2017 has had a shaky start for me on the blogging front. I remembered telling two very dear blogging friends that I was no longer passionate about my presence online and I thought it was high time to wave the white flag.
Why am I telling you guys this? Well, it's definitely not an attention seeking post so readers can reassure me about my blog (let us limit the attention seekers only to Facebook, you know who they are. The ones who post about how fabulous their life, partner, work, dog, cat, flowers, that fucking carrot stick for lunch 100 times a day begging for likes and comments. Like who the fuck are you kidding, if your life is so amazing, you wouldn't be begging for attention on FB. 😒) but is to let you guys know there will be some major changes going forward. I have decided that I will be rejecting a lot of collaborations unless I am confident it will benefit both my readers and myself. I was extremely unhappy that my blog was pretty much an advert in 2016 and my own voice was barely heard.
Moving forward there will be more of 'me' and less of 'this was sent for consideration' and I hope you lovelies will enjoy a better balance on Reflection of Sanity. And enough of this little woe is me crap and let's get to today's post.
I plan to be more mindful of my beauty purchases in 2017 which means no more foolish spending and only getting my hands on products that I know I'll get maximum use out of. These are the products that I have had my eyes on for yonks and they are a mixture of personal purchases in between the end of December to last week, gifts with purchases and products that I have bought or traded off beauty groups.
MAKEUP
Most of these purchases are little treats to myself for my upcoming birthday at the end of the month. I finally caved in and picked up Viseart Theory Palette (Minx II), Tom Ford Lips & Boys in shade Jared, Burberry Eye Colour in shade Rosewood and also purchased a full size Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume mascara which is holy grail for me. Both products from Tarte are Sephora birthday gifts and while I enjoy the blusher, I can't say the same about the liquid lipstick. It's lightweight but very drying on my lips.
I bought two deluxe samples of Nars lipsticks from a lady in a FB beauty group that I am in; Nars Velvet Lip Glide in shade Le Palace and Nars Matte Lip Pencil in shade Cruella (not in the picture as I misplaced and lost it 😭 but have since repurchased and waiting for its arrival) and lastly, I picked up CoverGirl Super Sizer for the second time hoping that I have better luck with it to which I did. It pairs beautifully with Marc Jacobs mascara and it's the reason why you can see my lashes these days.
If you're wondering why Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powder has its own special picture, well this arrived after this post was created. I was taken aback when this arrived as it's so tiny, a deluxe sample size to be exact but there was no mistake, this is the full size. Initially I was a little perturbed by it but let's be honest, how many of us actually hit pan of a highlighter? Especially us beauty enthusiasts whom have multiple highlighters in our collection.
The shade Incandescent Strobe Light in the pan looks extremely similar to Hourglass Ambient Powder in shade Dim Light but once it's on the skin, it's a whole different story. This has to be the most beautiful natural, subtle, healthy glow from within highlighter that I own. It's also almost invisible to the eye so unless you are in my face, you wouldn't be able to tell that I am wearing a highlighter.
One word, S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G.
This is the picture that triggered what the flying fuck!? to me because I didn't realize that I bought so much skincare related products within a month.
This has to be one of the best beauty purchases that I have ever made in my life. Not only is this set an amazing value but I also came across one of the best cleansers that I have ever used in my life. Initially I had trouble with Foreo Luna being too gentle on my skin but now I am used to the gentleness and actually appreciate it. You can read about my love for Boscia Purifying Cleansing Gel here but will have to wait before using the facial oil and sheet mask as I have to finish what I have first.
I bought three new The Ordinaries serums, Buffet, Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and Matrixyl 10% + HA which arrived before Christmas but I won't go in-depth now as I have a post about them coming up soon. Shiseido Ultimate Cleansing Oil is one of the newest additions into my skincare regime because I was looking for a replacement for my beloved Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse, do I love Shiseido more? Nope, frankly I miss having Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse in my routine so I can see myself going back to it after I am done with this bottle from Shiseido.
Neotrogena Rapid Tone Repair moisturizer caught my attention because it has decent spf and it also has Vitamin C and Retinol. I'm still on the fence about it but do let me know if any of you want a full review on it.
It took me a long time to start adding face mist into my routine but now I can't stop! I love spritzing my skin and then apply serum on top as it helps immensely with absorption so I picked up La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water. Must say I didn't notice any differences with the one I had from Vichy but I have only started using it for roughly a week. Bioderma Moisturzing Stick came into my life when a customer told me it's the only thing that kept her lips in tip top conditions throughout winter so I had to give it a try. It's really good but be warned that the first ingredient is mineral oils.
Neotrogena Rapid Tone Repair moisturizer caught my attention because it has decent spf and it also has Vitamin C and Retinol. I'm still on the fence about it but do let me know if any of you want a full review on it.
It took me a long time to start adding face mist into my routine but now I can't stop! I love spritzing my skin and then apply serum on top as it helps immensely with absorption so I picked up La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water. Must say I didn't notice any differences with the one I had from Vichy but I have only started using it for roughly a week. Bioderma Moisturzing Stick came into my life when a customer told me it's the only thing that kept her lips in tip top conditions throughout winter so I had to give it a try. It's really good but be warned that the first ingredient is mineral oils.
Lastly, these three face masks are such amazing additions to my skincare routine! Laneige Water Sleeping Mask is no stranger to me as I absolutely adore it but I bought this sample set because I wanted to try Laneige Mulberry Yogurt Repairing Mask. I wasn't sure if I would like it so I thought this sample set was the best way to try without breaking the bank. The verdict? I absolutely love the mask and will be purchasing a full size in the future. REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Mask was given out as one of the ipsy items a couple of months back and while it wasn't included in my bag, I managed to trade for two tubes of it. Again, my skin is loving the mask and once I'm done with both tubes, I will be purchasing the full size.
So there you have it, my recent haul within less than a month and I swear I didn't even realize that it was quite a long list. I wish I could tell you that this is the last of my haul but...I have a Wayne Goss brush 05, Clean Apothecary Brush Shampoo and one last Sephora order on its way. Yes, I desperately need to spank myself into a spending ban.
Let me know if you want to see the other products in another haul post or if you prefer a review post and I'll schedule it in!
What are your recent beauty purchases?
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