Sharing a roundup of what I tested this month from Sephora! I shared a demo featuring some of the new items on Reels here and several asked for more detailed thoughts + swatches. I’ve rounded up 20+ new launches I tested from Sephora in August. Some included are press samples, some are things I picked up.
New Base Products
The Dior Forever Skin Perfect Foundation Stick ($52) is pure love. Formula glides on seamlessly to the skin and has a nice lightweight finish that isn’t too dewy or drying. Coverage is medium but does a great job at evening out the complexion in a beautiful way. I am normally a 2.5N or 3N in their liquids (which tend to oxidize and darken). I tried both in the Foundation Stick form and like 3N the best. For me this is better than their liquid foundations and in terms of a foundation stick one of my favorite formulas. Lasting power is very good when set with a powder. I love how it looks on the skin. Swatched below next to the Forever Skin Glow and Forever Matte.
Dior also launched the Forever 24H Skin Contour Stick Sculpting Stick ($47) which has a beautiful formula. It’s a satiny semi matte finish, smooth, easy to blend and soft. I love the formula but undecided on the shades. 02 Tan is very dark and warm while 03 Medium is very dark and so cool-toned it looks very ashy and grey. For my skin tone I prefer the shades from Westman Atelier, Charlotte Tilbury or Rare Beauty for a soft contour. I also still swear by the Chanel cream bronzers as a soft contour even though they’re more of a bronzer. Out of the two I prefer the warmer one, but on me it’s VERY warm.
Rare Beauty True to Myself Pressed Powder ($30) is a beautiful soft finishing powder. I tried two shades in Ivory and Natural and felt Ivory was the better match. It’s sheer and very lightweight – you definitely get more coverage and lasting power if you apply and press with a puff vs a brush. I really like this but I still prefer my Charlotte Tilbury or NARS Light Reflecting Powder.
Tower 28 launched their GetSet Blur Powder* ($28) in four shades. I was able to try the Translucent Trestles and Palisades Pink. 10/10 impressed with the translucent shade. The pink one looks a little chalky on me (color-wise). Formula has a very nice blurring effect and has a pretty good amount of lasting power when applied with a puff.
NARS added a new Light Reflecting Hydrating Primer* ($42) and Light Reflecting Hydrating Makeup Setting Mist* ($36). I LOVE the primer – it’s nicely hydrating and really makes a difference in priming the skin for better looking application of foundation and concealer. The color is slightly pearly but in a soft luminescent way that isn’t too shimmery. The Light Reflecting Mist has a very fine mist dispenser for a soft finish. It’s a nice one but not groundbreaking.
New Bronzer + Blush
(full beauty breakdown and also in action here)
Ilia’s new cream bronzer the Sunshift Cream Bronzer ($38) is pretty good. I picked up two colors in Rise and Ray and love the way they look on the skin. These are soft luminous shimmery creams that add a pretty glow to the complexion. To me they’re more like highlighting bronzers rather than a traditional bronzer, but I love how it looks. If you don’t like shimmer though, I wouldn’t recommend this as it’s very glowy.
Ilia also launched a Sculpting Brush ($36) with this bronzer. It’s an angled brush that’s super soft and plush. 10/10 recommend checking it out.
The NARS Talc-Free Blushes aren’t new but I tried another shade in August that I really like. Deep Throat is a pretty soft peach. Unfortunately I don’t have the original version to compare, but it’s one I think the new one seems more satiny without the shimmer. I swatched it next to a few other peach tones from NARS and Armani.
I also reviewed the Hourglass Unreal Liquid Blushes + new No 15 Blush Brush – in case you missed it you can see the review here. I love the colors, but in this heat I’ve been reaching for powder blushes or the Armani Luminous Silk Cheek Tints more. I will definitely be using the Hourglass ones once the weather cools down and when it’s not so hot/humid outside.
Fragrance
Phlur launched three new Hair and Body Mists*. Two are available at Sephora in Coconut Skin and Caramel Skin. Both are really beautiful and if you love gourmand sweet scents I recommend checking them out. I was really surprised that I preferred the Caramel Skin over Coconut Skin since I am more of a coconut lover. Phlur also has a third new one that is actually a Phlur Exclusive called Heavy Cream. It’s a delicious creamy sweet scent that is hard for me to describe but it’s like soft whipped cream. Unfortunately that one is already sold out.
All that said though, for a gourmand I still think their Vanilla Skin is the best one for a gourmand scent. It’s actually one of the best vanilla scents I’ve tried.
New Lip Testing
There are lots of new lip launches these days, but not all of them are hits for me. I’ll start with the misses. I love the Lawless Forget the Filler Lip Plumpers ($26) especially Cherry Vanilla. Always excited to see new shades but the new ones in Daisette and Candy Sky were a miss for me. Daisette is a nice one if layered over other lipsticks or liners as a transparent shimmer lavender pink, but on it’s own it is very pale. Candy Sky is a pale frosty nightmare that is very thick and unflattering. In the tubes these are both so sooo pretty. I was sad I could not really wear either shade.
