Sephora – Bubbly Michelle

The Art of Stocking Stuffing!

December 16, 2015December 16, 2015by Bubbly Michelle1 Comment

With less than 10 days to go, i’m guessing there’s a mile long list of things to get done. Gift shopping, mad baking, spring cleaning and holiday decorating galore. In my opinion gifts are priority though, after all we don’t want to be the sad lot running all over town in ridiculous traffic, battling thousands of others on Christmas eve! It’s good to get it done and over with as early as possible. Everything else can follow after!

So today, i’m here to share a bunch of gifts I gathered for stocking stuffing. All super cute and also useful gifts that won’t break the bank 🙂

(click to enlarge)

Most everything seen above is $25 or under with the exception of just two. You are bound to find options for a variety of budgets!

Etude House was my first stop for gift shopping. This year they truly outdid themselves with the cutest holiday treats.

1. Ginger Cookie Contour Maker – The cutest thing I bought this season and I ended up with multiples. This one retails at $ 24.90. Just under the 25 mark! The overall quality is lovely and doesn’t feel cheap. I love it!

2. Pudding Tints – Lip gel tints that came in 5 flavours. They are stains that last all day. The best part was the packaging though, wrapped in a box complete with a bow just like Christmas pudding! Price – $13.90.

3. Bling Me Prism – Even though these weren’t from the holiday collection, I really loved how cute and fun these cream eyeshadows were. They come packaged like a lip gloss, with a wand for application. Overall the quality was phenomenal, they last ALL DAY and retail at just $11.90. BUY ALL.

Next up, Stenders. The one stop shop for affordable yet awesome gifting! Nearly everything they sold were cute thoughtful gifts with the holiday soaps being my favourites!

4. Blueberry Snowflake soap – Intricate and festive, this would make a pretty treat for your gal pals or even the men in your life. There’s also a Goat Milk Angel soap too ($9) for that perfect festive touch.

5. Damascus Rose soap – For the girls who love rose scented body care. Retail price – $9.

6. Coffee Lip Balm (contains 60% natural Shea Butter + coffee oil) – This one’s perfect for the guys. I love that it’s a unisex fragrance and make a thoughtful gift for men who keep stealing their partners lip balms. I bought one for hubby 😉 Retail price – $10.

Sephora shoppers on the look out for gifts below 25, i’ve got you covered too! Here’re some nifty things I received in a press package 🙂 + a few I picked up as well.

7. Let it Snow Handcream – A lightly fragranced hand cream packaged in a snowy blue tube. This one retails at $10.

8. Mini Hot Water Bottle – I ended up buying multiples! A cute blue patch that can be used as a hot or cold compress. The festive print makes it even more stocking friendly imo! Retails under $8 I belive.

10. Sephora Colour Around the World eye and face palettes – This one’s a sneaky addition which can be broken up and stuffed in 4 stockings! Each named after a city (Paris, Rome, Rio, NY) they contain 4 eyeshadows and a blush to create a look. Retails at $52.

11. Sephora Kiss Me Balm – Tinted lip balms in cute egg shaped packaging! Perfect gift for those younger gals just getting into makeup. Price, $14.

12. Skin Inc Facial in a Flash! – for the jet setting pal. This comes with three components for a complete at-home facial. What’s not to love?! (there’re three sets to choose from depending on skin concern. Collagen for wrinkles & fine lines. Licorice for sensitive and irritated skin. Vitamin C for enlarged pores and oily skin) Retail price – $39

13. Sephora Masks – Face masks are a great way to add a few extra treats without much effort. I particularly love these eye masks by Sephora. They are packaged in cute acrylic cases that contain 5 each. Great for even dividing among a few stockings! ($3 each)

On to a few goodies I picked up from L’Occitane. This years holiday collab with Pierre Hermé was a match made in heaven for any L’Occitane loving lady. I grabbed the Jasmin Immortelle Neroli range, my favourite from the three limited edition lines!

14. Hand Cream – One of L’Occitanes star products. These hydrate well and absorb immediately. No greasy hands! Retails at -$15.

15. Lip gloss – Available in three LE fragrances. Retails at $48 for a trio.

16. Shea Butter Soaps 100g – Make stylish gifts for just about anyone! Mom would love some french soap right? Retails at $9.50.

