Special Buy: David Jones Deluxe Beauty Edit Bag!

Hi guys! I got an email from David Jones alerting me to a 'special buy', this Deluxe Beauty Edit Bag, valued at over $250, which you could purchase for just $39.95. This was touted as an Online Exclusive, however there was no option to buy it online, so I was confused, along with other eager beauty lovers complaining on the David Jones Facebook page! Come Monday, I immediately emailed hubby the link and asked if he could check it out for me, thinking he'd go to DJ's in his lunch break. My awesome hubby left his desk immediately on the quest for this bag (isn't he amazing?), and lucky he did! He was first told they had sold out (eeeeek!), then another SA checked and they had received a few more in. YAY! So here I am blogging about it today, and I'm pretty excited to get stuck in and try out these 'deluxe' beauty products!

Here's what I got in my Bag:

~ Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo
~ Sampar So Much To Dew Midnight Mask
~ Weleda Skin Food
~ Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate
~ Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm
~ Shiseido Essential Energy Moisturizing Cream
~ Elizabeth Arden Advanced Ceramide Capsules
~ Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Cream
~ Guerlain Abeille Royale Daily Repair Age-Defying Serum
~ Ella Bache Eternal Beautifying Eye Cream
~ Philosophy Purity Exfoliating Clay Mask
~ Molton Brown Vetiver & Grapefruit Bath & Shower Gel
~ MAC Prep + Prime Skin Base
~ Clarins Lip Comfort Oil in Candy
~ L'Occitane Immortelle Reset Overnight Oil-In Serum
~ Cremorlab T.E.N. Starter Kit (Fresh Water Gel & Mineral Treatment Essence)
~ Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Eau De Parfum
~ Versace Dylan Blue Eau De Parfum
~ Carolina Herrera Good Girl Eau De Parfum

As you can see, this bag is filled with samples of high-end brands. I'm really keen to try the majority of them, and now that I've photographed and blogged about it, I can LOL #beautybloggerlife I need to mention how cute the Good Girl fragrance sample is; look at the mini high heel bottle, you guys! I'm in love! I'm also super happy to get a weeks supply of Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Capsules as I love the effect they have on my skin, but never buy them for myself. Also included is a $10 David Jones Beauty Gift Card which can be redeemed on selected brands included in the bag.

The page on the David Jones website advertising this offer has been removed, but then it was never available to buy online. I know that David Jones Adelaide Central Plaza has sold out and they are unsure if they are getting anymore in, so if you're interested it's best to try your local David Jones beauty counter. This offer was super popular though, as you can imagine!

You may be interested in my Top 5 Beauty Faves

Bonus post of interest! Fabulous And Fun Life's Guide To Buying The Best Hair Straightening Brush

Linking up with Open Slather, Life This Week and Mummy Mondays.

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Did you pick up this Beauty Bag? What are your thoughts on it?

David Jones Beauty Tribe: Free Samples!

Hi guys! This post is all about the David Jones Beauty Tribe, which if you're a beauty lover, I hope you've joined! I'm pretty sure all I did was opt-in for the David Jones 'Beauty' emails, and now I receive ongoing offers in my inbox, and for a sample-loving beauty addict, um, I won't say no.

From Monday 14 November to Sunday 4 December, David Jones held their Beauty Tribe Event across Australia. Now if you're lucky enough to reside in the popular states (lol, *cries*), you would have been able to book in for complimentary makeup services, Masterclasses and treatments at the Elizabeth Street and Bourke Street Mall stores. There were also a whole heap of purchase offers, but let's not get crazy. This is all about getting stuff for free and getting colour-matched for expensive foundations so you can try them before buying.

At the Adelaide Central Plaza David Jones, I was able to redeem five of the offers I'd highlighted on my printout, so keep reading to see what I got! Sidenote - it's always a good idea to print out your Beauty Tribe offer email, and even click the links and bring up as much information about each offer as you can, print it out and bring that in-store, because as well-informed as some DJ's staff members are, others will have NFI what you're on about.

Chanel
Offer: Receive a complimentary Dimension de Chanel prestige sample

It's a mascara! (Yes, I obviously didn't know what the product would be, given the ambiguous title). It's in the shade 10 Noir and the Sales Assistant told me I'd love it; it's beautiful and has moisturising properties.

