Hey guys, in today’s review, I’d like to share this mini (beauty and skincare) haul from the last Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Well, as you all know, the Nordys yearly sale is finally over and it took a long time for my order to arrive. I did order some stuff online and I’d like to show you what I got.
Actually, I didn’t really purchase much clothing stuff, as well as some beauty stuff. For whatever reason, I didn’t get so excited about the selections of sale items this year, but I did want to get something as a gift for some family friends. To be honest, I kinda liked the items that were on sale last year compared to this year. Also, this year, Nordy’s shipping is terrible. By the time I got my stuff, the sale was pretty much over. Anyway, the beauty and skincare sets I got were some of the items that took my interest. There were some sets that got sold out immediately but thank goodness since there were several decent sets left to choose from. The sets that I’m about to review might be gone now but you can still purchase the products individually in their regular sizes at Nordstrom or in any other beauty or skincare stores.
Bobbi Brown Mini Glow Set $32 – It comes with a Mini Shimmer Brick Highlighter in Sunset Pink and a Mini Face Blender Brush. I’m totally in love with the shades of this particular highlighter even though the packaging looks really tiny. It has this perfect blend of slight shimmer, with a hint of peachy blush and a bit of bronzer. The glow I got out of this is really beautiful with a natural diffused effect. It’s not too blinding and it’s not too bronzey. Not too pinkish either. It manages to be light enough to make it glowy and buildable at the same time. I love that it really defines the face and it’s very versatile to use. You can pretty much use it as a bronzer, a highlighter or as a blush. You can even put it on the lids. For me, this is a perfect bronzer/blush, hands down, and I’ll definitely look into the larger version of this because I love this so much. On the other hand, the Mini Face Blender Brush is amazingly precise and easy to use. I was kinda doubtful about its small size when I first saw it, but it actually can cover my whole cheek and can even be used as a highlighter brush. It’s so soft and it gives me a nice control when applying my blushes and bronzers. Overall, this is a very good affordable set.
Stila Good To Glow (Liquid Eyeshadow Set) $35 – This set has one full-size shade from the Shimmer & Glow (Metallic) – Kitten, and two full-size shades from Glitter & Glow: Gold Goddess and Smoky Storm. I’ve always wanted to try these Stila liquid eyeshadows since I’ve heard good things about them, and since they’re the liquid type, I thought they might be practical and easy to use. However, ever since I got these and had been practicing with the application, I find these liquid eyeshadows to be quite a challenge to use. The application is tricky and they seem to be way too glittery for my taste. The Glitter & Glow shades (Smoky Storm and Gold Goddess) have chunky glitters that are too vivid and too blinding for my taste. Even the Shimmer & Glow (Kitten) is still too bold for my taste, but perhaps using a different more muted or deeper shade could have probably worked for me. Also, the formula of these conspicuous eyeshadows is too fluid that they can be hard to blend. Their brush applicators tend to put a lot of products on the lid, so I guess the technique of using them is basically not to put a lot, and just use a brush to spread and blend the liquid evenly and quickly on the lid since the formula does set immediately. I wish Stila would reformulate these into something creamy, however, being as they are, these eyeshadows do feel light as if nothing on the lids. Perhaps, with more practice, I could make these work better.
Kiehl’s Fuel Your Adventure Set $35 – Comes with several minis: Kiehl’s Facial Fuel Face Wash, Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream-White Eagle, All-in-One Energizing Wash for Hair & Body, Energizing Non-Oily Facial Moisturizer, and No-Shine Moisturizing Lip Balm. This is an affordable men’s set that will be useful for traveling. I can’t speak for any of the individual products inside this set since I will be gifting this soon, but I could see that this is such a good deal since there’s a little bit of everything from the Kiehl’s Body Fuel line for men.
Diptyque Candle & Fragrance Set $72 -This set has three Mini Diptyque Signature Candles (1.2 oz each) in Tubereuse, Roses, and Baies. There’s also three Pen Sprays/Eau de Toilettes (0.2 oz each) in L’Ombre dans L’Eau, Do Son and Eau Rose. I’m so excited about this set, but unfortunately, this won’t be mine since this will be gifted soon as well. I also prefer to have my Diptyque candles in large sizes so I could burn them for a long time. I did manage to sniff the Pen Sprays and OMG, they’re awesome! My first impression with L’Ombre dans L’Eau is that it smells pretty much like the Baies Candle, and Do Son has a Jasmine-ish scent, which smells kinda strong at the beginning, then it fades nicely into a light floral scent. Eau Rose has a light rose scent reminiscent of Rosa Mundi. Overall, the candles and pen sprays in this Diptyque set are perfection.
That’s it, you guys. I’m pretty much satisfied with the stuff I bought from this year’s Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, even though I didn’t really buy a lot. I wish Nordy will improve their shipping next year and will have better selections of sale items as well. I’m looking forward to finding some exciting and unique deals next year. ‘Till then.