Post-Christmas Haul: Elie Saab, Issey Miyake, Lancome, Nars, Philosophy

Indulged in a bit of shopping during the post-Christmas sales.

Elie Saab Le Parfum is a sweet floral fragrance composed of orange blossom, jasmine, patchouli, rose and cedarwood notes. This has been garnering positive reviews online, so when I spied the coffret going for 30% off at my local department store in Switzerland, I snapped it up. I like that it is not too heady or generic.

A Scent by Issey Miyake Neroli Sunshine has fresh crisp opening notes like the original but a spicier, more complex heart of neroli, jasmine and hyacinth that settles very nicely on my skin. I snagged this for 50% off the highly inflated original retail price of CHF99.90.

For my mother, I picked up this Lancome L'Absolue set of four mini lipsticks (1.6g each, versus the regular size of 4g) which was going at half the original price of CHF49.90. This set retails in the UK and France for only about CHF30 and CHF33 respectively, which gives you an idea of how inflated makeup prices are in Switzerland!


It contains two L'Absolue Rouge BX lipsticks in #06 Rose Nu and #132 Caprice, and two L'Absolue Nu lipsticks in #302 Voile de Rose and #201 Beige de Soie.

At a pharmacy in France, I picked up this Biotherm duo set of Lait Corporel, for 40€, down from the original price of 63€. The unique soft citrus scent is still one of my favourite scents ever.

The year-end holidays aren't quite complete without some delightful treats from Philosophy, so I was happy to find the Tinsel Town 3-in-1 shower gel and Holly Berry Bubbly bubble bath at a Sephora across the border in France. These were just 9.90€ for 480ml each.

Tinsel Town looks shimmery in the bottle but it does not leave any shimmer on the skin. It's a yummy berry scent with a fresh peppermint note.


From NARS, I got the Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and G-Spot Multiple from the holiday collection. The prices in euros are significantly marked up compared to the US (e.g. US$39 for the Multiple versus 40.50€ in France), but probably still cheaper than Switzerland.

At a outlet mall, I found these boots by Geox, which has become my favourite brand for shoes. Not only are the boots comfortable, the soles have sufficient thickness and grip, perfect for the rainy and snowy weather over here.

Hope you're enjoying the holiday season too!