Last but not least, cute gifts from Jo Malone! No stocking stuffer guide would be complete without their gorgeous cracker!

17. Christmas Cracker – This contains three Jo Malone favourites. Blackberry & Bay Cologne, Lime Basil & Mandarine Hand & Body Wash and a Peony & Blush Suede Body Lotion. All in travel friendly mini sizes! LOVE!

That concludes my little guide for today! Stay tuned for more gift ideas tomorrow! 😉

Makeup

Dior Rosy Glow 001 Petal – Backstage favourites

February 8, 2014by Bubbly Michelle5 Comments

After much hesitation, early last month I decided to purchase Diors famous Rosy Glow.

Time and time again deterred by it’s cool, eye popping ‘pinkness’, I never seemed to have the courage to purchase it, let alone try it at the counter. Luckily for me, this time I went with backup! My friend Sarah, who I can always count on for an honest opinion..

So according to Dior, this is a blush that is said to adapt to one’s skin tone, making it wearable for most, if not all skin tones. Of course I was quick to scoff at how ridiculous that claim was; but is it really? 😉 I’d say this works as a translucent powder would, but in the form of a blush… (that got you thinking huh?)

At the Dior counter this blush is grouped together with several other popular Dior products such as the Dior Glow lip balm, they are termed backstage favourites; basically what is used on models of all ethnicities at the Dior fashion shows, and is specially developed to be universally flattering.

I had this tested in department store lighting and lo and behold it was anything but cool toned pink on my cheek! Sarah and I were shocked that it pulled more coral on me. (my favourite blush shade might I add 😉 ) So there you go! Claim proven and there was no way I could disregard what my/our eyes had witnessed. Just for you, I did prepare a heavy swatch on my forearm to get an idea of how this looks in the pan, but it is by no means a true reflection of how it’s like worn sparingly on ones cheek. That’s where the true magic begins!

Next time you are at the Dior counter, give this a go. I promise you, it’s worth your while. If the elegant silver packaging doesn’t tempt you, I bet the very flattering, gentle flush of your cheeks will 😉

Product info

Rose scented

Lasted over 7 hours, after which it shows slight fading, which I believe is very good wear time.

This blush comes with 7.5g of product for USD44

Made in France

Skincare

Black Gold! – GLAMGLOW Supermud and Youthmud

February 7, 2014February 7, 2014by Bubbly Michelle7 Comments

After reading it’s rave reviews over and over for around a year, I finally have the opportunity to try GLAMGLOW as it had slowly made its way to Sephora in Singapore. However, being the patient girl I am, I decided to wait a lil bit longer and take advantage of a super deal that Sephora US was offering (Since I was to travel to SF within a week or so), basically for the price of one, I get to try a full sized Supermud and a half sized generous sample of Youthmud!

So on my very first day in SF, I hopped over to Sephora wasting no time! (I’d suggest you do the same if you want to take advantage of this offer as it was a holiday gift pack and stocks are now running low)

* Top to bottom, swatches of Youthmud (lighter one) and Supermud.

Review

First up, Supermud clearing treatment. Since my main concern was blackheads and light breakouts I decided to try this first. The SA at Sephora that assisted me with this purchase mentioned that only a very thin layer was required, so I did exactly that. Upon application, I felt a slight tingle/burn around my nose and cheeks, (but before I proceed any further, just so you know, I have pretty sensitive skin) which subsided as the mask began to dry.

According to the instructions leaflet it was suggested leaving this on anywhere between 5-20 mins, I decided to leave it on till the entire mask was fully dry with no wet patches, which was around 15 mins.

I then lightly wet the mask to soften it and proceeded to wash it off in circular motions.

What I noticed was a few of my deep rooted white heads had come up to the surface. I decided to aid the process and eased them out with my fingers, which I am pretty sure is not the recommended course of action! But if it works for you, just do it 😛 But yes, it literally draws them out!

So far I have used it twice now and I find that my whiteheads and blackheads are easier to get out. And I am hoping with regular use they wouldn’t come back as this is a clearing mask. I also love that this isn’t as drying as regular clarifying masks and my skin didn’t feel like it was stretched tight over my scull! However if you have dryer skin, this may feel slightly drying, but not overly so. I would recommend immediately following it up with a hydrating cream of your choice.

