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Showing posts with label Sephora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sephora. Show all posts

Fresh Sugar lip treatments are one of those products I see all the time in Sephora but never pay much attention to. I've heard plenty of rave reviews, but for some reason these never excited me. Probably because of the cost, $22.50 for ONE lip balm? No thank you, lol. 

So instead of getting one full-sized Lip Treatment, I opted for this limited edition holiday set of a Fresh Sugar Ruby mini and a Fresh Lip Treatment mini. And when I say mini, I mean tiny! But, despite their small size, true to everything I'd heard about these before hand, THEY SMELL AMAZING! They also feel really great on my lips. But the smell...sweet and fresh at the same time. I almost wish I could eat, or at least bottle the scent and wear it as a perfume!

Sugar Ruby is a semi-sheer raspberry shade. Its the kind of build-able color that will be flattering on a wide range of skin tones. However it does have a metallic sheen to it if its applied to heavily. When I caught a glimpse of myself after applying it liberally in my car, I immediately wiped most of it off.

Overall, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments are not a must have. They're very nice and provide good moisture on my lips, even when out in the winter chill. But for the price, I won't be repurchasing these once I run out.

You can find Fresh products at Sephora!

p.s. Sephora is currently offering a 3 piece mini set from Fresh as a VIB perk. Use the code VIBFRESH when you spend $35 or more online to claim your free set! I'm not sure when this deal expires.
Essentially these are just a more sophisticated version of a glitter eyeshadow. But the formula Urban Decay uses feels silky to the touch and makes these a joy to use. The glitter itself is more finely milled and the effect is sparkly, but not disco ball level. At $20 each, they're not a necessity (I waited for a sale before purchasing) but they are a nice addition to a standard eyeshadow collection.

Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadows in Stargazer and Space Cowboy.

Although I only purchased 2 of these, I did swatch the entire collection (forgot to take pics, boo!) and they all swatch more like the color "Space Cowboy." Meaning they're more on the sheer side, but can be layered over themselves or another eyeshadow to intensify the color. "Stargazer" was the only color that looked more opaque on its own to me.

Overall, these are not a must have. They're fun, but not super practical for everyday use. Urban Decay Moondust Eyeshadows can be found at Ulta, Sephora and most department stores.
The moment I saw this brush set on Sephora.com, I knew I had to have it! Almost everything about it was unique and unlike any other brush sets that I already own. I loved how there were no separate ferrules on these brushes and instead the handle was one solid peace of beautiful gold metal (or so I thought...)
I also loved the shape of the brush heads. It seemed like Sephora put real consideration into this set and didn't just reuse some of the brush heads from their existing collections.

I was completely sold. But given the $85 price tag I waited until my local Sephora got a few sets in stock so I could view them in person before spending my hard earned cash. At the store however the display set was locked away behind clear plastic and I wasn't able to touch these beauties in person. Still determined to get them, I used an online coupon and anxiously waited for these to arrive in the mail. 

Now imagine my disappointment when I removed the brushes from the display stand they were packaged in and saw this... 
Noooooo! Hideous black rubber bottoms on each brush. Why Sephora?? I wanted a truly luxe and unique set of makeup brushes.  With the black rubbery bottoms, this set actually reminds me of the much cheaper (and a whole lot less luxe) Real Techniques brushes available at most drugstores. 

Back of the box with descriptions of each brush. 
Complexion Perfecter and Natural Flush Blush brushes
Precision Corrector and All Over Shadow brushes
Domed Crease and Soft Focus Liner brushes
This set comes with 6 brushes, each with their description imprinted on the handles. It also includes the stand to display them in. Although the synthetic brush heads are very full and soft, I just don't love this set anymore (its silly, I know). I also wasn't wowed by the performance of these brushes. They're slightly better than okay. I honestly feel like they're like an overpriced version of Sonia Kashuk brushes and I'll probably be returning them to Sephora soon. 

As the title suggests, I don't know what to call this look, lol. It started out with just a simple green eyeshadow, but then I darkened the crease and blended some purple above that...

