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Sephora VIB Rouge 20% Off Sale Event Recommendations for Holiday 2016

November 4, 2016
Sephora VIB Rouge 20% Off Sale Event Recommendations for Holiday 2016

Beauty junkies rejoice because the VIB Rouge 20% off sale at Sephora starts today. This is the annual holiday sale for those who have VIB Rouge Point Status. If you’re shopping online use code 20ROUGE at checkout, it will be valid 11/4 through 11/7. It’s valid on Sephora.com, in Sephora US Stores, Sephora Canada and Sephora stores inside JCPenny locations. You can use the code or coupon multiple times in store and online from the dates of the sale. I have a roundup of recommendations along with some items I have on my wishlist.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16

I’ve split the recommendations by category to help organize everything by type. There’s a lot to explore and I always find something new to try everytime I shop in store or even online. Out of all the online beauty retailers I find the Sephora site easiest to navigate and search whether I’m looking for a specific brand, product, sets or basically anything.

Up first are face products. I have quite a few foundation favs, my top three picks at Sephora include the NARS Velvet Skin Tint (I mix Groenland and St. Moritz), NARS All Day Luminous Powder Foundation (I use Punjab) and Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick (my best match is #123).

For other face products, five of the best things I can think of include:

Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder (review here) is a new launch I think has reached holy grail status for me. I can use either Shade #1 or #2 and both give a very lovely naturally glowy set look.
Tom Ford never goes on sale and items are pretty spendy. I really like the Fire Lust Skin Illuminator and Sheer Cheek Duo in Bi-Coastal (reviewed and swatched here). I have a back-up of Bi-Coastal because it gives the prettiest glowy sheen in two pink tones.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit in Surreal Light has to be the prettiest face palette I’ve seen this year. Swatches and review here.

For concealers, I’m loving the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. I can use Custard, Macadamia or Ginger (swatched here). It’s been a staple for years and continues to be a reliable one for under eyes and spots.

For lips the options are easy because there are tons of great brands, formulas and colors. My most reached-for formula is the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine (fav shades are #8, #9, #44 and #47, swatched here).

The Armani Lip Magnets are among the best matte finish liquid lipsticks that I’ve tried because they aren’t drying. Six of the colors swatched and reviewed here. I have 3 more on my wishlist but want to try and see them in person first.
For moisture, I really adore the Dior Addict Lip Glow Pomade. This one doesn’t change my lip color, but I know it does on some others. I like it for the packaging and great feeling formula. For those who can’t do anything scented the AmorePacific Moisture Bound has been the best unscented unflavored balm I’ve tried.
NARS Velvet Lip Glides I think can be hit or miss for some. I like Stripped and Bound for colors. It doesn’t really feel velvety as it does glide on the lips. It doesn’t give full coverage in one swipe but needs a bit of layering. I still think they are worth checking out.

For neutral eye makeup, I really think it just doesn’t get better than the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, in particular Naked2 and Naked3 (both swatched here). For this holiday the Marc Jacobs Style Eye Con No. 20 in About Last Night is quite incredible as well – I find it a bit more versatile as it contains more than just neutrals.

My top two mascaras are the Stila Huge Extreme Lash and Bobbi Brown Eye Opening Mascara.

I’ll have a review of the NARS Give In Take Palette as soon as I can. Hopefully either today or by this weekend the post with swatches will go live along with some other items from the Sarah Moon Collection. I’ll say right now the palette is gorgeous!

For hair there are so many options and the value sets are seriously tempting. The Drybar Let It Blow Travel Set with a mini Buttercup dryer along with some other minis. The Sake Bomb Shampoo and Conditioner are great options for dry hair and I use the Hold Me Hair Clips on a daily basis. They’re bright yellow which makes them easy to find.
For volume and clarifying I like the Bumble and Bumble Surf line. They have a cute Big Beachy Hair Anywhere Surf Travel Set that is great to try the items if you’re unsure.

Sephora Favorites have lots of options I featured the Ready, Set Style! Set yesterday. I think it’s a great value for the price and seems like a set that anyone any age would like.
For skincare I like the Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation is the best lightweight moisturizer cream for everyday. It’s got a cream texture so it has substance but it has a lightweight lotion feel so it’s not heavy. There’s no scent or added fragrance and is great for normal combination skin.

On dry days the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is the way to go and never stings. It offers instant relief for dry skin. In terms of beauty skincare tools I’ve found the Clarisonic Mia Fit to be better than the ones with the handles. It’s compact, easy to use and comes in a cute pink color which I love.

For eyes I’ve use the Tatcha Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Eye Serum for day and Kate Somerville Retinol Firming Eye Cream for night because it has retinol. Both have helped with puffiness and smoothed texture. There’s no irritation and they don’t sting the eyes.
Kate Somerville is in my top 3 skincare brands. She has three classics in her Cult Favorites Kit – I’ve tried all three separately and they are great. I swear by her face cleansers, in particular the Goat Milk Cleanser and Gentle Daily Wash. I’ve gone through so many tubes of the SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser which is excellent but for the past year I’ve pretty much stuck with the ones from Kate (it’s more affordable).

