Yay! A way overdue hual! ... and post.

I had a crappy week last week and the only thing that made me happy all last week was knowing that my purchase from Sephora would be coming today, Tuesday, except that it came a day early (it came yesterday)! Yay! So here's what I got:

- Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 - 13.5 oz $20.00
- Sephora Brand Signature Clear Bag Collection - Smoke - Medium Cosmetic Case $6.00
- Sephora Brand Glass Nail Files - Purple $8.00

- Kat Von D Holiday Tote Bonus Gift (not sure if this is still available)
- Sample - Lolita Lempicka Forbidden Flower Eau de Parfum - 0.4 oz
- Sample - Lancome GENIFIQUE EYE Youth Activating Eye Concentrate
- Sample - Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Eau de Parfum - 0.05 oz

Now here's the kicker... I only paid sales tax of $3.15 on all this. I had a $25 gift card and I also used the $15 discount that Sephora was having. This really made up for me missing out on their friends and family sale. I know this may not be a lot for most people, but since I'm not a big makeup shopper, this is pretty big for me. So far, I'm loving all the products. Here's a short initial review to each product:

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2:
I was hoping this would be the size with the pump cap, but it isn't. The one with the pump you can get at Sephora stores or they usually come with holiday sets. It kind of sucks because that was pretty much the reason why I wanted to get this large size in the first place. Oh wells. Onto my initial review. I've tried #4 before but it was so strong in alcohol. That toner really made my fingers all dried up and it looked horribly disgusting. I'm hoping that #2 will be a bit more milder than the #4. So far so good.. but it's only been 2 days. The smell is alright. I don't mind it. It's a mix between alcohol and something else.... probably the witch hazel.

Sephora Brand Signature Clear Bag Collection - Smoke - Medium Cosmetic Case
I love this! Ok, I admit, when it comes to some things, I am a name-brand whore. This was only 6 bucks and it says Sephora on it. I love the color and I love that it is tinted. To me, it gives it a more classy/sophisticated feel rather than the clear. Yeah.. that's what it says on the product description, but I do believe in it. Before this one, I was using an old Hello Kitty one and I'm not a big fan of hello kitty. I associate Hello Kitty with teeny boppers and children.

I love that this holds all my daily makeup including my medium size travel mirror. It's also the right size to put in my purse. Think the only thing I don't like about this is that there are 2 large gaps by the zipper ends. I can see skinny items like pencil liners and my tweezer falling out if this gets tilted during travel.

Sephora Brand Glass Nail Files - Purple
I've been wanting a glass file for so long since I've heard that these are better for your nails than the sand paper type ones. Also, it's reusable. All you have to do is run it under water and ta-da it's clean! I tried it out once I opened the Sephora box and I think it's pretty much like any fine sand files that i have used before. But I guess I'll see if this file really does make a difference later on. The clear holder that it comes in is made of cheapy hard plastic and it's already starting to tear apart. Not sure what to put the file in after the holder rips though.


I'm also loving the freebies. I plan on using the Kat Von D bag for camping trips as my toiletry bag. The perfumes I like and I can see myself maybe purchasing the full size later on. Probably not any time soon though since I'm not a big perfume wearer. These samples would probably last me for a good amount of time. I am pretty excited to try the Lancome Genifique Eye Youth Activating Eye Concentrate. I have horrible under eye circles and puffiness so I hope this takes care of it. This stuff is pretty expensive too so if it works on me, I am hesitant to buy the full size. But I have a pretty good size sample so hopefully it'll last me for a bit.