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Barneys New York

Surratt Beauty Prismatique Lips – Nouveau Riche, Jolie Laide, Chichi, Pailettes and Lili Dorée

March 10, 2016

The Surratt Beauty Prismatique Lips launched sometime last fall ($36 each for 2.36ml/ 0.08oz.) and I picked up a few shades to try out. I’ve been a huge fan of his Lipsliques and Lip Lustres (Hevyn, Soigne and Gamine swatched here) – they are colors I’ve used up entirely but haven’t repurchased due to the steep price points but I do love the formulas. The quality is excellent with good smooth coverage and a voluptuous soft feel. The Prismatique Lips are sparkly lip sheers that contain Japanese reflective pigments for brilliant shine. Even though they are sparkly, the shimmer is done in a refined way to add the prettiest glimmer to the lips without feeling chunky or overly glittery. I have five shades that I purchased, although in playing with the formula, I have all the shades on my wishlist. The colors are sheer but work well with your natural lip tone to give a youthful glowing look to the lips. The Prismatique Lips come in a slim duochrome shimmering tube. It flashes green or purple depending on the light. These are extremely small in size so I do believe the price per oz is on the steep side.

Nouveau Riche is a shimmering nude
Jolie Laide is a taupe violet shimmer
Chichi is a gorgeous shimmering coral pinky peach
Pailettes is a sparkling cool baby pink
Lili Dorée is a soft shimmering peach

These apply similar to the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines in the sense they are no fuss kinds of colors. They have a sheer transparent quality and on the arms they swatch sheer but the color adheres better once on the lips and gives a healthy glow. The texture is smooth and nourishing. Lasting power is like any glossy finish lipstick. The Surratt Prismatique Lips last a decent amount of time on the lips. They won’t disappear or slide off within a few hours, but lasting power won’t be as long as a full coverage lipstick.

Swatches on bare lips (no primer or liner added):

Bottom line all winners for my neutral lip loving self. These give the lips the prettiest wash of shimmer that I’ve seen. I’m all for shimmering lips but I do tend to avoid glitters. The sparkles are beautiful in these and are visible but not over the top. If I had to pick one favorite it would be Chichi. Given the way these have sheer coverage I suspect some of the brighter color options would also look gorgeous on the lips with the bright but sheer finish they have. For the amount of product you get in all the Surratt Beauty items I do think the prices are extremely high, but the quality is there and I haven’t regretted anything I’ve splurged on from the line. As far as I can tell there’s no detectable scent in the lipsticks.

You can find the Surratt Beauty Lipsliques at Barneys New York, Sephora and Net-a-Porter. If you have a few of these or any other Surratt Beauty items on your list I highly recommend you check out the Barneys Love Yourself Event going on through the 12th of March. Details on the gift in this post here. Since Surratt Beauty items are spendy the gift event is a great time to get something back for spending a significant amount. Plus it’s a nice way to treat yourself 🙂

Do you have any Surratt Beauty favorites?

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Barneys New York GWP

Barneys New York Love Yourself Event: March 8 – 12

March 8, 2016

The Barneys New York Love Yourself Event starts today March 8th and runs through March 12th (while supplies last). This is one of the best gift with purchase events for beauty that I’ve shopped over the years. It usually only happens twice a year for Barneys and with any $200+ order in beauty or grooming (cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, men’s or women’s) you get a complimentary gift bag filled with selected Barneys favorites. There are two gift bag options, one for men and one for women – the sampling selection is top notch. I always find great minis to try out and some favorites I like to keep for when I travel. Today I’ve teamed up with Barneys to share the women’s gift along with a selection of some luxury favorites in case you’re in need of recommendations or ideas. The event happens in store and also online – over the past several years I’ve ordered through both methods which have worked equally well. I do recommend you put together your lists and order sooner than later as the gifts usually do run out every year.

