VIB Rouge Sale Haul

We’ve all had the most wonderful time of the year – Sephora VIB/VIB Rouge Sale! It’s been a while, but I’ve picked some wonderful products up and had a chance to try them. I’m ready to share the love!

Products

And the other samples and goodies!

It was clearly a hair care type of haul. So, if you’re a 3A/3B Curly Girl, some of these may work for you too!

DevaCurl Flexible Hold Hairspray: I saw this on this Instagram account, and had to buy it. I’ve been following her routine because her hair is amazing, and I’ve been really pleased so far! The smell is kind of gross, but it isn’t terribly noticeable throughout the day. I do think that it preserves my curls after washing. I made it to 3rd day hair without having to wear my hair up, so I think it’s a winner!

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo: I had a sample of this before, and it is amazing. My hair is high maintenance, and I hate having to mess with it too much, so I love anything that helps me not have to wash it (but yes, I do shower!) This is the key. I feel like it really does clean my hair! I spray it from about 6 inches away, wait 30 seconds and shake it through my hair. Then, I’m good to go! It doesn’t weigh my hair down or leave it feeling greasy, and it smells amazing, too.

DevaCurl No-Poo Decadence: I’ve put this in my routine as my shampoo substitute, and I’ve loved the results! I feel like my curls are more defined and voluminous. It maintains the texture that I love but still feels clean.

NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls: I’ve heard about this gloss in pot form for the longest time, and was so excited to try it! The formula and color are both really pretty, but the staying power isn’t as long as a MAC lip glass or Buxom lip polish. Still, it’s an amazing everyday pretty lip gloss.

DevaCurl Super Creme: This. Stuff. Is. Magic. Seriously. It’s made me fall back in love with curly hair, even though mine is a little bit damaged and gross looking at the moment. It defines curls, cuts down on frizz and leaves my hair really hydrated. It has coconut oil in it, which I think is the secret. It leaves my hair gorgeous, and it will be in the rotation for a long time!

This order put me over the edge and renewed my VIB status through next year – and I got a Marc Jacobs lipstick!

I’m obsessed with the Black Opium Perfume, but I also got a Volupte Tint-In-Oil, Touche Eclat Blur Primer and Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils

And swatches: YSL Volupte Tint-in-Oil in Cherry My Cherie, NARS gloss, Marc Jacobs Lipstick

What did you pick up? What are you loving recently from Sephors

Sephora Play! November 2015

I’ve been really excited about a new beauty discovery that I’d love to share – the Sephora Play! box! They sent me an early invitation a few weeks ago, and I’ve really enjoyed it. In fact, I’ve canceled my Birchbox for the time being, and I’ve been skipping a lot of my recent Julep boxes as well. (Partly because I’ve had product overload, but I love trying new things, and this has really stepped in!)

If you’re not familiar with Play!, the box has several deluxe samples that are offered at Sephora. Because I do so much shopping there, it’s great to be able to try out products before I buy.

This month’s focus was Sephora Exclusives.

The box also includes this great booklet that gives background information on the products and how to use them. It also has a card that you can bring into your local Sephora for more information on the products and an extra 50 BI points.

Here’s what came in this month:

Stella by Stella McCartney perfume: This is a nice enough perfume, but I have tons of perfume samples I’m still trying to work through. It will be a long time until I buy a full size!

Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12-Hour Waterproof Eye Pencil in My Boyfriend’s Jeans: This pencil isn’t overly creamy, but it has crazy staying power! It barely came off in the shower on my swatch hand. I also love the electric color. I love adding a pop of color on my waterline, so this will be a really fun addition to my collection.

Bite High Pigment Lip Pencil in Rhubarb: If you’ve stuck with me, you probably know I’m obsessed with Bite products. They feel great on the lips, are so creamy and beautiful and have the best colors. This is one of my favorite Bite formulas, too. I got this shade in their holiday set last year (I actually wore it this weekend!), so I’ll probably be passing it along, but it’s a great product!

Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in Dolly: I had a sample of this the Full-On Lip Cream that I love, but this may be better. The color is the same, a perfect wearable pink, but the formula doesn’t have the minty tingle the other did. I think this formula is much more comfortable with the same longwearing quality.

Josie Maran Argan Oil: I got this in a Birchbox ages ago, and love it. I love it on my hair, especially now that it’s getting so dry outside. It’s magic for split ends or dry hair!

Makeup Forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer: I’m a sucker for a primer, and I’m so excited to try this one! I really enjoy the mattifying/pore-filling formula, and this one should be another good choice. From my experience, these primers are really comfortable and actually lengthen the life of your makeup!