In summery, I think this mask does do what it claims, clearing blackheads and breakouts as it deeply purifies pores, and I would most definitely repurchase this.

Next up, Youthmud Tinglexfoliate treatment. This is the famed ‘Hollywood facial in a jar’ which brought GLAMGLOW it’s star status. It promises immediate camera ready, glowing skin! So, I put it to the test 😉

Just like the Supermud this too was a nice smooth texture which applied evenly with no tugging. What stood out was that apart from it’s French sea clay and volcanic pumice, it had actual crushed green tea leaves in it. I am guessing, for it’s antioxident, soothing properties, which did give this mask a slightly more luxe feel which I quite liked.

I applied it on my forehead as that’s the most dull area of my face, it needed all the brightening it could get! Upon application I noticed that this was a bit more potent than the Supermud and had extra ‘tingle’. But thankfully faded away as it dried.

I washed this off after 10 mins as instructed and lightly exfoliated my face in circular motions while doing so, which resulted in baby soft skin that was in fact brighter. I wouldn’t say that this is the best brightening mask i’d ever tried. But it did do a pretty good job, although personally I prefer my Ren Glycolatic peel mask (which I reviewed on the blog before) and don’t plan to repurchase the Youthmud in a full size.

Product info-

Retails at Sephora – USD 69 for one Supermud (34g) + Youthmud (15g) Excellent value for money! Also worth noting, you get around 17 applications of the Supermud mask from a single regular sized jar which comes to around $4 per sitting.

Also available at Sephora Singapore.

Lastly, wishing everyone a sunny weekend, and thank you for dropping by!

Lifestyle, Makeup

The art of stocking stuffing

December 16, 2013December 16, 2013by Bubbly Michelle6 Comments

If you are like me and start off real early buying Christmas gifts and then are scrambling around mere days before ‘the day’ looking for stocking stuffers, this post is for you!

Here’s a little guide,

a. Stocking stuffers should ideally be exactly what they sound like – small enough to go into a stocking!

b. No need to go all extravagant (unless that’s your thing of course!) as they are just the little extras.

*Talking bout extravagant stocking stuffers I heard that there is stocking stuffer sized YSL Youth liberator serum that had come out specially for Christmas! Lmfao

c. The more the merrier! Don’t skimp, it’s the holidays! I personally love receiving a tonne of little gifts!

d. Try to take advantage of sales and other year end deals that most stores offer. Since you’ll be buying so many gifts, overall you do save a substantial sum if you shop smart.

Now on to a few stocking stuffers I managed to get my hands on, mostly from the Sephora 20% sale in Singapore.

Stila- Colour me Glossy lip glaze set

This Stila lip gloss set was made for stocking stuffing, it contains three individually packed gloss sets. There’s even a label to write recipient names! Now that’s smart marketing.

Shu Uemura S Curler, Lip & Cheek Fun-tasy

Adore this cute lash curler and lip/cheek tint from the Shu Uemura 6 Heart Princess holiday release, it’s a fun little addition to any gift pile. And it’s always a plus when the packaging is cute, or even better, Christmassy! This collections packaging is decorated with a Christmas tree of hearts!

Benefit Double the Real mascara duo set

I always feel that gifts such as lipsticks can be tricky if you don’t really know a persons taste in makeup, but things like mascaras you really cant go wrong with, they only come in a very few shades and everyone is usually happy with black!

This set is extra special cos it comes with a mini mascara too, and it’s free! Perfect for anyones makeup bag.

Benefit Crescent Row Eau de Toilette miniatures set

Lastly this very cute perfume set, a Christmas gift sent by the very kind folk at Benefit, I had never seen it before, I believe it’s part of the holiday sets they had come out with this year. But it’s truly another awesome idea for stocking stuffers! It consists of 4 mini eau de toilette bottles and matching little boxes, the packaging is to die for and let’s not even get started on the names of these perfumes cos they are ridiculously cute! I think ‘Ring my Bella’ is my favourite, and it’s going straight into my makeup bag 😛

So that’s my little list of finds, hope is was of some help and eased your holiday gift shopping trauma at least a bit.

Wishing you a great week ahead,

xx, Michelle.