Ceramidin

I've had this for a couple of months but it occurred to me that I've never showed it:

I got a premium sample of Ceramidin last summer and I really liked it. I've liked all the Dr Jart products I've tried, really. And back in February they had Ceramidin on sale - I just checked, it was $29 for 50ml where the normal price is $48.

I'm intrigued by the little spatula thing but I can't say I've really been using it. But I love the cream. $48 is a little high-priced for me, though,so I'm happy I found it on sale.

Assorted empties

NOTE: my apologies if you tried to read this earlier, I apparently posted this without half re-reading for typos. I think most of them are fixed now!!

I've had this forever, and it's an excellent product and I don't know why it took me so long to use it up. I think I just kept (accidentally) shoving it in a corner somewhere and forgetting I had it. I don't know if you can read this label - the light is weird - but this is Clinique Turnaround Overnight, and apparently this one is so old they've changed the name, a bit - mine says "radiance moisturizer" and the new ones say "revitalizing" instead. (Is that the buzzword of the moment?)

I didn't even notice when I put these two together that they both have "BB" in their names - I just put them together because they were similar heights. So we have Dr Jart+ Beauty Balm and Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil. I love a lot of Dr Jart products and I love the feel of this balm, but it's not the most flattering color on me. And then I ordered this Invisible Oil when I actually meant to order the Invisible Oil PRIMER, and boy was I shocked, because this is less than an ounce, whereas the primer is a big 8-oz thing. I should have just returned it, but no, I kept it. And actually I've started putting it right on my hair recently (added: meaning I put it on my ends at night, only), which is something that I would never have dreamed of doing a few years ago. But still, I don't love it the way I love the primer.

I wanted to be sure to remember this soap from Bath & Body Works, which I've been using in my kitchen, because I bought two different scents in this same kind of bottle and I like this one better:

I think the other one is (mint with) lemongrass, and it's fine, too, I just like this one best. So for later when I'm scratching my head trying to remember what the one was I liked better was, I have it written down. (I guess this is the current version of it. Or maybe this, because mine didn't foam.)

Empty

I started to call this something like "recent empties" but I'm not sure some of these actually qualify. Sometimes I take the picture, throw the container away, and then don't necessarily get around to posting it for a while. I think that's true of this first one, at least:

I had two of these because it was a BOGO sale or something, and I'm still working my way through the second one. I don't use dry shampoo a whole lot, but when I do, this one is my favorite. Everybody always talks about Batiste but Batiste makes my head itch, for some reason - I guess there's something in it I'm sensitive to. Clean Freak here doesn't have that problem and it works and it's relatively cheap - I guess I'd call it my Holy Grail of dry shampoos for that combination of qualities. (I unearthed a post from almost two years ago where I talk about this same product - not the same can, though! - and complain about it not lasting very long. But I think I was just using way too much; I haven't had that problem lately.)

The next picture are both samples - I don't always talk about every sample I use up, only if I have something to say about them. First there's a John Frieda sea-salt spray, and the thing I have to say about sea-salt spray in general is that I've had samples of quite a few and at least one full-size bottle (which was Verb) and I liked all of them, but as far as I can tell they're all about the same. So the moral of the story, I guess, is don't think you have to buy the expensive brands of sea-salt spray in order to get properly beachy waves. This one was fine, but I think pretty much every hair-care company has one of these now, don't they? John Frieda is probably a good moderately-priced option and seems to be in every grocery store and drug store these days.

I'm not even sure where the John Frieda stuff came from (a Wal-mart box, maybe?) but the Boscia black cleanser came from a Play box, I'm pretty sure about that one. And I liked it enough that I bought a full-size one shortly afterwards. It isn't cheap, but you only have to use a little bit so it lasts a long time. It's really not meant for my now "mature" (dry) skin type and I don't use it daily, so I still haven't used up that 5-ounce bottle in over a year. But I think I would have liked it even more - and used it more often - when I was younger and my skin was much oilier.