Elizabeth Arden
Offer: Receive a complimentary sample of Flawless Start Instant Perfecting Primer and a sample of your perfect shade of foundation.

The Elizabeth Arden lady was amazing! We tried numerous creams on my hand (including the aforementioned primer) and spoke in length about my love for Prevage. She colour-matched me for the two foundations and we discussed the benefits of each. One was a better colour match but the other one was more suited to my skin. In the end she gave me two Flawless Start Primer sachets, a packet of 7 Ceramide Daily Youth Restoring Serum Capsules, 3 sachets of Prevage Anti-Aging Intensive Repair Daily Serum, a sample pot of Prevage Anti-Aging Foundation in 01 and a sample pot of Flawless Finish Perfectly Nude Makeup in Alabaster. She was so lovely and I loved talking beauty with her!

La Prairie
Offer: Receive a complimentary colour match and personalised skincare consultation with samples to suit your needs

Unfortunately they didn't have any foundation samples available but the lady took my details to call me when they came in. La Prairie don't pump product into the sample pots like on the other counters, their samples come in the sachets. We did discuss my skin though and she gave me two sample tubes of Skin Caviar Eye Lift Cream, which I've used before and happens to be my Holy Grail eye cream. It used to be $380, then went up to $400, and now it's $415 for 20ml so it's a tad on the pricey side. LOL.

Laura Mercier
Offer: Be fitted with your correct foundation shade and you will receive a complimentary sample pot.

Had a lovely chat with the Laura Mercier lady about Typo and Mecca Maxima (and the LM makeup) and she gave me a sample pot of Silk Creme Foundation in Rose Ivory. She was totes chill and didn't really colour match me, more-so guessing what my shade would be. I also mentioned I'm usually the lightest shade!

Lancome
Offer: Receive a complimentary foundation colour match of Teint Idole Ultra Foundation and a 10 day trial.

The Lancome lady was so helpful with regard to skintones and skincare concerns and blended like a pro whilst colour matching along my jaw and chin. We tried out a few different shades and she ended up giving me a Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate sachet, a sample pot of Tient Idole Ultra Foundation in O10 Beige Porcelaine and a sample pot of the same foundation in 02 Lys Rose.

I ran out of time after this and had to run off to meet hubby for lunch! But I'm super-impressed with the service, knowledge and friendliness of the staff and am so grateful for all the samples I received. Can't wait to try everything!

You can register for Beauty Tribe emails down the bottom of this page.

You may be interested in Free Samples: You Beauty!

Linking up with Monday Makeup Madness at Fabulous And Fun Life!

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Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with David Jones and don't gain anything by anyone joining. I just wanted to point out the Beauty Tribe to beauty lovers. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

How do you feel about free samples?

Current Beauty Gift With Purchase Offers!

There are a few beauty Gift With Purchase (GWP) offers happening at the moment, so I thought I'd compile them for your convenience!

Photo source: David Jones

Estee Lauder GWP at David Jones 
Details: Spend $75 or more on Estee Lauder at David Jones and choose your Bonus Gift
Available: Hurry as this one ends on 14 February (or while stocks last)!

Photo source: Priceline

Priceline HairCare Gift Bag
Details: Spend $40 or more in-store (offer is already sold out online!) on participating hair brands and receive a free haircare gift bag valued at over $200. The participating brands are OGX, Crema Color, Garnier, Elvive, Kardashian Beauty, Pantene, Cedel, Batiste, Hask, Lady Jayne, Scunci, Marc Anthony, Schwarzkopf, Revlon Colorsilk, John Frieda, Alchemy, Just For Men and Napro Palette.
Available: until 24 February or while stocks last.

Photo source: David Jones

Lancome GWP at David Jones 
Details: Spend $75 or more on Lancome at David Jones, in-store or online, and receive a free 8-piece gift set valued at over $190.
Available: until 28 February or while stocks last.

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Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with any of these brands or stores, links are for information purposes only (not affiliate links). Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

Do any of these offers take your fancy?

August Empties: Because I Can-Can!

I should say Can-Can-Can-Can, because that's how many cans feature in this Empties post. Way too many, making it boring as bat-shit. So I photographed them on one of my son's painting, to BRIGHTEN the whole thing up. I hope I finish something exciting this month!

Nivea Pearl & Beauty Anti-Perspirant Deodorant
Death by excessive Nivea fumes. Will not repurchase.

Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Conditioner
(with a 'fusion of Wild Violet & Pomegranate'). LOVE this and will buy it again when it goes on special, because I'm cheap like that. This smells divine and leaves my hair soft, smooth and relatively untangled.

Lancome Genifique Youth Activator
Possibly the only free sample that has been brilliant enough to make me want to purchase the whole product. Ever. Because I'm cheap and not easily swayed. I used this every day under my moisturiser and I swear I could see my skin get younger looking. Lancome have recently dropped their prices on this range too, so I might have to bite the bullet. But you know I'll try to win one first :)

Nivea Double Effect Anti-Perspirant
This contains Avocado Extract for smoother underarms, but I never noticed a difference. Will not repurchase.

Toni & Guy Cleanse Dry Shampoo
I'm shocked that I'm starting to go off this! I'm pretty sure I recently blogged this as a favourite. What a psycho I am. Either my hair is becoming increasingly difficult to refresh between washes, or this stuff is not working as well as other dry shampoos like Batiste and Klorane, which I think I'll buy next, instead of T&G Cleanse.

Schwarzkopf Extra Care Super Styling Lacquer
Y'all know this is my favourite hairspray ever. I've harped on about it enough before. A staple product for me.

Feel free to link up your Empties Posts in the comments below!

SkinCare Routine: Back to Basics!

Oh hai! Just wanted to update you on my current skincare routine. I've just completed two consecutive skincare trials, which involved using four different products on my face for the last couple of months. As interesting as this was (and I do love trying new brands and blogging about my experiences!), I am determined to get Back To Basics for a while. My skin needs a break, and I want to feed it with stuff it's used to, products that I know work.

So here's my current skincare routine:

Pevonia Botanica Purifying Skin Mask
Elucent Anti-Ageing Gentle Cleanser
ASAP Daily Exfoliating Facial Scrub
TN Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Clinique Anti-Fatigue Cooling Eye Gel (Skin Supplies For Men range, lol)
Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Ageing Eye Cream
Lancome Genifique Youth Activator (sample)
Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Ageing Cream (Normal) SPF15

Disclaimer: All of these products were either won or bought by me, with the exception of the Lancome sample, which was a freebie. 

What's your current skincare routine?

Lancome Galateis Clarte

Gentle Clarifying and Cleansing Fluid for Face and Eyes

Lancome say:  “A water-light lotion for fast, thorough cleansing that removes even the most stubborn makeup. Foundation, blush, mascara and lipstick all dissolve and disappear on contact! Leaves skin feeling clean and fresh, soft and supple. It’s extremely gentle formula can even be used to remove eye makeup.”

I got the 50ml version of this in a Lancome Gift With Purchase at least a year ago, and I'm still using it. This is probably the best Cleansing Fluid I've ever tried. It's super gentle, which I love, because it doesn't hurt if you accidentally get some in your eye. I purely use it as a MakeUp Remover, as it seems to remove my eye makeup so gently and effectively, not like some others, where you're rubbing and pulling on your skin trying to scrub the black off 'til you have panda eyes! This Fluid will actually remove all traces fairly quickly, leaving your skin feeling soft and cleansed.  The fluid is white and the consistency is fairly thin, perfect for dissolving away unwanted makeup. The aroma is pleasant too, not overbearing, just a slight hint of fragrance. The formula contains pineapple and papaya extracts which aid in breaking down the connecting layers between skin cells. This would be fantastic for dry skin, but at the same time it seems like it would be suitable for any skin type.

Overall, this is a luxurious cleanser, that is well expensive. If you feel like indulging, it is a quality product. I would never spend this amount on a Cleansing Fluid, but I am happy I was able to try it as part of my GWP.

**Upon searching online for this product to get rrps, I was unable to find it, so it may have been discontinued, or had a name change to Lancome Galateis Douceur Gentle Softening Cleansing Fluid for Face & Eyes, which is a very similar looking and sounding product, containing the same main ingredients, and comes in 200 and 400ml sizes, just like the Galateis Clarte.  Galateis Douceur Gentle Softening Cleansing Fluid for Face & Eyes is pictured below.**

Lancome Galateis Douceur Gentle Softening Cleansing Fluid Face & Eyes 200ml $30.00 (AUD) and 400ml $46.00 (AUD) from strawberrynet.com