Last but not least are a few fragrance recommendations. Fragrance is so personal it can be hard to give recommendations because we all have different opinions on what smells good. There are lots of value sets out during the holiday for men and women like Louboutin, Chloe and Elizabeth and James. Since perfume can be pricey if you have a favorite, the sale is a great time to stock up on full sizes.

I’m still in the process of finalizing and narrowing down my list. I do have the Laura Mercier Iconics Set on my wishlist and the sale would bring the price down quite a bit. There’s still quite a bit of other things though such as Tom Ford Winter Soleil (which isn’t online at Sephora, at least not yet), skincare I want to stock up on (this Peter Thomas Roth Mask Vault looks amazing!).

I’ll be doing a haul post once I finalize my order and receive everything. Posts to go live on NARS, Le Metier de Beaute, and Surratt Beauty soon (he has new blush colors out!). Let me know which one you prefer first. I’ve taken all the photos and completed swatches – just need to edit them all and gather my final thoughts for the reviews.

To recap, the 20% off sale at Sephora is on everything for VIB Rouge members. It starts today 11/4 and runs through 11/7/2016. If you’re shopping online use code 20ROUGE. Let me know what you end up hauling or what you have on your wishlist!
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Haircare Holiday Gift Guide Skincare

Holiday Gift Guide: Sephora Favorites Sets and Birchbox Discovery Kits

November 3, 2016
Holiday Gift Guide - Birchbox Kits and Sephora Favorites Sets

I have my first holiday gift guide of the year today featuring some great discovery gift sets. Birchbox and Sephora each have their own curated box sets with hand-picked items. They’re often grouped and boxed by themes such as dry shampoos, berry lips, nude lips, sunscreen, skincare etc. They’ve basically taken their best sellers and packed them into sampler boxes with minis at a value price. I love these for myself because it allows me to try a lot of items without having to buy the individual full sizes I’m unsure about. Each store has their own exclusive selection which makes them unique.

There are tons of boxes and kits to choose from. Many are pretty affordable and tons at the $25 price point. This year I shopped sets early as I know there’s a good chance the value sets of them will sell out early. My friends this year are all about hair styling and highlighters. It seems like every single female friend I have doesn’t have time to wash and dry their hair on a daily basis. The good thing this year is that there are TONS of dry shampoo sets and holiday styling sets for all hair types. Highlighters are also as popular among my friends as they are on Instagram lol. Sets are great because even though I think I can find the perfect highlighter or dry shampoo for my close friends we all have different tastes and preferences.

Up first are some of the Birchbox Kits. Birchbox is known for their monthly subscription boxes and for the longest time I thought that was all that they offered. Not true. The Birchbox Collection has an entire shop of discovery kits, limited-edition box sets, and much more. If you visit their store you’ll see their products grouped by product type and then brand. An entire wall will be dedicated to suncare and they’ll split it by types of sunscreens. Their value sets are really cute and well put together. You can also buy individual full-sized items as well.

Up first is The Dry Shampoo Starter Kit for $32 ($74 value) you get an amika (Fort)Tress Shower Cap, amika Perk Up Dry-Shampoo, R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo (one of my favorites), Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo, Living proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo, Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk.

To date the R+Co had been my favorite but has been replaced with the Oribe Dry Shampoo that just launched a couple months ago. Neither leave my hair looking dusty or matte and there is no white residue. One of my friends swears by the Living Proof one which I tried. It left my hair looking too matte. As this set is a gift I won’t be reviewing the other items but thought you would like a peek at this one.

Birchbox The Dry Shampoo Starter Kit - The Beauty Look Book
If Dry Shampoo isn’t your thing, not to worry. They have a Thin to Thick Styling Kit ($20), Coily and Curly Hair Kit ($18), The Wavy & Curly Hair Kit ($18). Numerous brands have their own sets as well.
Next is the one I’m just beyond obsessed with. In my What’s In My Bag post I mentioned this Birchbox + Oribe Styling Kit. It has five minis of Oribe – cute beyond words!! I ordered two of these, one for me, one for a friend. I suspect I will be ordering a few more as you just can’t go wrong with Oribe. It’s priced at $35, each bottle is tiny but if you’ve never tried Oribe before this is a great way to try out the line without having to buy individual bottles which are around $20 each for the minis.

Birchbox Oribe Styling Kit - The Beauty Look Book

One kit I received as a press sample was the Complete SPF Kit. When I visited the Birchbox Soho Store over the summer I was just blown away by the presentation and display of the store. If you’re in NYC definitely make a stop there. The bottom floor is for men’s grooming and skincare so bring your boyfriend, husband, brother or male friends with you. They can build their own Birchbox too!

This one is priced at $18 – you get mini sample sizes of Supergoop! Advanced SPF 37 Anti-Aging Eye Cream, MDSolarSciences Mineral Moisture Defense SPF 50, Dr. Jart+ Every Sun Day SPF 30 UV Sun Fluid, Supergoop! Defense Refresh Setting Mist SPF 50, COOLA Face SPF 30 Unscented, COOLA Daydream SPF 30 Mineral Makeup Primer. I have yet to try all of these but I’ve tried both the Coola ones and find them suitable for my sensitive skin.
Birchbox Complete SPF Kit - The Beauty Look Book

Next are the Sephora Favorites. I think one could seriously get carried away with the sets because they have SO MANY good things in them! One of the complaints my friends have about makeup is that the size of some things are just too big and it take them forever to use something up. Minis are popular among friends who like to rotate items frequently because you can use them up faster.

