Sephora Collection Daily Brush Cleaner

I think a lot of people often forget how important it is to wash your makeup brushes.  I know in the past, I never realized the importance of washing them and I should have.  My face is extremely fussy and is prone to breakouts (unfortunately) and I know that once I started washing my makeup brushes on a regular basis it really made a difference in reducing the amount of breakouts I got.

I normally stick to this makeup brush shampoo.  It comes in a nice pump bottle.  This stuff generally lasts a decent length of time too, depending on how often you wash your brushes.  I like to wash mine weekly (on a minimum) because I use them daily and in that time they gather a lot of makeup and grime.

I was amazed the first time I used this (and honestly, I still am every time I use it) at how much makeup comes off my makeup brushes.  I can always tell when my makeup brushes need a cleaning but I never realize how much makeup and buildup is really on them.  And after seeing how much makeup and grime washes off, I understand why not washing them can cause breakouts!

This always leaves my brushes fresh, clean and soft after each wash and is a must have!

 

Pros:

• Cleans makeup, residue, oils, buildup, etc. from makeup brushes
• Helps to prevent breakouts
• Cleans all makeup types off of brushes

Cons

• Can’t really think of any :)

Sephora Collection Two Tone Portfolio Brush Set

I was going away on vacation and decided that rather than hauling a ton of individual brushes along with me that a brush set would be practical.  I wasn’t worried about having a top of the line brush set because I was going to be spending a lot of time on the beach so I wasn’t worried about having perfect makeup and also didn’t want to spend a fortune on a brush set.  So I found this set on good ol’ Sephora.com.

It features 6 essential brushes that are perfect for travel and comes with a buckle snap closure black case for $44.00.

Included in this set are the following brushes:

• Blush brush
• Powder/complexion brush
• Eye shadow blending brush
• Eye shadow detail brush
• Concealer brush
• Retractable lip brush

This set of brushes seemed to cover all the basics for me on a simple makeup day.  I was pleased with the set when it arrived.  It’s compact and isn’t too big or bulky.  It snaps shut nicely and doesn’t bulge out so it’s great for travel and is also a great set to toss in your purse for touchups, etc.

The only brush out of this set that I use on a daily basis is the blush brush because I still haven’t gotten around to getting a new one.  I have noticed that with daily use, this brush is starting to show some wear and getting a little worn out.  The bristles are starting to flare out a little and get a frizzy appearance.

The concealer brush was a let down and I was looking forward to using that one.  With each use, I started to notice that the bristles were moving further and further out from the brush.  Then, they started to shed excessively to the point where I was left with next to no bristles and had to toss the brush all together.

Aside from that issue and the blush brush getting worn out from daily wear, the case is still nice for travel.  The other brushes are holding up well and are not shedding.  I would say that this set is good strictly for travel only and doesn’t hold up well for day to day use over a long period of time.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Covers all the basic brush needs
• Compact
• Great for travel
• Nice case

Cons:

• Not for everyday use
• Concealer brush didn’t last long at all

Sephora Collection Super Nourishing Lip Balm

This was another product I brought on a random whim while surfing the Sephora site.  I can’t seem to ever have enough of a product like this because for some reason I lose lip balms/glosses like no other.  Luckily, the most recent one of these that I bought is still in my possession!  (The one before that I didn’t actually lose-I left it in my car only to find it melted later in the afternoon *sigh*).

This lip balm really is nourishing.  Aside from the fact that it’s nourishing, I love that it has no color and just gives a very light clear coating over your lips, accentuating your lips natural color.

It always makes my lips feel pillowy soft and smooth.  I also use it under lip color or gloss from time to time because it helps either one of those apply smoothly and evenly without any feathering.

This is definitely an essential in my bag.

Pros:

• Nourishing & Conditioning
• Makes lips super soft and smooth
• Works well under another lip gloss/color
• Colorless

Cons:

• Tip can break off easily (or melts if you leave it in your car in the sun….ughhh)

Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip

I’m very picky when it comes to lip glosses so I am always on the search for ones that I really love and want to keep using.  This looked like a great opportunity for me to try out some of the most popular lip glosses Sephora had to offer and I’m glad I did because I found some that I really liked!

