I've made a number of beauty purchases the past couple of months, so without further ado... 

From drugstore.com, all Avene: Micellar Lotion, Cream for Intolerant Skin, Cold Cream Hand Cream, Thermal Water, Cleanance Mask.

Drugstore.com was having a 20% off sale on Avene products, plus if you spent over $40 you received a full-sized Cleanance Mask. I needed to restock on the Thermal Water and Cream for Intolerant Skin, so I went ahead and took the opportunity to try a few other items. 

I prefer purchasing the smaller containers of the Thermal Water, and drugstore.com has the best price since I can get them as "purchase 2 get 1 free"...plus with the 20% off it was a no brainer!! I actually purchased 6, but couldn't fit it all in the pic! Ha ha :-)  I absolutely love the Cream for Intolerant Skin. I'm almost done with my 2nd tube so I'll be reviewing it soon. 

From Saks Fifth Avenue: SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion (deluxe sample), SK-II Whitening Mask (single), SK-II Facial Treatment Mask (single), SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, 2 samples Chanel UV Essential SPF50.

I went in to purchase the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence because I wanted something super lightweight that I could layer under my existing moisturizer to increase hydration. And I've always wanted to try SK-II so I took the plunge! 

The girl at the counter was amazingly nice and was very generous with the samples!! She said there's a half a bottle of product in each mask, and said I could save whatever came out of the mask packets and put them into a container to continue to use later. Genius!! I had read about this tactic on several reviews and was happy to find out it's true. I don't know if I quite believe half a bottle is in each mask, but there is definitely enough *juice* leftover to make the $$ worth it. 

She asked if there was anything else I'd like to try and I asked about the Facial Treatment Clear Lotion. It's a toner with lactic acid, that supposedly feels pretty gentle but is very effective at exfoliation and helping to keep mild acne at bay. She asked what sunscreen I used, and that led into a whole long story about my sunscreen woes...namely the one I've loved for almost 2 years was contributing to breakouts and I've been having trouble since. She loves the Chanel so threw in some samples of it to try. 

SK-II also had one of those machines that maps out your skin. I was scared so I said no at first!! Then I rethought...sighed...and said ok! I prepared myself for the worst but was pleasantly surprised. Everything came out in the top percentile, except for a couple of areas:

1. Potential sun damage. With my Asian skin I feel like I'm a little more prone to age spots and other pigmentation. While I'm not showing a ton now, there's stuff lurking under the surface. And since I'm a Flight Attendant and am on a plane all the time, I get a lot more intense sun exposure than the average person. So I've started using a Vitamin C product, am still searching for the magic sunscreen, and am also testing out and looking for another antioxidant serum to wear underneath (though I'm hoping I can get away with just the Vitamin C and sunscreen). 

2. She said I had a small area under my eye with some dead skin where it looked like I may not always get the makeup off. I'm very sure I get all makeup off, but this particular spot is where I repeatedly have to rub and exfoliate to get the dead skin off. It's not flakey, but is this small patch that seems to build up faster than other areas of my face.

From Nordstrom: ARCONA samples - Berry Fruit Bar, Toner Tea Bar, Cranberry Gommage, Gentle Solution, White Tea Purifying Cleanser, ARCONA Hydrating Serum, Shiseido Facial Cotton. 

I went in for the ARCONA Hydrating Serum, and the girl helping me out was super nice and gave me a ton of samples. I've used the Berry Fruit Bar and Cranberry Gommage, but have been curious about the other products. The Hydrating Serum I purchased because I wanted to see if it would be lightweight enough under my existing moisturizer to add additional hydration, as explained above. The Shiseido Facial Cotton is hands down, the absolute best cotton around...if you don't have it you need it!!! 

Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF50 from lovelyskin.com and Replenix Sheer Physical Sunscreen SPF50 from dermstore.com.

These are two all physical sunscreens I'm currently testing out. I want to see if I do better with physical sunscreens layered over Vitamin C and other antioxidants instead of chemical based sunscreens. These are two that repeatedly get excellent reviews. 

From Sephora: Murad Acne Treatment Concealer, Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Jo'mina, Julep Nail Vernis in Natasha, YSL Glossy Stain #19 Beige Aquarelle (sorry!!! it's 4 in the pic but it's supposed to be 19 - I pulled the wrong box!!), YSL Glossy Stain #7 Corail Aquatique, Sephora Collection Mono Eyeshadow in Dreamy Blue, Korres Wild Rose Mineral Foundation in 02 Fairly Light. 

This is probably my third container of the Murad Acne Treatment Concealer. While not an exact match to my skintone, it's close enough for those days when I'm feeling lazy and don't want to get out concealer and a brush. The crazy blue eyeshadow was an impulse buy because it was only $3 and I had just been talking to another Flight Attendant about taking more makeup risks. I love the look on other people, but I'm not sure it'll suit me. We'll see!! 

In addition to the two polishes purchased from Sephora, I've also found a few from ULTA and Nordstrom. Here they are pictured together: 

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Jo'mina, Butter London Tea With The Queen, OPI Caffeine Fix, Butter London Scoundrel, Julep Nail Vernis in Natasha, OPI Lucky Lucky Lavendar. 

I've worn Tea With The Queen, Lucky Lucky Lavendar, and Jo'mina so far and really love all three!! Here's a shot of Jo'mina while I was enjoying one of the best burritos ever from a Portland food truck:

From Macy's: Chanel - Lip Definer in 36 Beige, Glossimer in 164 Plaisir, Rouge Coco in 43 Avant-Garde, Rouge Coco in 42 Culte.

Loving the Plaisir and Culte so far...liking Avant-Garde...not so sure about the lip pencil - I think it may be a touch to taupe for my lips. 

I forgot a few random things here and there but this is the bulk of it. Swatches coming soon...and you'll know what reviews to look for in the future :-)