I Am Stepher

It’s been a few days since I received my bag of goodies from Barneys and I already have a new favorite. I will be the first to admit that I am a total sucker for a new face cream. I took a picture of the bottles next to my sink this morning and I am almost embarrassed to show it. These are the face/eye creams that I use on a daily basis. In the interest of total disclosure, three of the items are for my hair.

I was using straight olive oil on my face for about a month and I loved it. I thought my skin looked great and felt super smooth. The only issue was that it required me to dust a little powder on my face before I left the house. For most people this wouldn’t be an issue, but I hate to wear any makeup on my skin. I don’t mind eye makeup, but anywhere else on my face just feels weird. Another issue was that the olive oil smelled like, well, olive oil. I could live with all of that, especially because a $5 bottle would last me at least a year, but after it spilled all over my suitcase while we were in Europe, I was totally over it.

Sunday Riley’s skin care line is my new obsession (in addition to sweater clips). I have been using the Juno oil for about a week and my skin feels awesome. I just ordered a full size bottle and I also ordered the Good Genes cream. I have read a little bit about it and it sounds pretty great.

Good Genes
Purpose

Everyone wants the unmistakable look of having “good genes”. This amazing treatment is formulated with key ingredients which will plump fine lines, reveal brighter, newer skin, and improve circulation, offering a smooth, vibrant complexion. Long term use will restore damaged skin, reduce hyperpigmentation and acne scars, reduce the depth and number of lines and wrinkles, even out skin tone, & increase epidermal firmness and thickness.

Unique Properties
Great to use 5 days in a row as an intensive radiance treatment or anytime you want to impress. Can be applied daily for reviving skin which is damaged by excessive UV exposure, aging, acne scars, pollution, lifestyle.

Purpose

A rare, dry oil absolute that gives skin an obsession-worthy glow. A patent-pending blend of lightweight, fast absorbing oils extremely high in natural retinol, Vitamin C, Essential Amino Acids, Omega-3, 6, & 9, UV shields, and natural Anti-Inflammatory agents for luminous skin. Anti-Aging, anti-oxidant.
Juno Transformative Lipid Syrum
Unique Properties
A dry oil blend: hydrates and vanishes, leaving skin velvety and smooth.

Go to sundayriley.com for more info. You can also order from Barneys.

OMG! Finally my Barneys beauty bag arrived in the mail!! Every September Barneys New York has their Beauty Bag Event. This is the very best GWP (gift with purchase) available. I found out about it 4 years ago and I have been participating ever since. You have to spend $175 to get the gift but I am telling you it is so so so so worth it. I usually wait until I need a new perfume or a bunch of makeup. You can find out which weekend in September it will be by doing a quick google search or by calling one of the stores a few months in advance.

There is not a Barneys in St. Louis so for the past few years I just call into one of the New York locations and ask to place my order over the phone. The sales associates work on commission and they are always more than happy to take your order. This year I had a slight problem – they forgot to put my order in the computer. I waited two weeks for my bag to come before calling to ask what was going on. They were super nice about it and sent me all of my stuff over night for no extra charge.

So what is in the bag? Tons of samples and full size products. I have included pictures below. One year there was a $500 Cle de peau face cream (full size!). This year there are full size lip sticks, eye shadows, nail polish, mascara and soap. There are also lots of half-size products like Sunday Riley’s Stem Cell Serum (when would I ever be able to try this?). If you can, I strongly suggest you participate next year.

This is the cute little bag that everything comes in. Every year it gets better.