Up first is the Sephora Favorites Scouted by Sephora set which is $24 for five minis. This one features 5 up-and-coming brands at Sephora. I received this one as a gift and haven’t had a chance to try the items yet, but have been really curious about Milk Makeup so I’m eager to try the mascara. It has a Bésame Cosmetics Red Matchbook, GrandeLIPS Hydrating Plumper, Makeup Eraser Mini in Pink, MILK MAKEUP Ubame Mascara, Wander Beauty Lip and Cheek Mini in Pink City.

Sephora Favorites Scouted By Sephora - The Beauty Look Book

Next is the Sephora Favorites Glow for It. This one sold out online but I spotted it in store and picked up two. It’s since been restocked online and I can see why it’s been a popular one. For $30 you get minis of Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid in Moonstone, Benefit Watt’s Up, Cover FX Custom Infusion Drops in C+ Lemongrass – Radiance, Hourglass Ambient® Strobe Lighting Powder in Incandescent Strobe Light, MILK MAKEUP Sunshine Oil and a full size Lancôme Glow Subtil Silky Crème Highlighter in Glowing Lights 06. The Lancome blush itself is $30 so the set is a steal.

I already have 3 of the items in the full size (Hourglass Strobe Powders swatched here) but almost want one for myself.
Sephora Favorites Glow For It - The Beauty Look Book

Another one is the Sephora Favorites Hair Rescue Masks on the Go ($25). This one is listed as being an $85 value. It has quite a lot of product to sample – to date I’ve tried three of the items from Ouai, Phyto and Christophe Robin and all three are great. This one has Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Balm-to-Oil Pre-Shampoo Masque, Phyto Phytokératine Extrême Exceptional Mask, Gloss Moderne High-Gloss Masque, Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil
, Living Proof Perfect Hair Day® Night Cap Overnight Perfector, Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!™ Deep Conditioning Mask, Ouai Treatment Masque, VERB Hydrating Mask, and two packet sets of Rita Hazan Weekly Remedy Treatment For Deep Hydration & Superior Shine Treatment Step 1 & 2. 

I wish I had this set last year when I was traveling for a month. It would have been perfect as it has packets small enough to pack in a carry on. One of my friends is obsessed with masks – skincare and haircare. She is going to freak out when she gets this one.
Sephora Favorites Hair Rescue Mask Set - The Beauty Look Book

Last but not least is the Sephora Favorites Ready, Set, Style! This one was a bit pricier at $29 but the sizes of each spray was pretty impressive. You get five sprays for hair refreshers, volumizers and texturizers. It includes Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish, Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo, IGK Down and Out Dirty Spray, Ouai Texturizing Hair Spray, Living Proof Flex Shaping Hairspray.

Sephora Favorites Ready Set Style Hair Set - The Beauty Look Book

I’m also a sucker for hair care minis like my friends. Three sets that caught my eye for me were the Ouai Style Edit Set ($25), Bumble and Bumble Big Beachy Hair Surf ($31), and the Sephora Favorites Style, Treat & Repeat! Custom Hair Essentials On the Go ($25) – you can mix/match to pick 5 of 15 of their bestselling hair treatments. As my bathroom is overflowing with hair care products I’ll have to try to resist these and use up what I have. I won’t complain if one of them shows up in my Christmas stocking though 🙂

That wraps up my first holiday gift guide. I hope these give you a better idea of what the sets look like compared to stock photos although I do think that both Birchbox and Sephora do a really good job at giving us accurate stock images on their websites.

The Sephora VIB Rouge 20% off sale starts tomorrow November 4th and runs through November 7th. If you’re shopping online use code 20ROUGE. I received an early code from a Sephora employee so was able to shop the sale early. I’ll have my Sephora shopping recommendations roundup up later this afternoon for those who are trying to research early.

For now I hope this sets post give you some ideas for affordable gift options. The ones I featured are all very reasonable in price ranging from $18 to $35 which won’t break the bank if you buy multiples. They’re great for holiday gifts or to treat yourself. I’m seriously tempted to keep a few of these for myself – I may order one or two more once the Sephora sale starts.
The Birchbox Complete SPF Kit and Scouted By Sephora Set gifted as press samples. Remainder featured purchased by me.
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Anastasia Beverly Hills Base Makeup Eye Makeup

Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario and Stick Foundation

October 13, 2016
Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario and Stick Foundation

 

My love for Anastasia Beverly Hills continues with two new launches in the Master Palette by Mario ($45 for .7g/0.2 oz x 12 shadows) and Stick Foundation in Warm Natural and Golden ($25 for 9 g/0.32 oz). I bought all three from Sephora – the palette is something I ordered sight unseen. For the foundation I spent some time in store swatching colors but they did not have all the testers or colors for sale. Luckily they had the colors that matched my skintone range so I was able to find something that matched. For a line that I feel is very much on the trendy side I’ve been fortunate to find some really great products that are still suitable for my conservative makeup taste. Pigment and formulas are versatile, rich in pigmented and shimmer, but still easy to blend out for a less sharp look. As much as I love new makeup trends I will not bake my face, strobe heavily, use the heavy contour method or have my highlighter “on fleek” as the young ones say these days. So for my fellow conservative makeup lovers – I think you might be able to find some really good products that are easy to wear even if you feel like you’re not the trendy type.

