Chanel, Herbivore, Kate Somerville, Dr.Brandt and Nuxe Empties. Would I Repurchase? (PART 1)

Chanel, Herbivore, Kate Somerville, Dr.Brandt and Nuxe Empties. Would I Repurchase? (PART 1)

Ok here are quite a few items I have used up and have formed some what of a pretty good opinion on. Some of these products were bought by me within this year 2017 and some were bought before this year but only now has finished. (Mind my English.. its the wee hours and my brain is not functioning as well). I will give you some info or thoughts about these items individually and let you know if I would or would not repurchase them.

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The goods

Kate Sommerville RetAsphere 2-in-1 Retinol Night Cream

This 2-in-1 Retinol Night Cream is designed to gently infuse skin with pure retinol to help diminish the appearance of fine lines and even out texture and skin tone. The RetAsphere Smart Release Carrier System gently delivers pure retinol in a lipid shell that melts evenly into the epidermis -  where it is most effective - while seaweed extract, with bio-derived hyaluronic acid helps prevent over-drying by locking in hydration where and when the skin needs it.

What do i think about it? I LOVE IT! I am on to my second tube and I have a spare in my drawer..thats how much I love it. One pump of this stuff is enough for my entire face. Its a light yellow colored cream and I use it at nighttime after cleansing for 3-4 nights a week. I don't use this every night. What I have noticed after finishing up one whole tube which last me around 5 months or more is that it's not drying what so ever, my acne has gone down significantly, pores have reduced in size, less whiteheads, texture of my skin is smoother and firmer skin. But this could be in combination with my other skincare regime. But be warned, with any retinol products used, it is best to be used at night time only and always slather on SPF/suncreen during the day time. My skin has not reacted badly to this ever, and I am halfway done with my second bottle. Down side to this  product is that so far as I know, it can only be purchased through Sephora.com and in Sephora's physical store. You could buy from international websites but as i don't have a credit card, that is not an option. Another down side is that this stuff is pricey and the price just went up again! I originally bought this for RM387 ( around that price) and now it's RM405! I hope its not going up again. But as for now, this item is sold out. I would suggest getting this when Sephora has the 20% member sale. Hopefully they will restock by then.

VERDICT: REPURCHASE (DURING SEPHORA 20% SALE)

Dr.Brandt Xtend Your Youth Face Cream

This stuff is legit good! I bought this at 50% off on Kensapothecary online store and bought another for back ups. It has a gel-like cream texture and does not make me greasy or oily. It absorbs fast and leaves my face plump and moisturized. A few months back I got a scare. It was no longer available online and in-stores. I asked the sales assistant at Kens 1Utama, they said that they have no clue whether they are going to restock this item or its going to be discontinued. So i went on a hunt for the perfect daytime moisturizer. Luckily I stumbled upon this back in stores last Saturday and immediately bought one! It retails for RM239 for 50g and i mainly use it for daytime as it doesn't make my face oily. 

VERDICT: REPURCHASE

Dr.Brandt Laser FX Bright serum

Ok....just looking at this makes my eyes tear up. It's discontinued. *sobs loudly*. I bought this on Kensapothecary online store for buy one free one. I used up both with great results along side the vit dose Vit C serum. Why...oh why... Anywhooo.. I'm still hoping it will be restocked as I bought another of their serums with the same beneficial claims and it was no way near as good and twice the price. I hate it when this happens. Anyway, these were priced at RM200++ i can't remember exactly, but were worth every cent. It helped lightened my scars, better texture and brighter skin.

VERDICT: REPURCHASE ( I WISH)

CHANEL Poudre Universelle Libre Natural Finish Loose Powder.

Holygrail!!! This was my second tub and I am on to my third. It lasts pretty long and I love the puff it comes with (unlike Laura Mercier which I have to buy the puff separately..looking at you Laura...looking at youuu..).  and the puff actually fits inside the tub. This stuff is the only powder i find good for my oily combi skin and lasts a really long time on the skin. Its a huge tub. I have it in 20 clair. The only downside to this is that I originally bought my first tub at RM165, the it went up to RM175 and my latest tub is RM190. The price goes up every year and it kills me that i can't live without it. I have bought and tried out so many others but keep going back to this one. 

VERDICT: REPURCHASE EVEN IF THE PRICE KILLS ME

Herbivore Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask

Yup yup.. resurfaces and clarifies. This is the first ever mask I fell in love with. I took a gamble at purchasing this solely based on reviews from Sephora USA website. And it did not disappoint. Acne went down so much and pores were clearer texture of the skin finer. Redness also went away. I bought another during the 20% members sale and i was up like a hawk that night just to catch the start of the sale and did not wait a second. snapped it up super fast and within a few minutes it was SOLD OUT! Breathed a sigh of relieve.... thank goodness I was fast enough. Haha. Lasts a pretty long time and i initially used it 3-4 times a week and went down to 1-2 times a week as i had a few other skincare items to go through. 

