Sephora Samples

(Disclaimer: I am typing this blog entry from my phone, so if anything looks weird I apologize, please bear with me)

So unfortunately my computer started acting up the other day. Like seriously started acting up. I had to take it to the Apple store and they're sending it to their specialists to fix it. I'm actually happy it messed up now instead of later because my Apple Care is about to run out (T-minus 11 days and counting) 

I hadn't realized how much I used my computer until it went bonkers on me. Even though I knew it was going to get fixed I was feeling a bit down (I mean who wouldn't) So after I dropped my computer off, I went to Sephora. My mom, dad, my cousin & her fiancé gave me Sephora gift cards for Christmas. So I went in to buy something just for the heck of it.  

Whenever I go to Sephora, I always walk out the door with samples. The thing is, I don't know if everyone knows about this wonderful aspect of Sephora and even other stores that sell beauty products. If you ask, most products can be given to you as a sample. Pretty cool right?

I've been trying out different BB Creams lately because the one I had been using for the summer/fall is too dark for my skin tone right now. (I get super pale in the winter) If you want a good BB Cream, you gotta pay some good money for it. So instead of spending $40 on a BB Cream that I'm not sure looks/feels good on my skin, I get samples of them first to try them out. I really like the SmashBox BB/CC Creams so I'm considering buying them. 

The other day though an employee at Sephora gave me sample of some tinted moisturizers that I hadn't tried yet.  

 

Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer



 

 

This moisturizer is nice. It's a little on the thick side but it's got great coverage. Makes my skin feel smooth. She gave me a whole lot too which is great. I can use this for awhile!

 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

 

 

This tinted moisturizer is not as thick as the first one. It's nice if you're looking for something that gives you a light coverage. 

 

Josie Maran Pure Argan Milk Intensive Hydrating Treatment 

I also got some Argan milk treatment that you put on after you wash your face and use toner. It's a serum used to hydrate and repair your skin. You use it before your moisturizer. The Argan milk worked well on my skin and it felt great afterwards. 

I ended up purchasing these crayon lip glosses. They're Sephora brand.

I love these. They look great as a lip sheer on top of lipstick or perfect by themselves if you are going for a more subtle and natural look. 

I also received a fragrance sample from Dior called Dior Addict. It has a great fruity/floral scent to it. 

I was told while checking out that if I purchased any fragrances from that day until (I believe) Valentines Day I would receive triple the amount of Beauty Insider points from my purchases. What are beauty insider points you ask? Well Sephora has a program, that's free, which allows you earn a point for each dollar you spend. You can redeem those points for free items, be the first to know of promotions being held and you receive a free gift on your birthday (Actually any day the month of your birthday) I have 480 points. I'm almost at 500 points. It's taken me forever! 

My birthday was recently in January so I received my free gift. I got the same gift last year but I loved it so much I chose it again this year.  

It's a Benefit Cosmetics sample of their highlighter cream "Watt's Up" and their amazing mascara "They're Real!"

I love this mascara! I used to use Dior Extase Mascara but I think this Benefit's mascara is just as good. 

I love getting samples, whether it's from Sephora or Lush or other places. What about you? Do you get samples of products you haven't tried yet or do you just buy the product? Did you know you could get samples of products? Is this new or old news to you? Let me know in the comments below. If it is new news to you I hope I've opened a door for you, where you can explore the world of trying out new products, one sample bag at a time! <3

XOXO

Iquo

Ah Ah! Korea!

About 7 years ago, my friend Leslie and I stumbled upon a Taiwanese drama called "Devil Beside You" and I swear the course of our lives changed forever. I know that sounds crazy. How can a TV show change your life? Well, actually it kinda did. 

Because of that show we started watching more shows. One of them being "Full House" which stars the talented actor/singer/songwriter/dancer (the list goes on) Rain aka Jung Ji Hoon (who I adore) This was a Korean drama and ever since then Korea captured my heart and has yet to let it go.

Not only did we watch Asian dramas, we also started listening to Asian music (K-Pop is one of the best things that's ever happened to me) we gained interest in Asian culture as a whole. We wanted to learn Chinese & Korean, heck we wanted to study over there! Miraculously, God allowed us to study in China for four years (my friend studied there for three years because she was one year ahead of me in school) 

While I was in China I met a lot of people. I have friends from all over the world. It's kinda awesome. Our second semester in China consisted of learning Chinese five days a week. It was grueling but my classmates and teachers were pretty awesome. Most of my classmates were either from different countries in Africa or from South Korea. My South Korean friends and I bonded on so many levels. To this day, I know if I ever needed them they would be there for me and vice versa. 

One year my friend and I saved up enough money and we were able to go to South Korea. I had been waiting to go there for at least two years. When I say it felt like I was going home, I mean it. I felt like South Korea was my second home, just waiting for me with open arms. I know that sounds weird but I felt so at peace there. 

We had a great time with our friends. The friends we had made at school took us around Seoul and Incheon. Leslie's sister Lisa was teaching in Busan for the summer so we went to visit her too. We had a blast! I wish we could have been there longer but being there for two weeks was great! We had amazing food, visited amazing places and made some great memories with amazing friends. 

Of course we went shopping there! Everything in Korea, in Asia is sooooo cute! I felt like it was Christmas everyday there. I bought numerous things there but something I bought that I particularly loved were facial products from The Face Shop. I started using these products and my skin glowed. Seriously! People would ask me, "What products do you use? Your skin looks amazing."