Beauty Breakdown:

All Urban Decay Eyeshadows:
Damaged all over lid
Smokeout in the crease
Voodoo blended above the crease
Righteous under brow
Vengeance in crease

Mac Pearlglide liner in Undercurrent on waterline
Sephora "Mink" lashes (I know I said I didn't like these, lol)

Tarte Brow Mousse in brows
Beauty Breakdown: 
"Custom" all over the lid
"Blush" on the inner corner and also on waterline
"Fresh" under the brow bone
"Noir" used as smokey black liner
Physician's Formula 2in1 Lash Boost Liner in Black
Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara
Sephora "The Mink" false lashes

These Sephora brand "The Mink" lashes were very hard to use. As you can see one started peeling off on my inner lid. The lashes have thick, stiff bands which make them difficult to apply and keep on even for a short amount of time. 
I have to be honest, the packaging is what sold me on getting this palette. But sadly it was a disappointment when I received it in the mail. The biggest let down is the plastic case. I was expecting a beautiful real wood case, instead I received a brown plastic case with a "wood" sticker thrown on top, lol
Plastic case aside, the Rainforest After Dark palette contains 6 eyeshadows (3 matters and 3 shimmers), a blush, bronzer and highlighter. All of them contain Tarte's signature Amazonian clay as an ingredient.

Unfortunately none of the eyeshadows in this palette have names.
All of the colors are wearable with varying degrees of pigmentation. I had to swatch all of them multiple times to get a true-to-pan color.

The blush does show up on my nc45 skin, but it's just on the edge of being unflattering. The bronzer I can and do use as an all over face powder since its matte. The highlighter is very shimmery and can easily look like an ashy disco ball, but used sparingly it creates a soft champagne glow.

Overall, this palette is just ok. Nothing special, but useful if you want a full face in a single palette.
 I finally got my Sephora.com haul in the mail! So far the only thing I'm disappointed with is one of the Smashbox eyeshadow palettes. I ordered both the Iconic 4 Shadow Palette and the Classyfied 6 Shadow palette and the difference in quality between them is like night and day.

The Iconic shadows are creamy to the touch, pigmented and have a lovely finish. The Classyfied shadows are hit and miss. Most of them are hard, chalky and not very pigmented, however there are 2-3 that have decent color payoff and blend nicely.
Smashbox Iconic Palette $12

Smashbox Iconic with flash.

Smashbox Iconic without flash.
 I also added a Stila travel palette in Aspen to my order to qualify for free shipping. The colors are better than I thought they would be, and the quality is good.

Stila Aspen Palette $10
 The drawings on the UD Show Pony Palette are just as creepy as I thought they looked in the online pics. I have some old acrylic paints lying around so I've decided I'm going to put my non-existent art skills to use and paint something over the package, lol.

The shadows in this palette have the same great UD quality I've come to expect and I can see myself getting a lot of use from this palette. On a side note, there is a UD Preen palette on Ulta.com right now for $16, I almost ordered it until I realized the colors are the same as Show pony, just diff, non-creepy packaging.

Show Pony also came with a mini Primer Potion and 24/7 eyeliner pencil. This was my first experience with the 24/7 pencils and I'm super impressed! My bank account won't let me drop $20 a piece on some eyeliners anytime soon lol, but a few of these are being added to my wishlist.
Stila Aspen without flash

Urban Decay Show Pony Palette $16

Urban Decay Show Pony Swatches with flash.
Smashbox Classyfied Eye Palette $15
 I know this sale is old news for most, and I'm supposed to be on a no-buy until March 15th, but when I saw these lovely palettes on sale at Sephora.com , I lost ALL my will power, lol.

I'll post swatches as soon as I get them in the mail!
Smashbox Iconic Eyes Palette $12

Urban Decay Show Pony Palette (with mini eyeliner and primer potion) $16
*The faces on this palette really freak me out, lol. I'm going to have to find a way
to cover them or depot the shadows and trash the packaging.







 I picked up these 2 Nars duos when they were on sale at Sephora for $10 each! I've heard that Nars quality can be hit a miss, so I wasn't expecting too much from these considering the discounted price. But to my delight, they're both really good. Cheyenne is definitely more pigmented than Wicked. The Cheyenne colors also feel creamier and seem to blend a little better. I also happen to like the colors in the Cheyenne duo better. For me they're more wearable and versatile than the greens in the Wicked duo.








I swatched each color on its own, and then on top of Too Faced Shadow Insurance.


 To see the swatches, click read more.