SNEAK PEEK! Barneys NY Love Yourself Event: February 12-15, 2014

Lovers of beauty gift with purchases beware - the Barneys beauty bag event is coming!!

Next week, from 2/12-2/15, spend $250 in the beauty section and receive this gift bag packed with goodies! 

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I'm so excited to be able to share this sneak peek with you. Hopefully, I'll receive more information about brand specific step up gifts as the event approaches!

Now I'm off to figure out what everything in the photo is and secretly plot a shopping cart that I won't dare to show Mr. Bunny...  

What do you think of the Barneys NY LOVE YOURSELF Event? Will you be participating, or are you hoping for better gifts to sway you? What's making it into your shopping cart? I'd love to know! 

NYC Beauty Purchases

I spent a few days in NYC eating and shopping my way through the city. I definitely had fun revisiting old favorites and spending time with old friends! 

Fortunately for my wallet, I was relatively restrained with my purchases. Take a peek!

L-R: Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque, Aesop Reverence Aromatique Hand Balm, Aesop Rosehip Seed Lip Cream, Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser Sample, Aesop Skincare Samples

I managed to visit two Aesop stores during my trip, and I really wish there were more Aesop boutiques around the country. I snapped a few pics on Instagram, but I have to say that I just love the aesthetic of the boutiques and the friendly SA's that helped me.

I also discovered a few new to me products - Tuberose Lip Heal, apparently coming soon in new packaging, Damascan Rose Treatment, a lovely facial oil, and Ginger Flight Therapy, an aromatherapy treatment for nausea and motion sickness. They've definitely landed in my wishlist!

L-R: Bite Beauty Lipstick Samples, Bite Beauty Custom Lipstick & excess product in pot

I also stopped by the Bite Beauty Lip Lab in Soho and created my own custom lip color! I think it was my lucky day, as not only was it not busy (unlike the first time I tried to go) but the SA accidentally made too much product and put the excess in a pot for me. Plus she threw in some mini lipsticks from Bite's regular range! Don't worry, I do plan to do a post on the lipstick making experience as well as a review of my custom lipstick. :)

Can you believe that is all the beauty stuff I splurged on? My best friend did gift me with Diptyque goodies and many other fun little tidbits from her adventures that you may see popping up here soon, but other than that the only other things I bought were tea from Les Palais des Thes and tea accessories from Pearl River Mart. I also fell for an adorable pouch at Alexander Wang that turned out to be an accessory for Beats earbuds, so in the end I didn't end up getting them. I may regret it later but I have to say I showed remarkable restraint! Ha!

What do you think about my NYC beauty purchases? Are any of these goodies on your wishlist? I'd love to know! :)

Perfect Palette Tag (My Palette Collection)

I'm a bit late to the game with the perfect palette tag, but I figured that since I finally managed to figure out some answers and film a video, I may as well. post it! I filmed this video a few weeks ago, and there's something weird going on with the camera settings, so apologies for that! 

Since I edited down my palette stash a TON over the last year or so, I thought it might be totally doable to show you guys what I have. Here's a peek at my palette stash!

Have you done this tag? Do share if you have done a post or leave your choices in the comments below! :)

I'm a bit late, but here's a look at my nearly edited down palette collection. :) Sorry something is wonky with the camera or lighting - will fix it for the next one!

PRODUCTS MENTIONED: 
Laura Mercier Luxe Color Portfolio
Laura Mercier Bonne Minne Cheek Palette
Laura Mercier Artist Palette 2013
theBalm Nude ‘Tude Eyeshadow Palette (received in giveaway)
Burberry Eye Shadow Palette in Pink Taupe 
Tom Ford Eye Color Trio in She Wolf
Kevyn Aucoin Eyeshadow Palette in #8
Stila "Collage of Color" Convertible Trio
Julep Neutral Eyeshadow Palette
Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzer in Brunettes

January Recap

I can't believe it is February already, can you? The last few days, I've been in NYC, and not only has it been warmer than Chicago, it has been such a great time catching up with old friends and reliving all my memories of the city. 

I have a few more days in NYC and it should be fun. Lots of shopping and museums on the agenda, and of course lots of delicious food! Anyway, here's a peek at some Instagram snaps over the last few weeks. 

Products I Loved
I was pretty thrilled by Goldfaden MD Fresh-a-Peel and loved every single one of my Cold Weather Must Haves. I also loved the Neom Organics 'Three Nights of Peace' Bath Oil Sampler. Mmm, so good.

Product Disappointments
Gummy gifted me a Burberry eyeliner and I was so depressed when my monolids made it nearly disappear in a few hours. :( I also really wanted to love the Diorshow Fusion Matte Mono Eyeshadow in Mirage from Dior's Spring collection, but while I loved the color, it just didn't wow me with performance. 

Beauty Purchases
Lots of beauty goodies came home with me in January, mostly thanks to gift cards. From candles to lip balms and blogger influenced purchases... I'm sure you'll be seeing them pop up in this space soon! :)

Added to the Wishlist
So so many things made it to my wishlist, most notably Diptyque Rosamundi (which is now mine!) and Balenciaga Rosabotanica. I've also been contemplating hair goodies and far too much skincare. LOL.  

What's been on your radar the last few weeks? I'd love to know! :)