Sephora Haul: VIB Sale and Black Friday Discounts

Hello my loves,

I know I haven't been writing that many blog posts lately. I've got a lot of ideas but sometimes my heart is just not in it and I can't make it happen. I do try and post on my Instagram on a regular basis, so follow me there if you're interested in non-beauty updates. I haven't really been buying too many products for a while. Not only am I trying to save money and wearing less makeup on the whole but I've already got a pretty respectable makeup stash. But recent sales have been too good so I've dipped a toe back into the beauty world. There are also products I needed to stock up on (e.g. eyeliner) or add to my routine (e.g. skincare). I might share my other Black Friday hauls in a separate post but for now I wanted to share all the things I picked up at Sephora.

I placed two big orders at Sephora this fall. The first order was using the 20% discount from the VIB sale. The second order was taking advantage of all the sales around Black Friday. Let's start with the VIB 20% off part of the haul.

My skincare routine is basically nonexistent. I have really dry but usually blemish free skin. I've tried exfoliators and moisturizers and cleansers and creams and serums before but basically everything freaks my skin out and provokes breakouts and so I just settle back into having dry skin. Once in a while I do apply sunscreen or moisturizer but I don't do it on a regular basis. This is obviously a problem. I'm getting older and I need to start taking better care of my skin. I've tabled the sunscreen issue until I run out of my current sunscreen (La Roche Posay) but I decided to use the VIB sale as an excuse to try out a ton of products. The saleswoman at Sephora recommended the REN skincare line so on her recommendation, I stocked up on their products.

I picked up the REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Milk for Sensitive Skin, the REN Clean Skincare Flash Hydro-Boost for All Skin Types, the REN Clean Skincare Vita Mineral Daily, the REN Supplement Moisturizing Cream for All Skin Types, and the REN Clean Skincare Micro Polish Cleanser. I'll let you know how I get on with all of them after a month or two. The only difficult thing will be figuring out which products are doing the heavy lifting (or causing any irritation) because I'll be trying them all at the same time.

I also purchased another bottle of my favorite Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo. It'll be included in a Product Empties or Current Favorites post if I ever get around to writing it.

I got a pack of three Beauty Blenders in bright summery colors but I might return it. It was a decent discount for beauty blenders but I don't really wear foundation and I've heard that the AOA sponge might be a good dupe for a lot cheaper.

As a treat for myself, I got the Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick and Lip Mattifier Set and the Huda Beauty Smokey Obsessions palette. The lipsticks are tiny but I go through lipsticks really slowly so I don't mind just having more colors to play with.

REVIEW of Sephora Color Hit Nail Polish in Voodoo Doll

Hello bumblebees,

I purchased this polish in a Sephora haul. I'm still not sure if you can buy Sephora Color Hit polishes anymore but you might still be able to track them down on amazon or something. I tried this polish back in February when it would make sense to apply a dark purple polish.

Color: Voodoo Doll is a deep blue-toned purple creme polish. That's pretty much it. I'd have to do a comparison post to see how it compares to the other purples in my collection but I feel like this is what I wanted but wasn't getting from the purple polishes I reviewed a while back. It's not going to change the world but it's a nice option if you like this kind of color. It's one of those dark purples that makes you skin look paler and the blue tone is flattering for me.
Formula: The formula for this polish is on the thinner side.
Application: The first coat applied streaky with the brush creating ridges in the polish. The wide brush was particularly annoying when I was painting the nail on my pinky finger which is very narrow. The polish was just not covered the nail very well and trying to even out the polish with the brush just pushed it around on the nail. The second coat applied more smoothly. I was able to work with the polish this time to smooth it out and get an even coat of polish over the nail. However, at two coats the manicure looked patchy. At three coats the polish was opaque though a light test showed some balding in a few small areas. I should point out that my nails were short so three coats might not be enough on longer nails.
Wear: I wore this polish for about a week. Tip wear started on my right hand on the first day. I don't know why but the polish started to chip on one nail. When I removed the polish there was more tip wear but strangely my manicure had held up pretty well on my left hand with the polish just becoming duller over time.

CONCLUSION: No, I wouldn't recommend this polish. It's not awful but it won't be difficult to find a dupe for this purple and even for the cost you would probably be better served finding a polish that applies more easily and wears better.

Please consider starting your next shopping trip at amazon through one of my affiliate links. It won't cost you anything and it would help me out greatly. 

SWATCHES

REVIEW of Sephora By OPI in Queen of Everything

Hello cupcakes,

It is finally time for my review of Sephora by OPI Nail Colour in Queen of Everything. And yes, I'll admit a significant percentage of the reason why I picked it up was because of the name. And also because the finds at the Big Lots I visited in San Francisco were rather disappointing. It's not like I needed another silver polish. Though, let's be honest, at this point it's not like I need most the polishes I'm buying. I could be a gypsy manicurist if anyone would let me near their nails without a license.

Color: Queen of Everything is a silver metallic polish. Call it a frost. Call it a shimmer. Call it a chrome. It really doesn't matter. It's your basic silver polish with a smooth finish and visible brushstrokes.
Formula: The polish is a little bit thick.
Application: The first coat of polish glided on very smoothly though the brushstrokes were immediately apparent. Also immediately apparent was the terrible and potent chemical smell. I mostly do my own manicures so it's not like I'm a stranger to the scents that various polishes and nail care products give off. But this was offensive enough to have me choking on the fumes. The second coat also went on smoothly but with visible brushstrokes. This is one of those polishes that requires careful application. On short nails this polish was almost opaque in two coats. I added a third for full opacity. I will note that while this polish goes on pretty smoothly, it gets harder to keep things neat with each successive coat so I would not recommend overworking this one with your brush or adding any more coats that necessary. You could also try waiting longer in between each coat.