Here’s a list of the contents of the women’s gift which comes in a zip cosmetic case. Contents per bag may have a few variations for scent options or colors (as indicated below):

  • Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara 2 ml
  • 3LAB M Cream Ultimate Lift 6 ml
  • Chantecaille Mini Brilliant Gloss 1.5 ml (assorted colors, Lucky shown above)
  • Costume National Parfum in Soul 1.5 ml
  • Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Eye 3 ml
  • Malin + Goetz Geranium Face Cleanser 15 ml
  • Moroccanoil Fragrance Originale Body Souffle 20 ml
  • Oribe Supershine Moisture Cream 15 ml
  • R & Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo 75 ml/1.6 oz
  • REN Keep Young and Beautiful Beauty Shot 3 ml
  • Ritual Wai Wang Body Scrub 70 ml
  • Bellatora Cellular Renewal Cream 12 ml
  • Tatcha Deep Brightening Serum 10 ml
  • Givenchy Phenomen Eye or Mini Le Rouge 1.5 g
  • La Mer New Lifting Eye Serum 3 ml
  • NARS Audacious Mascara mini 3 ml
  • Byredo Mojave Ghost mini 2 ml
  • Maison Martin Margiela mini spray 1.2 ml (assorted options Sunday Morning or Beach Walk)
  • Rene Furterer Hair Care (assorted options)
  • Raw Spirit mini 1 ml (assorted Desert Blush or Summer Rain)
  • Verso Reviving Eye Mask packet

The men’s grooming bag (not shown) contains:

  • Ulrich Lang NY Fragrance – Lightscape and Nightscape mix 50 ml
  • Byredo Sunday Cologne 1 ml
  • Rituals for Men Magic Shave cream 70 ml
  • Kieh’s Facial Fuel Heavy Lift Moist 7ml DLX
  • La Mer Eye Concentrate
  • Chantecaille Magnolia healing emulsion 8ml
  • Malin + Goetz Grapefruit Face cleanser
  • Aesop Mouthwash
  • Harry’s 4oz Aftershave Moisturizer
  • 3LAB M Cream 6 ml
  • Tatcha Deep Brightening serum
  • Raw Spirit Assorted: Winter Oak or Citadelle
  • Verso Reviving Eye Mask
  • Illuminum Assorted: Tahitian Yuzu Vaporizor, Vetiver OUD, Bergamot Blossom Vaporizor, Phool, Rajamusk Vaporizor, or Hindi OUD, 1.5 ml each
  • Tizian Terenzi Assorted: White Fire or Ecstasy
  • Sisley Botanical D-Tox 2ml
  • Bellatorra Cellular Renewal Cream 12 ml
  • Marital Vivot Shampoo
I’ve rounded up ten luxury items in cosmetics and fragrance featuring some brands almost never go on sale. These kinds of events are the best time to splurge on things like Diptyque, Byredo or even on luxury skincare.

