Pick-Ups & Deliveries: October 2015

So, remember how I was so proud of not buying anything at Sephora in September? Well, it was a seriously short-lived feeling. My friend recently started working at Sephora and she gave me a coupon for the Friends & Family event last month. It's like an early VIB sale, wherein the coupon entitles the holder to a 20% discount on everything during that time period (unlike the VIB sale, however, you must obtain a coupon and it is one-use only). Needless to say, I went a little crazy.

Farmacy New Day Gentle Exfoliating Grains, Rise 'n Shine Daily Moisture Lock, and Sleep Tight Firming Night Balm
Farmacy Lip Bloom in Apple Rosemary and Citrus Lemongrass
I was perusing the Sephora website when I stumbled upon a brand called Farmacy, whose slogan is, "Farmer cultivated, scientist activated." They patented an ingredient called "Echinacea GreenEnvy" that is used in all of their products, and "contains the highest known concentration of the phytochemical Cichoric Acid, a potent natural antioxidant which helps protect and firm the skin by inhibiting the enzymes that break down collagen." All their products also claim the following: naturally derived ingredients, free of parabens, free of formaldehyde, free or artificial colouring, and not tested on animals. I'm not one of those people who actively looks for all-natural skincare, but it's a nice bonus for those of you who do (Sephora only carries a handful of natural brands, so it's great that they're expanding their range). Anyway, I was fascinated by the technology and innovation behind Farmacy, and every single one of the reviews on their products are raves with nearly five-star ratings (and by people of all ages and all skintypes, not just by dry and mature skin or oily and young skin), so I bought the exfoliating grains, the day cream, the night cream, and two of their bestselling lip balms. Go big or go home, right? (It also doesn't hurt that their packaging is cute as hell.)
May Coop Raw Sauce and Sunday Riley Good Genes
As with Farmacy, I was checking out all these new brands that Sephora started carrying but had never heard of or saw in store (seriously, I think I spent like, two full hours on the Sephora website), and two more products really intrigued me. The first one was May Coop's Raw Sauce, which is a "hydrating, nourishing essence featuring a silky formula that's highly concentrated in maple tree sap to create a stronger skin environment, helping prep the skin to better absorb products to follow and boosting their effectiveness." It's sort of like a softening lotion meets a serum, which explains the higher price tag, but people are praising this shit like "it's liquid gold" and it has a consistent five-star rating, so I had to try it. The second product was Sunday Riley's Good Genes Treatment, which is "is formulated with key ingredients that plump the look of fine lines to reveal brighter, renewed skin, and support natural circulation to create a smooth, vibrant complexion. Long term use will help restore damaged skin, reduce hyperpigmentation and scars, reduce the depth and number of lines and wrinkles, even out skintone, and increase skin firmness." Basically, my skin better look like a fucking newborn's.

Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, Deep Cleansing Exfoliator, and Beauty Elixir
Philosophy Purity Made Simple Foaming Cleansing Gel, Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream, and Clinique Turnaround Revitalizing Lotion
So, as it turns out, I bought a shit-ton of skincare. Like, I am stocked up until next summer. I decided to try some new Caudalie items because I've been so impressed with all the products I've ever used by them, so I picked up a bottle of their Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, their Deep Cleansing Exfoliator, and finally, their cult-favourite Beauty Elixir. I admit, I was totally that person who was like, "Who the fuck needs a $50 facial spray?" But all the people I know who have used it have said that I have to try it to see what the hype is all about. My friend at Sephora was just like, "If you end up hating it, just return it." So, I caved. I am kind of indifferent to the scent, which is kind of herbal (there's a minty tingle that feels amazing on the skin, though), but I have to eat my words because this stuff somehow makes my skin look smoother and more radiant while also controlling oil. Yeah, seriously. I don't know if this merits a re-purchase yet, but I am thoroughly enjoying it right now. Other skincare I bought includes a new tube of Philosophy's Purity Made Simple Foaming Cleansing Gel (a staple in my skincare routine and a holy grail product), plus a tube of Clinique's 7 Day Scrub Cream (I haven't used this in years but I remember liking it as a mild exfoliator that I can use everyday), and Clinique's new Turnaround Revitalizing Lotion. I never thought I would ever buy a Clinique toner again 'cause hi, burn my fucking face off (seriously, their regular toners have so much alcohol that they could strip paint off a car), but my friend was telling me about this new alcohol- and oil-free one that helps refine skin texture and adds hydration. I've been using it for a few weeks and actually have been pleasantly surprised; it has a really soothing liquid-gel consistency and has made my skin feel and look more hydrated. Honestly, I think it has potential to be a holy grail product.

