moisture+ & Total Age Defy Creams
There’s always new moisturizers out there to try on the market isn’t there!? I recently tried out two brand new ones by Sephora Collection and wanted to share my thoughts.
Both Sephora Collection moisturizers come in a solid plastic tub that contains 48 grams (1.69oz) of product. The lid screw off to reveal another lid/separator thing on the inside with a tab to make pulling the lid off easy. I have no idea why this is here because the main screwtop lid seals shut just fine. (I promptly threw those separator things in the garbage.)
The Total Age Defy Cream is an “antiaging facial cream [that] produces visibly younger-looking, beautiful skin. It contains a lipoaminoacid which supports natural collagen synthesis with flattering light-reflecting pigments and HydroSenn+TM, an ultramoisturizing natural ingredient that is more effective than hyaluronic acid”.
Total Age Defy Cream SPF15 Sunscreen is primarily what I would call a “day use” moisturizer since it contains SPF. I’m not a huge fan of SPFs in my moisturizer (I’d rather apply a separate SPF) but for those who would like some SPF in their facial moisturizer, this is a good one. It does have a faint sunscreen edge to the scent of it, but nothing too intrusive. It moisturized well and sunk into my skin quickly and effectively.
The Sephora Collection Total Age Defy Cream SPF15 Sunscreen can be purchased at sephora.ca for $43 CAD or on sephora.com for $32. USD.
However, it’s the Intensive Instant Moisture+ Cream that really stole my heart! The Intensive Instant Moisture+ Cream “recharges skin with hyaluronic acid for intense hydration with a weightless feel. It also supports skin’s natural hyaluronic acid. Perfect for dry and sensitive skin, it helps diminish the look of the first signs of aging while smoothing and refining skin’s appearance. Light-reflecting pigments even skintone and illuminate the complexion, while antioxidants protect against environmental aggressors to keep skin looking beautiful.”
I *loved* this stuff. It was smooth, buttery, and made my skin feel so smooth. I’m not sure it was entirely weightless – I did feel it required a bit more time to sink into my skin, but that’s okay because I used this as a nighttime moisturizer so I could pack in as much moisture as I could get overnight. I especially loved the scent of it, which was very fresh and refreshing.
The Sephora Collection Intensive Instant Moisture+ Cream can be purchased at sephora.ca for $29 CAD or on sephora.com for $23. USD.
The products featured in this review were sent to me for consideration.
Fitness Friday: 2016 Rat Race
Happy Fitness Friday! Since this is my third time doing this run, I’ll keep my recap fairly brief. The Scotiabank Rat Race for United Way is a charity 5k fun run (raise a minimum of $100 and you can race) that everyone can participate in. Since Scotiabank is the main sponsor and they’re also my employer, I usually put together a team of people to race in the event. This year I recycled the team name “The Grumpy Cats” and had a fair number of people joining me!
I’m keeping this post short mostly because I’m fairly disappointed in myself. Here’s a little context for that disappointment:
- Last year my fastest and personal best time was 26:10 for a 5K.
- On the other end, my slowest time was 26:32.
- I had done training runs up to this race that were not difficult (easy to breathe, felt relaxed, etc.) that clocked in at 27 minutes EASILY.
- Even my 5K race in March of this year was under 27 minutes.
So how did I finish this race? With a really disappointing 27:38. I was so, SO sad. I *know* it’s only about 60-90 seconds slower than last year, but that’s a LOT of time in a 5k. (For example, if I’d shaved 60 seconds off my personal best, I’d be ECSTATIC!) So I’m doing what I can to reformat how I’m exercising and training in the hopes that I can get back to where I was. The Pride 5K race is coming up next weekend and I’m really, really worried I’ll be clocking in over 28 minutes. Ugh.
I feel like I’ve been whinging about slow race times for a while now which isn’t a good thing. There’s only so much whining you can do before you have to change how you approach things. So that’s where I’m at right now – thank you for listening. 🙂
Race Results
- Finish Time: 27:38
- Pace: 5:32 per kilometer
- Overall placement: 519/1441
- Age group placement (Female 30-39 years): Not available
- Gender placement (F): 126/714