VERDICT: REPURCHASE (BEFORE THE CONTENTS FINISH)

Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm

This balm was my first true lip balm love. I was struck with dry..parched chapped lips spell and during our trip to Paris, I googled the best items to purchase at a French Pharmacie..ohhhs and ahhhs. I just loved the pharmacies there. When ever I see the + sign, my heart skipped a beat. Made my way all alone to St. Germain where they say that it was one of the best pharmacies around. Bought this and it lasted me 2 years! I love this. I think that Sasa Malaysia carries this brand but I have yet to check on it. I have tried others but I really do need to repurchase this as nothing else comes close. It doesn't leave the lips feeling oily or sticky. It has a honey smell, hence the "miel" part which meals honey. It has a matte finish which is awesome and i slather this on generously at night and wake up to plump juicy lips in the morning.

VERDICT: REPURCHASE!

I guess you could say that these items are biased as all of them are on my repurchase list. But to be honest, I hardly finish the ones that I don't like. But I have another upcoming blog post on another big "empties". Stay tuned for that one. And another thing to note is that I hardly make a dent in my makeup items besides loose powder, so it's kinda hard to reach empty bottle/pan state. So what i'm planning to do is a blog post on "Project Hit Pan 2018" where i gather up skincare and makeup items that are already in my stash that need more lovin. Its such a waste to leave them unattended and purchase other things when I have so much in my collection already. Lets see the outcome of that post at the end of 2018 whether I like the items or should I just chuck them out.

Till next time toodledoos!

Super Luxurious Chanel Sublimage Le Teint Ultimate Radiance-Generating Cream Foundation

Chanel Sublimage Le Teint Ultimate Radiance-Generating Cream Foundation

Hold up. Could we be more boujee@lux than this? Yes we could. Ha Ha. But this is my dream come true. I've been eyeing this foundation for months ever since it launched in Malaysia. Fast forward after numerous foundation purchases later, (whoops) I still craved for this, regretting most of my other purchases and how the cost of those foundations could have gotten me this gem right here. I searched high and low on the internet on reviews, swatches and first impressions of this foundation but there weren't many. (Kept on replaying Tati and Jefree Star's vid mind you).

A while back, I was given a generous 5ml sample of this foundation from my favorite sales assistant Miko from Chanel Sunway Pyramid to try out. (Now u see why I keep going back to her every time i want to purchase a Chanel product). I also believe that samples are so important when trying out such expensive skincare or makeup so that you have a chance to see through a course of a few days how the products fair with your skin color and type. I was on the fence about it at first. First off, the PRICE, it was ridiculous! RM475... tears rolling down my cheeks as I type this...really. Secondly, It was 30ml. Other foundations have the same amount if not more with a much cheaper price tag. Third of all, the color match. I was given a sample of this foundation in the shade B20 (samples only come in the shades B20 and B30). Although I could pull B20 off anytime and upon first application it matched me to a T, throughout the course of the day, it oxidized just a smidge on me. Furthermore I would like something more brightening.

According to the description of this foundation on the Chanel website, the Sublimage Le Teint is an ultimate radiance-generating cream foundation for a sublime experience of light day after day. Extremely Sensorial, its luscious and lightweight cream emulsion offers a second skin sensation. The complexion is even and radiant with vitality. Skin is incredibly soft, supple and moisturized. Adjustable coverage: light to medium and is suitable for all skin types.

How the Chanel website explains the application of this foundation is to apply the Sublimage Le Teint foundation with the spatula, dabbing a small amount onto each cheek the forehead and chin. For a precise natural makeup result, spread the texture from the middle of the face outwards with a dedicated brush.

The Sublimage Le Teint consists of intense vanilla planifollia water which delivers strength and vitality to the skin, while preserving its quality. Diamond powder encapsulated in silicon beads and combined with synthetic mice reflects light in a spectacular way and offers incomparable radiance. There is also a cocktail of three plant-origin ingredients: glycerin, biosaccharide and phytosqualane for 12-hour hydration and long-lasting comfort.

Here are some of the pictures I took of this luxurious cream foundation. My full review comes after you feast your eyes on these pictures.

Just the colors of the packaging are enough to lure you in!

It doesn't look like a tonne of product but its going to last me awhile as a little goes a long way.

A heavy swatch of B10 / 10 Beige (i usually use half of this for my whole face!)

Left: 20 Beige 

Right: 10 Beige

(heavy swatches)

Lux heavy glass jar

A decent deluxe sized sample of the 20 Beige which i have to blame for why i fell in love with this foundation in the first place.

A few more skincare samples which could potentially get me into more trouble with my "Banker"..a.k.a Hubs dearest.

Now on to the review!

