Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Skin Care Sale Stock Up

Is it a bit tragic to look forward to a twice-a-year skin care sale? Well then, tragic I am. Back in May when I purchased the Antipodes Anti-Ageing Minis set, I mentioned I was eagerly anticipating Priceline's next 40% off skin care sale, given they now stock brands like Bioderma, NUXE, La-Roche Posay, Avène, Trilogy and Antipodes (all they need to do is include Caudalie in the mix and I'm pretty much set). On Tuesday, July 29, that day finally arrived. I actually had no clue beforehand and a friend I was meeting for lunch told me about it in the morning. I literally made a dash to the nearest Priceline within an hour of hearing the news.


Though I made it to Priceline at about 11am, I was surprised to see all three items I'd jotted down on my list to be completely gone. I wanted to buy the Trilogy Rosapene Night Cream, Sukin Purifying Facial Masque and a backup of my NUXE Rêve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm, but everything was unavailable or sold out at the store I visited. I left empty-handed and a bit peeved.

I checked out another Priceline after work but it was exactly the same story. The sale was only for 2 days, so I contemplated making a trip to the city on Wednesday to survey other stores, but instead asked friends who were in the city to check for me. One managed to find NUXE Rêve de Miel, but had no luck with the other products. That night during the remaining few hours of the sale, I made one last visit to my local Priceline and the irrational side of my brain took over. It was thinking, "CHEAP! GOOD DISCOUNT! 40% OFF, THAT'S BASICALLY HALF PRICE, RIGHT?!" rather than "Was I planning on buying this in the first place?"

The Trilogy night cream I wanted still wasn't there, so I settled for the Balancing Face Lotion. I figured it's a generous size (100ml), making it good value for money and something that would last a long time, it's packaged conveniently and attractively in a heavyish dark frosted bottle with a pump, has quite a few overlapping ingredients with the night cream, and can be used day and night, year-round. I find it similar to Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream but lighter, more fluid in consistency and less rich, and easier to spread over the face. It absorbs well and doesn't leave the skin feeling heavy or looking shiny. It has a pleasant, relatively subdued, sweet botanical scent that's not cloying or irritating. It's probably more suited to summer use but I've been trialling it the past week during winter here in Australia and I haven't felt it lacking in the hydration department.

I picked up another Antipodes Anti-Ageing Minis set because at $12, the Joyous Protein-Rich Night Replenish Serum (10ml) and Avocado Pear Nourishing Night Cream (15ml) were $6 a piece and I simply could not say no to that. Speaking of a price that can't be refused, I managed to nab one Grown Alchemist Regenerating Night Cream Neuro-Peptide & Violet Leaf Extract for $12. Yes, $12. Considering the cream is retailing on the Myer website currently for $84.95, I think I did well. It was already hugely slashed down to $20, but a further 40% off was entirely welcome. The consistency and colour remind me a bit of cake batter. It's one of those "natural" creams that take a while to be worked into the skin (Yes to Carrots Daily Facial Moisturiser with SPF 15 had the same issue). It leaves the skin slightly tacky to the touch but absorbs fairly well. I don't find it overwhelmingly hydrating and nourishing, nor have I noticed that my skin looks markedly better in the mornings, but we'll see with prolonged use.

Finally, an addition to my list of products for which I have a backup, namely NUXE Rêve de Miel. My existing pot is far from empty, but I use it every evening as an overnight lip treatment. Despite initially finding it odd and somewhat uncomfortable when applied, I've since embraced its thick, paste-like texture and weird exfoliating beads, especially when the result is dry, chapped, flaky lips are kept at bay.

25 comments:

  1. that is what i hate about sales... the good stuffs run out very fast

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  2. I feel your pain! :-( Too bad you couldn't get hold of the night cream.. have good things about that. I have been eyeing those Antipodes mini for a while too but have been holding back.. I have a large stock of skincare waiting to be unleashed and absolutely no room for additions! I hope they have them around when I am ready for another spend!
    I have not heard of Grown Alchemist before, would love to hear your thoughts on it! And Such a steal on that one!!

