August 2016 Low-Buy Accountability

The first “real” month of my self-imposed No-Buy, due to my overspending back in May / June. In August, I did pick up a few bits from the drugstore, and Winners, where else?
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I’ve been surprisingly not too tempted by new launches even with all the Fall sneak peeks and clearance sales (no thanks to the ultimate Temptress, Ms. Ingrid! 😉 )

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Zoya Meadow

I received this from the lovely Polished and Inspired when we met up in May! Thank you again for this polish, it’s so “me”! 😀
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With the summer days winding down, I thought this was a nice summery shade to wear before the heat died down!

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Nars Kabuki Ita Brush and AliExpress Dupe

Finally, the post that many of you requested when I received my AliExpress order back in March. Here’s the comparison between the Nars Kabuki Ita Brush and the cheaper knock-off alternative. 😉
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• Nars Kabuki Ita Brush – C$70 (Sephora) Note: I paid around C$60 for mine about 5 years ago – shocking to see how the price has jumped.
• “Professionals Brand Kabuki Ita No 21 makeup brush” – C$2.74 (AliExpress)

(can you tell which one is which from the photo above?)

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Photorejuvenation / IPL: Final Thoughts

I meant to post this back in June, but with vacation and the summer laziness, I’ve put off writing up this post. 😛 I’ve now gone through the full series of IPL treatments – I can provide my overall thoughts of my experience with Photorejuvenation / IPL.
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Source.

I purchased a package of 5 sessions for facial IPL, which I began in January.  I had one session per month and my final session was in May before I went to Japan.

Feature image source.

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Kiehl’s Cleansing Duo: Ultra Facial Cleanser and Calendula Toner

Today I bring you two Kiehl’s cleansing products that I’ve been using:
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• Ultra Facial Cleanser
• Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner

Both of these items sat patiently in my stash to be opened for more than 18 months! I admit to forgetting about skincare items in my closet sometimes…

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Essie Delhi Dance

I was in the mood for a bright fun colour since the weather forecast for last week called for thunderstorms and rain.
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Delhi Dance was part of Essie’s Resort collection for 2016, here are the rest of the colours from the small collection:
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This was a recent addition to my collection, as part of my birthday haul, I got this for $2.99 at my favourite salon supply store in downtown Toronto, called Toronto Barber & Beauty Supply, or TBBS for short.  It’s a favourite haunt of fivezero‘s as well!

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Nova Scotia Fisherman Xtreme Skin Care Haul

I blame this Nova Scotia Fisherman Xtreme Skin Care haul squarely on Dal of Little Beauty Loves! She mentioned this brand when she was on the MyLipAddiction.com Beauty Podcast, then she posted a blog post on it. Based on her rave recommendations, I had no choice but to place an order over the August long weekend:
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Antipodes Skincare Reviews

This week I’m focusing on skincare! 🙂 I’ve got 4 Antipodes skincare products to review first –  I’ve been using these for the past 6 weeks so I’ve formed solid opinions about them.
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L to R:
• Joyous Protein-Rich Night Replenish Serum
• Apostle Skin-Brightening & Tone-Correcting Serum (this is a sample size)
• Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream
• Kiwi Seed Oil Eye Cream
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As you may recall, I scored the 3 full sized products at Winners back in January for C$16.99 each! It was the score of a lifetime, really. And the Apostle Serum was from a giveaway I won from Caryl Almelor! 🙂  Antipodes is an organic skincare brand from New Zealand with premium plant-based ingredients that are housed in elegant recyclable packaging.

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China Glaze Change Your Altitude

This was part of the China Glaze Fall 2015 “The Great Outdoors” collection that was all about camping. There were many beautiful shades in the collection and I was happy to have found this at Winners (or Marshalls, I forget now!) in January.
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China Glaze regularly sell for ~C$11 here and I got this for $6.

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