Mini Sephora Haul

Hello again readers!

Just a small Sephora Haul, from when I went to Vegas. I only bought one thing, but that one thing tipped me over 100 points, and I cashed it in for something I knew I was going to love.

I picked up one of the Lustre Matte, Long-Wear Lip Color in Nude Pink Lustre. I have a very small wishlist when it comes to the Sephora line, and I picked this one out for myself. I'm a sucker for neutrals.

The product is applied with a wand applicator, with flat sides. It picks up just enough product so you don't have to keep pushing the wand in the tube and pulling out more product, you can get an even application with just pulling the wand out once.

The color isn't necessarily nude, not to me. It's a white-base light pink with just a hint of beige in it to keep it "nude". It doesn't suit me very well, but I keep wanting to make it work.

The formula is really something I wasn't expecting. It did not have a mousse texture like the NYX Matte Lip Creams, and it did not have a liquid texture like the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks either. It has a sort of a thick cream texture. It doesn't dry down quickly, it takes a few minutes, but I find that even when it does dry down to a semi-matte finish, it wears comfortably.

I got a few hours out of this lipstick, up to four, with inside-wear being the biggest issue. Aside from the color, I really enjoy the formula.

I cashed in my points for the Elizabeth and James White Nirvana perfume rollerball mini. The notes included are; Peony, Muguet, and Tender Musk.

I love this perfume, so much. I wasn't a fan at first, but it wears so well on my body chemistry. I can't get enough of it, and this rollerball is something that I consider precious in my collection. I want to use it all of the time, but I don't want to use it up until I know I can replace it with a full-size. It's a beautiful, sophisticated scent that lasts all day on me.

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Birthday Reward

Hello again readers!

I've been lazy in picking up my birthday gifts from Sephora and Ulta this year (well last year too, to be honest) and then I had to take time to give them a try too. 

The reward at Sephora is the same for every member. All you have to do to get these gifts, is to be a member at Sephora, and have your birthday, that's it! Easy, right?

This years gift made me really excited, because it was a NARS gift. It was a cute box, with two of their lipstick pencils inside! In two different finishes too!

There was a Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, and a Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien.

Velvet Lip Pencil - Cruella:

A beautiful true red, something that Cruella de Ville would definietely wear. It applied easily, and it was easy to get an even coverage. I did notice that over time, this pencil dried my lips a little bit, which I wasn't too happy with. I've tried it with a balm underneath, and I like that way better, but then it wears of faster. If I wear nothing at all underneath, I don't like how it wears as much, but it does last quite a while, for over four hours without a touchup.

Satin Lip Pencil - Rikugien:

A rose pink shimmer. This one is a nice pink to wear on my lips, because it gives color without being too much. The shimmer of this lip pencil kept my lips looking shiny and healthy, and with the formula it was easier to wear. It didn't last as long as the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil (most lipsticks never last longer than matte versions), but I like it for an entirely different reason. I like the wear of this one, and it's more wearable for every day use compared to a red.

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Both of these Lip Pencils need to be sharpened, you don't twist them up and down, which is always a bit of a bummer, because you end up wasting product when you have to sharpen them, and for pencils that retail for $26 a piece, it's really hard to see product just go right into the trash because you have to sharpen them down.

Don't miss your chance to pick these up for your birthday, they're great to wear, and great to have in your makeup collection!

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Birthday Reward - Make Up For Ever

Hello again readers!

I was going to post this the other day, but I really wanted to wait until today to post this. This year for your birthday gift, Sephora gave out this box with a sample of the Make Up For Ever's Smoky Extravagant Mascara and Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N9 Copper Pink.

They say that these are deluxe samples, even if they look really tiny. They're great for traveling, however.

First off, I hated the mascara with a passion. It has a Christmas tree-shaped wand, which in theory is supposed to coat the little lashes in the inner corner, but elongating the outer lashes dramatically I find it hard to apply to my left eye, because my right hand is the hand I use to apply my makeup with. 

The formula on this mascara was really clumpy. One coat was fine, and any more than that and it was clump city. It looked terrible. I don't know if it was dried out or not, but regardless it was terrible. It wasn't waterproof, and within an hour I had flakes and transfer under my eyes and against my cheeks.

For being so small, this lipstick really did look great packaging wise. I was a little hesitant, because the colour looked to be a really brown-toned red in the tube, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The lipstick turned out to be a dark rose-nude that leans warm, and I loved it! The formula feels creamy, and it wasn't the most pigmented of lipsticks, which worked in it's favour.

I wasn't wild about the mascara, but I really enjoyed the lipstick.

Thanks for reading!

Sephora by OPI Polishes - Already Famous and Caught with my Khakis Down

Hello again readers!