Then there's this Clinique, which is also a sample size. I used the "yellow moisturizer" from Clinique (meaning this one, the Dramatically Different Moisturing Lotion) for years and years - I know I've talked about this before. Again, my skin type has changed, and when I had oilier skin, this was totally my Holy Grail moisturizer, because it's lightweight, it doesn't break your skin out, all of those earlier-in-life kind of concerns. And it's not cheap but it's sort of moderately priced. For years, I would time my yellow-lotion purchases with Clinique Bonus Time at one store or another, and the bonus item I really wanted was this item right here, the yellow moisturizer in a tube, so I could carry it around with me.

They've changed the formula recently but I've had a sample of the new one and it seemed fine, too. I've mostly switched to other brands these days but I would still recommend this as a lightweight moisturizer.

And then I think this is also something I've talked about before, the L'Oreal sulfate-free shampoo line:

This is the one I just used up - it is the frizz-defying formula but before that I had the color-care formula. I wasn't coloring my hair for a while there and I didn't need it, but actually I loved the color-care one partly because it smelled so good. I bought a new one lately, and I found an ad for it in my September Vogue so I'm showing it here so you can see. I guess it's rosemary that I think smells so good.

(Regarding that issue of Vogue, 125th-anniversary "commemorative" edition or not, the only way I can read those giant issues like that one is to tear the pages out of them as I go. Which is why these ads lay so nice and flat!)

Sephora Play Luxe

As if Sephora Play isn't enough, they are periodically doing "luxe" versions that cost twice as much. ($20 rather than $10.) They don't come on the subscription, you just have to order them. I think maybe I got an e-mail about it, so I'm not sure if they show up on the website if you're not already a Play subscriber. Honestly, if you're not, don't feel too bad about it because I don't think they're worth the extra money. (Is that a spoiler?)

I didn't take a picture of the box, apparently, but you know it's extra-fancy because it's in a solid black box instead of the striped one.

My favorite thing is the iridescent bag, honestly:

I'm not sure you can tell much from that picture, but you can see it better below. It's good-sized flat bag with a zipper. It's big enough that it barely fits in the box - about 7-1/2"  square, but the usable size is only probably about 6". Still, that's not bad. It holds quite a bit of makeup.

And then you get little tarot-card things that tell you about the products:

And here's what was inside:

L-R, it's Diorshow mascara, SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, Hourglass Veil Primer, Amore Pacific Moisture Bound (that's the one in the squarish box at the top), Tom Ford (mini-size) lipstick in Indian Rose, and a Flowerbomb sample that's considerably larger than the usual little sample sprays.

I partially got this because I was thinking it might be the only time I'd ever get to try a Tom Ford lipstick (which is otherwise far too expensive for me), but I'm not crazy about the color, it's too pale - or well, not really that pale, but too mauve, or too neutral, probably the latter. I dunno. I do like the Amore Pacific moisturizer a lot, that's the one I've actually used the most so far. But on the whole I'm pretty underwhelmed. It is somewhat nicer than the normal Play box, but not enough that it's worth twice the price. I am not a person who's heavily into luxury brands, so if you are you might like it more. But I've seen several threads complaining about it on the Sephora forums, so I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Here's somebody unboxing this box:

Sephora haul

I went a little crazy on Sephora's website last week - twice, actually, so this came in two pieces. Plus, the Sephora collection night mask was on sale for $10 and I bought one in each order without having tried it; luckily it seems to be just what I hoped. I got extra samples with one order, and somewhere in here was a 100-point bonus item, too - that was the Clinique, I'm pretty sure. Anyway, here's everything (except the second night mask, which has already migrated to my bedroom):

I know it's not that much stuff, but the eye gel is an expensive item and the styling lotion wasn't cheap either. I couldn't resist the eye gel though because apparently it's something almost brand-new and it's already the best-selling eye gel Sephora sells. Read all about it here. I had had a sample of the Don't Blow It styler and really liked it - and I'm totally its target customer, I guess, because I hardly ever blow-dry my hair. And then I have so many nice samples because there was a promo where you got three with a $35 purchase.