 

Up first is the Master Palette by Mario. This is the first eyeshadow palette I’ve bought from Anastasia Beverly Hills. After a few years of accumulating several palettes in my early days of makeup exploration I found many sat unused in my makeup drawers if I did not love all the colors. So I made myself a self-imposed rule that if there were 2-3 shades I did not like I told myself “don’t buy it.” I did try to stick with it and for quite a few years I was able to resist a lot of palettes. In recent years palettes have been more tempting and my resolve weakened. In this case there were 2 shades I didn’t really like which included the olive and navy teal – but seeing swatches online made me decide to cave and I’m glad I did.

 

The Beauty Look Book - Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario review

 

This is one of the more trendy palettes I own. The shimmer is noticeable and on the scale of shimmer intensity I would say it’s pretty high but I can still wear all the colors. The pigment is medium but buildable to full coverage. There are a few matte shades which also have excellent coverage. The shades are easy to blend and layer. Texture is soft so there is some fallout when applying on the eyes but I have yet to find a powder shadow that doesn’t have some level of fall out. Once on the eyes the colors stay put – no smudging, fading or creeping. I like that they apply well with or without a base (at least for me).

Colors include:

  • Hollywood is a pale shimmery gold
  • NYC is a warm coppery bronze shimmer
    Kim is a warm tan shimmer with orange tones
  • Muse is a reddish pink shimmer
  • Marina is a shimmering champagne mauve
  • Claudia is a deep greyed navy shimmer
  • Lula is a matte cool brown
  • Isabel is a matte burnt orange
  • Violeta is a warm deep brown
  • 5th Ave is a shimmering pale frosted gold
  • Bronx is a shimmering olive
  • Paris is a shimmering bronze
In terms of how to wear this palette I often get overwhelmed with this many options – but I really like this one. I’ve tried every single color in combinations of 3-4 shades and every time the look is just really pretty. Unfortunately I don’t have any eye looks for you as I’m still trying to figure out how to photograph warm shades on the eyes.The brush is easy to use and the shape is good for blending and lid application – quality isn’t the best as I feel it’s not as soft as I’m used to, but it’s functional and works.

 

The Beauty Look Book - Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario review

 

A few more close ups:

 

The Beauty Look Book - Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario review

 

The Beauty Look Book - Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario Swatches

 

The Beauty Look Book - Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario Swatches
Next up are the Stick Foundations. These offer medium-full to full coverage. Picking a color was a bit tricky in store as there is a wide range and they aren’t displayed in sequential order. There are handy face photos with models to help narrow down your shade. My exact match is Warm Natural but with full coverage foundations often times an exact match can make the face look a bit flat. I picked up Golden as well which matches my tanned body so I use two shades and blend.

 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation in Warm Natural and Golden - The Beauty Look Book

 

I would say the finish pulls more on the matte side and for me – I don’t like matte finish foundations because I find they emphasize fine lines and crevices. Especially around the mouth where lines form when you smile – full coverage mattes tend to creep into those lines and age my face. The one from Anastasia Beverly Hills does not emphasize lines but if you have dry skin or skin that tends to pull dry you will probably find it too drying for all over the face. I think it still can be used for extra coverage if you like to layer foundations. To date my favorite foundation stick is still the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation (review soon but you can see it in action on my face in this post here).

 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation in Warm Natural and Golden swatched

 

Foundation Stick Swatches Lancome, Make Up For Ever, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Hourglass, Tom Ford
Shown above:
To find your match if you’re looking online or want to know where to start I recommend visiting their Stick Foundation Pinterest Page where they have lots of swatches, face charts and more. Here are a few that helped me. Based on these my best guess was Natural, Warm Natural and Golden and I think it was pretty accurate:

 

 

One last look:

 

The Beauty Look Book - Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario and Stick Foundation
Bottom line winners in my book and even though some of you have pointed out the line is overpriced as items are made in China, I still find quality and performance to be quite good. I’ve found them priced reasonably although many of you may be correct in your assessment that they are priced higher than they should be considering where the product is made. I still find what I’ve tried to be solid performers. Update: I took a closer look at the eyeshadow palette, shadows are made in USA and brush is made in PRC. Foundation sticks say made in PRC.

 

For other reviews you can always click the tag/label at the bottom of each post to find other features. I’ll link the ones I’ve done below for reference.

 

 

I bought the Master Palette by Mario and Stick Foundation at Sephora. You can also find the line at Ulta Beauty, Macy’s and Anastasia Beverly Hills.

 

Have you tried these yet? What did you think?
15 Comments
Cover FX Highlighters

Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powders

October 7, 2016
Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powder

Cover FX has brought us yet more ways to glow with The Perfect Light Highlighting Powders ($34 each for 8 g /0.28 oz, made in Canada). There are three shades available in Moonlight, Sunlight and Candlelight with are talc-free highlighters that come in a mirrored compact. The colors do have the same undertone and effect as the Custom Enhancer Drops by the same name but the powder version is a lot softer in overall effect when worn alone. Currently available at Sephora and Cover FX.

Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powder

On my medium olive skintone:

  • Moonlight is the lightest and offers the most highlight/shimmer because it contrasts with my olive medium skintone color
  • Sunlight
    looks really close in the compact to Moonlight, but on my skin it’s a
    medium champagne with a hint of gold and for me looks the most natural
  • Candlelight is a soft bronze copper glow on my skin and for me this one is the most shimmery

Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powder swatches

Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powder Review

Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powder swatches

To show the depth and pigment of the shimmer, I pulled the corresponding Custom Enhancer Drops (all previously reviewed here). To quote Cover FX, in order to “take your glow to the max” they recommend starting with the Illuminating Primer to give your skin that soft lit-from-within glow to create a smooth canvas for your foundation. Follow with the Custom Enhancer Drops to create a buildable highlight for a strobe effect or blended out glow. Add depth by layering the Perfect Light Highlighting Powder on top.

For those conservative with the shimmer you may find layering a bit too intense. I tried with all the colors on the face and eyes. I can layer Sunlight or Candlelight together and not feel like a golden statue. Moonlight is a bit too pale for my skintone which causes a more sharp highlight/shimmer.
Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighting Powder and Custom Enhancer Drops

Moonlight:

Sunlight:

Candlelight: 

Note this one was applied with a heavy hand but you can sheer and blend it out for a softer look:

A quick beauty look below with all three shades worn. If you follow @coverfx on social or look at the tags other beauty lovers use for looks you will be able to see some seriously intense glow and glam strobe effects. I wanted to create a softer look that I would feel comfortable wearing everyday and also to show you that these powder can be blended for a more conservative look. If you like more shimmer you can definitely layer more or apply over a cream highlighter to pull more pigment.

Foundation worn is MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC37.

On the eyes is Cover FX Sunlight Custom Enhancer Drop blended all over the lid with Sunlight Powder blended on top of the eyes for an all over wash. A tiny bit of Cover FX Candlelight Powder along eyes as well but in the photo I don’t think you can tell.

On the cheeks is Tom Ford Gold Dust Bronzer applied like a blush with Cover FX The Perfect Light Highlighter Powder in Candlelight on top blended. Cover FX Moonlight Powder is applied to highlight.

On the lips is MAC Huggable Lipstick in Bare Hug.

Top by Splendid.

Texture wise these are smooth and soft. The pigment is excellent and easy to blend without emphasizing pores or skin imperfections – however with most highlighters, the color and finish will depend on your skintype. I really like all three and find them easy to wear on cheeks or eyes. As one who owns dozens of other highlighter powders I will say that I think you can probably find similar colors if you want to shop your stash. That being said these powders from Cover FX perform well. I like that there’s no irritation on my sensitive skin, they don’t emphasize pores and the shimmer is truly easy to control whether you want a soft highlight or more pigmented strobe effect. I find Candlelight to be a very wearable warm bronze which is hard for me since many bronzey shades can pull orange on my skin and the one from Cover FX does not.

The Cover FX team has been kind enough to offer Beauty Look Book readers a chance for a giveaway! Three winners will be selected to win:
  • 1 Full Size Illuminating Primer
  • 1 Full Size Bottle of Custom Infusion Drops – Radiance
  • 1 Perfect Light Highlighting Powder of choice (either sunlight, moonlight, candlelight)

Giveaway details:

  • Open to US and Canada residents
  • Must be 18 years or older
  • Enter via the widget below
  • Entries will be collected for 3 days (ends 10/10/2016 at 11:45 AM PST)
  • 3 distinct winners will be selected via the widget and contacted by me
  • Prizes will be shipped directly from Cover FX

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you tried the Cover FX highlighters yet? I’m still really loving the liquid drops and can’t believe how quickly they keep selling out but I hope they will restock again soon.
You can find the Perfect Light Highlighting Powders now at at Sephora and Cover FX.
Cover FX powders and giveaway items provided courtesy of the Cover FX team.

18 Comments
Cover FX Highlighters

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops

August 25, 2016

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops ($42 each for 15 ml/0.5 fl oz, made in Italy) are super pigmented liquid highlighter and bronzer drops that you can use in a wide range of ways. They have been extremely popular and sold out for months – it appears they sold out almost instantly, the Cover FX team sent me samples back in July and by the time my package arrived, all the colors except the bronzers were sold out. They just restocked them on coverfx.com and according to their Instagram plan to restock them as of Friday morning 8/26 are back online Sephora.com today. I’ve spotted the bronzer shades in store at a few Sephora stores near me but all the shimmery colors have been sold out for ages. In case you have had these on your radar I wanted to give you a heads up to check Sephora.com this afternoon so you don’t miss out. I know everyone’s preference for shimmer with highlighters is different but I will say right now that my quick take is these live up to the hype and are among the best I’ve tried. I think you need at least one in your life.

There are four highlighters and two bronzers (Sunset and Sunkissed featured in my summer bronzer edit). If you’ve seen these featured online Instagram, blogs or YouTube channels you may have been a bit concerned that the highlighters have that super high-frost overly dramatic shimmer effect. I love a good shimmer but if you’re a conservative makeup like me you find that some shimmers are really just too much for everyday wear. They look good on camera or for inspirational makeup looks but for normal everyday regular life I’m not sure how many of us really wear that much shimmer.

