High End Haulage

So, for the past few weeks I've been doing some major haulin'. The reason is because there's been a lot of development in my neighborhood lately so I find myself wandering there every weekend or so. Extremely dangerous stuff, let me tell you, especially when there is a new Blue Mercury 5 minutes away from where I live. -_______- Don't know what Blue Mercury is? Well, here's a handy link to their homepage. Basically, they carry a number of skincare, makeup, and hair brands as well as an in store spa. At first, I wasn't having so great of an experience there because a lot of the sales ladies were incredibly snooty and age-ists. Recently, though, a couple of women my age have been hired/transfered and they were very helpful. It's one aspect of non-online buying that I really appreciate, being friendly with the sales reps. I have one makeup artist that I go to on a regular basis; she used to work for NARS and now she works for Armani which is part of the reason why I end up purchasing so much of their stuff. :P

Anyways, the two sales reps were very nice to me and my friends and were really helpful. You can get free samples of anything that they have marked with a blue sticker as a tester, so if you're ever in there, be sure to ask for some samples. Here is a catalog of the thing's I've purchased:

(Again, I am going to warn you that my pictures SUCK! I'm working on it, I promise...=/)





MD Alpha Beta Daily Facial Peel



Okay...so I got a little sold on the MD Skincare line. UGH! *groans* It's a hefty price, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm not that far off from calling up a dermatologist (again) and going in for a consultation because my skin is the worst that it's ever been. I figure that this is my last resort before going and spending even more money for whatever the doctor might prescribe me, peels, and so on. The sales ladies, however, wouldn't stop raving about these pads so I decided to give them a try. I went online and did a little research, and it turns out that this is a top rated product. I couldn't find a full list of the ingredients, but here is a direct link to the peel along with more info.

I've only used it a few times so far, having used it in the AM by suggestion, but since you are supposed to keep swiping the pad on your face till it's dry, I thought, 'I don't have time for this," so I decided to wait a day and switch the regiment to PM. Since it does contain salicylic acid, I wouldn't recommend this product to anybody with dry or extremely sensitive skin. After the third time using it, I could definitely feel a little sting from Step 1 as I wiped it on my face. I have combination/oily skin so I am prone to peeling but, so far so good; I'll report back in a week or two if I start to notice a real difference, along with some pics if I feel brave enough. Right now I just feel kind of desperate because I've tried so many things and none of them seem to be working. :( Hopefully, this works! *crosses fingers*

For those of you who are wondering, they come in pads in two steps. You can buy them in containers or individualized in sets of 30 or 60. I bought the individually wrapped pads:



The MD Skincare line is quite nice; I also received some samples of their MD Powerful Sun Protection, All-In-One Facial Cleanser With Toner, Skin Clarifying Clay Mask, and some Hydra-Pure Oil Free Moisture.



I got a few samples of the All-In-One to last me a couple of weeks which I thought was really nice. Actually, I REALLY like the All-In-One because it really does what it says: it completely removes your makeup while cleansing AND toning your face. I didn't believe it at first because I'm one of those people that believes in removing your makeup first THEN cleansing but this really does it all. It's a little odd because the application process is putting the solution on a dry face, then rubbing it in for about 20 seconds then using some lukewarm water to rub it in again before washing it off, but it really does remove everything! The only thing that's putting me off about it is the price but, who knows, maybe the more I use my samples the more I'll be convinced, lol. Right now, though, I need to use up all my cleansers first before I think of buying a new one.

The clay mask is nothing special. I don't know, maybe I'm not an expert on masks but I feel like it works the same as any other mask. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't "zomgs!" either.

Also not pictured is a couple samples of the Cucumber Mask by Mario Badescu. I've been a little curious about it since nic nic gave a positive review on it and I must say, it is a very refreshing mask. ;)

The oil free moisturizer is wonderful, especially for the summer because it's very light yet hydrating. It's got a very fresh, clean scent to it that is not overbearing, much like the moisturizer and I wake up in the morning with my skin feeling rejuvenated.