Empties & replacements

Some of these are actual "empties" - but I still haven't gotten my head 100% around this concept of taking pictures of what you're throwing away, and so I sometimes don't remember in time, and I actually throw things away without taking pictures of them first. Oops, bad blogger! - So a couple of these are the (mostly more or less identical) things I bought to replace the empty ones, instead.

This one, for example - I still have my old bottle of this Bumble and Bumble hair primer (basically a leave-in conditioner). I stretched out the life of the old one by mixing Infusium in with the remaining B&B primer. I love the Bumble and Bumble stuff but it's very expensive. I finally gave in and bought a new one when Sephora had their VIB sale lately. And then I'm replacing old konjac sponges with these new ones.

I had an old Ecotools one that was several months old, and a Boscia one that I use on my face. These two are infused - the gray one with charcoal, like the Boscia one was, and the other one with clay.

This one is a replacement, because I love this stuff:

I think there are a couple of different formulas. As long as it's EverPure and it's a color care formula, I'm basically good.

This one is really old and I wouldn't mind having more of it but I don't think they make this stuff any more:

Or, huh, maybe they do. I'm pretty sure that this originally was a set just like the one in that link. I used up the perfume years ago - I bet this tube is ten years old or close to it. Until my skin got less oily in recent years I just didn't use much body lotion, but I did eventually use this up because it smells so awesome. If you've never heard of it, this is Clinique's holiday scent. I couldn't have told you what exactly it smelled of but the Nordstrom's page says mandarin, jasmine, and "deep woods" - I think I might have said it smelled like a Christmas tree with some other unidentified scents thrown in. I'm never good at figuring out what all the notes of scents are, but green scents and citrus scents are usually my very favorites so that does make sense. (I do love it but I'm not sure I want more enough to pay $57 for it.) Added: the Nordstrom link didn't work when I tried it just now, so here's a Clinique one. (And only $47 instead of $57! For the moment there's still a Black Friday special with an additional 25% off, as well. If shipping is reasonable I may cave in on that one, although I shouldn't.) This set was probably produced in pretty limited quantities so this might not be around too long at any price!

My cousin gave me a little gift bag of this brand, which I had never heard of:

This stuff smells heavenly - the scent is lemongrass & mint (I said I liked green smells, remember?) - I guess I should look and see if they have a Black Friday sale or something because the regular price ($10 for 8 oz.)  is a bit steep for my tastes.

Oh one more - I'd forgotten I had this until I found it stuck in with some of my other beauty stuff the other night. I have pretty serious claustrophobia issues and I don't love having a mask covering my face, but I don't completely freak out or anything, either. I was thinking I could cut it in half next time I have one and do upper and lower halves at different times, or something. But anyway, I did use it and I liked the formula of this one better than whatever I had last time - I want to say that was honey? I wanted something with moisturizing properties so this was perfect. And it did make my face feel really good.

Dr Jart + Sephora lips

My husband's starting to look pained when he sees a Sephora box, sort of like he used to do at all the packages of nail polish a year or two ago. I've slowed down on the nail polish (mostly) and replaced that expense with moisturizer and other skincare items, these days. Sephora is so good at reeling me in with this stuff, although I do mostly keep to the lower-priced items. It could be worse, right? (That's what I always tell myself, anyway, and at least compared to a lot of the hauls I see on YouTube, mine are pretty reasonable.)

I really liked the Dr Jart+ Water Drop moisturizer that came in last month's Sephora Play box, and when I saw this "K Beauty" gift set which included that and two more items, I was hooked.

The Cicapair cream was a bonus deluxe sample. It seems to be something fairly similar to the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream that I like so much. The gift set had another Water Drop sample, plus the BB cream that you can see in the picture, and the third item is "Micro Water" which I think is something like the "micellar" water that has been such a hot thing lately. (I have tried a couple of brands of micellar water, and it seems like they irritate my hypersensitive skin a bit, although it does take off makeup really well. I'll be interested to see if this one is any different.)

