I got paid at ten o’clock this morning. By two o’clock this afternoon, most of my wages had been spent. Admittedly a good chunk of my money went on necessities such as travel, a prescription and a present for my mama for Sunday. But I went a little bit crazy on Escentual and my poor, poor debit card is feeling completely worse for wear. As such, I’m embarking on a self-imposed beauty spending ban for the month of April. I know, I’m pretty devastated too. But my spending has gotten to a stage where I do feel a little guilty, and I could do with saving some pennies. Also, I finally feel as though I have everything I need (be it already in my bathroom, or en route from the interwebs), and hopefully my stash should keep me going until May. Actually, if I ran out of anything, I’d be a little disappointed! Well, my mascara is on its last legs, but I might stretch another four weeks out of it! I’ll probably go on a crazy beauty spree on the 1st of May, but at least I might have something saved up so I can do it properly!
But that’s enough talk of austerity and gloom. What did I buy from Escentual?
Having read numerous blog posts excitedly noting the fact that Escentual were having a French Pharmacy sale for the month of March, I decided to swoop in and see what bounty I could uncover. As I mentioned in my Morning Skincare Routine post, the skin on my nose is looking a little parched lately, and I think I need more of a hydration hit than I’m getting from my Ren day cream. Also, Avène is a brand that I’ve been intrigued about recently, so I ordered their Soothing Hydrating Serum which should have been £17 but was reduced to £12.75.
First of all, this would have cost €25 had I bought it in a bricks-and-mortar store in Ireland, so it made far more sense to purchase it online and take my chances with the Sterling-Euro conversion rate. Avène specialises in skincare which soothes and nourishes sensitive skins; while I’m not overly sensitive, I do feel that my skin is a little in need of some TLC every now and again. It’s oil-free, non-comodogenic, and chock-full of the thermal spring water that Avène is renowned for. A moisture boost without an oil slick? Yes, please.
The next product to land in my basket was a bloggers’ favourite, the Nuxe Reve de Miel Honey Lip Balm. £9.50 would have been too pricey for a lip balm, but I practically stole this for £6.33.
This is a cult favourite that I more or less bought on impulse; while I’ve read about it, I’ve never researched it with the intent to purchase. I’ve also become interested in the all-natural Nuxe brand recently, having heard that their Prodigeux le Parfum essentially smells like summer in a bottle. However, as I am not one for buying perfumes without having sniffed them profusely first, I plumped for another Nuxe product which has gathered a cult following. This is pretty much a ‘what’s all the fuss about?’ purchase, which I don’t normally do without any research but the lip balm was comparatively cheap so I thought, why not? I’m a ‘tub of Vaseline everywhere I am’ kind of girl but I’d like to move away from using mineral oils full stop, so I can’t wait to see if this meets my high expectations.
Lastly, I debated with myself a little over this, but finally I decided to buy something I’ve been hankering after since last October, the Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Eau de Toilette Spray, which was £42.50 for 50ml (down from £50).
Last October I visited Florence on a field trip (do field trips technically include a lot of Chianti?), and while I was lingering around Duty Free in Dublin Airport I spied the L’Eau d’Issey Eau de Parfum and the name rang a bell, so I sprayed a bit on. To say I spent the flight surreptitiously sniffing my wrist is an understatement. I was hooked! I had gathered beforehand that this was one of those scents which either lit up a woman’s world, or left her underwhelmed. For me, the most underwhelming scent ever is definitely Flowerbomb; completely overrated. But I digress. I’m not too familiar with perfume lingo; all I can tell you from memory is that L’Eau d’Issey is floral but fresh; not too sweet yet not throat-catchingly sharp either. It’s a very unique scent that I rarely smell on other women (creep). On the return leg of the journey, I spritzed some into my scarf and anytime I’ve seen it in a shop I’ve been all over it like a rash. The EDP was out of my price range considering my other purchases, so the EDT is the next best way to have a little bit of Issey in my life. And anyway, I’m down to my last four perfumes. It was totally necessary.
Creating an Escentual account may prove to be the ruination of me. In fact, I’ve arranged to have my order delivered to my boyfriend’s house because my mother will probably go crazy if she sees another parcel arriving for me. Since I placed the order, I’ve already compiled an Escentual wishlist, which includes the Avène Cleanance Mask, the Clarins Doux Exfoliant (which I still have yet to buy) and the Nuxe Aroma-Perfection Anti-Imperfection Care (try saying that five times fast). Some Caudalie goodies will probably make their way onto the list as well.
I’ve created a monster! But have any of you tried this monster’s new buys?
Em x
ilyanarose 