Just a couple of old polishes to show off today. These were the Sephora by OPI polish that were discontinued to make room for the new Sephora X polishes. You can still find them at Big Lots shops, though I can't say for certain which ones you can find. It's like an adventure! I had to dig through a bunch of bins to find these.

Already Famous is a very sheer champagne taupe shimmer with glitter mixed in. This was with three coats, and I can still see the nail bed. The formula wasn't terrible, a little runny, but it was so sheer it felt like it wasn't doing much. By itself, it leaves much to be desired, however, I would recommend layering it over a similar colour to boost it. I can see it shining with a little help.

Caught with my Khakis was irresistible, truly. It's a beautiful army khaki green creme. It was a little runny, but I didn't have a lot of problems, just a bit of pooling. It also wasn't fully opaque with one, so I used two coats to even it out. I am so in love with it! I can't help myself around army coloured polishes.

Thanks for reading!

Sephora X - Wham!

Hello again readers!

Sephora recently relaunched their Sephora X polishes with a HUGE range of colours, toppers, and choices! It was overwhelming walking into Sephora to see all of the bottles of new polish just begging to be bought. I was really excited to walk in and swatch a few of them, and I settled on one that I just had to buy and do a mani with. The price is steeper than I'm used to, but with this experience... well, I'll let the review speak for itself.

Wham!

The bottle is really unique. With square bottles, a huge problem that occurs is that it doesn't line up after you open it... I had a problem getting it open! I was really happy to see that the 'cap', houses the real one underneath! Really unique, it keeps the shape of the bottle, untarnished and keeps the users in mind.

The circular cap underneath isn't anything revolutionary, but it holds comfortably in your hand to make application easy for you.

 Wham! is an all white glitter. Hex glitter, circle glitter, bar glitter, it's just fantastic. Easy to see why I chose this one, huh?

I was definitely impressed with this polish. I didn't have problems with the glitter being dragged all over, and I didn't have to go in and dab the glitter on. The polish wasn't thick, it was easy to apply, and the result was phenomenal. I used one coat of Wham! over China Glaze - Crimson.

I loved this so much, I'm already thinking of getting some of the other ones. Eyeing Blast Off something fierce.

The Sephora X polishes range $10.50-12.50. 

Sephora Outrageous Prisma Chrome Eyeshadow Single in Outrageous Metallic Purple

Hello again readers!

I'm going to try to go through all of my 'posts' on my computer, and start updating regularly. I'll update on Fridays for sure, since it's my only day off from School. Maybe I'll add a few more posts sprinkled here and there, but I need to focus on at least one a week, or I'll lose myself!

Today I'll be showing you one of the Sephora Outrageous Prisma Chrome (OPC) Eyeshadow's in Outrageous Metallic Purple (OMP).

OMP is one of the many eyeshadow shades that you can wear by itself. It catches the light beautifully, and when you blend it in your crease it adds a great effect that makes it look like you went all out!

OMP is a taupy toned violet shimmer with glitter in it. It's smooth, pigmented, and applies like a dream!

They retail at 16 dollars, but I think they're being phased out, since I got mine on clearance for 7 dollars.

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Birthday

Hello again readers~

I found this little bugger stuck in the archives! 

When I was in Vegas, I was able to go to one of the Sephora's on the strip, to get my Birthday gift. I also bought myself a mini-glass nail file for my bag, but that was just for me. ;)

You get a free little gift with a  highlighter, and a mascara! I was really excited to get this, since I don't get many high-end products. Ever.

Benefit - Watt's Up Highlighter

A little, creamy highlighter. I like the packaging, it's attention grabbing and sleek. However, I wasn't wild about the product. Watt's Up is a creamy stick that you rub against your skin to highlight your features, and it was problematic. The colour isn't terrible, it's a bright champagne, but I wasn't wild about all of the sparkles.

The stick fell out of the packaging, twice now, and I was a little surprised, I thought it would be packaged better, and when I blend out it didn't do much for me at all. I don't feel like rubbing a lot of this on my face, since it is a cream and kind of gets a little greasy. It was fun to try, but I won't be buying the full-sized product. The full-size of this product is $30.

Benefit - They're Real Mascara 

This was what I was most excited about, since a lot of people really enjoy this mascara. 

I was indifferent.

It added volume, and length to my lashes, even curled them! 

Though there was so many things I wasn't wild about it too... First off, the brush hurts. The bristles are stiff plastic, that are great for separating the lashes, but not great for closer to the lash line. I can't get close to the base of my lashes without jabbing myself in the eye/skin at the lash line. It's not pleasant, and though I can get over it, I don't like that it has to happen in the first place.

Secondly, it smears. Throughout the day, I'll find black smudges by the outter corner of my eye, and on my lower lashline. 

I don't mind layering a waterproof mascara over it, but the full-size of this product is also really steep in price ($23), and I don't see myself buying it for myself. It was good to try, and aside from those flaws I like the formula.

Thanks for reading~