And the swatches:

Have you tried a Play! box yet? You can find more information on the program and the awesome products in this month’s box here.

Recent Empties!

Yup, another long hiatus. But in that time, I’ve gone through a ton of products. I could do 3 separate posts on empties, but…who really wants to see that? So, here are the products I’ve run through most recently.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium: I love this powder! This color is a bit too dark for my skin tone, and I’m interested in a lot of MAC’s other powder foundations, but this will definitely be back on my to-buy list. Some ProLongwear Concealer with this powder is the perfect way to do a put together look on a low maintenance makeup day. I’m a big fan!

L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil: This oil smells. so. good! It also makes your skin so soft. This was in a 500-pt. perk set, and I was so sad to see it go. I don’t know how well it cleans, but a full size isn’t terribly expensive, so this would be a great buy to treat myself 😉

Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless: I’ve reviewed this foundation previously, and (full disclosure), I didn’t actually finish the whole bottle. It seemed to sit on my skin and looked really cakey by the end of the day, no matter what I did. It also broke up a lot on my chin, which is one of my problem areas. I know a lot of people love this foundation, but it’s not for me.

Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant: This was excellent for me over the summer. It really kept my oil at bay and helped clear up my acne. As it’s getting colder and my skin gets drier, it’s making my skin feel a little tight, so I haven’t repurchased it yet. I may once I see how my skin fares with acne in the cooler weather, but it will come back in the spring!

Bare Minerals 5-in-1 BB Cream Shadow: I got this in an Ipsy bag, and purchased the full size. This is great to cover up any veining or discoloration on my eyelids, but isn’t the best eyeshadow best. It also seemed to get much drier in consistency as I got about halfway through the tube, which was weird. It’s okay, but I won’t repurchase.

Laura Mercier Flawless Fluide Foundation: I got this foundation sample, and I’m so glad I got to try it. I got a lot of use out of the sample, even though it was a touch too orange for me. When I first applied it, it was beautiful, but it wasn’t really built for oily girls. A good powder was effective, but I tended to look greasy after 5-6 hours. With a full size going for around $50, it’s not worth it to me.

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder: I was initially so excited for this powder…but it was so disappointing! It didn’t keep oil at bay or do much to set my foundation. It was a bit pore blurring at first, but that didn’t last long. Plus, the loose powder was such a mess. I was so glad to see this powder go!

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara: This is a great drugstore mascara – almost a dupe for my beloved Benefit They’re Real. I love the brush, and the length it gave my lashes was incredible! It is pretty hard to get off, so make sure you have a good eye makeup remover, but this is a great choice!

NARS Larger Than Life Longwear Eyeliner in Via Veneto: I got this in my Sephora birthday gift, and it may be my favorite eyeliner pencil ever! It is so pigmented and creamy and stays put beautifully – especially in the waterline. I made the mistake of not realizing that it was a twist-up, so the pencil part fell out after I broke it…but I will definitely purchase a full size when I am in need of a new eyeliner!

Urban Decay 24-7 Glide-on Eyeliner in Perversion: This was another eyeliner sample, and while it goes on really nicely, I don’t feel like it stays put at all. Great for tightlining, but there are better options for plain eyeliner.

First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy: One of my skincare staples! I make sure this is always in my makeup bag when traveling, etc. It really wakes up my undereyes in the morning, depuffs, cools and brightens. I love starting my morning with this little guy! A little does go a long way, so just make sure that you’re using the product sparingly.

Living Proof Curl Conditioning Wash: This is one of the products that has really transformed my curls! It cleans my hair without stripping it or making it lose volume. I also notice more defined curls when I use this. I’ve already repurchased twice, and this has a permanent place in my shower.

Briogeo Curl Charisma Conditioner: Another shower staple, this conditioner is amazing for curls. It really nourishes and conditions them while keeping frizz at bay. It’s so creamy that a little goes a long way. I notice my tangles disappearing pretty soon after I put this on my hair, too. It’s a winner!

Bite Beauty Lip Primer: I know people have mixed feelings about lip primers, but I seriously love this. I love layering it under a lipliner because it doesn’t make my lips feel dry or crusty. I also feel like it makes a lip liner or lipstick last longer without drying out my lips. I am really sensitive to lip product textures – if it’s even a little drying, I know I won’t wear it – and this helps me wear all my different products comfortably.

I’ve been making good product progress! What have you run out of recently?