The Body Shop Cyber Monday 2009 Parcel

Another Cyber Monday deal I succumbed to. This was more of a re-stock opprotunity than anything else.

I had to re-stock on the Vitamin C Boost (which I use as an unconventional primer) and the Strawberry Body Polish.

I did get 2 new items: A Detangling Comb that I wanted to use with conditioners and a Midnight Stars Oil Burner (Drats! I forgot to include the oil burner in the pic. I promise to have pics with the review - so no worries).

I also picked up a Vitamin E Eye Cream for my granny. I've used it in the past but I wasn't consistent(plus I was ridicously young about 17 and obviously paranoid) so I can't give any honest feedback on this. Granny likes it though and what Granny wants Granny gets because she feeds me :)

Shipping Experience: A
No complaints with The Body Shop's shipping process. All the items arrived in one shipment and everything was well-wrapped and shipped securely. O I should also mention - they use ziploc baggies for everything! I'm a ziploc packer myself so I feel The Body Shop and I are kindred spirits :)

Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited PK 382s $22 Review & Swatches

This is another Gloss Unlimited sample I received from Shu.

"Easy-to-wear vivid shades in vibrant color. Each shade delivers intense color fidelity and brightness, 3 dimensional shine effect in a non-sticky formula that keeps lips hydrated and soft. Sheer Coverage." ~From the Shu Uemura website.

The sample is a pink color gloss in shade pk 382s. There's a wide range of colors and shades to choose from though!

Swatches

Here's a swatch of the gloss. It's very sheer and has tiny bits of glitter throughout.

My natural lip color.

With the gloss applied.

Sample Product Packaging
Even though this is just a sample of the gloss, the tube and cap are of good quality plastic.

This lip gloss has my preferred applicator - the fuzzy applicator! I find that this kind of applicator gives me the best control around the edges of my lips. With some other applicators I end up pushing all the gloss from the center of my lips out to the edges.

The Verdict: A-
I love how the gloss is non-sticky and the glitter is so finely milled, you can't even feel it. Even though the gloss is very sheer on me, it looks great by itself or layered upon lipsticks.

Shu Uemura Tsumori Chisato Makeup Bag $29 Review

"Store your make-up in Tsumori Chisato's world with this limited-edition cosmetic pouch decorated with lucky stars." ~from the Shu Uemura website

The bag is made of nylon and there's little pink and peach stars printed all over. The pink stars are glittered and I think the glitter will eventually rub off completely.

The Details

Front of the bag.

Back of the bag.

Some close-ups of the jewel details and zipper on the bag. The bezel of the jewels and the jewels themselves are plastic. The star zipper is shiny gold pleather.

Inside of the bag and a close-up of the inside. There is a side pocket on one side for small items. You can see how puffy the lining is on both sides.

The Verdict: B+
I really like how insulated the bag is because all the items are protected and secure. But all this cushioning comes with a compromise on space.  The bag will hold just enough items for the day but that's it and it gets pretty crowded. Overall I've really enjoyed using it to tow my daily makeup.

Shu Uemura Tsumori Chisato Rouge Unlimited $25 Review & Swatches

"Rouge Unlimited lipstick in a limited edition shade of Jupiter Brown and encased within Tsumori Chisato's exclusive "Lucky Cat" packaging design." ~from Shu Uemura's website

This special holiday packaging is for the Limited Edition shade Juniper Brown. The color is a nude rose with a gold sheen to it. The gold is from teeny tiny gold glitter. Look below for to see swatches!

Swatches

Here's my natural lip color.

With the rouge applied. Can you see the tiny gold glitter?

Product Packaging
How cute are the box and the lipstick? I love the whimsical doodles of this packaging. The lipstick case is made from a high grade plastic and seems really durable.

And check this out....

You can re-use the case with other Rouge Unlimited lipsticks! Alls you gotta do is pop out the lipstick from the base and voila!

Even though the packaging is so cute, I probably would've resisted this purchase because I've got lipsticks and lip glosses to last me a couple of lifetimes. But the fact that you can re-use the case over and over again was enough to convince me to get it.

The Verdict: A-
The lipstick glides on very smoothly and it doesn't dry out my lips at all. I do however feel the glitter if I rub my lips together.

Another thing I liked is how the lipstick fits perfectly in the Dior lipstick case from Saks! That's right - I am not ashamed to mix my labels. I love this because if I'm going to be re-using this case, I really do NOT want the design to rub off from getting shuffled around my makeup bag.

Shu Uemura Cyber Monday 2009 Parcel

Did anybody take advantage of the Shu Uemura Cyber Monday deal? I thought it was pretty awesome so I couldn't resist and picked up some goodies from their Tsumori Chisato Holiday 2009 Collection.

I crumbled and ordered the Holiday Rouge Unlimited and the Holiday Makeup bag.

Freebies

I also received this bag and samples along with my swag. There are sooo many samples and the size for some of these are HUGE!  Just to give some perspective, the dimensions of the mesh bag are about 5x7.

Shipping Experience: A

Shu got it right this time. Right-sized box, lots of packing peanuts and all the items arrived safe and sound.

Mario Badascu Sample Parcel

I really liked the results I'd been seeing using Mario Badescu's products that I thought I'd check out more of their products online. Did I mention Mario Badescu totally rocks? Look at the samples they sent me just for filling out an online questionnaire to determine my skincare concerns.

Yep, these were all free and didn't cost a penny. All the samples they sent are part of the skincare regimen they recommend for my skin type.

Light Reading
Included with the sample parcel was a MB Product Guide booklet that categorizes and explains all of the skincare products they offer and a Product Application Guide for the samples they sent me.

