samples

Haul – Sephora (February 2019)

Aside from the makeover trip with my mom I had a few Sephora purchases in February.

My mom purchased this set of products (the last in-store set) when we went to Sephora and when I saw it online later, I picked it up. This is the Go-To Glow Set from Clinque and retails for $39.50 (although it appears to be out of stock now.) The big draw for me is the Moisture Surge moisturizer and the take the day off cleansing balm (which is great for waterproof mascara). The entire set includes:

  • 1 oz Clinique Pep-Start™ 2-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser
  • 1.7 oz Moisture Surge™ 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator (this is normally $39 by itself)
  • 0.29 ozL Clinique Fresh Pressed™ Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10%, 1 vial (one-week supply)
  • 0.13 oz Chubby Stick™ Sculpting Highlight in Hefty Highlight
  • 0.05 oz Clinique Pop Splash™ Lip Gloss + Hydration in Caramel Pop
  • 0.07 oz Dual-Ended High Impact™ Mascara in Black 
  • 0.08 oz Dual-Ended Lash Building Primer
  • 1.7 oz Take The Day Off™ Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips
  • 1 oz Take The Day Off™ Cleansing Balm
  • Too Faced Peach Perfect Comfort Matte Foundation in Snow ($36) – I liked the consistency of this foundation when I tried it in store but they didn’t have my color in-store.
  • Marc Jacobs Sugar High Nude Lip Trio ($25) – I’ve never tried any lip products from Marc Jacobs but have seen good reviews. This trio contains (all mini-size) a lip liner, a lip gloss and long-wear lipstick all in the shade Sugar High. Have you tried Marc Jacobs before?

I’ve seen questions about samples received from Sephora so I wanted to include this photo of the samples I received.

  • Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Mask
  • Moroccan Oil Treatment
  • Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix Spray
  • Origins Cheeks and Balances Frothy Face Wash
  • Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Serum
  • Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus Neck & Chest

Haul – Sephora Makeover (February 2019)

Last weekend my parents came to visit from Missouri for my banner year birthday and I took my mom into the city to get a makeover at Sephora (her very first!). I also got another makeover but I wasn’t nearly as impressed as I was with the makeup artist in Chicago. That said, I did find some new products, bought a replacement for an empty and acquired a few samples for products I want to try. So let’s get going!

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

I’ve been looking for a good radiant/natural foundation that still had has decent coverage. My mom loved this foundation on me so I did purchase this. My only annoyance is the product doesn’t come with a pump – you have to buy it separate (which I didn’t know until I got home). So, online order to buy the pump. At this price point though, I’d have thought the pump would have been included. I’ve worn this a couple days since last weekend and it applies easily and looks great! The shade is Mont Blanc.

Clinique ID Oil-Control Gel + Uneven Skin Texture

I’ve been seeing this new product (well, combination of products) from Clinique. It allows you to choose one of three bases (a jelly moisturizer, dramatically different gel or dramatically different oil-control gel) and one of five active concentrates (uneven skin texture, uneven skin tone, irritation, fatigue and lines and wrinkles) for a customized combination. I chose the oil-control gel because on my the regular gel was tacky on me and didn’t dry down. I chose uneven skin tone because, um, crater sized pores. I also consideration the irritation cartridge.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Matte Lipstick

Now I know what you’re thinking – how can you possibly need more lipstick? To be fair I did not have a cream lipstick in this sort of peachy-nude and this color looks amazing with dark green smoky eyes. Oh, and it’s a good color for work. The color is Kiss. 

Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel

This was to replace an empty product I used up. I like this gel because because it’s not nearly as drying as most salicylic acid product. However, I do sometimes have to use a stronger product if I have a stubborn zit.

Drunk Elephant Beauty Insider Birthday Gift

I’ve been hemming and hawing about what to grab from the Sephora Beauty Insider birthday choices. I had considered the points but I already had so many. Instead, I went with the sample size products from Drunk Elephant. I like this brand but I don’t foresee it being a brand I use long-term.

Haul – Sephora (January 2019)

In addition to my Sephora makeover in Chicago, I had some additional purchases from Sephora, online and in store, in the last couple weeks of January. I also used up some points and received some fun samples.

OLEHENRIKSEN 3 Little Wonders Kit

I loved the banana eye cream so much I wanted to try some additional products from OLEHENRIKSEN and had actually favorited this kit online. When I popped into my local Sephora store (which is inside JC Penney) I found the same set and snatched it up. I’m most interested in the truth serum.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Set

I keep trying to find a *great* highlighter and this looked like a nice option in a mini. It’s the Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Opal from Becca and also comes with a liquid spotlight that can be mixed with highlighter or primer for a glow-y finish.

