Original post: Dec 14, 2020
This year, I decided to be prudent in my shopping. Which explains why my post isn’t about a haul but about discerning purchases. Thoughtful shopping in the face of Black Friday, I say. To know more about why I buy the way I do, read my blog post on careful consumption.
Here’s what I purchased for Black Friday.
Indigo
1. Voluspa Macaron Candles in Birthday Cake and Rose Coloured Glasses (not in the picture)
2. Voluspa Small Glass Jar Candle in French Cade Lavender
This was an unnecessary purchase but the silver lining is that I chose to purchase the small sizes of these candles. I have a bunch of candles that I need to finish, but I’ve heard that Voluspa’s candles are of good quality. I loved my White Barn (Bath & Body Works) Cactus Blossom candle, but I’ve observed that once the candle had burned down to 1/3rd of it’s size, it stopped emitting the fragrance which was disappointing.
The Birthday Cake candle smelled exactly what it says on the label – like a sweet, vanilla birthday cake with sprinkles! I hope it smells as good when I light it. And the French Cade Lavender candle smells like a B&BW candle but I can’t remember which one.
I still haven’t received Rose Colored Glasses but I’ll update this post when I receive it.
Lighting candles and my home smelling good is a small luxury I enjoy. When I step out for Groceries and step back into my apartment, the fragrance that I get to smell as soon as I enter is so welcoming. [I enjoy burning WoodWick candles because of the crackling noise they make. I live in a tiny apartment without a fireplace and I love burning the Wood Wick candle (you can get them at a Bed, Bath & Beyond near you), sitting in my bed under my blanket with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. I’m now reading A Promised Land by Barrack Obama.]
3. Love and Lore Chevron Mitten in Slate
I purchased this because I remember how cold the winter was 2 years ago. The temperatures dropped to -23 deg C (around -10 F) and I was out there hitting the pavements attending interviews. Because I had moved from California, I underestimated how cold it could get it Toronto, and that was one of the coldest winters ever. I remember the cold hands and standing in heated ATMs waiting for the Uber to come pick me because the buses in the GTA were delayed. I had a pair of thin woolen gloves that wasn’t doing much to keep my fingers from turning blue. I later started layering my gloves but I think I need a pair of mitts over my woolen gloves for warmth. I don’t think this year’s winter is going to be as bad and I don’t expect to step out too often, but I think it’s worth being prepared.
Nars
4. Kabuki Eta Brush
I’ve been eyeing their natural hair brushes for a while now. While the BF discounts weren’t substantial unless you were purchasing a lot, I went ahead with buying this brush anyway because I think Nars is phasing out their natural brushes and this may be my only chance at buying it. Btw, the Nars brushes at Sephora are the synthetic version of their original Kabuki line. I haven’t used it yet and I’ll add a review to this post once I start using it.
Hudson’s Bay
5. Dior Rose Frisson (swatch at the end of this post)
I’m generally not impressed with The Bay’s sales when it comes to Beauty. They have amazing discounts for clothes, especially the year-end sale, but not so much for beauty and cosmetics. While I didn’t place the initial order during BF, I ended up placing a second order during BF because the first one was lost in the mail! I waited for 3 weeks and finally requested a refund.
This is a beautiful blush. I’m a bit on the fence whether it works for my skin tone, but on camera it looks really pretty. I would recommend this blush for anyone with light skin tones. Since it is an illuminating blush, it does highlight texture and you can see the micro glitter when you look at the skin closer, but it looks amazing on camera. It is very powdery and isn’t as dark as it looks in the pan.
Glossier
6. Blush + Highlight Duo in Puff & Pale Pearl and Haze & Platinum Rose
I decided to repurchase the blushes because I’m almost done with my Quo blush and I was ready to retry my favorite blushes. Except they aren’t my favorite anymore!
I’m not sure if it’s because I started using Quo and I like how pigmented it is, or if it’s because the blush turns into sludge when you apply it on powders; but I don’t enjoy Glossier blushes any more. Also, they don’t show up the way I expected it to.