Below are some pics of the Product Application Guide. Click to expand any of the pictures for a closer look.

The front cover.

The pages inside. The left page lists all the products they recommend and which ones were included in the sample parcel. The right page has directions on when and how to apply each product.

And the back with a picture reference on how to properly apply skincare products.

Shipping Experience: A+
They shipped these goodies uber fast in a bubble-wrap lined plastic envelope. So all the samples were well-cushioned and shielded from moisture damage.

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation $58 Review & Swatches

"As seen in the press, capture the glow of perfect skin with this award-winning foundation. Luminous Silk foundation is an oil-free fluid with exclusive Micro-fil technology. So weightless, it redefines foundation. Its hydrating fluid glides on seamlessly with a silky texture and all-day, buildable coverage. For all skin types.

•weightless and luminous oil-free fluid
•natural finish
•all-day sheer to moderate coverage

application techniques:
Apply with the unique blender brush for a radiant, air-brushed finish." ~from the Armani Beauty website.

The sample foundation I received is shade #4.5 in Sand which is a match for MAC NC25.

Swatches

Here's some of the foundation right out of the tube.

The Verdict: A
This foundation is really light weight and goes on beautifully. You can build coverage from light to heavy and it doesn't cake either. I did not have any issues with this foundation oxidizing and I found it easy to apply by stippling or blending it in with a sponge.

It wears for a good 6 hours and although I haven't tried it out myself, I've heard it doesn't give you a "ghost-face" in photos taken with flash.

Sample Product Packaging
As alway's Armani's packaging is simple and tre chic. Even the sample has it's own outter packaging that seems to be made from heavy black construction paper.

The sample itself is a small squeezy tube. No complaints here. It's easy and tidy to dispense the foundation.

Armani Fluid Master Primer $55 Review & Swatches

I received this as a sample with a previous Armani Beauty order and I've finally gotten around to trying it out. Yea - took me forever and a day.

"An innovative primer for the face that smoothes skin's surface, refines pores and creates a flawless canvas on which to apply foundation.

•silky, gliding texture imparts a matte, yet transparent glow to skin
•smoothes away fine lines and imperfections
•perfectly even facial canvas for ideal application of foundation
•high comfort and make-up hold

application techniques:
Perform usual skin care routine to ensure a cleansed and moisturized face. Apply a small amount of product to the back of the hand. Using the fingertip, begin application to the center of the face, working outwards to cover the entire facial canvas, in upwards strokes." ~from the Armani Beauty website

Swatches

Here's a drop of the clear primer. The consistency is gel-like but it doesn't feel thick.

The Verdict: B-
I found this to be kinda meh. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it but I'm not wowed either. The primer is easy to spread over the face and is fairly lightweight. It holds foundation in place but I noticed that foundation tended to cake around dry patches. It didn't create that smooth surface I was looking for.

I have to say at least it didn't make my t-zone turn into an oil slick. My nose did start to get a bit shiny around the 2 hour mark and I had to blot with an oil-sheet.

Sample Product Packaging
As alway's Armani's packaging is simple and tre chic. The sample has it's own outter packaging. Now that's jsut too cool. The material of the box feels like heavy black construction paper.

The sample itself is a small squeezy tube. No complaints here. It's easy and tidy to dispense the primer.

Mario Badescu Drying Cream $12 Review & Swatches

This Drying Cream is another item from the Acne Repair Kit.

I feel like this is the daytime alternative to the Drying Lotion and the Buffering Lotion since it supposedly can be used under makeup.

Here's a pic of the stuff in it's plastic tub. I know - it's not very pretty to look at.

The Verdict: B
I can't say that I've used this a lot. There is a really strong chemically smell to the Drying Cream so I just don't find myself reaching for this.

Aside from the smell, it's not spreadable or absorbed easily by the skin. This makes it difficult for me to use with makeup. The cream has a beigy-tan color to it and I find it doesn't work well with foundation.

Also, when I try to blend this in, it goes all over and onto areas of skin that don't have breakouts. The cream will dry out the unneeded areas and make the skin peely.

But does it work? Yes - it definitely helps to dry out pimples even faster when used together with either the Drying Lotion or the Buffering Lotion.

Swatches

Here's some of the Drying Cream before blending.

Here it is after blending. It's still sitting on the surface of the skin and leaves a white film over the skin.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion $17 Review & Swatches

This item is part of the Acne Repair Kit that I purchased.

The Drying Lotion is to be used on pimples that have formed into whiteheads. The product has 2 components to it: a clear watery liquid that takes up the top 2/3 of the container and a pink powdery sediment that is on the bottom 1/3 of the contents.

Just as the directions say, you dip a Q-tip vertically into the product until you reach the pink part. Then you dab it directly onto the pimple.

Here's a shot of the Q-tip with the product on the end and ready for application.

The Verdict: A
This product really does work! No wonder it has a cult following. As soon as it's applied, I can feel the pimple drying and tighten up.

This is to be applied in the evening and allowed to work overnight. In the morning, the pimple is pretty much gone. Depending on how BIG the pimple is, the whitehead is usually gone and the pimple itself is shrunken.

The best part is this product doesn't dry out the skin surrounding the pimple so you don't end up with that peely look.

Swatches

See how chalky it is? I wouldn't recommend applying this during the day since it can't be blended or covered up very well.

Product Packaging
The container for this product is a glass bottle with a screw top cap. Since the Q-tip is dipped straight down into the bottle, after a couple of dips there's a pretty noticeable dent in the middle of the pink sediment. I would have liked if the opening of the bottle wasn't a narrow neck. It would've made it easier to get around the edges to all of the product.