Lip Scrub and Pore Cleansing Pad

These pore cleansing pads from Sephora are GREAT if you don’t want to shell out for a fancy brush. On the back of the pad is a little raised suction cup and you put the stem of that suction cup between your fingers. It feels great on your skin as you massage cleanser in and isn’t too abrasive. The lip scrub from Sephora is new to me – I like scrubs in tube form for convenience but some of the ELF brand ones have an off consistency (like putty). So I thought I’d give the Sephora brand one a try. Only downside is there are only two flavors, Coconut and Honey, and I’m not excited about either.

Reward Points – PeterThomasRoth Fantastic Four Set

Products on which to spend points in Sephora’s reward bazaar have been few and far between lately. This set was already sold out on Sephora’s website (it wasn’t there at 9am PST when Sephora says they update and was gone when I looked again in the evening) but I grabbed the very last one at my local JC Penney Sephora. Which worked out because the associate at that Sephora knows all things skin care and thought this set (in particular the glycolic acid cleansing gel and the peeling gel) would be great for my skin.

Freebies – Online and In Store Samples

So even though I had two online orders, I only received my samples on one of those orders because they forgot to include them on the first order. I received the Porefessional Matte Rescue and the Bite Beauty samples with my online order. I’ve used the Bite Beauty scrub and lip balm before (in sample size) and both products are awesome. I just wish the scrub came in more flavors because I don’t love the agave. I received the Tatcha Water Cream as an in store sample when the associate was trying to help me figure out a light weight but super hydrating moisturizer.

Haul – Sephora Makeover (January 2019)

Last weekend I went to visit a friend in Chicago and went to Sephora Saturday morning for a makeover. The big purpose was to find a foundation and conceal that work with my skin. The makeup artist was awesome and I am so thankful she took the time to explain why she selected the products to did and how she was applying them. I will provide a picture of me post-makeover and a full list of the products used at the bottom of this post. I purchased several items relating to the foundation/concealer goal and picked up some freebie perfume samples (and another Urban Decay cherry setting spray).

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation

I’m so glad the makeup artist used this foundation. I had told her I loved this foundation (based on a sample I had) but that the color of the sample I had was wrong for my undertone. My experience has been that the amazonian clay products from Tarte really do last the whole day and I feel like this is an under-rated foundation. The shade is 16B Fair-Light Beige.

Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer

This is not a concealer I’ve used before or even heard discussed much but I was happy with the coverage it provided in the makeover. It also did stick around all day despite the cold making my eyes water and the snow. This is in the shade 2C.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder

So powder wasn’t an item I necessarily set out to buy after the makeover but I didn’t have any nice pressed powder and had heard great things about this product. It gave a nice finish that didn’t white me out or look cake-y on top of the foundation. The color is Dim Light. 

OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright Eye Creme

Also not a product I intended to buy that day but it made the very dark circles around me eyes appear nonexistent. It doesn’t matter how much sleep I get, the inside corners of my eyes and right under are genetically programmed to be dark. You only need a teeny tiny amount of this product so the jar should last me a long time.

Urban Decay Cherry Setting Spray

Now apparently I am one of the few who LIKE the scent of this. I’ve heard several people describe it as cough medicine scented but I really love it. So, as it’s been on sale for $10.50 (normally $15) the last couple weeks at Sephora and Ulta, I’ve been snagging what I could.

Freebies – Perfume Samples

I almost always get perfume samples when I go to Sephora and this was no exception. After much sniffing I got samples of: Stella McCartney’s Stella, Atelier Cologne Bergamot Soleil and YSL’s Black Opium. What scents do you think I should try next time? I usually like fresh scents but sometimes fruity or the woody/spicy.

Makeover Products

Products Used:

Dior Redness Soother Age Delay Anti-Redness Soothing Serum

Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift Advanced Wrinkle Treatment

OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright Eye Creme

Tatcha The Water Cream

Tatcha Silk Canvas Protective Primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer Light

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation in 16B

Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Concealer in 2C

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

Givenchy Teint Couture Shimmer Highlighter in #2

Smashbox Step-By-Step Contour Kit in Light/Medium

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown

Benefit Gimme Brow Gel in 3.5

Houglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara in Black