The Cover FX Enhancer Drops are extremely pigmented and can give a very intense highlight but what I love about them is that you easily sheer it out for a soft luminous glow. They are very fluid which makes a tiny bit easy to blend. I like these on the eyes, dabbed on cheekbones and especially mixed in with foundation. Mixing these in with foundation doesn’t change the foundation formula too much which is nice. Sometimes I like my foundation formulas just the way they are I just want to add a bit of shimmer or glow. Since the formula is liquid and lightweight it won’t add any emollient texture like Armani Fluid Sheers, Estee Edit Flash Illuminators or Estee Edit Beam Team.

They come with a dropper. I’m usually not a fan of droppers for makeup because it just gets messy, but they are easy to use and dispense just the right amount of product.

I tried each color mixed in with my foundations (including the bronzers). Two drops is all I needed to add a glow. My two favorite shades are in the middle which include Moonlight and Sunlight – they matched my skintone the closest so the colors didn’t change the color of my foundation too much. The others were too light or dark to mix in with foundation for all over the face, so those were best used as a highlight on eyes or cheeks or to bronze the cheeks.

Onto the colors, they come packaged in a sturdy glass vial. The colors of the packaging mimic the actual color which is nice so you can see at a glance what color you’re grabbing:

Colors left to right:

  • Celestial is a pale pearly white
  • Moonlight is a champagne silver
  • Sunlight is a warmer champagne with gold tones
  • Candlelight is a shimmering bronze
  • Sunkissed is a non-shimmer neutral light bronze
  • Sunset is a non-shimmer medium brown

Because the shimmer is very intense, almost foiled-like when you swatch, these will look different in every swatch photo you see depending on how the light hits the product. Here they are swatched a few different ways:

Blended:

Heavy in sunlight:

Bottom line definitely worth checking out. My top three are Moonlight, Sunlight and Sunkissed. I like that they are easy to mix in with foundation or apply on top of your makeup. I really like them on the eyes for an all over wash that’s easy and effortless. Sunkissed is a great color to add some life to the face – for medium-skinned girls, think of it as a very natural contour to add some color to your face without having that contour look. If you’re one who loves shimmer you will really like these. There’s no detectable scent, they dry to a satiny finish, last all day long, great for normal to oily skin and are easy to sheer out. If you’re super conservative with shimmers and need something a lot softer or with a dewy finish I’d recommend you opt for the Estee Edit Flash Illuminators, Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow or Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust for a more subtle glow.

Update: As of Friday 8/26 these are back online at Sephora! Some still available online at Cover FX. Have you tried these? What did you think? Have you tried the Custom Infusion Drops or Custom Cover Drops – they seem to be really popular as well but I’m always nervous about testing new things on my face – if you’ve tested them let me know what you thought! I’ve tried a couple Cover FX foundations before and they were too heavy for my skin, but given the success I’ve had with the liquid highlighters, perhaps the drop foundation will be better?

Custom Enhancer Drops provided courtesy of Cover FX for review consideration.
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Uncategorized

Formula X #ColorCurators Makeup By Rose XOXO Edition

August 21, 2016

The latest launch of Formula X #ColorCurators caught my eye in stores with three fall-perfect opaque cream colors for the nails. For the month of August Formula X teamed up with Rose Siard of Makeup By Rose XOXO. After testing out the first month’s launch I decided to pass on all the other collections launched each month as none of the colors seemed to jump out to me. Seeing the three Makeup By Rose colors in store immediately stood out though. I swatched them in store before deciding to purchase all three and was impressed with how opaque the colors were.

There are three colors in the Makeup By Rose XOXO Edition ($12.50 each, limited-edition, exclusive to Sephora). The colors are all full-coverage creams and are one-coat wonders. The only thing that prevents me from giving these a 100% thumbs up is the brush. I’ve tried Formula X a number of times before in different formulas and don’t know why I seemed to have issues with this launch. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I’ve been playing with other brands recently and have been completely spoiled by the perfect nail brushes from Dior Nail Polish and Louboutin Nail Colors.

With a little bit of practice I can get smooth even coverage. It took a few tries and a few re-do attempts. The brushes just aren’t as good as other brands like OPI, Chanel, Dior or Louboutin in the sense that those brands have bristles that are evenly cut and well put together. The ones from this batch of Formula X seem by comparison unevenly arranged, cut and just not as well made. It’s possible I got a bad batch. However I will note that I’ve been testing out the new System Xcel Set as well and 2 of the 3 items have poorly made brushes as well (review on this soon) which surprised me because I consider the Original System to be almost holy grail material for me.

Onto the three colors, up first is Mahhvelous Rose which is the perfect mauve rose. On my complexion it darkens a bit once it dries. I think this will look absolutely amazing on tan to deep skintones. I like it on my skin right now for a pretty polished rose look. I’ve actually been searching for a shade like this for a long time, but one that is about 1 to 1.5x lighter. Still this one is pretty darn good. Out of the three this had the best formula in terms of application.