It could also be that I’m definitely not the target market for these products (it’s supposed to be used on light foundation or a BB Cream) or the fact that I use a medium coverage foundation (The Ordinary Colors) and the product just does not show up on the foundation. I would recommend Glossier products for teens and early adults with great skin.
Puff, the baby pink blush would look so amazing on neutral toned medium skin if it were more pigmented. It just sits on the skin and if you try to pat it a lot, it just disappears. Not sure if Benefit Dandelion is a dupe, but that looks amazing on me. This swatches so well, but on the face it’s a mess.
Haze is a beautiful color but it’s so patchy. On me, it looks like I got my face punched and I’m worried someone might request a welfare check on me.
Pale Pearl & Platinum Rose
These highlighters are unusual, and not in a positive way. They did not sit well on powder and they stick to your fingers instead of the face when you apply them. I was successful in getting it on my face just once, and when I did, it looks nice. There are better products out there than these highlighters.
Sephora
7. Fenty Beauty Match Stix Trio
Fenty Bamboo (Concealer), Mocha (Contour) & Trippin (Highlighter)
This is a nice-to-have product for me. When the pandemic hit and the province shut down, I gaining weight and it made my face round. I was getting on video calls and I started feeling self conscious about the way I look. I purchased the Physcians Formula Bronze Booster Highlight Contour Palette and it was awful – it was chalky and for my medium skin, the contour looked grey on me. That’s when I decided that I would get a good contour product. I’ve only tried Fenty Gloss Bombs so far and this is my way of trying other products from Fenty.
First impression: The highlighter is so pretty – it’s a peach with a pink tint. I’m a little worried about the concealer because it feels a bit dry.
8. Bite Beauty Agave Lip Kit
This is a necessity for me. My lips are always dry and beyond dry during winters. So far the only drugstore lip balm that works for me is the Vaseline Lip Therapy. I still need to apply it twice a day, a task I’m trying to eliminate with the Agave Lip Kit.
9. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Backtalk
I’ve heard so much about this product on reddit forums and I wanted to try it. I’ve had the best experience with the UD Vice Lip Chemistry Lip Stain in Wired so I’m hoping that this lipstick will perform great.
Drunk Elephant Jelly Cleanser (not pictured)
This was a product I knew I was purchasing during BF. Sure, I hate the packaging and if you use too much it dries out your skin but it has worked so far for me during summers and when my skin is acting up.
On another note, Sephora and samples.. ugh, I just.. cannot. None of my orders came with the samples I chose and one order came with no samples! I’m slowly moving away from Sephora and I’ve started purchasing from Shoppers Drugmart and The Bay. Sephora has the worst sales, worst point perks, and some of their staff have an attitude problem (I’m looking at you check out lady at Eaton Center Sephora). I hope Ulta comes to Canada soon.
Eyed but didn’t purchase:
Origins
Advent Calendar
I loved the packaging of this advent calendar! Sell anything Nutcracker themed and I’ll purchase it. But this Calendar turned out to be too expensive for a bunch of samples. That body brush that was included was tempting but I already have one from Body Shop. With my sign-up discount, it was $56. If it is discounted to $40 post Christmas, I’d consider purchasing it.
Sephora
Marc Jacobs Oui Mon Cherry Set
The sole attraction in this set was the tiny Bronzer. Also, I wanted to try Marc Jacobs make up and I thought that this was a good introductory set. I didn’t buy it because, I want to finish what I have and I’m pretty sure they’ll release something similar next Christmas, when I’d be closer to finishing the products I’m using now.
Glossier
Blush Duo Set in Beam & Storm
I almost FOMO shopped when I started shopping on the Glossier site. My initial order included 2 highlighters, 4 Blushes, 2 Lidstars and the infamous Pink Hoodie. But common sense prevailed, and I placed a smaller order. The blush set was axed from the list along with the liadstars and the hoodie and I didn’t buy it. I wanted to finish the two I was purchasing – which should take me a year any way – and depending on how I felt about the product, I’d buy more.
Lidstar in Slip
I wanted to purchase the lidstar in Slip, but the discounts weren’t enough. Besides, I’m a bit unsure about Glossier’s level of pigmentation. Their products are geared towards Gen Z baby skin consumers, and not early millennials like me.