Opalescent and Optimum October Hauls 2021

[danielledanielle]

Happy October, everyone!  This month we welcome spooky season, fall foliage (where applicable), fall sales, and continued pumpkin-flavored everything!  🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂  Happy Bday to all October BIC babes!

Greetings makeup mavens

Post your splurges and your savin'

Don't be craven!

Show us your hauls that are amazin'!

Photo by @bekirdonmeez

[tsavorite]

@Seymore3 , 

Pretty compact from Valentino!

[ather]

@Seymore3  So luxe!!

[Kim888]

Oooh that looks fun @Seymore3 !

[idanyd]

Stunning! Wow! @Seymore3 

[haleyvvvv]

Nice haul, @Seymore3!! Very pretty!! Enjoy!! 

[itsfi]

@Seymore3, pretty cushion compact. Would love to know how it performs for you. I saw that the puff that comes with it is not your traditional round / circular shape but has angles, which looks like it would work nicely for getting into certain corners and contours of the face. 

[Seymore3]

@itsfiI have worn the foundation to work the last three days and so far I love it.I didn't notice the different shaped puff until you posted but I usually use a sponge(Juno&co velvet sponge currently) to apply my cushion foundations since I like to wash them more frequently than is possible with those little puffs that come in cushions.   

[itsfi]

@Seymore3, I shall put the cushion on my list to look into after I get through a couple more cushions from my stash. I’ll have to look at the Juno sponges too. These days, I rotate through the Sonia Kashuk, Real Techniques and beautyblender sponges. I like using a sponge for application too; the puff comes in handy for the occasional touch up. 

[curlychiquita]

Oh wow, pretty, @Seymore3! I hope you like it!

[itsfi]

Except for the iS Clinical Warming Honey Cleanser which I picked up at Violet Grey, everything else is from a Sephora sale earlier last month (I think it was last month, could have been the month before). The #lipstories balm in Date Prep is a favorite - it's been in and out of stock; I happened upon it being in stock in the wee hours of the morning and ordered 3 and the Treasure Hunt shade.

Sephora + Violet Grey

I didn't initially plan to purchase the Charlotte Tilbury Cryo Recovery Face Mask, interesting as it looks and sounds. I was at an event late last week where prizes were raffled off. No, I didn't win this mask initially. A gentleman won a R&R themed spa gift basket which contained this mask. 😲 He didn't care for his gift basket and wanted a bottle of wine that I won, so we traded. I, of course, had to give the mask a go. 😉 So I popped the mask (in the pouch) into the freezer earlier today while I went out to run some errands. Directions say to leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes; I was probably out for a couple of hours. I found the mask to be cooling, relaxing, refreshing, and depuffing, albeit temporarily (I'm not so sure about these acupressure dots but I've only used the mask once). It seemed like something a friend might enjoy so I ended up purchasing one as a gift as well.

Spoiler

CT cryo mask - interior viewCT cryo mask - exterior view

Spoiler

Charlotte Tilbury cryo mask

[nuinui933]

@itsfi, i really like those lipstories balms, and the lipsticks too. Are the 3 kaja mascaras meant to be layered? What do you think of them?

[itsfi]

@nuinui933, the lipstories collection is a good one, isn't it?! Lots of great lippies to choose from. 

Yes, the Kaja Wink Lash Trio Mascara clear, black, black is meant to be layered, first with the clear primer, then the volumizing one and finally the lengthening one. I find that I get better results if I just use the volume or lengthening ones on their own, or if I layer the volume and lengthening ones, but also layering them in the reverse order than recommended. The clear primer I don't really see making any difference. Overall, it's alright; not my favorite mascaras; not something I would repurchase. 

[Sunnysmom]

Such a good well-rounded assortment @itsfi! The cleanser looks soothing and I’m so intrigued by the CT mask too. Tough to trade a wine tho. Hmm. Lol. You def did well with that trade! 💞

[itsfi]

Thank you @Sunnysmom! I don’t know if I’d have gone out of my way to pick up the mask for myself before some more reviews from folks here so this was a nice way to try it. 😀 

[itsfi]

@Shosh85 @curlychiquita @faeriegirl @CookieGirl1, here's a swatch of the iS Clinical Warming Honey Cleanser. I've used the cleanser for 3, maybe 4, nights now and have included some of my thoughts on it in the spoiler.

Spoiler

🍯  Consistency: Thick, rich, honey-hued gel. Melts easily upon contact with warmth of skin.

🍯  Scent: Very faint real honey scent. I wished the scent was more pronounced and lingered. 

🍯  Performance: 

• Warming Effect: To actually feel the warming, I needed to very lightly wet the pads of my fingertips and massage the product into my face. If I added to much water, the product just emulsified quickly into a thin, liquid-y cleanser with zero warming. You just need the teensiest amount of water on the fingertips to be able to feel the product warming as it is spread and massaged over the face. This reminded me of the Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mask in that regard. I was slightly disappointed with how little warming this cleanser produced. Farmacy Honey Potion mask has the best warming effect of the products I've used so far.

• Cleanser: This would make a great 2nd cleanser and or as a morning cleanser. I don't think it is enough on its own to remove sunblock and makeup like you would want in a first cleanser. The consistency of the product starts off on the rich side, but it does emulsify nicely and I think even those with oily skin might enjoy it. 

• Mask: It's a little trickier to use as a mask - since it does have a thicker consistency, it make take a bit of the product to cover the entire face. If you add water first to help with the application, one concern will be making sure that you're not adding too much water - if you do, the 'mask' aspect will be pretty much obsolete as the product will feel like a cleanser on the face. 

🍯  Results: Soft, smooth skin that looks and feels refreshed. 😍 I have really been enjoying how my skin looks and feels after I use this mask. 

[curlychiquita]

Thank you for reviewing it for me, @itsfi! I love the sensation of the Farmacy Honey Potion Mask, was hoping this would have that, too. It still sounds lovely, though.

[itsfi]

@curlychiquita, happy to share my thoughts on the cleanser. I feel the same as you do about the Farmacy mask and this cleanser would have been perfect if it wasn’t such a science to get the warming sensation to come through. 🍯 

[CookieGirl1]

@itsfi it sounds like a perfect product for winter but it's a little too bad that it doesn't warm up as easily or stay warm as long as might be expected.

[itsfi]

@CookieGirl1, I was experiencing some surface dryness and this cleanser felt so nice. Cleared, cleansed my skin without stripping it. If the warming feels were just a little longer, it would have been perfect! 🍯 

[faeriegirl]

Thank you @itsfi!

[Shosh85]

@itsfi Fun haul!! Love the sound of the Warming Honey Cleanser! That may be something I need to look into!

The CT mask sounds wonderful - those percentages still crack me up though! What a great trade!