Some of my favorites and a few new recent discoveries featured above:
  1. Frederic Malle Carnal Flower ($74 to $380) is one of my most favorite perfumes of all time. There are several different sizes that you can purchase. The travel sprays come individually for most fragrances or in a set of 3. The set or full size bottles are a better buy price per oz wise but if you just want to try one and see how it wears, I think buying the individual ones are the best way to go. It’s the best tuberose I’ve tried.
  2. Le Labo Travel Trios in Santal 33 ($145 for ml) is my latest perfume splurge. I ordered mine last week because I could not wait for the event. Again I decided to go the travel size route (I’m splitting this one with a friend for her to try one). So far I’m obsessed. It has a mix of sandalwood, virginia cedar, cardamom, violet, papyrus, spices, leather, musk and amber.
  3. Byredo La Selection Perfume Set ($145) this is a discovery set that has an assortment of 6 Byredo scents including Bal D’Afrique, Blanche, La Tulip, Black Saffron, Gypsy Water, Oud Immortel, I’ve had mine since the holiday and love it as a way to explore a number of fragrances without having to splurge on the full size bottle (my favorites are Bal D’Afrique and Black Saffron).
  4. The Laundress Detergent x Le Labo Signature Detergent in Rose ($45, also in Santal) is something I discovered through one of my readers via Instagram, I’ve since purchased and tried both, I prefer the Rose because I think the scent is stronger and more noticeable. It’s a soft sweet rose that I’m obsessed with for washing bed sheets. It’s noticeable but still soft enough that it won’t keep you awake at night.
  5. Diptyque Baies Mini Candle ($32) is a classic, if you’re unsure about buying the full size the travel mini is a good way to ease into the brand.
  6. Byredo Hand Cream in Gypsy Water ($35, also available in Flowerhead, Blanche, La Tulipe and Bal D’Afrique) is as luxurious as hand creams get.
  7. NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls ($26) is one of my most reached-for peachy nudes these days. I’ll repost a swatch of it below for reference.
  8. Lipstick Queen Seven Deadly Sins in Indolence ($24) is a pretty sheer to medium classic rose pink gloss. It has no detectable scent and has a nice natural healthy color to it.
  9. Surratt Beauty Prismatique Lips in Lili Doree ($36) gives the lips the prettiest wash of shimmer, it’s a peachy shade that makes for a very youthful luminous glow.
  10. Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders ($38 each) are some of the prettiest powder highlighters I’ve tried. I think all four shades are winners but I’ve been reaching for Brilliant the most. 
  11. By Terry Baume de Rose in Coral Stellar and Mauve Moon (not shown above) are two of the latest tinted lip balm launches from By Terry. The colors are to die for gorgeous and if you were looking to shop these but didn’t want to splurge, the Barneys gift event might be a good time to buy because you get goodies for splurging.

By Terry Mauve Moon and Coral Stellar swatches reposted:

You can find the Love Yourself gift with purchase online and in stores at Barneys New York now through March 12 while supplies last. I recommend ordering soon if you have your eye on anything. The gift bag should be added to your cart automatically as soon as the contents total $200 in beauty (men’s or women’s). Are you ordering anything yet for this event? If you do – please let me know! Would love to hear about what you hauled!

This post was created in partnership with Barneys New York. More information in my disclosures but as always all opinions my own.
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Barneys New York By Terry

By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur New Shades in Coral Stellar 7 and Mauve Moon 8

March 2, 2016

I made a quick stop to Barneys a couple weekends ago and picked up up the two new By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleurs in Coral Stellar 7 and Mauve Moon 8 ($56 each for 7g/0.24 oz). I intended to take a quick peek, but it was love at first swatch for both shades and I could not resist the smooth lush texture and pretty colors that made me go “ooooohhh.” According to my rep at the counter, Mauve Moon is a limited-edition shade, but she wasn’t sure about Coral Stellar. She suggested I wait for the Love Yourself Beauty Gift Event coming up just around the corner (starts March 8, details soon), but I decided to go for it and am beyond thrilled with both. Each shade comes with a steep price tag, but the formula does not disappoint. I’ve reviewed and featured a number of other colors before which I will link at the bottom of this post. These are very expensive for a tinted lip balm. Anything over the $40 mark for lip products in general is pretty hard for me to justify, but there are a few brands where I’m willing to splurge and By Terry is one of them. The formula, colors and texture make it worth the splurge to me.

Coral Stellar is a stunning soft iridescent peach and Mauve Moon is a unique lilac color that flashes violet, pink and blue. By Terry now has eight shades of her tinted lip treatment, these are the first ones that have any shimmer in them. The shimmer is luminous and glowy and not frosted.