Swatched with two coats:

Next is Puffin! which I think has the cutest name. It’s one of those gorgeous grey mink shades that has enough cool tones to prevent it from being too brown, khaki or beige. On my skin for some reason it pulls more cool-toned once it dries. It’s probably the olive in my skin that makes colors like these look a bit more cool than neutral. It’s not too dark and not too light. In my book it’s perfect color-wise (just wish the brush was better!).

Swatched with two coats + the System Xcel Top Coat:

Last but not least is Acoustic Dreams which is a one-coat wonder. It’s chocolate vamp perfection. In terms of vamp colors it’s pretty standard, but for those who want a less expensive alternative to vamp shades from Dior, Chanel or Louboutin, this is definitely a good one to check out.

Swatched with just one coat plus the System Xcel Top Coat:

One last look below:

I’m really particular with nail colors and nail polish formulas. I know we all have our favorites. OPI and Essie seem to be really popular favorites among my readers but for me they never last more than 3 days (Essie gets tip wear within 4 hours for me, no matter what base/top coat combo I use whether it’s the same brand, Seche Vite, Chanel, CND etc). My favorite brands for lasting power, finish, formula and brush are still Dior, Chanel and Louboutin. Formula X also is one of those brands I can get up to 7 days of wear without chipping or tip wear. You absolutely need a good base and top coat though – I find the System base and top coats work well (original version reviewed a few years ago here).

For those who want to try something different from Essie or OPI but don’t want to pay a high price tag, I do think Formula X has some solid colors to check out. For this month’s launch – the colors are perfect enough to make up for the less than stellar brushes (at least for me) and pretty enough to be worth the extra effort. I am happy with my purchase even though they were more of impulse buys in store.

You can find the Formula X #ColorCurators Makeup By Rose XOXO Edition exclusively at Sephora. All shades are limited-edition.

Have you tried these yet? Or any of the other colors from previous #ColorCurators launches? What did you think? P.S. Many of you have asked if I’ll be reviewing Dior or Chanel fall, in particular the new nail polishes that have launched – the answer is yes!
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Giveaway

Summer Hauls from Sephora and Nordstrom + eGift Card Giveaway

August 5, 2016

Happy Friday everyone! In the “what would you like to see” survey posted a few giveaways ago, an overwhelming number of you requested I do more haul posts. I tend to buy things in little bits here and there – with free shipping or affordable rush shipping, it’s easy to place several orders as I think about things rather than do a larger one-time haul. Sometimes I’ll see something in store and decide to wait and think about it and then a few days later I decide to buy it. July was a very pricey and spendy month due to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I already did two haul posts on my picks (here and here) – since it only happens once a year and there were so many good exclusives/value sets I could justify the extra haul. I also found a lot of little things at Sephora so I’ve combined my recent picks into a haul post.
Up first are Nordstrom picks, some are non-sale items:

My Nordstrom hauls, mostly from online orders:

  1. Antica Farmacista Santorini Reed Diffuser – I discovered the Acqua Reed Diffuser as shown in this home luxuries post and fell in love. Several of you told me there were a number of options on sale at Nordstrom. I bought five variations of the 8.5 oz version. I haven’t opened any of them yet – for those who use these, do you use one at a time completely before opening another one? Unlike candles, I suspect you can use for a little bit and store away since the reeds become completely soaked with the oils?
  2. Antica Farmacista Reed Diffuser in Bergamot and Ocean Aria because I love the body cream version of this scent.
  3. Ivanka Trump Ellyn Lace Up Sandals in Rich Chestnut suede are super comfortable and I found them to be true to size. The color is just a tiny bit darker than the stock photo but very close, heel is at 2.5 inches which makes them easy to walk in and 100% pain-free (at least for me).
  4. Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder in Telluride is actually something I ordered from Sephora, but accidentally put it with the Nordstrom haul, it’s a luminous soft pink with a very pearly finish, full review next week.
  5. Louboutin Loubilaque in Akenana and Bikini (not on sale), based on the good performance I saw with the Rouge Louboutin Loubilaque, I decided to order a few other shades, I haven’t tested them on my lips yet because I swatched a number of other lip products the past couple of days and one item ruined my lips so I’m waiting for them to rebalance/recover.
  6. YSL Vinyl Lip Cream in 404, 407 and 412 are items I was really excited to try. I adore the Glossy Stains (reviewed here and here) and a cream version just sounded like a dream come true. 407 and 412 worked perfectly like a lightweight stain but in creamy form. 404 gave me a WTF moment – it was extremely streaky and for some reason turned my bottom lip bright red, almost like a reaction but there was no tingle, sting or odd feeling. It’s now about 24 hours after I lip swatched it and my lip is still red. I tried makeup remover, cleanser and a very gentle rub with a washcloth – it’s the oddest thing!
  7. Vince Camuto Drape Front Blazer is something I stalked the web for the anniversary sale, it went out of stock in Size 0 and 2 but restocked. I’ve been searching for a white blazer for a long time and this has a drapey flowy fabric that feels comfortable. It’s a tiny bit long in the arms for me, but fits the shoulders well – it will need minor alterations for me, but I really like it.
  8. Vince Camuto Feina Booties are items I ordered as well, my local store was sold out, but they found them for me and had them shipped to my home. This is the first time I’ve tried Vince Camuto boots so I don’t know how they size compared to other styles. The sales associate recommended I size down since in her experience they run big. Size 6 fits like a glove with room for thin socks.
  9. Hudson Nico Ankle Super Skinny Jeans are very comfortable and they fit like a glove. The fabric is thick enough to be sturdy but not stiff so these feel good to wear. I’m normally one who opts for Paige, but I was really pleased with these. The raw hem gives them an edgy look. As one who is short, these are the perfect length that I don’t need them hemmed.
A look at the Vince Camuto Drape Front Blazer (Size 2, for reference I’m 5’3″ and 125 pounds) and Hudson Nico Ankle Jeans (Size 27, sized the same as Paige and Citizens, I go up for Frame with 28s).

