huge Cotton On haul :D

I'm not gonna say much 'cept I did go a little crazy. Shipping was free for orders above USD50 without a code and that meant I could finally use a 30 off code I had been holding on to that would expire in August. Total cost of this haul was roughly USD141.61 after conversion. On to the pictures, all screen capped from the Cotton On site :)

6 Unlined Lace Bras at $1.88 each. Total: $11.28

3 Lace Lined Wirefree at $1.88 each. Total: $5.64

2 Lace Unlined Wirefree at $1.88 each. Total: $3.76

2 Soft Unlined Wirefree at $1.88 each. Total: $3.76

2 Smooth Lined Wirefree at $1.88 each. Total: $3.76

5-pack Cotton Lace Boyleg at $17.53 (30%).

3-For-$10 socks though I actually paid $9.39 due to forex conversion. I got 1 in ditsy floral and 2 in the grey marle with charcoal tip. I know socks seem like a random buy but I do have a specific reason- am planning on taking up running outdoors and believe it or not, I do not own any proper socks!

Next, in keeping with the running theme - what Cotton On calls Runner Vest. Got this for $17.31 after 30 off.

Decided to get it in a brght blue so that I can be seen clearly since I'm running in the city and not some nice park. Also got this black, nondescript Flexed Fit Hat for $1.88 on sale. Again, I actually do not own any caps and figured a cheapie one would do just as well as something from Nike, Adidas, Reebok et al for exercise purposes :)

Next up, this lovely sleeveless white shirt that was on sale for $4.70. This is the Michelle Essential Shirt and the RRP is actually $18.50. I feel this would be great under blazers for the ofice and since they're sleeveless, you won't have that unflattering bunch in the jacket sleeves. There was also a floral version but by the time I was checking out, it had completely sold out :(

And last of the clothing stuff is this pair of jelly heels :D I got the Jessica Gladiator jellies the last time and when I saw these Jamaica Jelly Heels, I knew I had to have it. Got them in black for $17.31 after 30 off. These pair are totally reminiscent of my eldest sister's Guess clear jelly shoes she had yonks ago when the jelly shoe trend was all the rage - I feel that that was in the late nineties....

What would a Cotton On haul be without me getting stuff from Typo? I decided to collage the stuff instead of having them individual as this post is already image-heavy as is :D

Lol, I know the stuff I got seems totally weird. A wooden crate, a milk crate, 2 milk bottles, 2 mason jars, a ruler and a pot of acrylic chalkboard paint. I mentioned I'm redecorating my room and "farmhouse chic" is the aesthetic I'm going for hence all the white wood stuff. Except for the ruler which was on sale, the rest of the stuff I got 30 off with the promo code. I really scored on that considering these are the items that normally wouldn't go on sale so woohoo for moi!

Hehe, so that is hopefully the last of my Cotton On online haul for some time. Ok, confession, I did check the site recently, right before typing up this post actually, and, thankfully I can safely say, there is nothing that I possibly want right now, lol. But I feel that I am good overall on the lingerie front as well as the room decor stuff. Thanks, Cotton On for making my shopping soooo easy!

2013's working week makeup routine

I originally wanted to call this 2013's daily makeup routine but then I realized that I don't bother to put anything on on weekends so that would be like false advertising :D

Honestly, these products, aside from the Benetint, are all first tested this year, some longer than others. Counting out the Benetint which I started using in 2006, the Cargo blu_ray compact is the "oldest" product in the group while Benefit's The POREfessional is the most recent addition to the routine.

Right, you can tell I don't really put much on my face. Definitely no bothering with concealer or any eye product, lol. I've gotten this routine down to give or take 7 minutes inclusive of wait time.

Primer
It's new in the bunch but after 2 weeks, I can say, I'm liking it a lot. When I have more time I will actually do the priming properly but more often than not, how I put this on is by squeezing out a bit on to the back of my left hand then pumping a whole pump of the Naked Skin foundation onto it and mixing. Whichever way I use it, it always makes the foundation, and my skin, look so much smoother. It really does fill in the more noticeable pores by the sides of my nose to give the illusion that I have none :D The POREfessional is a PROfessional in that respect <- couldn't resist being cheesy :D

Foundation & Concealer
Urban Decay's Naked Skin. I wanted to really like this foundation, I truly did. I actually feel that I'm a little bit in love with it :) What can I say, it's light, this one, but the coverage is good. That's what I love about it, the lightness. I would say more of a light to medium coverage on this one. I don't know if you could do a full coverage as I've never gone more than a pump and even then I feel I have overused. As mentioned above, it's made even better mixed with The POREfessional. I apply this using my ELF foundation brush. Let me tell you, the combo of these three produces an absolute satisfied customer in moi. I wasn't feeling that foundation brush before this but now, can't do without it! Usually, when I'm done with the full face coverage, I'll have more than enough leftover for some concealing. I usually dab on some under my eyes and over the hyperpigmented areas of my face and it does the job of cover-up.

