I ❤ free Guerlain, Clinique and Clarins

Shoppers Drug Mart is having their Bonus Redemption Days this weekend, which means you can redeem up to $200 in FREE products with 75,000 Shoppers Optimum points. Normally you can only redeem $150, so I took advantage of the additional $50 in free stuff to go and get some of my wishlist products.

I ended up with: Guerlain Parure Extreme Foundation, Guerlain Eyeshadow Palette in Bal de Nuit (Holiday LE), Clinique Even Better moisturizer with SPF20, and a refill of my HG mascara sealer the Clarins Double Fix’ Mascara (and an umbrella for the UK, but thats not pictured). I was so happy I called ahead because the Bal de Nuit palette was the last one they had in stock, so of course I grabbed it immediately.

If you are in Canada, but you’re not taking advantage of the Shoppers Optimum Points system, you are seriously losing out. Basically when you’re in the program, you earn 10 points per $1 you spend (basically 1 points per 10 cents, rounded down to the nearest dollar) at Shoppers with the Optimum Card. Then they have different levels of points you can redeem for a specific amount of dollars. For example the highest level they have is 75,000 points for $150 of products. They can be put towards anything in the store. To help you get more points, they have special times of the year where you can get 10x, 15x or 20x the points if you spend over the certain amount. And then you can collect the points until you get enough to redeem them. Also they have special redemption days, like the one that is happening this weekend, where you can redeem more than the usual amount. From my calculations, all you need to do is spend $375 during those times that gives you 20x the points, and then you can redeem for $200 during the bonus redemption days. It is quite a good deal!

I’ll be doing swatches and reviews once I’ve tried these out. Right now they’re just for admiring purposes =)

P.S. Sorry for the sub-standard picture, my camera ran out of battery again and I seem to have lost my charger… again! What bad luck I have… I will do nicer pictures once I find the charger. Thanks for your patience!

P.P.S. I have added a few Lancome products to the one year anniversary giveaway. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do. The prizes should be finalized this weekend and then I’ll update the original entry with pictures and details.

Super simple FOTD: for lazy days or days you spend bundled up in the library

I’m at the library today, got 2 group meetings and trying to get some reading done for next week’s classes. Here is a simple FOTD that you can do in probably 3 minutes flat.

Products used:

• Complexion: Chanel White Essentiel Base and Chanel White Essentiel Powder Foundation
• Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion and Anna Sui Eye Accent in #302
• Lashes: Diorshow Iconic and Clarins Double Fix’ Mascara
• Brows: Light brown eyeshadow from a Chanel travel palette
• Lips: Anna Sui Lip Gloss in #300 (super nude, love this colour!)
• Contacts: Freshlook Opaque in Blue (don’t like this one very much, the colour looks weird)

Alice from Holt Renfrew Dior has notified me that my Dior Holiday 2009 order has been shipped out! I should be receiving in sometime next week. I ordered the Cristal Boreal necklace and the Vernis in Silver Purple. I’ll take some live pictures and do some swatches when I get it. I can’t wait!

By the way, thank you to everyone who voted in my poll. The majority of you said that you wanted to see me do more reviews, followed by write more about my life and introduce new products. I’ll definitely try to incorporate your opinions into my posts. Thanks again for your feedback!

Review: Diorshow Iconic Mascara & Clarins Double Fix’ Mascara

I have always loved Dior mascara formulas. Of all the ones that I’ve tried, none of them has failed me. They are always able to produce a beautiful, fan-like effect on my lashes, separating them, yet lengthening and volumizing at the same time.

Diorshow Iconic, one of the newer mascaras, is my newest best friend. The formula is never clumpy, and produces the most beautiful, natural lashes I’ve ever had with a mascara wand. It not only volumizes, but separates and lengthens, creating a very natural lash look.

The best thing about this mascara is that I don’t ever have to curl my lashes anymore with an eyelash curler. The wand is made so that it is fatter around the middle, so it is able to create a nice, natural curl. My lashes are naturally stick straight, and do not curl well, even with an eyelash curler. However this mascara really surprised me in that the curl created by the wand was able to be sustained for more than 12 hours of walking around outside in the Vancouver summer heat and sun.

The only negative thing that I would say about Diorshow Iconic is that it is not very sweat/oil proof. Usually by the end of the day I would have panda eyes. BUT……

This is where Clarins Double Fix’ Masara comes in!

Clarins Double Fix’ Mascara is a mascara sealer that acts like a waterproof, sweatproof, oilproof cover over your mascara. It is a clear gel that you just apply after your last coat of mascara dries on your lashes. I have oily eyelids and so all mascaras, no matter how “waterproof” they are, will always run and I end up with panda eyes. However this baby will make sure your mascara stays in place with no chance of running until you want to take it all off.

This works perfectly with Diorshow Iconic and with all other mascaras I’ve tried. However this only works well on upper lashes for me. I tried this on my lower lashes with Lancome Definicils and the outcome has not been great. I don’t know if its the mascara or it just doesn’t work as well on the lower lashes, but from my experience I would use it just for upper lashes.

I believe it will also act as a sealer for eyebrow pencils, powders, or anything of the sort. Personally I have not tried it, but if anyone tries it, please let me know how it went!

Diorshow Iconic is selling for $34 at all counters that carry Dior (Holt Renfrew, the Bay, and some Shoppers and Sears locations).

Clarins Double Fix’ Mascara is selling for $28 at all counters that carry Clarins.