Tag: Sephora
On a Date Sephora Haul
Believe it or not, I hadn’t bought anything from Sephora since the end of 2020 – that’s right, almost three whole years! Instead of trying to hit top tier status in both Ulta and Sephora’s loyalty programs, and since the Sephora Play! Subscription Box died of COVID, I consciously decided to put all my beauty eggs in one basket. Being able to buy KVD, Fenty and Fresh – previously Sephora exclusives – made the decision that much easier. It’s not a boycott, it’s just smart shopping…but now and then, a product pops up that I can’t get at Ulta, so I get it at Sephora.
I was at the First Colony Mall a few weeks ago – waiting for the girlchild attending a birthday dinner – and I decided to take a sniff at Sephora. My first sniff was Jo Malone Red Roses. It was nice, but not as nice as Jo Loves White Roses & Lemon Leaves. I then tried Maison Margiela REPLICA On a Date – it’s got a plummy rose scent, which tickles my memories. It reminds me on a scent my mother wore in the 80s – no idea which one. I noted it for later, since there were no purse sprays in stock. I also sampled Tom Ford Rose Prick…ain’t no way I’m spending $395 on a perfume, no matter how good it smells. I walked out empty-handed…
Lo and behold, a 20% off promo code arrived in my email that very day. (Did I set off a geo-fence by walking into a Sephora? Possibly…) I ordered the Travel Spray of On a Date, happy to save $7 off $35. I’ve been wearing it almost nonstop since I got it.
For my two free samples, I picked a pouch of Amika bust your brass Intense Repair Mask (for the next time I get highlights); and Mugler Alien Goddess, which I forgot smells like roach spray. Who wants the pile of Mugler samples I’ve collected over the years? It ALL smells awful…inbox me and it’s yours.
Sephora is now offering free shipping for all Beauty Insider Members, no minimum purchase, which is a nice perk. All of my points expired though – I had a couple of thousand points! $972 to Rouge…LOL.
Brainchild
Not bad, for a five year old (or more) nail polish.
I had to shake the FUCK out of Formula X “Brainchild” before using it, and if you look closely at the bottle in the picture, it’s still not entirely mixed together. The polish was usable and not too thick – it applied perfectly.
This is two coats of the lovely deep eggplant “Brainchild” over Glisten & Glow Ridge Filling Base Coat and under Glisten & Glow Top Coat. Except for the pinkie, of course…my special matte pinkie got Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat.
I really wish Sephora hadn’t discontinued Formula X – these are really good polishes!
Sephora Favorites Hello! Greatest Beauty Hits (and more)
Ooooh! Sephora Sale on Sale! An extra 20% off sale items…so tempting.
I’d been eyeing the newest Sephora Favorites Hello! Greatest Beauty Hits set. $8 on sale is better than $10…but $6.40 is even better. I was most interested in Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa ’62 Eau de Parfum – it was so summery. Also in the set: It Cosmetics Lash Blowout Volumizing Mascara; Tarte SEA Jelly Glaze Anytime Lip Mask in “Strawberry Jelly”; BareMinerals Gen Nude Powder Blush in “Call My Blush”; First Aid Beauty FAB Pharma Arnica Relief & Rescue Mask; and Sephora Collection Ultra Glow Serum: Glow + Strengthen Vitamin C Serum. As usual, the set comes with 15% off vouchers for each product – I might actual used the Cheirosa ’62 one.
While browsing the sale section, I found a few other smokin’ deals. I splurged on a Fresh Rose Hydration Skincare Essentials Set ($55, down from $63 – $44 after discount). I also picked up the tarte SEA Yours & Mine Quench Lip Rescue Duo ($17, down from $19 – $13.60 after discount). I really like the Lip Rescue I got in the Give Me Some Balm Set – all the mask wearing has dried out my lips! The Milk Makeup KUSH Triple Brow Pen ($11, down from $22 – $8.80 after discount) was a bad purchase. The first time I used it, it was GREAT. The color “Dutch” was a perfect match to my brows and each stroke was like a little hair. The second time I used it though, it did not work at all. It’s like all the color went out of the pen after one use! Ugh, if I wasn’t so lazy, I’d take it back.
For my samples, I got Kiehl’s Calendula Water Cream and amika Flash Instant Shine Mask.
I made this purchase in 2020, but it wasn’t enough to put me into VIB status – I still needed like $65, but I didn’t want to buy something dumb. I feel like such a peasant.
Sephora Favorites Hello! Haul-Star Heroes
So Sephora discontinues their monthly Play! sample subscription box, only to release a non-subscription sample bag every month? I figured the Hello! set wouldn’t be every month, but they’re coming out pretty regularly.