More views on the blazer, for those curious about the home bits, bed is from Crate and Barrel, rug is from Pottery Barn, on the far right the reflection of the white block is an Ikea Alex unit.

Shoes, left are the Ivanka Trump Ellyn Sandals, true to size 6.5, right are the Vince Camuto Feina Booties which I bought in a 6 based on the sales associate’s recommendation that they stretch out.

One more look at the Hudson Nico Jeans (top is an older style silk tee from J.Crew, shoes worn are by Stuart Weitzman which run large on me so I take these in a 6):

Up next are the Sephora haul picks:

Shown above:

  1. Sephora Play! July box contents includes minis of Benefit Dew the Hoola, Ouai Wave Spray, Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer, First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser, NEST Citrine Perfume and Beautyblender Blottertazzi, I have yet to try everything in last month’s box, but Dew the Hoola is swatched here
  2. Urban Decay 24-7 Glide On Lip Pencil in Peyote is a cool-toned neutral pink with a tiny bit of shimmer, it’s a great light pinky color that does last a long time
  3. Bare Minerals GEN NUDE Radiant Lipstick in Strip is a medium nude pink beige – finally balmy glossy lipsticks that have pigment! I picked up two shades (yes, they look almost identical) and love love love the way these feel and look, they’re effortless kinds of nude with the feel of Chanel Rouge Coco Shines but more pigment.
  4. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Trance is a gorgeous pinky mauve shimmer, formula feels a bit thick and dry without a base but it does stay put on the lips, I’ll need to experiment more with bases on this one. It’s not drying, it just looks a bit dry if that makes sense.
  5. Bare Minerals GEN NUDE Radiant Lipstick in Honeybun is a nude beige tan cream.
  6. Formula X Color Curators in Makeup by Rose XOXO Edition in Mahhveous Rose, Puffin! and Acoustick Dreams, these look gorgeous for fall, I’ll have swatches of all three shades soon.
  7. Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation in Nude which is one shade darker than Warm Ivory but too dark for my skintone. Warm Ivory is a better match, but if I mix both shades the match is a 100% exact match.
  8. Kat Von D Lock-It Creme Concealer in M19 and M27 – I matched myself in store and can’t believe I braved using a tester on my face in store. When I applied it my skin was a bit dewy as it was late afternoon and hot. It blended to a flawless finish so I bought two shades. When I got home and tested it the following days I found it looked cakey and patchy under eyes on my regular skin. I’m still testing with other eye creams and primers as a base to see how best to make it work. I’m not ruling it out quite yet, I’m determined to put it to the full test as I really like her foundation.
  9. Becca Champagne Splits in Flowerchild and Champagne Pop – by this point I have Champagne Pop in all the forms possible and I do think it’s a bit overkill. The individual powder and poured cream (both swatched here) are my favorites. I definitely did not need it in a split pan with a blush, but what can I say – I think we all get sucked in sometimes by pretty packaging.
  10. NARS Sculpting Multiple Duos in all three options, review to follow as soon as I can!
  11. Formula X The System Xcel is something that just popped up online, I already own and use the original System (reviewed here a while ago), the Xcel set is designed for a gel-effect so I’m curious to see how it compares to the original!
  12. Beauty Insider Points minis
Lip picks swatched:

I won’t be reviewing everything in this haul in a separate posts, so here are lip swatches for reference. The Bare Minerals GEN Nude Matte Liquid Lipstick in Swag was one of the Beauty Insider minis (love the color, not a fan of the matte finish). Above Bare Minerals Strip and Honeybun look identical, on the lips you can see the difference. If you click to enlarge the photo you can see how patchy YSL 404 applied on my lips, especially on the lower lip.

All the Kat Von D Lock-It Creme Concealer shades swatched, if you’re NARS Ginger the closest match is M25 and M27:

That concludes my haul picks from July from Nordstrom and Sephora. There are still a few more days left for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (prices go back up Aug 8th). I’m hosting one last giveaway for the summer and giving away three $100 eGift Cards. The selected winners will have a choice of getting an e-gift card to either Nordstrom or Sephora. Details:

Enter via the widget below, there are several ways to enter:

  • You must be 18 years or older
  • Open internationally
  • Three distinct winners will be selected at random via Rafflecopter
  • Winners will be selected at random on Sunday afternoon and contacted via e-mail by me
  • If you’re a selected winner you must send me a response confirming within 48 hours or another winner will be selected, prizes will be sent by the following business day

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!
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