Lip/Cheek
Benetint, mi amor. I do love thee, my lil multitasker. I usually don't bother with my cheeks for work but when I do use this on the apples of the cheek, it gives a very natural looking flush and warms up the face. I mainly just use this on my lips primarily so that I don't look like I'm dying. The rose red hue gives my lips some life as well as covering the blackened areas of my lips. I know that sounds rather gross but I am trying to figure out how to lighten the sides of my lips so give me a break. I feel Benetint gives my lips a healthy look and since it's a stain, definitely lasts the whole day. One drawback would be tha if your lips get too dry and flake, well, stains in general never help to improve that look, hehehe.

Finishing Powder
I've written an entire post on the Cargo blu_ray HD powder as my HG pressed powder. It remains so. I do love using this to set my makeup. Granted, the lack of SPF would put some people off and normally I wouldn't be into that either but the finish this gives you is so nice and I always look better in photos because of it. I still love it, I do. I'll just get the SPF from elsewhere :)

LOL, doing this post has made me realize that there is no SPF anywhere in my skincare OR makeup routine. I was under the mistaken impression that the Urban Decay foundation had some SPF but it doesn't. Was going to type at the end of my finishing powder segment that that's what I have the foundation for but when I went to find out the SPF count, I learned there was none. No wonder I don't get any of that horrible white cast in photos :D I guess I'll need to add in the spf somewhere, just haven't figured out exactly where :p

2013's skincare routine

I feel it's time to jot down 2013's skincare routine since it has changed significantly from the last time I did one of these posts. These are the products my skin is currently loving -

Cleansers
I've got three cleansers my skin depends on right now. In the morning, I'll use the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Anti-Blemish cleanser. In the evening, I'll first take of makeup using the Korean brand Pure Beauty Perfect Cleansing Water for sensitive skin and follow it up with Soap & Glory's Peaches & Clean to ensure I've gotten all the days' makeup off of my face.

Toner
Forgot to put the toner into the pic above so here is it's pic gotten from Google Images -

It's Etude House's rather famous Wonder Pore Freshner. I like this toner, feels like it gets your face even more clean and readying it for the creams/lotions/serums you wanna slather on next. Plus, no tightness afterwards so it doesn't feel like your face is being stretched :) Yes, I'm a big fan of Korean beauty products.

Serum/Moisturiser/Lotion
Okay, I'm just using the Tarte Maracuja Oil for all the above. I do like it, it does absorb well and though I have naturally oily skin, it doesn't exercebate the oiliness further. I feel, for the past 6 months I've been using it, my skin has improved a lot. I don't get as much acne as I used to that's for sure. Plus, it looks like my pores have shrunk but again, it could all be a combo of the stuff I've been using.

Eye Cream
Currently I'm using the eye cream I got free in my Eco Bag from drugstore.com in May, 100% Pure Caffeine Eye Cream, Organic Coffee Bean. OMG, I love to use this for the scent alone. Smells so yummy, like a fancy cuppa for your eyes :D I think it's a nice product, it absorbs well into the area underneath the eyes and I feel like there is some improvement after using it. Let me finish off the tube and get back to you on it.

Treatment
Last but not least, Kate Somerville's D-Scar. Like I mentioned in the last post on the Sephora haul, a purchase that I didn't think too much about. I have been using this for roughly 2 weeks. I don't know if my eyes are deceiving me but that scar I talked about above my right eyebrow, I feel like it's filling in. But it could be my eyes and mind want to believe the stuff is working. I can't say for sure till the 8 weeks claim is up and I can indefinitely agree or disagree with the product. It's worth to note that I have only been using it at night cos I get lazy in the mornings. The product is not oily, absorbs well, has a nice scent.