COLOR/ SHADE MATCH:
I originally received the 20 Beige and could definitely pull it off, but I went for the 10 beige for a more brightening effect. I guess if I wanted a slightly tanned look I could probably mix with some pigments or a darker foundation. For a tad warmer color, i like to mix it with a wee bit of sample of the 20 beige.

TEXTURE: 
Its not your typical heavy oily cream foundation (which I thought it would be initially but boy was I wrong). It has me mind boggled as it has a gel like creamy feel to it and glides so well on the prepped skin. I have combination skin with an oily t-zone and some dryer patches, acne prone skin, acne scarring and large pores. So far as I can see, the texture of this foundation glides over all those areas with no problem not even on the dryer areas. Doesn't make me oily and after finishing up a whole 5 ml sample of it, has not caused me to break out. Yeay!

COVERAGE:
Its light to medium coverage true to Chanels claim. I like a light foundation base and spot conceal the problematic areas for a truly skin-like finish. Because it has a cream-gel like texture, it never ever gets cakey even if i powder my whole face with the Chanel loose powder.I am super surprised that it does not pool in pores even after a full days wear and in the heat of our wonderful Malaysian  weather. Even on rainy days it doesn't melt.

SMELL: 
Smells pleasant and light, not too over powering but enough to make me feel delighted. It smells expensive..I just couldnt explain this further. haha.

PACKAGING:
The packaging...oh...the packaging. I hate to break it to you but I wish that It wasnt in a jar for hygiene reasons. Not that i dont love the aesthetics of this super lux heavy glass jar, but its pretty fiddly opening up scooping it out..making sure the spatula is clean and closing back the lid. Its a fuss and a half. But the product itself makes me over look the troubles i have with the packaging! teehee... furthermore, I also dont think that it would pump out of a pump well because of the thicker texture.
But I think this would be pretty hard to travel with and i am so afraid of this dropping on the floor! *gasp!*

LONGEVITY:
Well what can i say, even on my oily combination skin, it stayed put throughout the day! Does not melt on me even if i sweat. It looks even more radiant after a while. I could say that this foundation last through my 7-12 hours of wear depending on how long I want my makeup on. It feels so comfortable and light as air. As if I am not wearing any foundation..and I am not afraid for people to come up close and talk to me as there is literally no cake face! It smooths over my lines and does not enhance them. My qualm is that, It contains no SPF (which I know some of you like and is great for photography). But, It also has skincare benefits which i wonder if I put my SPF under, will it penetrate that layer to still give me the benefits that it claims to give? I dont know, but without SPF on, I feel that after a whole day of wearing it, when i remove the foundation, my skin is still very soft and radiant. Hurmm..must be doing something special then am I right?

PRICE:
CRY CRY CRY....yes..and CRY again. It took me a while to muster up the notion of even attempting to get it because of the price point. Before I took the leap, I bought a few other foundations in between.. some of which I regret. If you count all the foundations cost..i would have gotten this luxurious foundation faster. haha. Its a WHOPPING RM475. which comes down to almost RM16 per gram. Eyes popping out already? yup..thats right...you saw correctly. But am i happy with the purchase? YES! No regrets.


Overall I give this foundation a 9/10 (minus 1 mark for the horrendous price tag).

Hope you loved this review as much as I loved writing it. Till next time! LOVE HUGS and TOODLEDOOS!

PIXI SKINTREATS: PIXI GLOW TONIC AND OVERNIGHT GLOW SERUM REVIEW

So sorry dear readers for being MIA for a good few months. I've been away in September for a short holiday with hubby dearest and i got lazy till December. Not only that, i had a terrible acne breakout all over my face i think it was due to trying out a few local skincare products and the fact that my soy intake was high. Some people are fine with soy products but me...I stopped taking soy products (except Tempe which is fermented and good for your gut flora) and my pimples a.k.a. raging acne came down quite a lot.

Oh boy...do I have some story telling to do today. I started getting acne along the jawline and i thought why not change to some local skincare products..loads of Facebook pictures of fair complected flawless people as testimonies and quick results. Who wouldn't want that right? Yes i hopped on the bandwagon alright, and I regret every bit of it. So i bought a set (I'm not naming any products as i don't want to name shame. Others seem to be doing well with it), and upon cleansing, my face felt taut and uncomfortable, I used the day cream which the sales person said acted as a moisturizer and foundation all in one...whoot whoot..awesome right? NOPE...it was not awesome what so ever. Not only did it fail miserably in moisturizing my face it was a terrible color match as a foundation. It melted as i sweat. it looked cakey when my natural face oils came out. I looked like a hot mess! ( And i do not mean the pretty kinda HOT). Night time came and i cleansed again with the cleanser. My face tight again, then came the night cream which smelt like toothpaste. It was cooling yes..it didn't sting..yes. but it was not moisturizing what so ever. I felt miserable,

So 2 weeks went by,  my acne subsided somewhat. but i hated the feel of my skin. The acne became black spots! The acne that didn't erupt or came to a head stayed inside and looked all painful and the skin became blackened. Oh my..what have i gotten myself into. I tried for a few more days and then thought.. that's it! I've had enough.