The texture is smooth and creamy with a lush thick finish. They glide on the lips and have the signature By Terry rose scent. The formula does have some added skincare elements designed to nourish, smooth and help regenerate the lip. It’s also described as having Shea Butter, Essential Rose Wax, Vitamin E, Filling Spheres. I’ve used a number of lip balms and treatments (most recent lipbalm roundup here). The By Terry is one of the most lush formulas I’ve tried. For tinted balms, hers are among the best. A closer look at both shades with swatches at different angles to show the luminous glow these have:

Coral Stellar is a lush peachy shimmer. It has a deeper brighter orange base which makes it look bright, but it has a pretty soft shimmer to it which lightens the color and gives the lips the most luscious soft peachy glow. It is on the sheer side but it’s not so sheer that it’s invisible on my pigmented lips. If you love the color and aren’t focused so much on the treatment aspect, I’ve swatched a few gloss colors that I think have a similar effect.

Mauve Moon is a stunning violet lilac shimmer. It’s a color I’ve always been obsessed with for lips. If you used Trish McEvoy in the 90’s or early 2000’s you might remember she had a gloss called Lilac. It was a straight up soft purple in the tube but on the lips it was the prettiest soft cool pink ever. This reminds me of the color.

Not sure if you can tell the difference between the two swatches on your screen, but the first one is swatched sheered out a bit. It has a soft pinky lilac glow.

Here it is a little heavier where the blue undertones are more visible.

Some swatch comparisons below to some similar colors:

Featured above from left to right:
  • MAC Cremesheen Glass in Imperial Light
  • Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer in Uproar (swatched here)
    MAC Lustreglass in Love Nectar
  • Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer in Pink Steam (swatched here)
  • MAC Lipglass in Cultured
  • Buxom Full-On Lip Creme in Purple Haze (lip swatches here)

One last look (on the nails RMS Luminizer):

Both are stunning colors and I’m smitten with both shades. The pots have a pretty decent amount of product which will make these last a long time. I think they are both worth checking out although the high price tags will put these into the luxurious treat category versus a must-have. There are a couple events you might want to look into if you have these on your list. Barneys New York Love Yourself Event happens 3/8 to 3/12 (details soon). Space NK Discover promotion starts tomorrow on 3/3 thru 3/9 where you can save $20 off orders $100+ online with code EXPLORE16 at checkout.

Other By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur swatches linked below:
Rosy Babe and Mandarina Pulp here and here
Cherry Bomb here and here
Bloom Berry, Fig Fiction and Toffee Cream here
You can find both Coral Stellar and Mauve Moon at Barneys New York, Beautylish and Space NK.
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Highlighters NARS Nordstrom

NARS Hot Sand Collection (Nordstrom Exclusive)

January 4, 2016
NARS Hot Sand x Nordstrom Collection

For the new year NARS x Nordstrom have launched an exclusive collection called Hot Sand which is all about glow. There are six pieces in the collection all with a champagne color focus which give the most natural incandescent luminous finish. I’ve teamed up with Nordstrom to share a review on the collection along with lots of comparison swatches to other champagne shimmers.

The six items in the Hot Sand Collection are all exclusive to Nordstrom, items include:

  • Hot Sand Lip Gloss ($26 for 0.18 oz/6 ml) is a pale sandy gold, it has a bit of shimmer in it which comes off as a shimmering frost, finish is sheer to medium but smooth and makes the lips look light and glossy
  • Hot Sand Illuminator ($30 for 1.1 oz/30 ml, repromoted) is a sheer pearlized champagne peachy glow, this is one of my favorite liquid illuminators to add the most natural sheen, it’s perfect for my medium-olive skin because the peach gives it color while most champagne highlighters look light and pearly on my skin, it gives the skin that glow from within candlelit look without looking frosted
  • Hot Sand Multiple ($39 for .5 oz/14g) is a new color, it’s almost identical to the Illuminator, it gives a more visible glow to the skin, I find it slightly lighter in color because of the pearl particles and more pigmented, two swipes on each cheek are just slightly lighter than my natural skintone and once blended the skin simply glows
  • Blush and Bronzer Duo in Hot Sand + Laguna ($42 for .35 oz/10g) is called a blush / bronzer duo, it has a powder blush which on me acts more like a soft highlighter, it’s a champagne pearl similar to the Illuminator and Multiple, the powder has a more shimmery glowy finish while the others are more natural looking, Laguna is a cult-classic bronzer, in this compact I found the color to be just slightly different from the regular full-size, the compact one is slightly cooler-toned and sheerer
  • Blush Duo in Hot Sand + Orgasm ($42 for .35 oz/10g) is a blush duo with Hot Sand Blush a peachy champagne shimmer combined with Orgasm a peachy pink shimmer
  • Hanamachi Kabuki Brush
    ($42)