The samples in this month’s “Haul-Star Heroes” aren’t very exciting, but since Sephora is still offering free shipping, I went ahead and bit. The best sample in the set is Caudalie Vinopure Pore Purifying Gel Cleanser. It smells so good! I mean, it cleans my face just fine, but I really like the scent.
Versace Bright Crystal is one of my sister’s favorite scents – I’ve gotten it for her several times. Instead of sending her this sample, I’ve been wearing it – I kinda like it! I won’t start wearing it regularly though – I’d be annoyed if someone poached my signature scent.
Also in the set: Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Microfinishing Loose Powder; Ren Clean Skincare AHA Smart Renewal Body Serum (I wonder what this will do to my BODY?); and Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara. Meh. The set came with 15% off coupons for each of the products included, but I don’t see myself buying any of them.
My son has been bleaching the hell out of his hair, so I picked Kerastase Blond Absolu Shampoo & Conditioner for him – I’ve got him using a purple shampoo/conditioner once a week for brassiness. I also got a sample card of Laura Mercier Flawless Lumiere Radiance Perfecting Foundation – all the colors look too dark for me.
Just $138 to Beauty Insider for 2021.
Sephora Favorites POP – Beauty Cred
Well how about that…just a few weeks after Sephora releases a Hello! box, they release a POP box. I feel like they are playing around with price points and configurations to see what performs the best. I am not helpful at all – I’ll buy anything.
The “Beauty Cred” box contains “the next big thing in beauty”…hmm, okay. By far, the best sample in the box is the creamier than creamy Natasha Denona Eyeshadow in “Moonstone”. No wonder she charges $129 for a palette – this is some of the highest quality eyeshadow I’ve ever used. It pairs well with the Fenty Beauty Full Frontal Volume, Lift & Curl Mascara. The brush is super fluffy, but somehow doesn;t leave my lashes clumpy.
Also in this box: Lord Jones High CBD Formula Body Lotion in “Fragrance Free”; Fresh Rose Petal-Soft Deep Hydration Lip Balm (yasssssss, more lip balm); Amika Flash Instant Shine Hair Mask; and Maison Margiela REPLICA Beach Walk fragrance (I swear, I’ve gotten this sample 50 times from Sephora – get over this scent, it’s boring).
The set was a slighty higher price point, at $15, which is still pretty cheap. Oh, and it also came with a bunch of beauty-themed stickers.
I was over the moon to try the other samples I picked for my box. I love the scent of Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and now they have shampoo/conditioner. I IMMEDIATELY used the samples of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Strengthening Shampoo & Conditioner – it smells AMAZING! Ugh, they are $25 each. I also got a sample of Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, which I have not tried yet.
$148 to VIB in 2021.
Sephora Favorites Hello! Holy-Grail Greats
As soon as I start complaining about missing subscription boxes, Sephora releases another Hello! set. Even if it’s not all that great a set, I went ahead and ordered it – just to get some mail.
I didn’t think I’d like the Farmacy Daily Greens Oil-Free Gel Moisturizer with Moringa and Papaya, but it feels really nice on my skin. It’s similar to belif Aqua Bomb in silkiness.
I wore Valentino Donna Born in Roma today and I was surprised at how much I liked it – I don’t usually like woody oriental scents. I didn’t get an Italian vibe from this scent, it was very Far Eastern.
Also in the Holy-Grail Greats set: Tarte Lights, Camera, Action 4-in-1 Mascara (meh); Moroccanoil Treatment Light (meh); Smashbox Photo Finish Vitamin Glow (interested to try it); and Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 (meh).
The set was $10 and I used FREESHIP to get free shipping. The set also came with coupons for 15% off a full size purchase of each of the included products.
I’ve been saving up Beauty Insider points for several years and decided to use 500 points to get the Fresh Rose Hydration Heaven Set, which includes one of my favorite moisturizers – Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream, as well as Soy Face Cleanser, Rose Face Mask, and Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 (my favorite balm).
I received two fragrance samples with my order. Leila Lou by Rosie Jane is a heavy jasmine scent – it didn’t smell bad, but it was too much jasmine for me. I’ll be giving this one away. Viktor & Rolf Magic Salty Flower is more my speed. There’s a touch of jasmine in this scent, but there are more blossomy and salty accords. I’ll be keeping this one.
$163 to VIB status in 2021.
Clementine California
I’m the type of person that will spend $25 on a tiny tube of the best smelling hand cream ever made…only to discover that she had already used up her Deluxe Spray of the matching perfume.
