Unboxing and Swatches of the Pur Cosmetics Set : Freedom Collection Inspired By The Divergent Series

The Freedom Collection by Pur Cosmetics is an exclusive Limited-Edition collection of 4 nude essentials that were inspired by the film The Divergent Series: Allegiant.

I ordered this Freedom Collection set last Wednesday and it arrived a 6 days later on Tuesday so I'm quite happy with the shipping. It comes shipped in a box insulated with brown paper and inside the box, you find another box held together by a cute bowed elastics. I like that finishing touch to it. However unlike the Target Beauty Boxes, this box is flimsy so you can't reuse it to store other items.

Estee Lauder Color Edit Holiday 2015 Blockbuster

Estee Lauder Color Edit: Holiday 2015 Blockbuster

While watching TV, my mom notices an Estee Lauder commercial and asks me about the deal. I missed the commercial but I knew it would show again so when the commercials started rolling, I paid close attention. The first thing I notice is Kendall Jenner strutting around. My mother has no idea who she is and what she want interested in was the Color Edit Holiday Blockbuster set that was being advertised for $59.50. She asked me if it really did cost $60 because there were a plethora of items in that commercial. We decided to test out the set the next day at the counters of Macy's.

When we were at Macy's, we saw that the posters say that the set is with the purchase of any perfume. I was disappointed because I don't use much perfume but when I asked the sales associate she told us that it is with any purchase. Long story short, my mother ending up buying this set for $59.50 after picking up the hydrating toner that she normally uses.

If you do the calculations, it was a really good deal. Just one of the lipsticks itself cost $30. So this entire set was like the cost of 2 lipsticks. I was also pretty amazed at the gold firework design on the palettes.

There are 12 items in this set and if you divide it by the number of items, it's like $5 per item which is cheaper than drugstore prices.

I follow lots of beauty blogs and always look out for sales and deals. I hear about UD, Clinique, Mac, Guerlain and many other brands from bloggers but rarely does anyone mention Estee Lauder. I wonder if it's because Estee Lauder has less PR or if the brand is less geared toward the younger generation so beauty bloggers care less about it.

Anyway let's check out what's inside the  Estee Lauder 2015 Color Edit Holiday Blockbuster set:

The whole set is all packaged  and wrapped up in a red textured cardboard slip covering. Inside is a bright red patent travel case. I don't know who would travel with such a bulky case filled with makeup but I love cases like this to store my makeup. I have a black lancome one and every single time I take it out, my makeup feels so luxurious.

Estee Lauder Collaborates with Andre Courreges for a New Limited Edition Makeup Line for Spring

Estee Lauder Collaborates with Andre Courreges for the released of 13 limited edition makeup products that was inspired by the iconic Courreges mini dress and The Space.

While I was reading the march edition of Allure, my eyes was drawn toward the product Estee Lauder Courreges Lip Visor.

It seems like the new trend is to create lip glosses/ lip balms that are round ever since the success of EOS. 

As I was mesmerized by uniqueness of the lipgloss, it reminded of a lip gloss that I have seen on my favorite blogger's site before.

I did a quick searched on her site and found the post.

Back in 2011, musingsofamuse posted her review of Mark Main Squeeze lip gloss and it looks exactly like Estee Lauder Courreges' Lip Visor.

Image credits to musingsofamuse

Musingsofamuse bought the Mark ones for $10. I believe Mark has discontinued the lip gloss now. Estee Lauder Courreges is selling theirs for $26.

The two product looks exactly alike. Can't wait to see how the formula of Estee Lauder Courreges Lip Visor will be when it comes out.

Check out the review of Mark Main Squeeze on Musingsofamuse.

Other images and more info of Estee Lauder and Courreges line credits to Temptalia

Target Beauty Box Fall 2014 Edition Review

I just received my first Target beauty box in the mail today and couldn't wait to share it.

This season's Target Beauty Box contains 5 items. Two of the items are full size. The beauty box is valued to be $28 and cost $7 +tax (Target waived the shipping). I figured that the lipgloss itself cost $9.99 so it was a worth the purchase plus I get to try out other items too.

I like Target's beauty box because unlike other subscription boxes, you know exactly what you are getting and if you don't like this season's box there is no commitment. The major reason why I purchased this box is because of the Laneige BB cream. 

it comes housed in a description card with 3 shades to choose from

"Laneige BB Cushion Sample (Target Exclusive): Pat and press your way to perfect skin with revolutionary 5-in-1 cushion technology that brightens, protects, cools, covers and prevents shine."

I am in need of a new bb cream since I used up the Skin79 Gold Label. I believe this was the brand that started the bb cushion craze and wanted to try it out for a long time but after going to a couple different Targets and they didn't have testers for the BB cream I felt that this was my opportunity to try it out.  It's supposed to hydrate, prevent shine, brighten skin. I'm eager to try this out and will write a review once I do.

"Elnett Extra Strong Hold Hairspray (2.2 oz): A favorite of runway stylists, this massive-hold spray adds brilliant shine and brushes out in a flash, leaving hair with a clean, satin finish."

 The other item that I had always wanted to try out was the Elnett hairspray. It has received lots of rave and has been featured on many magazines. I don't usually like to use styling products on my hair due to its stickiness. This one promises to hold shape without being crunchy and can be brushed out.

"Fekkai Professional Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo (1.7 oz): Revive your blowout instantly with an airy mist that absorbs dirt and oil leaving hair clean, fresh and lively."

 I don't care for this dry shampoo since the PSSSSST dry shampoo that I've been using had always worked out for me. This was an extra for me to try a high end version.

"L’Oréal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lipstick (.18 fl oz): Knockout hues meet conditioning care in a gorgeous formula infused with precious micro-oils that intensify color, smooth lips and add shine." 

I was nervous about the color that I would get for this lipstick since they didn't state what color you would be getting. This is a full size product. It called a lipstick but is actually a lipgloss. The color I got was blushing harmony and applies sheer to medium. It looks like a berry color in the tube but on my its more of a nude pinkish-brownish shade. On my mother it was a dark nude brownish color. If I had to choose a color I would've chosen a brighter reddish or pinkish color but this color is okay. At the very least it wasn't a vampy color. The color vary by box so I am wondering what other people got.

"NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (.18 oz): Glide-on glam. A velvety blend of mineral oil and powder, this creamy pencil does double beauty duty as a radiant eyeshadow.

L’Oréal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lipstick (.18 fl oz): Knockout hues meet conditioning care in a gorgeous formula infused with precious micro-oils that intensify color, smooth lips and add shine."

This was also an extra for me and is also a full sized product. Netizens have said this was good for highlighting the inner eye duct. I like using a shimmery reflective powder for that purpose but since powder and brushes are more messy I could give this a try. When testing it on my hand, I find that it's super creamy- perfect for using as base for eyeshadow but I don't think the staying power would be too strong since it so creamy and blendable. 

The products arrived in this nicely packaged box and those samples inside were wrapped in red tissue paper that resembles those at sephora. It's a nice sturdy box that I will use to keep my other cosmetics.

Also included in the box was a description card with $3 of $15 of beauty products at target and a 20% of discount code to the Dermstore.com

This fall 2014 beauty box is still available at Target.com for $7 with free shipping and I think it's a total steal if you are interested in trying out those products.

If you already tried out those products let me know how you like it.

Thanks for reading,

VanillaDreamCream