    TheConscienceFund

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  3. I was planning to drop by my local Priceline during the two-day sale and pick up a few things but I just couldn't muster up the enthusiasm to at the end of my day to do so. I could have done with another tube of Effaclar Duo and have always wanted to try something from Antipodes. You scored yourself some really nice bargains too, I don't think I could have said no to that Antipodes set myself! x

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  4. How annoying that you couldn't get a hold of everything that you wanted! When I got the email about the sale, I quickly jotted down what I had wanted to buy (I like you, also waited for this 40% sale to pop up!). I got the same Antipodes minis set, although now I wish I had picked up another one. Really looking forward to using them! I also bought a back up of the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm, despite having a jar that isn't close to empty too :P

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    1. You must visit Melbourne's Bourke St Mall Priceline one day, it is extraordinarily big and has products stocked up very well!

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  5. LOL, watching the Aussies go mad during Priceline sales has become one of my favourite things on the internet. I can only imagine how bad it would be if we ever had sales like that here in North America. It probably feels like we get deals daily here by comparison, but 40% off all skincare is unheard of. (The most we can hope for is 20% off French pharmacy brands once in a while.)

    I actually found Antipodes at a store yesterday but interest has worn off after seeing their social media team blitz one of my friend's blog. She wrote a favourable review, but they felt it was necessary to respond to almost all the comments. I hope they don't come here, lol.

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  6. the Trilogy Rosapene Night Cream broke me out badly =\ i dont think you should bother with it if you're prone to acne like me

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  7. oh wow 40% off!!! I would def do the same! lol
    I still haven't tried anything from Antipodes yet , mainly because the brand is not widely available here.. But Nuxe is easy to get here, I might try the famous lip balm soon ^^

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  8. I love that NUXE lipbalm, so creamy! 40% is great! x

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  9. I absolutely love the Nuxe lip balm...saved me during the winter when I was living in London. Antipodes has been a brand I've been wanting to try, but seeing how I just took the plunge and bought SK-II Facial Treatment Essence it looks like I won't be buying anything for the next few months...or ever haha. So damn pricey it's annoying O_o

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  10. Ohhh I totally understand you! I'm always looking forward for sales and special deals. This year I was able to snatch two La Crèmes from Too Faced for 8€ instead of the regular 21,90€. And the colours are actually really nice. I probably won't buy anything else...with the exception of a OPI nail polish since they are really cheap during this time of the year.

    I have yet to try out that lipbalm from NUXE. I'll probably try to get it along with the new La Roche-Posay exfoliating toner (I'll admit that I pretty must jumped from my chair in excitement when Caroline Hirons mentioned it. )
    Anyway, good finds!

    Take care*

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  11. Ooh you picked up some seriously good products here. I can't ever be without the Nuxe lip balm. It is so lovely and I just it every single night. xx
    Celina | The Celution | Bloglovin’

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  12. Every time priceline has a sale I am always too late and I go an hour or two after it opens! I tried to pick up the Nuxe lip balm too but the entire Nuxe section had been completely cleared out!

    nueyork.blogspot.com

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  13. Omg! I picked up almost the exact same things! Sub Trilogy for the daytime mini Antipodes pack! Haha how funny!

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  14. What a gorgeous little haul! The picture is lovely and makes the products look even more appealing than they already are! I especially love the Nuxe!

    Owl Girl | A London lifestyle blog

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  15. Oh wow! 40% on those brands sounds amazing! I totally would love to try some antipodes products! But they are quite pricey full prize!

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  16. I neeeeed to look at the Trilogy range very soon, I think! xx

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  17. I would diieee. I can't get my hands on half of these brands.

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  18. Early birds catch good items during sales :)
    xo,
    ~Pauline @neutrogena philippines

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  19. I had a quiet Priceline with fully stocked shelves and a morning free, but couldn't bring myself to decide on what I wanted.

    What a waste :(

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  20. Absolutely love reading about people's Priceline haul! I can't believe the Grown Alchemist Peptide was only $20! I can't believe it was already reduced and then you got a 40% off on top of that! I'd love to hear how you like it a few weeks from now!

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  21. Sounds like such a good sale! I'm glad your friend was able to find one of the items you wanted. Its always terrible when you bounce from store to store trying to tract down the item you are hunting for, only to have your brain flip out and make you buy so much more than what you wanted or needed... at least you got some solid things!
    Carolyn | BLOG

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  22. Grown Alchemist has recently launched in the UK. Can't wait to try some products!!

    thebeautyinformer.com

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  23. That Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm has been on my to try list since forever! Good to hear you're a fan :-)

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