Swatch Time: Missha The Style Perfect Eyebrow Styler

So I get my order in and I'm excited to try out the eyebrow styler in dark brown.

If you look back to previous posts, I originally bought the grey-brown eyebrow pencil and love it!  I have been using my Dior brow pencil for a natural look since it's a lighter brown shade but didn't like the price tag ( $29 ouch).

So I got dark brown in hopes that it would match the Dior color more and I could use it when I wanted a more natural brow.

Dark brown bottom, grey-brown top.

Dark brown left, grey-brown right.

As you can see, the dark brown is actually still pretty dark.  The only difference I see is the grey-brown is slightly more ashy.  I have yet to try this out on my brows but I can already tell you this is not a color dupe.  But since it is slightly warmer I do think it will look a little less dramatic and in that case I'm glad I have a more natural looking brow pencil (however slightly natural it may be).  And since I got it on sale at a whopping $4.80, I don't have buyers remorse.  Seriously, it's hard to find a drugstore brow pencil that cheap of this quality.

So overall I'm a happy camper.  But don't get dark brown thinking that it will be much different from grey-brown and vice versa.  They are different but I think they are totally interchangeable in a pinch.  

Today and Today Only: Space NK Goodie Bag

So I did not partake in the Barney's Love Yourself Event.  Which I heard overall in SF was a letdown.  But I did get an email from Space NK about their Goodie Bag with $250 purchase.

This is offered for today only in store and online.  With $250 purchase you get a goodie bag filled with samples, deluxe samples and a couple of full sized products as well.  The page on the site can be found here and there's helpful posting about it here as well.

Now for the unfortunate, it does look like this bag is a little skimpier than last Fall's bag.  Alas, a sign of the times I suppose.  But I guess they figured as least it's better than the current offerings.

I also saw that Neiman Marcus is doing a beauty event as well.  Let's just say I wasn't impressed with what I saw.

Is this the end of awesome goodie bags?  I really hope not.  But for the time being I will not condone less than amazing goodie bags and my money will go elsewhere.  We all look for incentives to purchase stuff and with money being tighter this year I know I'm not to only one with a more scrutinizing eye.    

Comparison Post: Missha Perfect Cover and Signature Real Complete BB Cream in # 23

So I finally got in my order from the Missha US site today.  To say that I'm addicted to their stuff would be fairly apt.

For their 4th year anniversary I got a free Night Repair Activator Ampule and because my total purchase was over $100 I got a free tube of Signature Real BB Cream in shade 23.

Now I have to say I'm very excited to try the ampule but probably won't since I have so much other skincare to get through.

I did however get a sample of their Perfect Cover BB cream in shade 23 so I thought I would compare the 2 BB creams in case you are using one and are wondering if the corresponding shade will also work since the descriptions are slightly different.

Now the formulas are totally different and I have found that the Perfect Cover is longer lasting but can break me out.  The Signature Real is gentler but not as full coverage.  Also the price is can totally influence whether or not you want to purchase it.

I previously got the Signature Real BB cream in shade 21 from a previous gift with purchase and while it's close to the Perfect Cover in 21 it's slightly pinker on my skin.

As for #23, let's take a look:

Signature Real on top and Perfect Cover on the bottom.  Fresh from the package.

The colors look different when you first squeeze them out.  The Signature Real initially starts out darker but the Perfect Cover oxidizes quickly to match.

Perfect Cover left and Signature Real right.  You can see the edges on the Perfect Cover starting to darken.

Once blended out though and left to oxidize (about 5 minutes) both formulas are pretty indistinguishable.

They look very similar.  See the right edge of each color as I tried to blend it out.

Different lighting to show you how it blends out.  Click to enlarge.

So there you have it.  If you're using the Perfect Cover BB cream in #23 and want to try the Signature Real BB cream then you will most likely have a good match with #23 from that as well.

Hope that was helpful! 

Barney's Love Yourself Event: Is It Even Worth It?

So I have no new info on the bag as I have not been able to get to a store just yet.  I am actually contemplating whether or not to waste the gas money to go and even see if it's worth it.

If you go here and here you will find more information on step up gifts and the gift bag itself.  I even got a call from my SA twice about the event.  But I was holding out until I saw what was really in the bag.