NARS Hot Sand x Nordstrom Collection

Wearing above: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Groenland mixed with St. Tropez, Powder Foundation in Punjab, Blush Duo in Hot Sand + Orgasm, Bronzer in Laguna, Lip Gloss in Hot Sand, Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Himalia, Eyeshadow Duo in All About Eve

First up is the new Kabuki Brush. This is a small domed brush that is very dense but soft. Size-wise it fits nicely in the hand – it’s small enough to be compact, but not so small I feel like I can’t grip it easily. The bristles are evenly distributed and it’s very soft and smooth around the edges. There are no hairs poking out and it blends powders seamlessly around the cheeks. I own a number of other kabuki brushes and this one is extremely good. I can see myself using it for setting powders as well. I’ve shown it below next to the #21 Contour Brush for scale.
NARS Kabuki Brush and Contour Brush

Next up are the Hot Sand + Orgasm Blush Duo and Hot Sand + Laguna Bronzer Blush Duo. Both contain Hot Sand which is listed as a powder blush. The texture of both duos is very good. It’s smooth, finely milled, easy to apply and blend. There is a luminous quality to Hot Sand which is very pretty and glowy. I like that they have a slight peachy tone to them which makes for a more natural glow rather than a pearl shimmer which contrasts with my olive skin. I can’t pick one over the other, but I do think the Hot Sand + Laguna Duo is my new favorite contouring duo. It’s super easy to use for the contouring-challenged (like me). It’s great for a no-makeup makeup look to add depth and dimension without looking over the top.
NARS Hot Sand Nordstrom Blush Bronzer Duos

There are three individual items in the collection with the name Hot Sand. Below is the Illuminator, Multiple Stick and Lip Gloss. I’m a huge fan of pale pearly glosses but since I have pigmented lips, many often end up looking like concealer on me. Hot Sand thankfully has enough color to show up with some shine. It’s pale but not too pale and the application/color goes on smoothly without streaks. It makes for a good layering gloss too.
NARS Hot Sand Illuminator Multiple Lip Gloss

Close up of the Hot Sand Multiple:
NARS Hot Sand Multiple Nordstrom

Close up of the Hot Sand Lip Gloss:  

NARS Nordstrom Hot Sand Lip Gloss

Hot Sand Lip Gloss on bare lips:

_________________________

Some comparison swatch sets in case you’re wondering how these compare to other champagne shimmered items from NARS:

Illuminator in Hot Sand
Illuminator in Orgasm
Multiple in Hot Sand
Blush in Hot Sand (part of the duos)
Eyeshadow Duo in All About Eve
Eyeshadow Duo in Alhambra
_________________________

Multiple in Hot Sand
Blush and Bronzer Duo in Hot Sand/Laguna
Bronzer in Laguna (individual one is more luminous and warmer)
Dual Intensity Blush in Jubilation
 _________________________

Lip Glosses in Supervixen, Chelsea Girls, Striptease, Greek Holiday, Sweet Revenge and Orgasm
_________________________

NARS Hot Sand Collection

Overall lots to love in this collection – especially those looking for a natural luminous glow. I am addicted to glowy highlighters so I found it necessary to buy all the Hot Sand face items even though the colors are similar among the different formulas. I’ve owned the Illuminator for a long time and I find the peachy undertone unique in a beauty world filled with pale white champagne highlighters which I love, but often want something that doesn’t look white on my skin. The peach in the Multiple, Powder Blush and Illuminator meld more with my olive skintone which makes for a more natural looking glow.

