Saturday, October 18, 2008

Disillusionment

MAC is getting more and more disappointing these days. I stopped by MAC yesterday and they had the brush sets out for people to look at. Boy was I disappointed. The promo pictures made the bags look really glossy and luxurious, but in real life the bags just looked cheap. The patent leather part looked rather fake and the rest of the bag was just regular, inexpensive-looking nylon.

The brushes themselves too were disappointing. I wanted the Face brush set because I needed a second back up of my 187SE but the brush on display looked rather sparse and of poorer quality than the version I own (which is from Novel Twist collection in '07). People have been saying the brush sets are poor quality, and I never really agreed because I find my Novel Twist brush set quite good. However I guess the quality of the brush sets have just been going down ever since.

So, now I have some extra room in my budget...which is both a good and bad thing. Good...because I can use it for other things or save it (ideally). Bad...because I went into Sephora afterwards and saw the Clarisonic brush in pink and now I'm lemming it.

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Nevermind that this costs way more than what I would've spent on the brush set, haha. I had been considering it a couple weeks before and put away the idea, but now I suddenly want it again...partly because I started talking to the store manager (who is incredibly nice btw). She went on and on about how she didn't think the brush was a big deal when she tested it out for 2 weeks, but she really noticed the difference after she stopped using it.

They do have a satisfaction guarantee...so if the brush didn't do anything for me I could return it. I dunno though...the beauty junkie in me wants to try it really badly, but I still feel a bit guilty about making such a big purchase at this time. But then again, I'm the type of person who is willing to spend the money on something if it can really improve my skin to my satisfaction. I figure, after all I'm not getting any younger....and healthy skin is definitely not something that I can get back easily once its too late.

Maybe I'll just get the brush and not open it til I can decide haha. I would actually wanna wait for Sephora's online F&F sale but its one of those items that is restricted to US only (so they will not ship it to Canada).

***

I haven't been wearing makeup lately because my chin has been breaking out. Also my skin has been getting red more often than usual lately so for the time being I've switched my skincare routine to just Dove Sensitive Skin Facial Wash, Dove Sensitive Skin Day lotion, and Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Refiner. The Sensitive skin Dove products are fragrance free and claim to be hypoallergenic, non-comedogic, etc etc.

I'm not sure if I like the facial wash yet, but the Day lotion is surprisingly good and doesn't contain any ingredients that I shy away from such as dimethicone. All the other sensitive skin lotions at the drugstore contained dimethicone. Even my bf's lotion (he has eczema so he uses a special lotion) has dimethicone. I tried it and it was way too heavy for me. But the Sensitive skin lotion from Dove might just become a HG for me...its not heavy, and moisturizes well without feeling greasy. It does not contain SPF, but thats fine as I need to use up the Clarins sunscreen I bought recently anyway.

***

Here's one of my favourite outfits. Pretty basic items. I could probably accessorize more but I don't have anything else that goes with it. Also, sorry for the bad quality. I'm using the same camera, but the crappy lighting in the hallway makes everything look so low-res. I wish there was space by the window to have a full length mirror.

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-G-Star Raw navy blue cotton shirtdress
-Mango metallic bronze leather belt
-B2 brown boots in a suede-like material (could be suede but I don't remember)

I curled my hair that day, surprising because I never do anything with my hair. I didn't want to wear makeup that day to let my skin recover, so I had the extra time :D

11 comments:

Angie said...

I've been breaking out on my chin too!!

I agree, MAC has been disappointing lately. I hadn't purchased anything from their counter/store since..before the summer I think. I've bought CCO items. I did buy a few things that I really like today though.

You should get the clarisonic brush! Or at least try it out and see! It's something I've been meaning to try out myself but I keep on switching to expensive skincare >.< haha.

That is one cute ass outfit! The cotton dress is so basic but you sass it up with a different colored belt and boots! I love those boots too! And your hair looks purdy =)

Aww thank you! I typically only buy BR clothes on sale! I don't think any of their clothes are worth paying regular price, maybe except jackets. But the majority of my BR pants are around $30! We have a good sale selection in the states..I guess. I'm sorry that you don't! Have you considered online? Is that an option?

Hahha I know! I had such a fantastic Friday because I was wearing jeans hehe. My doggies are soo funny. They follow me around the house and they are so curious they have to see what I'm doing.