I stopped and at that time Sephora Malaysia online website had some new arrivals. The Pixi skintreats were available online! I quickly did some homework on the whole line a.k.a. stalk online blog reviews and makeupalley reviews. Made my first Pixi Skintreat purchase which only consisted of two most raved about items which were the Pixi Glow Tonic and the Pixi Overnight glow Serum. I have to tell you, these two started my journey to better skin. But mind you, this brand is almost completely sold out as i write this post. I do hope they stock up soon and bring some other Pixi products in too! So lets get into some of the Pixi products i fell head over heels for. I think i have used it for almost two months to have a somewhat opinion on these lovelies.

Pixi Glow Tonic

This Glow Tonic is basically a gently exfoliating toner which gives your skin a brighter and clearer look by removing dead skin cells to reveal healthy glowing skin and refine the texture of your skin. The formula is made with botanical extracts some of which are aloe vera and ginseng to soothe sensitive skin. Its hypoallergenic and ideal for all skin types.

It also contains 5% glycolic acid. 5% which may not sound like much but i guess i wouldn't want my toner to be any more acidic than that. I prefer a gentle exfoliating toner to softly slough off the dead skin and remove any remaining traces of makeup or sunscreen. A bonus point would be that it's paraben free and it is not tested on animals. Yeay for that!

How i use this is i take one cotton pad and place two drops of this magical tonic concoction and swipe it all over my face and neck. I find that after doing so i see results almost instantly..i mean..at first i couldn't believe my eyes but paired with the overnight glow serum..the next day my skin looked much healthier. And after almost 2 months wearing this I'm a true believer of this miracle product. I use this once in the morning and once at night after cleansing and before i put on serums and moisturizer.

I've only gone through slightly over a quarter of the contents of a 250ml bottle but my skin looks as if i've been doing something right for years. I can't wait for the results of using this for a year. I wonder if one year later i would still be raving about this as much as i am right this
moment. hhmmmm?

Pixi Overnight Glow Serum

This serum gently exfoliates to reveal a healthier and more even skin tone. It helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and fades superficial sun damage over time (thats what the box says at least). What i say is that it is unicorn tears in a bottle!! hehe..I'm kidding..

This stuff is pretty potent. There isn't a particular smell to it. It's clear and thick. I find it pretty hard to dispense using the dropper/pipette though. I find it easier to swipe it at the back of my clean washed hand and then spread it on my face. A little goes a loong way. If you put too much..it gets pretty sticky. If there was one thing Pixi should improve is the method of dispensing this gem of a serum... but please do not change the serum itself. Its fine the way it is.

This serum contains Glycolic acid 10% to stimulate cell turover, aloe vera to heal and soothe and cucumber to calm and relieve puffy skin. Tick tick tick. I find this product does not irritate my skin that has gone through a lot lately. I have less congested skin and clogged pores and my skin feels smoother and brighter. But i do go on top of this serum with a night time moisturizer. A point i must add is that with all these acids going on at night, be sure to slap on some high SPF sunscreen in the AM ok. You don't want your skin to get sun damage and sun pots now do you. I usually use a 45 to 50 SPF in the AM.

It says on the box to use it in the PM as needed. Massage 2-3 drops (which was difficult to do) onto cleansed, toned skin before moisturizer. And that's what i follow.

There are a few more items which have made my skin sooo much better but i want to keep that one in a separate blog post as that particular product actually lightened my scars. I could confidently say as much as 70% lightened in just 2 weeks! I'm not joking and I would never lie about expensive stuff..hahha..because i wouldnt want to invest in this again unless it actually works. By the way..I have never been sponsored to say anything. This blog is somewhat my personal skin diary. Enough spoiler for this time and lets just wait for the next blog post.

Verdict:

I have this fear in my mind that by the time I've gone through the last drop in these two bottles.. Sephora has yet to restock them and i have to find other ways of getting these back in my life again. I feel like crying just thinking about it...booohooo. Even worse would be the thought that Sephora restocked the Pixi line but i was not fast enough to snap them up. Wouldnt that be a total nightmare!

I'm pretty happy with my skincare right now and would like to see further improvements with the aid of these products. I would rate these items 9/10 each, 1 point deducted for availability of the item in Malaysia and another point deducted for the somewhat iffy dropper in the serum bottle.

Pixi Glow Tonic 140ml: RM140 
http://www.sephora.my/products/pixi-glow-tonic/v/250-ml

Pixi Overnight Serum 30ml: RM121
http://www.sephora.my/products/pixi-overnight-glow-serum

Till the next blog post Lovelies.