For those who are glow-conscious – I do think these are suitable for those who are ultra conservative in the glow department. Many with oily skin often are wary of anything that glows since oil + shimmer tends to = shiny by afternoon. If you have oily skin the Illuminator is the most natural of the face items. The Multiple Stick has a nice semi-matte finish compared to other multiples and I found it stayed put. The most glowy of the face items is the Powder Blush which I really like – it’s not too shimmery but shimmery enough that you can see it.

If I had to pick just one of the face products, I would say I can’t because I really like all of them, but I think the Multiple adds the most natural luminous quality in a highlighter I’ve seen that makes the face glow – your mileage may vary depending on your skintone.

Bottom line thumbs up. I’m really liking the way Hot Sand Lip Gloss looks – it’s what I wanted Striptease to look like on the lips which is too pale for me to wear alone while Hot Sand just works. Alone or layered.

Have you checked out the NARS Hot Sand Collection yet? Or do you already own the Illuminator? For this time of year what’s your go-to for a glow?

Many thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions my own.

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Hauls Sephora

Sephora VIB Rouge Sale Beauty Haul

November 13, 2015

The Sephora VIB Holiday 20% off sale starts today for VIB Members in store (with your e-mail code or coupon mailer) and online with code VIB20. I am a VIB Rouge member and tested the code today to see if it would work (because several e-mailed me asking me to test it) but it doesn’t. I have a roundup of what I bought last week when the code worked for VIB Rouge Members along with some quick swatches of the color/makeup items. I shopped in store – there were a few things in my online cart that were online exclusives but I didn’t check out before the sale ended – no biggie since I splurged on a lot of other goodies. Here’s the damage below.

For my husband, I picked up the Dior Sauvage Eau De Toilette Spray in the 2 oz bottle. He prefers smaller bottles because they take up less counter space. I had the 3 piece gift set on my list for him, but it’s an online exclusive and he’s picky about after shave lotions. I decided to stay with what was safe. I also picked up the Tom Ford Costa Azzurra Eau de Parfum for him. It’s a fresh scent but still has enough masculine notes to wear year round. Sephora has the exclusive on the small 1 oz size so I thought I’d try it. I should have just bought the regular 1.7 oz size but my curiosity got the best of me with the tiny bottle.

For makeup, I picked up the following:

  • Burberry First Kiss Fresh Gloss Lip Balm in Coral Glow which is a stunning coral balm, it hydrates, feels good on the lips, and gives a healthy tint of color with a stunning glow
  • Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks in Melted Nude and Melted Chihuahua have been on my list for ages, I can’t believe it took me so long to buy these, Melted Nude might just be my new holy grail nude lip color, Chihuahua is what I wanted Kat Von D Lolita to be on me
  • Cover FX Illuminator in Sunlight has had so many raves, I had to try it, I’ve worn it 2x so far, I’m undecided about it, it’s like but not pure love, for the price it’s good
  • Sephora Colorful Contour Powder in Fiji and Highlighter in Secretive can’t be beat at the $15 price tag (for each), I was hoping Secretive would be a dupe for Chanel Coups de Minuit, but the Sephora color is a lot sheerer in finish, Fiji is a nice warm subtle contour
  • Cover FX Illuminating Primer is another highly raved about primer, I have high hopes for it, currently testing, will report soon
  • Bite Beauty Mix and Mingle Duos in Café/Pepper (for me) and Latte/Cortado (as a gift) of course I could not resist these cute lip duos, Café is the best light pink ever, I wish it was available in the full size lipstick

Below swatches alongside a few other shades:
Burberry First Kiss Fresh Gloss Lip Balm in Coral Glow, Sweet Plum, Rose Blush (swatched here)
Too Faced Melted Lipsticks in Nude and Chihuahua
Kat Von D Beauty Lolita Lip Duo (swatched here)