I did literally jump to order Atelier Cologne Clementine California Hand Cream and it IS the best smelling hand cream on earth. Even though I used up the bigger spray I had, I was able to find another sample vial of it from a Play! box, so I can be matchy matchy.
I used a code to get a deluxe sample of NEST Wild Poppy – I’ve been wearing it and I like, although not as much as Clementine California. For my regular samples, I got Playa Everyday Shampoo and Supernatural Conditioner (I already used the foil pack – they are very beachy smelling), and Miu Miu Twist, which I REALLY like.
$173 to spend to keep my VIB status in 2021…it will be a struggle.
Spark
Oh hot damn, this polish is FIRE.
I’ve been swimming in Sinful Colors lately, so I decided to pick a neglected polish from the back of the cabinet…I cannot believe I’ve been sleeping on Formula X “Spark”. I was expecting a sparse topper, but this is no topper – this is a full coverage glitter, baby!
This is two coats over Glisten & Glow Base Coat. I used Glisten & Glow Top Coat on my first three fingers and Glisten & Glow Matte Top Coat on my ring finger and pinky. It will surprise no one that I like the matte look better.
Dare I start checking Tuesday Mornings to see if there are any Formula X bottles left? The one by me is NOT going out of business…
Sephora Favorites Hello! Beauty Icons Set
Just a month after Sephora unceremoniously killed their $10 monthly Beauty Box subscription, they release a $10 sample set. OhhhhhhKAY, I’ll bite.
Yeah, I picked up the $10 Sephora Favorites Hello! Beauty Icons Set. Honestly, I wouldn’t have bothered if I had to pay for shipping with it, but Sephora is still offering free shipping for COVID.
Why do I have so much Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb? I get samples from every service, month after month. It’s fine, I even wore it today. I’d never buy it, but it’s an okay scent if you have half a dozen samples of it.
I used the Living proof. Restore Repair Mask on my hair this morning – it smells so expensive, but didn’t make is noticeably softer.
Also in the kit: NARS Lipstick in “Toléde”; Youth to The People Superfood Antioxidant Cleaner (I’ve gotten this in a box previously – it’s good); Nudestix Nudies Matte Blush & Bronze in “Sunkissed”; and Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream (love this stuff, going to put it on before bed tonight).
Oh, and the set included 15% off coupons for full sizes of the included products. Yeah, I will never use them.
I also got regular Sephora samples: Verb Ghost Shampoo & Conditioner and Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask. Just $198 to maintain my VIB status.
FYI, the set is currently still available on Sephora’s site, so go get it here.
Give Me Some Balm
Oh hey, so here’s my order from Sephora’s Spring VIB Sale. It took over two weeks to get here, which is understandable…but work has been literally INSANE the past week, so I haven’t been posting…
Sephora hasn’t been wowing me lately, but I did find a few things that sparked my interest. I’d been eyeing the new Sephora Favorites “Give Me Some Balm” Kit ($29), because almost every day, I’ve been wearing nothing but lip balm. The star of the set is the FULL SIZE Pat McGrath Labs Lip Fetish Balm in “Clear” – hands down, this is the prettiest tube I own! I’m also pumped about the Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment in “Clear” – it’s minty. Even though I hate applying lip balm with my finger, the peachy scent of the Too Faced Cosmetics Peach Mega Moisture Lip Balm has me keeping it by my bedside. Also included in the kit – FULL SIZE tarte SEA Quench Lip Rescue in “rose” and Jouer Cosmetics Essential Lip Enhancer Conditioning Lip Treatment. All my fellow work-from-homers must have picked up this kit, too – it’s no longer available!
I also snagged another Cocofloss in “Fresh Coconut” ($9) – I LOOOOOVE this dental floss.
Do I really need red eyeliner? No, but it was on clearance for $10, so I picked up a Kat Von D, um, I mean KVD Vegan Beauty Ink Well Long Wear Eye Liner in “Outlaw”. I haven’t tried it yet, maybe I’ll leave the house by Halloween?
For samples, I got Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and a sample card of Shiseido VisionAiry Gel Lipstick (meh). I never would’ve picked the lipstick, but I did pick the perfume. Why does it smell like a Mens’ scent?
On a side note, Sephora Play! is no more! April was to be the final box, but changing my expiration date didn’t take in my account and I missed out on the very last box. (It probably would’ve been a bunch of leftover samples, anyway). Thanks for nothing, COVID-19.
Without Sephora Play!, will I be able to spend $208 more to get VIB status for 2021?