Some things do look good.  I can vouch for the Koh Gen Do cleansing wipes.  But the rest looks kind of blah.  I mean if you Google the Love yourself event you will see the bag in previous years either had more in quantity or quality (sometimes both).  

There have been various reports on bag contents depending on which Barneys you got your gift from.  These bags vary greatly even within the same store.  Last year in the SF store I got not one single full sized product.  I know of others who did but even with my pre-sell I didn't get anything that wowed me.  The step up gifts I got were amazing though and my SA did a really great job trying to take care of me.

Honestly I think I feel bad for all the SA's out there because this is a huge event that can influence their paycheck greatly and they have to work ridiculously harder at it now because the vendors decided to cut back.

As for me I think I'm decided.  I haven't even opened some of the items I got last Fall, I have everything in stock and I'm on Operation Cheapskate.

So will I be participating this time?  That's a negative.

Hopefully enough unhappy customers will make a difference and the bag will come back in the Fall better than before.  But until then, my money will not be going there.

 

Missha Sale Time Again 40% off

Honestly I love the Missha US site so much.  And I made some sweet potato fries that were so yummy!  Sorry no pics, I wolfed them down.

So as the title states, Missha is turning 4 years old (well the US site is) and they are celebrating with a sale.

Pretty much the bulk of the site is 40% off.  Now is the time to either stock up or try new things at a great discount.  As for me..... this was a good enough deal to break Operation Cheapskate 2013.  I didn't do too bad since I did a group order.  But I will admit it is a step back.  In fact I'm going to have to hermit myself for a few weeks after Chinese New Year.

However, some things are still going well.  I haven't gone out to eat lunch with my co-workers and save myself around $10 a week by doing that.

Gas prices are going up so my limited driving will have to cut down even more, don't know how since I don't drive anywhere anymore.  In fact last week I took public transit to go to the farmer's market and it felt good I tell ya.

But back on topic.....

Missha is also handing out bonus gifts to current and new customers.  They also switched up their spending tier gifts.

So seriously if you've been eying something from the site go! Go now!

There are great deals to be had if you know what to look for.

That's all for me.  I have more yams that are almost done cooking.

Have a great week and live happy!  

To Buy or Not to Buy? Dior Gris Trianon

So I think I'm officially getting sick.  I suppose it was bound to happen seeing as I work around people who don't know how to cover their mouths when they cough..... seriously.... where's Miss Manners when you need her?  We work next to a freakin' hospital and they don't know how to cover our cough?  And my tummy hurts..... great.

But I digress.....

Dior came out with a new collection for Spring 2013 called Cherie Bow.  In the collection is a mix of pinks and greys which go beautifully together.  And of course as a nail polish addict I had to take a good long look at Gris Trianon.

I don't have too many grey cremes but I also don't find that I need too many greys.  But regardless this was very tempting.

So what to do?  I painted a nail with Gris Trianon and went home.  My inner cheapskate told me to look at what I have in my massive collection.  I mean I have an almost full Helmer which should tell you readers something.

So I go home and look through my greys.  Gris Trianon is described as a dove grey, which I interpreted as pigeon.  It actually has a brownish tinge to it that makes it very wearable for warmer skintones.

When I compared this to Zoya Dove, Gris Trianon was a lot darker.  But compared to Gris Montaigne it was much lighter.  So what in my collection would be close?  Well, it's not exact but China Glaze Recycle is close enough to quench this lemming of mine.  It lacks the brownish tinge and is a bit darker but on me the color give the same effect and for a lot cheaper too.

So for me Gris Trianon is not a must have.  Although I do admit if I wasn't being a cheapo I totally would have added it to my collection.  I simply adore Dior nail polishes.

  

Some More Things on Sale at Nordstrom

So if you were a fan of Dior's mini brush kit and mini manicure kit you are in luck.  They are on sale at Nordstrom right now for $40 each.

This is actually a pretty nice deal considering how expensive the Dior polishes can cost and for someone who has their mini brushes (in the red Cannage packaging) I have to say that the brush quality is great.

So head on over to Nordstrom and get them before their gone.

