It's Clinique Bonus Time @ Macy's

It's Clinique Bonus Time at Macy's and they call this "The Wow Factor" bonus. Hmm, not that wowie though but I've been waiting for a nice bonus since I've ran out of my All About Eyes eye gel and I didn't like the last ones at other department stores so I had to pick this one up today. Here's a list of what it comes with and you receive it when you buy something for $21.50 or more.

1. Clarifying Lotion 2- this is for dry/combination skin types. Since I'm an oily girl, this is not that suitable for me and it does contain alcohol denat. (denatured) which is the first ingredient. That's why I've never liked Clinique skin care. If you'd like to try a nice alcohol-free toner, try Neutrogena's.
2. Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion- Now this is the thing that I've always hated and thrown away with every bonus I've ever gotten. Again, this is for dry skin types (I wish they'd have an option to choose skin care items with bonuses). This stuff is so greasy and oily. The first 3 ingredients are water, mineral oil, and sesame oil (would you like to cook some pancit with this?). Definitely NOT GOOD FOR OILY GALS.
3. Clinique Color Palette that contains: Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Rose Wine (nice fall colors), Soft Pressed Powder Blusher in Pink Blush (very sheer) and True Bronze Pressed Powder in Sunkissed (better for fair and light skintones)
4. High Impact Mascara in black- I know I've used this before and I don't remember much of it. But I'll use it again and let you know what I think in the future.

5. Different Lipstick in A Different Grape- this is a sheer, glossy, wine/berry/plum colored lipstick that's nice for the fall. It's called different lipstick because of it's smooth and comfortable feel. It's pretty moist and glides on smoothly but I prefer lipsticks with at least medium coverage.
6. Large Cosmetics Bag- this thing is HUGE. It's 11.5" x 7" x 3". The exterior is made of PVC so it's easily wipeable as well as the nylon-lined interior which is lime green. The patterned stripe on the outside is made of satin and is the top edge of a pocket! I'm telling you again, it's huge!!

7. Mini Bag- you get to choose between a round bag, a mini square one or a long, regtangular shaped bag that's triangular on it's profile. I chose the latter. =) And it's made of satin type material.

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I like how the palette doesn't come with those little sponge applicators or dinky little brushes that nobody uses anyway!

What I don't like is the plain white packaging. What happened when they used to use that fake green marbled plastic with their bonuses? Check out the pictures down further below. I like it old school.

NOTE: The palette items seem to be dry and chalky which IS NOT like the other Clinique eyeshadows and blushes I've owned. So I'm disappointed with the low pigmentation. They're usually creamy and velvety. I guess these mass market things aren't up to their usual standards. (For a base under the eyeshadows I used a Physician's Formula Color Eyes Cream Shadow stick in Champagne)

The pic below shows the 3 mini bags which you can choose from.

This bag is huge! I'm thinking of using it for skin care items when I travel. The blue thing you see there is a foot long ruler.

So what did I buy to get the bonus? I got the 0.5 oz All About Eyes gel ($27.50) which is better for oily skin types while their rich formula is better for drier skin types. This is my favorite favorite eye gel of all time because it absorbs into your skin quickly and it leaves this nice, velvety soft, smooth texture to the undereye area. It moisturizes well and I don't have to wait very long to let it soak in before I put my makeup on. This works really good for puffiness but as far as correcting dark undereye circles, it's just okay.
ALL ABOUT EYES GRADE: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(If it worked better for dark circles, I'd give it a 5)

L: New packaging/R: Old packaging
What happened Clinique? Didn't their skin care items come in the pretty patterned box like their makeup? I haven't bought anything from Clinique in a while so have they changed all their packaging to a plain boring green? WHY?!?!

This is what I was talking about earlier. They used to use pretty green marbled plastic with their bonus palettes and now it's plain white. What's the problem Clinique? Hmm, must be the economy.

I think this came with a bonus about 2 or 3 years ago. I love Faded Denim for a smokey bluish/purple eye. These are nice and creamy while "The Wow Factor" palette is dry and chalky. =(

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion

Tonight after washing my face, I tried my sample of the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion scrub which I received as a sample with my Sephora order. OMG! First of all, a full size 1.7 oz jar of this costs $75 so I am lucky to have a sample.

This is a white creamy substance with a granular texture which feels exactly like baking soda. You're supposed to wet your face with warm water and massage for 1-2 minutes. It had a tingling and cool sensation; actually it kind of burned a little at first. It's the same kind of sensation you get when you use a mask like Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask. It was more of a menthol kind of burn as opposed to a hot kind of burn. The cool sensation lasted for a few minutes after washing and the sample pack is good for 3-4 uses.

When I started to rinse this off I immediately felt the results! I could feel that my skin was so soft, smooth, slippery and supple. And when I finally patted my face dry my skin literally felt like a baby's bottom. It's something I've never felt before on my face! If you've ever tried a scrub with papain, which is the enzyme in papayas, it makes your skin feel that soft and supple. I used to use a scrub by Origins called "Never A Dull Moment" that contained papain but the ground apricot and mango seeds in it were so scratchy. However, it gave the same smooth feeling as the Dr. Brandt scrub but with the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion it feels two or three or four times better. I can see why this product is popular despite the hefty price. I'm not the type to spend $75 on one skin care item but I would probably get this in the future. I'll add it to my wishlist!

This is recommended to be used once or twice a week, allowing a three day break between usages. Check sephora.com for a list of the product's ingredients.

My grade for this scrub is 4.5 stars out of 5.