I have to say, I'm so far really pleased with the combination of products I've got right now. I used to suffer from worse acne along my jawline even up till last year but whether it's the products/diet/aging, I haven't had to deal with anything too devastating. They've been tiny and easier to handle. Hopefully I can stick with this routine for longer than others I've documented on this site.

hauling Sephora - Bath & Body, Skincare and Makeup

I was back in Homeland at the end of June and needed to restock some essential (maybe I'm stretching here) beauty products. I had a 10% discount from points I accrued on my Sephora card which was ending in August so decided to make use of that coupon on this trip. I got the following -

What I really needed was only the Peaches & Clean cleanser, the rest was really more of a want than a need. As can be seen, a lot of Soap & Glory products. I'm a big fan of their stuff. From the set I got last year, I've finished off the Sugar Crush body polish, hence why I got a new one (different type - it's Flake Away - cos Sugar Crush isn't available in body scrub form at the Homeland Sephora) even though I still have a halfway full bottle of Dove body scrub, and I'm at the very bottom of the bottle for the cleanser. I'm nearly done with the body wash as well. I decided to get the Scrub Your Nose In It cos my sis and the gal pal I was shopping with raved about it. The Glad Hair Day shampoo and conditioner I decided to go for the full size versions trading up from the travel ones I got last year.

I also got the tube of Kate Somerville's D-Scar. It's supposed to promote skin regeneration for scarring that has occured on the facial surface. I was convinced by the SA to try this out, it was not in the list of things I wanted to buy but she gave a good enough sales pitch that I caved and got it. The product actually claims to repair even old scars so I'm putting that to the test - I have an ancient scar above my right eyebrow that was caused by a rope burn and we'll see if this formulation is as miracle as it purports to be :D

Finally caved and got Benefit's The POREfessional. Was actually looking at the Posietint but when I tested it out, I didn't like the thick consistency of the product. The formulation is definitely thicker than my all-time lip stain Benetint. A different SA manning the Benefit display than asked if I wanted to give The POREfessional a go. I deliberated for a few minutes before putting it in my basket. I have been looking at it for the longest time, since my Hong Kong trip in 2011 so I guess 2 years on, I should just get it with a 10% discount :)

Lastly, as I was paying at the counter, I saw Benefit had the tint trio called Get Cheeky (small tubes of Posietint, Cha Cha Tint and Sun Beam) which is this -

I forgot to include it in the collective above so I just got the image off of Sephora. This means that image is not mine :) Anyways, this was the best way to try the other variations of the stains without committing to a full bottle and then not liking it. After testing it out, I actually find myself liking Cha Cha Tint.

Overall, the entire haul cost me about USD145 after discount was applied. All my shopping qualified me for another 10% discount expiring in January 2014 so when stuff needs to get replenished, I'll have another coupon at my disposal!

hauling Cotton On - home decor et al

I'm a HUGE fan of Cotton On's kitschy decor store Typo. I usually want a lot of things from the store but like I've mentioned before, the things are rather pricey.....until they go on sale that is - that's when the rock bottom prices make me go nuts wanting to snap up everything :D

Am currently in the process of redecorating my room back in Homeland. Yes, I still live with my parents when I go back there - what's the point of having your own place if you're not even there to live in it? Anyways, I've decided that my attic room will have a black and white decor which is the reason most of the stuff I got were in those hues. I'm going for a classic English country style. I haven't gotten round to it yet but I'm gonna get the white Hemnes daybed, the Musken 2 door/3 drawer white wardrobe and the Koppang/Hemnes 3-drawer white dresser all from Ikea.

Ok, on to the typo stuff. Although I haven't decided on a desk, I got some office supply items. Since the theme was white and the stuff was cheap, I got these old wire style desk tray, magazine holder and pen cup.....

And also these old school/retro style stapler and scissors.....

Also bought this lovely baroque mirror.....

This absolutely adorable cuckoo clock.....

These cute yet functional building blocks calendar

And the last of the stuff I could find images of on Cotton On are these silicon heart-shaped cupcake moulds.

These next few things I got off of various pinterest boards but all pinned from the Cotton On site. I got this white birdcage shelf.....

A decorative but functional tea for one set like below but in black.....

And a monster alarm clock in black.

I'd say the most expensive thing was the cupcake moulds. The rest of the stuff were all under 10 bucks. That's defintely an absolute deal right there :)

DISCLAIMER:
All images are from Cotton On's site or pinned from the Cotton On site, I own none of them.

hauling Cotton On - clothes

My first Cotton On online purchase was made back in early January of this year. Since then I think I've gotten stuff from them online a total of 4 times and in store once. I like their stuff and when it goes on sale, it can get really cheap. This wasn't one haul but spans one in-store purchase and two online hauls that included both clothing and home decor so I decided to break things up into 2 parts. This, as the title suggests, will concentrate only on apparel and accessories.

First up, my first in-store buy was this gorgeous, comfy robe. This wasn't the colour I got, I can't find mine online anymore which is a nice shades of blue and green polka dots that I'm actually wearing right now as I type this post up cos it's cold in my air-con room. I originally got this thinking I could use it as a bathrobe but since I only noticed once I had gotten it back home and taken off the price tag it's a fleece, blanket-ish material and the label did say "sleepwear", I figure I'm using it as a wearable blanket, hehehe. Okay, for comparisons sake, I'll take a pic of my robe. This was about USD18.89 from the RRP of about $25. I know it wasn't such a great discount but I really wanted it.

