Wednesday, October 26, 2011

How Would You Rate Sephora's Customer Service?

I am sure many of you shopped during Sephora's current friends and family event.  Did you get what you wanted?  Did you run into any problem?

I placed my order on 10/20, the first day of the sale, just to make sure I got everything I wanted.  I got an order confirmation email but I waited and waited and never got a shipment confirmation email.  Today, 10/25, I called to check on the status.  It turned out that 2 of the items I ordered is out of stock so they cancelled my order.  There were other items that I ordered so I asked to have the rest of the items process.  They can't do that either.  Why?  I placed my order with an e-gift certificate combine with a credit card.  Apparently my $50 e-gift certificate status is "been used" and there is nothing the customer representative can do about it other than advise me to wait 2-3 days and try again. 

Here are the problems with this situation:
-Why would the system allow me to check out when an item(s) is "not in stock"?

-My order was cancelled, how come I did not get an email notifying me that there is a problem and my order is cancelled?

-My order is cancelled, I got no good yet I can't use my e-gift certificate to place another order?  Try again in a few days to see if it will process does not sound assuring at all.  What if it does not work?  I lost $50 bucks?  A customer should never be left hanging in the dark like that.

-I will either miss the sale or in this case unable to reuse the 20% coupon since it is a one time use only.

-I used the 100-points to redeem an item, did not get the item and lost the points.

Finger crossed that nothing will be charge to my credit card and that in a few days, I can use my e-gift certificate.  Otherwise, this will waste more of my time.  I am one of those people that is willing to pay a little more for good service and customer service is so important, it is almost like insurance, a peace of mind.

I hope you guys have a better experience. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Sunplay Moisture BB SPF 27 PA++ Review and Swatches


Sunplay BB cream comes in two versions. The “silky” version is made for oily skin and the version that I am reviewing, “moisture” is for normal to dry skin type. It is a foundation, concealer, moisturizer, sun protection, whitening, and anti-aging in one.

Price: $18 for 40g. Purchased from sasa.com

Pros: A common complaint about BB cream is the grey cast that is often presented. Sunplay Moisture BB SPF 27 PA++ has little to no grey cast and the neutral undertone also makes it more wearable. It provides medium to full coverage but it is pigmented, only a little is needed, which makes it looks sheer and natural.

Cons: If you have dry skin, it is best to moisturize before applying this BB cream otherwise it can get flaky midday.


As you can see from comparison, it does a good job at even out my skin yet look natural.


Overall: This BB cream has neutral undertone, making it versatile and would probably match people in the light to light medium skin tone category. It is also pigmented, allowing it to provides good coverage while still looking natural.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Disclosure: The product(s) being review was purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Halloween: Leopard Look Tutorial


This is the look I did for last year Halloween party.  I procrastinated, did not have enough time to order the costume I wanted online and could not find anything I like in store.  So, I decided to put together something relatively easy myself.  This was what I came up with so hope you guys like it. 




Here is what you will need:
-  Urban Decay Naked Palette (Or any neutral eyeshadow will do) 
-  Black Pencil Eyeliner
-  Brown Pencil Eyeliner
-  Black Liquid or Gel Eyeliner
-  Mascara
-  False Lashes
-  Leopard Head Band and Tail (not shown, I misplaced mine, sorry) - bought mine from Party City, sold separately, about $5-6 each.  It is something I am pretty certain will be in stock again this year.




Here is the design up close.


How To:
-  Do your base makeup as you normally would and apply bronzer, I would avoid any pink blush.
-  I applied a wash of "half baked" from the UD Naked Pallett all over the eyelid.
-  For the leopard print, start with either a black gel or liquid liner, draw a half uneven circle.  Then draw the other half but do not connect the two to make a circle.  Repeat, all over your eyelids and a few on your upper cheeks.  They do not have to be perfect or identical, actually the varieties in shapes and sizes make it more real.
-  Depending on how dark your complexion is, you can fill them in with either "buck" or "wheat".
-  Line both your upper lash line and waterline with black eyeliner.
-  Apply mascara and false lashes.

That is it, you are now done with your eyes makeup.  Lets move onto the snout.





-  Start by drawing 3 dots in a triangle on the side of your nose, using a brown eyeliner pencil.
-  Draw 3 whiskers on each side of your face using a black eyeliner pencil.  Make sure they are where you like them to be, then trace them over with a black gel liner for staying power. 
-  Draw some more brown dots along your upper lips.
-  Draw a black vertical line above your cupid bow and smudge it a little bit.
-  Now draw a snout on the tip of your nose.  It is almost a shape of a heart (see image above).  You can go over with black get liner for staying power.  You then "lightly" fill it in with a pink cream blush.  If you don't have a pink cream blush, a lasting lipstick should also work.

That is it, you're now done.  I know the direction seem really long, I was just trying to be details but it is not as hard as it sounds.


Friday, October 14, 2011

Haul from France

I apologize for the lack of post lately.  I have had back to back travels, France and then a spa retreat, that left me no time for much else.  I am just glad to be back home, in my own bed again.

I did bring back some beauty products.  I did not shop as much as I thought I would.  Sight seeing took up most of our time.  Plus, there was a lot of walking everywhere you go so it was just not that convenience lugging things around. 


I have been wanting to try Bioderma Crealine H20 for awhile.  It is a makeup remover that a few people on YouTube recommended.  The middle bottle is a Nuxe Reve de Miel, a facial cleanser for dry and sensitive skin.  The bottle on the right is Avene Eau Thermal Spray.  Obviously I will be reviewing these once I get a chance to test them out.


This is Avene's sensitive line Eye Cream, it is only $11 Euros which is like $15 Dollars, great price.



Blush from Bourjois.


Ever since I am pregnant, I am very sensitive to sense.  I stop wearing perfume.  I tried this one out and it was very light, fresh rose scent so I bought it as a gift for my mom (she does not like anything strong either).

I also bought a few things in the clothing department.  I fell in love with these boots immediately, I think they are perfect for welcoming Fall.



Next up, I'll try to post some scenery and attraction photos.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Support Breast Cancer Research Through 100% Pure Lip Gloss

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and in support, all month long, 100% of sales from the 100% Pure Sugar Plum Sheer Twist Pen Lip Gloss will be donated to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation is a non-profit breast cancer organization, working on conducting groundbreaking breast cancer research, and is the leading resource for information about breast cancer and women's health.

Learn more at www.DSLRF.org.


In addition, 100% Pure is also currently having a 48-hour special! Get 20% off the Coffee Cherry Sun Damage Corrective Cream with code CAFFEINE.

Coffee Cherry Sun Damage Corrective Cream is a super nourishing facial moisturizer that contains extracts of Coffee Cherry and Green Coffee to provide your skin with instant hydration and anti-aging nutrients to address aging and sun damage. The ingredients list is impressive with Green and White Tea being the main ingredient along with other nourishing oil such as rosehip and pomegranate.

Offer expires Thursday Oct. 13th at 12:00PM PST.