This 6 piece set includes (for $25.00):

• Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment (0.08 oz.)
• Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Child (0.12 oz.)
• Bite Beauty Lip Shine in Vintage (0.1 oz.)
• Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Baby Doll (0.1 oz.)
• Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope (0.1 oz.)
• Sephora Collection Glossy Gloss in Precious Pink (0.5 oz.)

Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment: Nice sheer color with a berry rose hue.  I normally like Fresh products.  It’s not my favorite though only because of the color.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice color but there are other ones in this set that I like more.

Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Child: This was my first time trying this product.  It is my favorite one out of all the glosses.  I love the color, Child, which is a sheer nude color.  It goes well with my skin tone and it’s not too heavy, thick or goopy.  It seems to last a while too.  This is one I would buy the full-size of.

Bite Beauty Lip Shine in Vintage: I like this one too.  This was my first time using a BITE product.  The gloss color is a sheer mauve which I like more than I thought I would.  This one also wears for a while.  It isn’t too thick, heavy or goopy for me either.

Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Baby Doll: I love this one and would buy this one in the full size as well.  I like to use this on the center of my lips over top of another color to make them appear fuller.  It has just the right amount of shine and a hint of sparkle.

Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope: I haven’t tried this one yet.  I am guessing that even though I normally love Tarte products, this one is going to be my least favorite from the set.  I feel like the color may be too pink for my liking.

Sephora Collection Glossy Gloss in Precious Pink: I’m not so crazy about this one.  The color is pretty and it has a nice subtle shimmer to it.  It is definitely high shine.  What I don’t really like about it is that it just seems to thick and goopy for me.  I wouldn’t purchase it in the full size.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Opportunity to try before buying the full-size product
• Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment
• Laura Mercier Lip Glace
• Hourglass High Sheen Lip Gloss
• Bite Beauty Lip Shine

Cons:

• Sephora Collection Glossy Gloss (it’s not really bad–just not one that I really liked)

Sephora Favorites Glitz and Glam Party Sampler

Here is yet another boxed set from Sephora that I couldn’t resist and had to buy….

This 9 piece set includes (for $45.00):

• Stila Duo Shimmer Powder in Kitten (0.09 oz.)
• Laura Mercier Baked Eye Color in Black Karat (0.018 oz.)
• Bare Minerals Eye Color in Good Fortune (0.02 oz.)
• Sephora by O.P.I. Nail Color in Looks Like Rain Dear (0.125 oz.)
• Josie Maran Gogo Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara in Black (0.11 oz.)
• Nars Body Glow (1 oz.)
• Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Gold (0.17 oz.)
• Bare Escentuals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss in Trail Blazer (0.15 oz.)
• Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Starfish (0.01 oz.)
• Clutch

I like all the products in this set but there are some that I like more than others.  First off, this is a glitz and glam set so there’s a lot of shimmer and sparkle.  Personally, I do not care to shimmer and sparkle with my makeup on a daily basis.  So with that said, these aren’t items that I would wear on a daily basis.  These are items that I would wear more on for a night out or some special occasion where my regular makeup look just won’t cut it.

Stila Duo Shimmer Powder in Kitten: These shades are cute and I feel like they are not too shimmery to the point that I couldn’t get away with incorporating them into my regular makeup routine to mix it up a little here and there.

Laura Mercier Baked Eye Color in Black Karat: This can be used wet or dry.  I feel I am more inclined to use this as an eyeliner instead of an eye shadow.  Definitely not one that I would wear daily.

Bare Minerals Eye Color in Good Fortune: I really like Bare Minerals makeup and have used a lot of their eye color in the past.  I have some other shimmery shades of theirs and I tend to use them more as an eye liner than an eye shadow.  I normally will draw a very thin fine line above my lash line or overtop of black eye liner because it doesn’t look ridiculously shimmery and it gives my eyes a little pop (especially when paired up with black liner).

Sephora by O.P.I. Nail Color in It Looks Like Rain Dear: Funny gold glittery nail color.  Once again, definitely not something that I would want on my nails for a day to day look.  (It kind of screams Christmas or New Year’s to me).

Josie Maran Gogo Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara in Black: I’ve used this mascara in the past because I got it in another boxed set or as a sample from somewhere.  I normally really like Josie’s products but this is one that I would never buy the full size of.  The last tube of it that I had seemed to dry out incredibly fast.  I don’t leave the wand out or the lid loose either so I know that it didn’t dry out because I neglected to put the lid on it correctly or forgot to put the lid on period.  This one isn’t dry (yet) but it tends to go on my lashes really heavily translating into a mess because then my lashes all clump together (as does the mascara).  So this one really isn’t a winner for me.