I also got these jelly sandals I had been eyeing online. When I saw these Jessica jelly gladiator sandals I thought they were perfect for where I live and work - it's the rainy season here right now and I am not too keen to ruin my nice, sometimes tres expensive, leather shoes :) They weren't on sale though and weren't that cheap either considering they're jelly shoes. I got these for about USD15.43. They've been good to me so far so perhaps they are well worth that price tag, hehe.

I also got this chic patterned blazer. This is the Simba blazer and it's officially my first patterned blazer in a style that are not vertical stripes :D. I feel it gives off a Hugh Hefner-ish, playboy mansion robe kinda vibe, lol. But I like it and it's really versatile in terms of how to syle it. It can be casual and office-appropriate. I've been wearing it to work over a black chiffon maxi dress or paired with a white shirt/sleeveless blouse and wide-leg black pants and I've also worn it over a cotton tee with jeans combo. And since it was roughly USD9.45, well, I have to say - SUPER DEAL!

Another piece I got for USD4.72 is the Charmed boho dress in the shade gardenia. Managed to fit myself into an XS for this, surprisingly :p

I think there was only one other thing I got, a crochet overlay sleveless dress but I can't find the image on Cotton On's site or anywhere else and I think I left it in Homeland. Anyways, that was a deal as well for about 5 bucks. Oh yeah, and I got some charity bracelet thing to help poverty or hunger in I wanna say Uganda but I can't remember right now. So, that rounds up the in-store purchase.

I'm always looking for nice, comfy, basic loungewear. So when I saw these Annika slub linen oversize long sleeve tees in both black and white going for about $4.72 each, I got 'em.

I would have gotten all the colours but it was only those 2 on sale but the next tee I got from a different style, the Divided oversize long sleeve, was also selling for the same price in the shade dazzling blue so I got that instead.

The next piece I got is what I will term as "Granny Chic" and what my sis simply refers to as "Granny" :D It's the Bernice Intarsia cardigan. Hehe, I love the naming system Cotton On has going for their products.....

And now to another footwear purchase. I found these lace crochet espadrilles so tres cute. And they were $4.72, I figure why not. These are the Nessie espadrille.

The sizing of Cotton On shoes are rather weird though. I normally fit an EU39 but that's too tight for me for Cotton On. When I tried the 39 for the jelly sandals, it was a fit with no room so I got the 40. With these, I also tried them in store but didn't get them then cos they weren't on sale. I tried the 39 and again - too tight so when I got them online in this gorgeous red I went for 40. On my right foot it's too loose. Sigh. But it's 5 bucks so can't really complain. I think this ends the first clothing haul from the online purchase. The rest of the stuff was home decor.

Next up from the start of my second online haul, this gorgeous blazer caught my eye. It's RRP was around $40.62 but it was on sale for USD9.45. LOL, I thought that was already a major score.

I was having issues with completing the purchase last week on my mac so when I finally realized it was likely a Safari browser issue, I used my Asus windows-based laptop to get my order in. By the time I got to the checkout cart and was looking over the total to be paid, I noticed that the amount had gone down from $128 to 92 bucks. So I was kinda flummoxed thinking that quite a few things in my cart were now OOS even though usually there'll be a message telling customers that things have been taken out of their cart due to the inventory not being there anymore. Then I looked at the list of stuff and noticed that the price of the jacket had gone done by 50% more. It was now going for $4.72!

And so was this one.....

And this one too.....

So I decided I could get one in another colour :D This is called Robinhood Green.

Other stuff that were going for USD4.72 were these bikini top and bottoms.....

Then I got these 2 sheer bras (black and white).....

and one unlined lace bra in a black and leopard print mix.....

For 94 cents each, lol!

The only truly pricey piece of clothing I got was this slinky gown. It was originally $39 but was on sale for about $24.88.

Yes, it's another robe BUT this one I can wear after a shower :D See, there's a MAJOH diffy.

The absolute last apparel in this haul was this chambray bomber. I honestly don't know why I got this other than cos it was 10 bucks. Lol, I was already way past the free shipping minimum but for some reason could not pass this jacket up.

And thus completes this absurdly long, graphical posts. I'm too lazy to tally up the clothing haul but it doesn't add up to more than a hundred smackaroos I bet :) Okay, disclaimer time - aside from the 2 pics that have the blog's watermark, all other images were borrowed from Cotton On's website for illustrative purposes :D