Then we have some Sephora-brand lip things that were marked down. I was interested in trying some more and I figured starting with the marked-down ones was a good way to go. Also pictured here is another 100-point bonus item, Tarte Drink of H20.

This is Luster Matte in Lilac Luster and Rouge Infusion (which is a stain) in Cherry Nectar. Both of these colors are gone from the website now, but there are still other colors available for both products.

I swatched them both on my wrist:

I think the lilac one is pretty but it doesn't really look good on me - I should have guessed that, really, since I rarely like very pale shades of lipstick any more than I do in nail polish. (It's not actually that pale a color but it's paler than my lips, and I thought it looked odd.) The formula is nice, though. And I do like the cherry stain. It was only the color I was uncertain about there, since I got a small size of the Rouge Infusion in a Play! box very early on (meaning probably a year or more ago) and so I knew the consistency of it was fine - but I like this color better than that one. I think the old one was Peony, which is also no longer on the website.

I ordered this all in two separate orders so I also have a ton of smaller samples:

I haven't tried out all of this yet but the Tokyomilk fragrance smells super-awesome and I like the Elizabeth and James one also (I always do like theirs). Altogether, I spent about $40 on all of the above, which isn't too terrible. I've been working extra the last couple of months anyway so I reckon I've earned it. (Added: I found one more fragrance sample, which was Louboutin. I didn't even remember that they had added perfumes.)

More Halloween-ish NOTD + Sephora Play #2

This isn't an utterly fabulous picture and it has visible wear, but oh well:

This is Lynnderella Vampink over Misa Spinning Out Of Control, which is a dark purple. I just wanted a base that wasn't completely black, and I think this did nicely. I wore this manicure mattified for a couple of days, and then on Friday, when this was taken, I put a shiny top-coat on it. It was, naturally, much more showy that way.

Now I'm wearing Bat My Eyes, which I don't have a picture of so far. (It's been raining since yesterday morning, here, and isn't showing any particular signs of stopping yet, although it has slowed down so I guess we're not all going to wash away, at least!) Here are Bat My Eyes swatches from Swatch & Learn, and mine looks more or less exactly like this - minus her lovely oval nails, which I could never hope to achieve. Anyway, it's blackened antique gold, and I adore it and I may not take it off until Halloween is over. (For the record, I put my usual base under both these manicures - Instant Artificials and Bridge the Ridge. On this mani I used Butter London Hardwear top-coat.)


I don't really anticipate getting to take pictures by tomorrow, so I'm just going to tell you what was in the second month of Sephora Play. I'm sure if you're dying to see pictures you can poke around on YouTube or somewhere and find some but I'm not feeling like hunting for any right now. (Oh look, I stumbled across a full set of pics on Nouveau Cheap! so that was easy.) It's mostly Asian or Asian-style beauty products - which Sephora has been pushing all month, actually, so I shouldn't have been surprised. (They've changed their front page now because they appear to be swinging into holiday-gift mode, but here's a K-Beauty page - not that all these brands are Korean. Belif is; I'm not sure about Dr.Jart. Boscia is definitely a Japanese company, and I don't think Fresh or Atelier are Asian at all. (Added: Fresh was founded in Boston, according to its webpage, but I do think Dr Jart is Korean.)

Secrets of Dewy Skin
Sephora Play 02 - October 2015

• Boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser plus charcoal konjac sponge
• Sephora Pearl sheet mask
• Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin Day Tint
• Fresh Black Tea Age Delay Instant Infusion
• Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb
• Atelier Cologne - Mandarin Glacial

Both those last two were things I had at least samples of already, but I don't mind having more of either one, I like them both. I have actually never tried a sheet mask but I'm going to try this one. And I'm sure I'll try all the others, too. These days I kind of operate on the principle that you can never have too many skin products!