Sulwhasoo Compacts on Sale at Neiman Marcus

I've been neglectful and I apologize.  But if you like Sulwhasoo Shine Classic Powder they are on sale at Neiman Marcus for $68.

The original price is $150 and the compacts are gorgeous!  It's a shame that I'm on Operation Cheapskate 2013 or else I would buy a couple of them as high end gifts.

My mom taught me the best Christmas shopping happens in June.  It's a little early but I think the same rule applies here.

Review Time! Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence

So this is the last thing to review from my purchase late last November.

You can purchase this treatment essence through the Missha site here.

So there's a lot of hype around this product and for good reason.  This product claims to do the same thing as SK II Facial Treatment Essence but for a third of the price.  It's on sale right now so you can get it even cheaper.

I never thought to try this before since as a microbiologist when I heard about this I thought it to really be nothing more than culture filtrate.  Heck, I have Saccharomyces strains in the lab, I could probably do this myself.  I actually still do think of it as nothing more than fancy culture filtrate to be honest.  But hell if I can spend a stupid amount of money on Voss water I don't see me buying this to be out of the realm of possibility.

I never tried the SK II Facial Treatment Essence so I really have nothing to compare it to.  But what I did find was that my skin really loved the Time Revolution First Treatment Essence.

Sleek frosted glass bottle hold almost magical water inside.

After the first application my skin felt firm and a bit plump.  After a week I felt like my skin was glowing.

The best part is that there were no breakouts.  I did however spill a little and didn't want to waste it so I applied it to my face.  My skin became a little irritated and rosy but it subsided a few hours later.

How I use it:  I place 3 to 5 drops in the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and smooth the product over my face and neck.

I tried using a cotton pad but didn't like the thought of wasting so much good stuff.

The bottle comes with a inside plug, for Pete's sake don't throw it away!

Without the plug the bottle will begin to leak out and you will lose your precious essence.

How do I store it:  After opening and closing the plug for 2 weeks I decided I had enough and got a vacuum pump bottle from Daiso.  I decanted the essence into the bottle and now when I use it all it takes is one little pump.  No mess and it's easier to travel with.

Best $1.50 I ever spent.

But it's just a toner right?  That's a crazy amount to be spent on a toner.

I would normally agree, but I really don't think of this product as a toner.  I think of toners being used to remove the last traces of dirt on the skin before applying product.  This product I see as prepping the skin to better accept the products I use on it afterwards.

I think of it as a treatment and I use it as one.

Does it smell funny?  Not really.  Plus I can't smell anything once it absorbs in.  It does feel a little tacky when it's drying though.

This product is also free of parabens, colorants, fragrance, silicon, mineral oil and alcohol.  Plus it's not tested on animals.

Would I buy this again?  I totally would.  That would probably be next year when I finally finish the bottle.

Is it really worth it?  I really think so.  But then again I'm also not that young anymore and need the extra help to keep me looking like a teenager.  However, given the price (especially when on sale) this becomes really affordable and is cheaper than a lot of my other skincare items.

I hope this helps a little.  I didn't put in any facts on yeast extract concentration or benefits because they are readily available on the site but I hope my experience with this product helps you figure out if it's something you want to try.

Thank you so much for looking and live happy!  

Happy New Year Everyone! I Got a Confection to Show You

I don't know about any of you but it's off to a busy start for me.  I've been a bit absent due to the real world and I apologize for that.

I have a few reviews to write but first I have some pictures that need editing for the boss tomorrow.  In true artistic fashion ( though I'm not an artist ) I can't seem to buckle down and get it done.  I'm sure in the middle of the night I will but right now I can't focus.

Maybe I like the adrenaline.... my boyfriend is the same way. If that's the case, it may just be a science major thing...... 

But I did want to post a confection for you all.

I got this recipe from PaleOMG and it is yummy! 

I made it past my first month of paleo eating and I love it.

I also have made a resolution to start paying down my revolving debt and not buy anything I don't need.  This means that I will be raiding my vanity for a lot of oldies but goodies.  I don't see myself buying makeup, skincare, bath products or perfumes in the next year.  Sounds harsh but I have enough to last me for years.

I call it Operation Cheapskate 2013!