Nars Body Glow: I love this stuff.  Not to mention, I really love the scent of it!  It just seems very beachy and tropical to me.  It gives skin the perfect glow as well.

Lorac 3D Liquid Lustre Gold: Haven’t tried this one yet so  I can’t comment on how I like yet.

Bare Escentuals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss in Trail Blazer: I like this.  I like the color a lot.  I tend to look lip gloss shades that are lighter and not over the top or too bright (those just don’t seem to work on me!)  This shade suits me well and the angled wand applicator makes applying the gloss easy.  It doesn’t feel too heavy, thick or goopy.  (I don’t go overboard though with applying it because I prefer a thin layer of gloss).  It has a minty taste and tingle to it.  It’s big too….it will definitely last a while.  This is something that I would use daily.

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Starfish: Haven’t tried this one yet so I can’t comment on how I like it.

Clutch: The clutch is probably one of my favorite pieces to this set :)  It’s fun and shimmery and holds a good amount of makeup.  I was desperately in need of a new one.

I would recommend this set if you like a lot of shimmer and sparkle.  I like being able to try these products and have them on hand for when an occasion pops up and I want to incorporate some shimmer and sparkle into my makeup routine.  Like I said, since I wouldn’t normally wear these on a regular basis they will last me awhile and buying this set is much more practical for me than purchasing these items in their full sizes.

 

Pros:

• Great set for those that want to sparkle and shine (great for a night out!)
• Affordable
• Opportunity to try before you buy the larger full-size products

Cons:

• I wouldn’t wear barely any of these on a daily basis

 

 

 

Chic Week Beauty Haul from Sephora

To say that I am not a sucker for a sale would be an understatement and to say that I made a couple purchases during Sephora’s Chic Week 15% off sale would be an ever bigger understatement.  (To say that my credit card isn’t hurting because of it would be one of the biggest understatements I could currently make at the moment.)

So…I shopped (again and again and again) and this is what I ended up with (reviews to follow as I try these goodies out):

Sephora Nano Lip Liner (02 – Cute Caramel): $4.25

(Orig. $5.00)

Dr. Jart+ The Original BB Cream Set: $28.90

(Orig. $34.00)

Tarte Beauty & The Box and SmolderEYES Duo: $17.85

(Orig. $29.00…on sale for $21.00)

Sephora Collection Nourishing Hand Cream: $2.55

(Orig. $3.00)

Sephora Collection Double-Ended Waterproof Smudge Liner: $2.55

(Orig. $9.00…on sale for $3.00)

Sephora Collection Moisturizing Bronzing Body Lotion: $4.25

(Orig. $16.00…on sale for $5.00)

Sephora Collection Professional Clear Natural Mascara: $4.25

(Orig. $10.00…on sale for $5.00)

Sephora Collection Silk Shadow Quad (Ballroom Romance): $5.95

(Orig. $25.00…on sale for $7.00)

Sephora Collection Urban Luxe All Over Powder Palette: $5.95

(Orig. $14.00…on sale for $7.00)

Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer: $8.50

(Orig. $29.00…on sale for $10.00)

Korres Butter to Go Body & Lip Butter Duo: $8.50

(Orig. $15.00…on sale for $10.00)

REN the Fab 4 Kit: $28.90

(Orig. $34.00)

Sephora Collection Perfecting Ultra-Smoothing Primer: $12.75

(Orig. $15.00)

Sephora Favorites In the Glow Set: $38.25

(Orig. $45.00)

Sephora Favorites Glitz and Glam Party Sampler: $38.25

(Orig. $45.00)

Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Powder Foundation SPF 20: $28.90

(Orig. $34.00)

Jennifer Aniston Perfume (1 oz.): $22.95

(Orig. $39.00…on sale for $27.00)

Make Up Forever Mist & Fix (0.84 oz.) $8.50

(Orig. $10.00)

Sephora Collection Instant Airbrush Foundation: $7.65

(Orig. $20.00…on sale for $9.00)

Too Faced Hot Cocoa Collection: $8.50

(Orig. $10.00)

Make Up Forever Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation: $30.60

(Orig. $36.00)

Too Faced Primed, Poreless & Perfected To Go Duo: $12.75

(Orig. $15.00)