I have yet to try the sunscreen packets. I think I am saving them for an occasion where I am going to really be in the sun all day which hasn't happened yet, but here are the directions/list of ingredients:

Another sample shown in the picture is the Caudalie Cleansing Water which I have also yet to try because I've been trying to stick with one particular thing before trying another. From what I was told, it's great for lazy people because it essentially does the same thing that the All-In-One does except you use a cotton ball on a dry face instead.

Just some quick info. about Caudalie: organic and vine (grape)-based, so ideal for sensitive skin.

FYI: Both Caudalie and the MD Skincare line can also be found at Sephora. In fact, Sephora sells MD Skincare packages for a VERY reasonable price considering it's a high end line. I wish I knew about it before I purchased what I did but...oh well. Links can be found here and here.

I also was given a TON of Bumble and Bumble samples. *!!!* I <3 style="font-weight: bold;">

Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner

I don't know if I want to save it (like when I travel) or to try it, but I think, for the sake of this blog, I will try it all! Mwahaha! I have the thickening spray, but have yet to try out the shampoo and conditioner so we'll see how it turns out. The thickening spray only gives me a touch of volume, but, since I have a lot of poofy, thick, Asian hair already, I don't think it's that big of a deal, lol.

Creme de Coco and Deep Hair Treatment


Ah, how I love the Creme de Coco and Deep line from Bumble and Bumble. I've used the Deep hair treatment for quite some time now and it is excellent for dry/damaged/colored hair aka my hair. These hair treatments are like hair masks that I like to use in the shower and leave it in for about 15 minutes. A little goes a long way since you comb it into your hair so I think it's worth the price. I've used the Creme de Coco shampoo and conditioner before, but the masque is new so I'm anxious to try it out! Plus, it smells really nice... :P

Seaweed Shampoo and Conditioner

I did not like this line at first because I found it to be very drying, but upon talking to the sales lady, she said that it's good to deep clean your hair about once a month which is what the seaweed line is good for so I think that I'll be using the sample for just that purpose.

Gentle Shampoo, Tonic Shampoo, and Grooming Cream

I don't know much about the Gentle line, but I do know that the Tonic shampoo is similar in use to that of the Seaweed shampoo and conditioner. You only use it about once a month for some deep cleaning. This is not to be confused with B&B's Hair Tonic which, by the way IS THE MOST AMAZING STUFF FOR YOUR HAIR ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH, EVAR! *coughs* Yea... the grooming cream is like a styling cream. It's nice, but I feel like you can get away with using any styling cream and it'll pretty much do the same thing.

Okay, so apart from the samples, I did end up purchasing the Surf Spray, and I am completely falling in love with it. It's a extremely lightweight hairspray that gives you that "windswept look" like you just spent hours at the beach. Personally, I dislike that "windswept look" but man, this little spray does an excellent job of bringing out all my choppy layers! I'll do a better review on it in another post. ;P


Another purchase I made (because I am such a sucker for such great customer service) was, surprise surprise, a new NARS eyeshadow duo, Violetta! I had these shadows put on me while I was in Tokyo over winter break and I just fell in love with that purple. It has a pearlescent sheen too it and the matte, lightly taupe color is a wonderful balance.

Here are some (crappy) pictures of swatches:

Aside from Blue Mercury, the salon under the tunnel of my school was having a sale! I couldn't resist PLUS I needed some new hairspray since mine exploded all over itself when I flew home to LA so I picked up some more.

The S Factor line from TIGI is awesome stuff let me tell you, very conditioning and the best part, everything has micro glitter in it! *shiny!* I use their Smoothing Lusterizer every time I wash my hair. It's a leave-in conditioner of sorts that leaves your hair shiny and silky. The Chic Shine hairspray is light, yet gives a firm hold. It's doesn't clasp your hair together into hard sections either so there is movement. It's a good every day hairspray.

Since I like the Lusterizer and the hairspray so much, I decided to purchase the shampoo and conditioner as well:


Color-safe (like B&B) so I'm excited to try it out when my Tsubaki is finished.

I know I haven't been blogging as much lately, but I've got summer FOTDs, reviews, and a drug store haul lined up along with some music reviews so it looks like I'm going to get busy again, lol.

Hope this was helpful... =/