A number of you asked me to compare the Glossier Lip Line Lip Pencils ($18) to other recent launches. I haven’t had the best luck with recent lip liner launches from Kosas, Hourglass or Too Faced to name a few but the Glossier Lip Liners are 10/10 thumbs up. I like both the formula the colors – they have a little tugging on the lips, but it’s not too bad and the formula is long wearing.
Make Up For Ever launched a new formula of lipliner called the Artist Color Extreme Waterproof ($26). I’m not sure if this is replacing their regular lip liner but I picked up Wherever Walnut since it seems to be their most popular shade in the original formula. I was pleasantly surprised to find I like this new formula better. The new formula doesn’t smell as pencil-y (if that makes sense). It’s creamier and it glides on smoother and easier. Color is slightly different but pretty close.
Quick shout out for the Fenty Trace’d Out Lip Liner and Gloss Bomb Stix. I shared a demo in my reel and really love both formulas (below wearing Satin Panty + Fenty Glow). Full review + swatches also here. The lip liners are really good in terms of color, formula and lasting power.
I still haven’t reviewed the Prada Beauty lip products yet on the blog but I’ve been really impressed by what I’ve tested so far. The Moisturizing Lip Balm ($50, refills $40) has an incredible formula that glides on like a dream. It feels very comfortable and is beautifully hydrating. These are incredibly expensive, but I really love the U001 Astral Pink pH Reactive shade. The color will most likely look different on everyone but I love the subtle blue pink it gives me. You can see it in action here.
Eye Makeup Testing
I have a love/hate relationship with the YSL Couture Clutch Eyeshadow Palettes ($68). I think the colors, formulas and textures are incredible, but I think they are incredibly over-priced for the amount of product you get (review + swatches of other shades here). I picked up one of the newer ones in 710 Over Brun as I love neutral tones and this one is beautiful. It looks warm in the compact and in photos but on my skin it pulls more neutral. The texture is incredibly soft and smooth. I love the pigment and colors. I still think it’s very overpriced and the colors are probably dupeable with shades from the Natasha Denona Glam Palette (which I think is a much better buy) – but the formula and performance is a solid A+.
I’ve been on the hunt for new brow products and the Glossier Boy Brow Arch 2-in-1 Longwear Pomade Eyebrow Pencil ($24) is a solid win. I tried both Warm Brown and Cool Brown in store and could not decide which one was best so bought both. After testing them at home I think Warm Brown looks best. It has a really good consistency to fill in like a pencil but has a clay complex to hold pigment in place. I love the way it’s designed with both a fine and flat tip. This might just be the best brow pencil I’ve ever tried.
Hair Care
I have several new loves for hair care this month. I’m forever trying different pomades and sticks to tame my flyaways. I mentioned earlier this year that I started to get a lot of hair growth after starting a topical Minoxidil. The hair is still growing back which is incredible but the flyaways are a menace especially if you have thick hair! When the Briogeo Style + Treat Hair Styling Sleek Stick ($23) popped up at Sephora I knew I had to try it. It really does work to tame flyaways and helps give you that ultra sleek hair look but it’s very easy to overdo and in the summer heat, I 100% have to wash my hair daily when using it. I personally prefer the R+Co Dart Stick as it’s not as shiny looking but you still have to wash your hair daily after use.
Kerastase Elixir Ultime has been repackaged into a newer updated package. The full size is now refillable. I personally cannot tell any difference between the original and new formula. To me they perform the same. I do like the look of the newer bottle packaging (especially the travel size), but several of you pointed out that the new version is more expensive with less product ($62 for 75 ml now vs $51 for 100 ml before).
I really love the Kerastase Premiere line and finished up everything except the Huile Gloss since I go through the wash/mask products very quickly. I love this hair oil, it’s a nice one especially for ends if you feel like they are a little dry or dull. It’s a repairing oil and I think it’s done an excellent job for making the ends look better without weighing down the strands. For me this is a little richer in formula compared to the Elixir Ultime.
dae Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream Taming Wand ($18) is a nice product to have. It’s the same styling cream but with a wand applicator. It’s great to tame flyaways and smooth the hair. For me it doesn’t hold the thick and short flyaways (they’re so thick they stick straight up unless it’s a waxy pomade), but it does tame the other longer strands just like the cream, but in a wand form you can brush through the hair.
I’ve started curling my hair again with the BaByliss Nano Titanium Pro Curling Wand in the 1 ¼ inch size* ($74.99). This is also my hair stylist’s favorite brand for curling tools. I love the wand size and length and there are multiple heat settings to suit a wide range of hair types. I set mine to 395 and it’s the perfect temperature to get long lasting curls on my thick hair.
I’ve tried both the Curling Iron (with the clamp) and Curling Wand. Both are very easy to use and I love that they have longer barrels for my long hair. 10/10 recommend – see it in action here. I think I want to try the rollers next!
That wraps up my August Sephora beauty testing. There’s still quite a lot I didn’t get to this month. I’ll be swatching and reviewing more things as quickly as I can including new NARS, Laura Mercier, YSL, Makeup by Mario and Natasha Denona.
What did you try and love this month? Doesn’t necessarily have to be from Sephora! Let me know what beauty loves you found this month!
Press samples have a * next to them.
