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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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Eye Makeup Marc Jacobs Beauty Sephora

Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con No. 7 in The Lolita and The Lover

April 16, 2015

I took advantage of the Sephora Beauty Insider sale going on this week and purchased two of the Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 7 Plush Shadow Palettes ($59 each) in The Lolita #206 and The Lover #220. The Lolita has been on my wish list for over a year now. It’s one I keep swatching in store but kept waiting on because of the one glittery shade. The Lover is new for summer and it’s quite stunning. Online Sephora has helpful descriptions of each palette which I find pretty accurate:

  • The Lolita has eyeshadows in matte off-white cream, matte nude, matte dark coffee brown, metallic warm pink with iridescent glitter, iridescent champagne pink sheen, light peach sheen, rosy copper sheen
  • The Lover has eyeshadows in matte baby pink, sandy pink shimmer, light caramel sheen, matte apricot-rose, copper rose shimmer, seashell pink sheen, matte cappuccino

Both palettes contain a mix of textures and finishes but in neutral colors. I’ve been a huge fan of The Enigma (cooler tones) and The Dreamer (warmer tones) and as a neutral makeup lover, both The Lolita and The Lover do not disappoint.

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First up is The Lolita. The first three shades are matte with very good pigment. You have a buttercream, a soft tan and a dusty brown. The middle shade is a glittery champagne which I find best applied as a topper patted on lightly over other colors. A patting motion helps the color stay on, otherwise if you apply it in the traditional way swiped or brushed over the lid, I found the glitter fell off the lids and onto my cheeks. The last three shades are stunning shimmers. You have an opalescent pink pearl, a shimmering champagne peach and a warm coppery rose shimmer. All the colors are extremely flattering and pretty on the lids (except for the glitter shade mainly because I am not a huge glitter fan). I was worried the colors would all look the same on my lids, but on my medium tone skin they look different.

Close ups:

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Next up is The Lover which is a new palette for summer. It’s listed as limited-edition online but I hope it remains permanent. For those who like a palette that has colors similar to each other for a soft gradient, The Lover offers some really gorgeous neutrals with a modern twist. In the mix you have some wearable soft pinks, lilac, tan and a peachy-copper shimmer. On the lids you can create a soft gradient and wash of color that is neutral but not your typical neutral-beiges. It’s like The Dreamer but softer in overall feel with more pinks rather than the coppery-golds. The colors are well pigmented although the third and fourth shades are softer and are close to my natural skin tone so they aren’t as dramatic as the other colors. They do layer on the eyes better than my arm.

Close ups:

Swatches:

One last shot side by side:

Side by side swatches:

I really adore both. If I had to pick only one, I would have to say that I have a slight preference for The Lover right now mainly because it’s glitter-free, although The Lolita is pretty amazing for a neutral palette. That being said I do think it can be duplicated with a number of other colors from singles or other palettes. I love that The Lover is neutral and light without being too neutral that it’s invisible on my eyes – the colors show up well and layer nicely together.

You can find the Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 7 Palettes for $59 each at Marc Jacobs Beauty and Sephora. Right now the Sephora Beauty Insider sale is going on through the 21st. For VIB Rouge enter the code ROUGELOVE at checkout for 15% off, VIBs enter code VIBLOVE for 15% off, BI members will get access starting tomorrow with 10% off with code BILOVE. In store you will need to show the card you received in the mail or e-mail sent to you with the barcode.
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