I was able to purchase the same items in China because, well they aren't that hard to come by considering South Korea and China are neighbors. After I came back home though, the products were a lot harder to find. When I ran out, I was devastated. I found people selling them on ebay but I was weary about buying them through ebay because I know people sell fake products and I didn't want to be putting God knows what on my face.

Recently I've been seeing a lot of articles and posts about Korean Beauty Products. Brit + Co posted an article about them (they deleted the article though, I don't know why) & Refinery 29 had a post about them too! It was the Refinery 29 post that led me to new websites that I now adore!

First there's Soko Glam. I love this site. They are so informative when it comes to the products they sell and then some. They're based in the USA. They've been featured on different websites and in magazines like Allure. I really like their site and plan to buy from them soon.

Then there's KollectionK. I about fell out when I saw their site. They have a lot of products. They have very cute products too especially from Etude House. You must check out these products! They are super cute!

I had bought some products from another website, Korea Depart, two weeks ago, but I could not resist buying something from these new websites I recently stumbled upon. So I'll show you what I purchased! 

The Face Shop Lovely Meex Mini Waterful Grapefruit Mask

Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen? This is a facial mask from The Face Shop. It is an overnight mask but it also can be used as a 15 minute mask. It is meant to leave your face feeling hydrated and rejuvenated in the morning. I am super excited to use this product and I can't wait for it to come in the mail!

There's a lovely review on this product here

I'm excited to use this product. I've used the moisturizer before and worked wonderfully on my skin so hopefully this one does too.

The Face Shop Arsainte Eco-Therapy Extreme Moisture Daily Moisterizer

This has done wonders for my face! I can't wait to start using it again! It's not too runny and yet it keeps your face nice and moisturized.

I have used some of their White Tree products in the past. The one I used was discontinued so I figured I'd buy this one. Hopefully it will work just as good, if not better.

I am so excited about this product! It is so cute! It serves multiple purposes. I got the "Peach Sugar Cake" color/flavor. I can't wait to try it out and show you guys.

Etude House I Need You! Mask Sheet

I love using face masks. It wasn't until I went to Asia and I saw lots of masks like these. I bought the Lemon one which is supposed to brighten and clarify your skin.

I'm really excited to try this product. They've sold over 5 million of them. I keep reading that "essence" should be a key product you use in your facial regiment. I also bought the trial size set of these products. I can't wait to use them.

The Face Shop Smile Foot Peeling Mask

I've been wanting to try this out for the longest time. It's gonna be weird because my feet are gonna peel but hopefully my feet will be super soft afterwards.

Etude House Strawberry Sponge Hair Rollers

These are the cutest things ever!!! I've never seen anything like them. I can't wait to take pictures with them in my hair! They are adorable! I couldn't resist buying them!

I'm very excited about my purchases and I can't wait until they come in the mail. I will definitely be doing reviews on the products I've purchased and of course I will be taking pictures of them. 

Have you used any Korean products? If so, which ones? Do you like them, love them or (heaven forbid) hate them? Let me know in the comments below!

 

XOXO Iquo

Chocolatey Peppermint Hot Chocolate

As I sat in my family room this sunday afternoon, I couldn't help but notice that it was raining outside and maybe it's because I'm anemic (I'm actually not sure if I am but I might be) but I was freezing, even while sitting in my hoodie, sweat pants and socks on!

I'm not ready for it to be fall but this weather isn't really giving me a choice. As I was watching Fringe (The entire series is on Netflix now!) there was an episode where one of the main characters Olivia gives a child she's caring for hot chocolate. As I watched this fictional boy drink his hot chocolate I thought "I could use a cup of that!"

I called my best friend Leslie to ask her how she made her hot chocolate. I loved her hot chocolate. When we lived in China, as we sat in our un-insulated apartment in the dead of winter, a hot cup of hot chocolate was the closest thing we had to home. It was unbelievably comforting and it warmed us up better than the many layers of clothing we put on ourselves.

She simply used cocoa power, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. I thought about just using her recipe but I started looking around online for other recipes as well. I found myself at The Pioneer Woman's blog. (Her food is amazing!) She has at least 4 different hot chocolate recipes. Although they all looked good, her simple hot chocolate would do.  

I prepared to just mix Leslie and Dee's (The Pioneer Woman) recipes together but then I remembered I had some peppermint schnapps in the cabinet. Drinking that stuff straight is like drinking mouthwash, but more intensified. But if you mix it with something, like hot chocolate, it's definitely not so bad. So with all these things combined I give you "Chocolatey Peppermint Hot Chocolate"  

(Warning: If you don't like really chocolatey things, this recipe is not for you ^.^)

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman's "Delicious Hot Chocolate" and Leslie's recipe 

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups of Milk
  • 1/4 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream (Can substitute and use Half & Half)
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp (or to taste) Peppermint Schnapps (Can substitute and use peppermint extract)

Makes 2 Cups (3 Cups if using smaller mugs) 

Preparation Instructions

  1. Combine milk and whipping cream to saucepan and warm over medium heat.
  2. Add chocolate chips in milk mixture and stir until melted
  3. Add cinnamon to mixture, continue to stir
  4. Add vanilla extract, continue to stir
  5. Add peppermint schnapps, continue to stir (Add as much or as little as you want; the peppermint schnapps is so strong so I didn't use as much but if you're using extract you might need more, it's all about your taste and how much you want)

 

Hope you enjoy this chocolately drink just as much as I did! Until next time, 

Iquo

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