L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter Hand Cream, Drybar Lemon Drop Daily Detangler, and Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum
Hourglass Ambient Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra, Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, and Becca Translucent Blotting Powder Perfector
I picked up a few other staple products along the way, including a new full-size tube of L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream (my favourite hand cream of all time, and I also find the scent to be oddly comforting), a new Drybar Lemon Drop Daily Detangler (my old one got mangled because my hair dryer melted off the base, but it is the best detangling brush for wet hair I have ever used), and a 30ml bottle of my ever-faithful Fresh Sugar Lychee perfume to keep in my purse (this one is still my go-to fragrance, even after a decade). My Sephora order wasn't completely makeup-free, but I picked up very minimal makeup products from Sephora this time around: a new tube of my favourite Urban Decay Perversion Mascara, the Hourglass Luminous Bronze Light Bronzer, the Hourglass Incandescent Electra Blush, and the Becca Translucent Blotting Powder (because I am forever looking for the perfect oil-absorbing powder). But that's probably because so many other makeup items were exciting me last month...
MAC Magic of the Night Extra Dimension Skinfinishes
MAC Magic of the Night Colourdrenched Pigments
MAC Magic of the Night Lipsticks
Makeup Geek Matte Eyeshadows
... like the entire MAC Magic of the Night holiday collection. (If you're interested, I've already reviewed the collection here, here, and here.) I have been waiting a long time for those Extra Dimension Skinfinishes to come back and they did not disappoint. As predicted, they all sold out within the first two days of launch (at least here the Greater Toronto Area), so I am really glad I managed to get my hands on them. I swear, I got compliments on my skin every single time I was wearing them. My friend was like, "What the fuck is on your face? Your skin looks so fucking perfect, it makes me sick." (She's lovely, I swear.) I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up loving the Colourdrenched Pigments. Though the shades aren't ones that I'd wear everyday, I do love the formula and the nice pops of colour they offer. And I found my favourite lipstick for fall this year from this collection in the form of Evening Rendezvous, which is a gorgeous dark muted berry-purple that I swear looks good on everybody. Finally, I also picked up Makeup Geek's 20 new and reformulated matte eyeshadows. I have a plethora of amazing metallic, frosted, shimmery, glittery, shiny eyeshadows, but I am always on the look out for great matte shades, and Makeup Geek knocked it out of the park with these. I have been using them for the past couple weeks and each shade I have tried is just goddamn stunning, just so pigmented and so smooth and so blendable. They are a serious dream to work with. And for $6 a pop, Makeup Geek makes the best eyeshadows for the value, bar none.
Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Vert Obscur, Vibrato, and Troublante
Cirque Nail Colour in Techno Manifesto, Version Infinity, and Cabaret Voltaire
A-England Nail Lacquer in Cathy, Dancing with Nureyev, and Heathcliff
Last but not least, I went on a bit of a nail polish binge. I hadn't really been interested in any nail polishes in the last few months, but I found some beautiful offerings for fall that I just had to get, including three from Chanel (I have not bought Chanel nail polish in well over a year, since Taboo last June, but I finally passed by a Chanel counter and these three caught my eye — plus I had a $20 off cosmetics coupon from Hudson's Bay so I had to put it to good use), three from Cirque's new Meta collection, and three from A-England (two from their To Emily Bronte collection, and one from the Ballerina collection because Nail Polish Canada was sold out of Spirit of the Moors at the time and offered to replace it with another A-England shade). It's weird, I think after buying so many glitter polishes, I'm now getting into shades that are a little more... subtle? Well, no, I still love me a good crazy glitter polish, but I think I just haven't found any that's really amazing or unique recently... But I'm hoping the holiday collections that are rolling out this month will change that soon.

What have you bought in this past month? Any new skincare additions or changes to your routine? Any makeup must-haves you've bought for fall/holiday? What's on your wishlist for the upcoming Sephora VIB sale?