Hahah then go spend more! =P Well only if you have the financial means to do so, you don't wanna be in debt like moi. Well I'm in debt bc I'm unemployed. Haha I somewhat justified it =P.

And I am going to try to wear my colored eyeshadows =)

Angie said...

Haha my mom and I are good at justifying our purchases. Skincare is very important. My mom buys them when she's out or running out. She's better than I am but she understands that I'm rather responsible so she doesn't bother me about it much.

La Prairie's skincare line is quite well known. I'm pretty sure their stuff is one of the most expensive and HE lines out there. The caviar eye cream is $275 I think for under 1 oz! But it has caviar in it and is AMAZING. Their other lines have gold and platinum in it! Which sounds scary but I'm sure it serves a great purpose. My La Prairie lady is in her 40s and has children around my age yet her skin is better looking than mine! It truly is the best skin I've ever seen. NO WRINKLES at all! Not even around her eyes or laugh lines. So damn firm I want to try to jiggle it. Radiant as hell too. So yeah, I'm pretty sure it's worth the $.

I hear ya. I'm a bit wary to try new stuff lately because my skin's been being so weird. But I think I'm going to be brave and try the hydrator. I really want to like it haha. I'm going to shower right now and use it, so I'll let you know what I think. I can't wait to see the results in the morning!

Thank you! =)

fuzkittie said...

Hmm I've always wondered how that brush works, but then I'm afraid it's too aggressive on the skin? I dunno..

Love the outfit, and your hair looks sooo cute!! Hehe, I usually add volume on top by crimping my hair. :]

cheryl said...

hey there, great outfit - so cute! i agree that mac's holiday whatever sets are NOT worth it. i got a brush set a few yrs ago & never forgot how crappy it was!

mayaari said...

very cute outfit! i love the way your hair looks as well :)

MAC's definitely been a bit of a disappointment lately; I think they need to concentrate on making some good new products instead of releasing 5 collections a month or something.

If you can afford to "test" the Clarisonic for a while, you should go for it - it would be worth the cost if it helped to improve your skin. If it doesn't do that much, Sephora is really good about their return policy.

Unknown said...

MAC has seriously been disappointing, agreed. I bought one of the brush sets from the Nordstrom Colour Forms collection and it's just okay, not bad or great.

Skincare is usually worth splurging on, but money is money! Haha...do let us know if you try it out~

I LOVE shirtdresses!! Yours is super cute!! mm...I want boots!

♡ Nic Nic ♡ said...

That is such a cute outfit :)

I will email you later today!

jing said...

i have that novel twist brush set and the 187se's white tips are dark grey now. i've heard horror stories about the dye transferring to the face. so far, nothing happened. still a good blush brush, not as great as the full size. but since i got TF kabuki, i've been doubling its purpose by using it for blush too.

i want that clarisonic brush as well. but it's so expensive! you know, watch out for skincarerx.com (with 20% off using MUA20 -i think?) and skinstore. skincarerx had that 40% off on their egift certificates, which you can eventually use for your skincare purchases. i'm kicking myself for not buying it. also skinstore has either $20 off $100+ purchases or 20% off codes. no tax and free shipping (not sure about CND).

i think i've reached my limit with makeup. although my collection is not that much, for me it's way too much. i use neutrals everyday, the same stuffs.. so 90% of my collection isn't getting enough love. i've wasted so much money on it already that spending more on it will just make me more guilty. plus i cannot part with my stuffs. so whenever i see mac collections, i'd be excited at first.. then just forget about checking them out. even if i check them out, i'll come out with a staple instead.

iamgrape1119 said...

I'm disappointed w/ MAC recently too! I just feel that nothing appeals to me anymore...I got jaded from the constant release of LE! You look SO adorable! I love those boots!

Cinthia Truong said...

I was hesitant to get the Clarisonic brush too but I actually got it. Been testing it out for 1 week, then I break out horribly. I'm not so sure if it's because of the brush or what but I stopped using it. I have to give it another try soon.

Cute OOTD. I never see anything as cute as the belt at Mango :(

Anonymous said...

I never have many good things to say about MAC LOL... but I seriously love your outfit! I can't do the boots here, but I love the dress - I always like shirt dresses I find them slimming ;)

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