Chanel Coups de Minuit (swatches here)
Sephora Colorful Highlighter and Contour Powder

For hair, skin, body I picked up a few items to restock and a couple new items:

If you shopped the sale last week or are planning to shop the VIB Sale this weekend, let me know what’s on your list or what you picked up. Would love to hear about your hauls 🙂

If you’re shopping in store, you can show the card or e-mail you received for the VIB Code or Coupon. If you’re shopping online at Sephora.com use code VIB20 (good for VIB members only), you should be able to use it multiple times online from today until November 16th.

Happy shopping!
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Hauls Nordstrom Sephora

A Mini Sephora + Nordstrom Beauty Haul

October 11, 2015

I did a haul last week at Sephora and Nordstrom, both stores are dangerous for the wallet but oh so fun. I had four items on my shopping list and as usual, ended up with more than I intended. These days I prefer to shop online more than in store because it’s easier, more convenient and saves time, but every now and then it’s fun to go see things in person.

From Nordstrom at MAC I picked up the Viva Glam Miley Cyrus II Lipglass. The first one from last year really surprised me – I fell in love with it even though it’s packed with lots of sparkle. Last year’s (which is still available) was a sparkling hot sheer pink (swatched here). This year’s version is a bright sheer coral that’s also sparkly but super pretty. I don’t usually like high-sparkle glosses but I highly recommend checking out both. I also picked up a Cremesheen Pearl Lipstick in Koi Coral for a friend. It’s so pretty I think I need to pick up one for myself.

Sephora has the cutest new shopping bags, although I still see the older glossy bags around. After seeing the October Beauty Insider 250 Perk for Bite Beauty on Instagram, I went to the store to track it down since it hasn’t popped up online yet. This month’s color is Kir Royale which is a deep wine berry plum color. It’s available individually as the Luminous Creme Lipstick. It’s a brighter color than it looks in the tube – but I’m trying to be braver in wearing bolder lip colors for fall.

Here are quick swatches of the Bite Beauty Kir Royale and MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus II:

Burberry Beauty finally launched at Sephora and one near me received items in store! I’ve had the Fresh Glow Luminous Highlighting Pen and Effortless Contouring Pen for Face and Eyes on my radar since August. I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy both. I opted for the Medium No. 01 Contour shade (the lighter option). I haven’t played with them yet except to swatch them in store on the hand but I’ll have a review soon. In the meantime you can see the Medium Contour Pen in action in this lovely video from RaeView on her YouTube Channel in her Tutorial | London Fashion Week GRWM, Burberry SS16 Makeup. Both the Highlighting and Contour Pen are also applied by Wendy Rowe in the Burberry Spring/Summer 2016 Runway Make-up Tutorial | Sephora video too. They look super easy to use and apply for contouring-challenged people like me.

Sheet masks have been on my radar over the past few months. I’m still smitten with Tatcha and Kiehl’s but decided to try some others. Dr. Jart+ Brightening Infusion Hydrogel Mask has mixed reviews but there were single sheets available in store so I decided to pick one up to try it. If you’ve tried any of Dr. Jart+ masks let me know what you think!

Last but not least, I’ve been on the hunt for a new concealer. I did a favorites roundup last year on my tried and true and while there’s nothing wrong with the ones I use, I’ve been wanting something new. I’ve been testing and swatching several over the past few months in store. It’s taken me a while to decide on some. I’ll have a more detailed roundup on the best ones for spots versus under eyes. Two additions are the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer (I picked up Medium Neutral) and the Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer (I ordered 8 online and also picked up 7 last week).
If you have Beauty Insider Points to redeem I think the October Beauty Insider 250 Point Perk for Bite Beauty is worth trying to track down. I suspect it will launch online like the others did (I passed on the pink and coral ones). You can get the lipstick individually, but the gloss is super pretty. I highly recommend it – it’s such a pretty color for fall.
Have you hauled anything recently? Would love to hear about any new beauty picks!
 
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Hauls Sephora

Sephora Beauty Insider Sale / VIB Rouge Haul

April 21, 2015

I took advantage of the Sephora Beauty Insider sale and used my VIB Rouge discount for a massive haul. I planned on stocking up on skincare and haircare staples, but there seemed to be a wave of new beauty launches too. I ended up placing a couple of orders online. Here is the majority of what I bought. I have one more package coming in the mail but I’ll be out of town when it arrives at my home later this week. Be warned, this list is very long.

1 + 2 + 3 / Surratt Beauty just launched at Sephora, most of what I wanted was already sold out by the time the sale started, but I managed to order three Artistique Blushes in Guimauve, Parfait and Aurelole plus the Large Custom Palette Case. I also bought one Lip Lustre in Coquette.

4 / Urban Decay released the Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation in a wide range of colors. Each of the main shades come in Warm, Neutral and Cool. I picked out Medium Light Warm, I hope this is the right color for me, it’s hard to tell in stores.

5 / Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders in Dim Light and Diffused Light come highly recommended by my readers as all over setting powders. I have Dim Light in the Palette Form which I really like but feel it’s easier to dip a large fluffy brush in a larger compact. I’ve been obsessed with Diffused Light after testing it for a few days, it’s the perfect all over setting powder.

6 / Koh Gen Do Cleansing Wipes are a must for me. I stocked up on the 3-pack.

7 / Laura Mercier Baked Blush Bronze Compact in Ritual is new for me, but I don’t think it’s a new shade. I have swiped it a couple times on the hand and it looks very dark, but there is a pretty pink glow mixed in. From what I have read, each one has different swirl patterns.

8 / Lavanila is new to me and I usually buy Dove deodorants but the concept of a soft vanilla scent in deodorant seemed really interesting. Fresh Vanilla Lemon is a light vanilla with a hint of citrus.

9 / SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil has been on my list to try for a long time. I decided to use the discount to save on this since full retail is $70. Review to come as I play with this.

10 / Christian Louboutin Nail Colour in Wherever is a deep but bright blue cream. I reviewed all of The Nudes here. I have several of the brighter Pops Colors and love the formula.

11 / Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No. 7 in The Lolita and The Lover are really pretty neutrals. Swatches and review posted here.

12 / Tatcha Aburatorigami Japanese Beauty Papers Duo is a Sephora exclusive. Review of the full size version here. This duo has a small pack of Evening Papers in a darker color that is purse-sized. I haven’t tried them yet but I couldn’t resist a small one for clutches or small bags.

13 / YSL Gloss Volupte in Nude Carat has been on my radar for a while. The sale made me do it.

14 / I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from the Drybar line. These Hold Me Hair Clips are perfect for sectioning hair up when you curl, straighten or blow dry the hair. They are large and angled so they really grip large sections of hair without tugging, pulling or getting tangled without leaving dents.

15 / Tarte is a line I haven’t explored much of but the Smolder Eyes Amazonian Clay Waterproof Eyeliner has gotten so many raves. I bought Sunstone Bronze.

16 / Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Concealer seems promising as it comes highly recommended by Beauty Professor. I don’t have immediate access but I ordered Shades 4 and 5 based on her swatches. I’m excited to try it.

Other items on their way include some haircare, skincare and lipgloss:

Make Up For Ever Plexi Gloss in 101, 201 and 105P

There are still a few more hours left to shop the sale. It ends tonight online, codes valid through end of today 4/21/2015 11:59 PM PDT.

VIB Rouge Members get 15% off with code ROUGELOVE
VIB Members get 15% off with code VIBLOVE
Beauty Insider Members get 10% off with code BILOVE

Did you buy anything from the Sephora sale? I would love to hear about your hauls!
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