CONCLUSION: I wouldn't enthusiastically recommend this polish but if you want a basic silver for your collection and you can get this cheaply it might be worth picking up. I think I only paid two or three dollars for this bottle. I have flashier silvers but this is a nice alternative when you want that color without grabbing too much attention.

SWATCHES

REVIEW of Sephora Color Hit Nail Polish in Psychedelic

Hello mushrooms,

How are you? I'm fine. I swear. Those of you who have been following this blog for a while may find it odd that I'm reviewing a light purple polish in the middle of January but I promise, it's still me. We all need a palate cleanser every so often and sometimes we also throw random things into our carts when Sephora is having a sale. If you read my recent Sephora Extra20 Haul post, you'll know that I picked up this polish during that promotion. As far as I can tell, the reason these polishes were on sale is that Sephora is no longer carrying them. Actually, Sephora might have abandoned all of their own polish lines all together. Nevertheless, I'm sure if you put your minds to it, you'd be able to find this polish somewhere.

Color: Sephora Psychedelic is a light purple creme polish. It's not light enough to be a pastel and it's not dusty enough to be a lavender. I guess it's closest to lilac but that doesn't seem quite right either. I'm not sure how to explain it but there's something poppy about this polish without it being all that bright. It's a candy color. It's a color you'd use in a fantasy cartoon world. It's not aggressive or in your face but it's got a quality that gets your attention.
Formula: The formula on this polish is on the thinner side.
Application: The first coat of this polish glided onto the nail very smoothly though it was sheer. The second coat also went on smoothly though the brush created shallow ridges in the polish if I applied a bit too much pressure or didn't have enough polish on the brush. At three coats, I still had no major application issues but a light test revealed that the polish was not opaque and that application was a little patchy. Though I hate doing it, I added a fourth coat which helped with the patchiness though the polish still was not opaque.
Wear: I wore this polish for a few days. It was probably around five or six days. I experienced notable tip wear but it was the even kind and not the kind where the polish chips away. It was enough for me to notice but not enough to cause any concern about how the polish holds up. My manicure also did start to appear dull and lacking in shine towards the end of the wear period.
CONCLUSION: Wearing the polish I actually didn't notice the lack of complete opacity and personally, this is one of the more flattering shades of purple that I've tried. With a steady hand, you'll be able to get pretty nice, even results, especially for a light purple like this. Even though it lacks opacity, I would still recommend this polish if you can get a hold of it. I prefer it to the other light purples I own though if you make a request in the comments, I can always do a comparison to see how they stack up.

SWATCHES

REVIEW of Sephora by OPI Top Coat in Only Gold For Me

Hello chickadees!

This isn't really a review as there's not much to review with top coats but I wanted to share my recent manicure with you. I wanted to do something special since I was attending the final matinee of Side Show and I kind of missed the boat on doing a flashy New Year's Eve look. So in honor of Side Show and my inclination towards something sparkly I painted by nails with three coats of Sally Hansen Red Zin and topped it with two coats of Sephora by OPI in Only Gold For Me. I haven't the slightest clue when or where I picked up this polish. I don't have any record of getting it from Sephora but I also didn't get it in California when I discovered some Sephora by OPI polishes at Big Lots.

You can find my original review of Red Zin here. Application was still easy though I found the polish very sheer. Even at three coats it wasn't opaque. I'm not sure if this is something that happened with time or if it's always been this sheer. Anyway, it didn't matter much as a good glitter top coat can hide a multitude of sins.

Only Gold for Me is a glitter top coat suspended in a clear base. It contains gold glitter particles and gold hex glitter. To my eye, the hex glitter is slightly smaller than regular hex glitter, giving this top coat a more refined look. It made me think of champagne bubbles dancing around in a glass. The gold glitter is a cooler-toned gold but it doesn't go so far as to appear silver. The top coat went on very smoothly but it was hard to get the glitter placement exact. This is one of those polishes with a lot of base liquid so you have to struggle to balance getting too much of the polish base on the brush with still picking up glitter.

CONCLUSION: If you can still get a hold of it, I would recommend Only Gold For Me. It's not going to amaze you as far as gold glitter top coats go but it's a nice one to have in your collection. It goes on smoothly and the glitter is small enough to not be overwhelming but large enough to have an impact.

SWATCHES

Sephora VIB 20% Haul

Hello my loves!

It's that time of the year again when I buy myself presents. For the most part, I'm good all year and I only shop at Sephora if there's something I really need or there's a limited edition item I want or they tempt me with a really good online-only offer. But for everything else, I hang on and I wait and wait and wait until it's November and I can get most of my shopping done in one big haul during Sephora's 20% off sale for VIB and now VIB Rouge members. I always spend just enough to qualify for VIB status next year.

I think I skipped doing a post last year but my haul involved a lot of sets and eyeliners that I haven't really been testing as much as I should. Oops! This year I decided to go for a bunch of practical items as well as a few fun ones. I also purchased two items that I'm not going to show you which were gift sets for my mom. This was a particularly fantastic shopping trip because I was able to use $200 in Sephora rewards giftcards and start my shopping trip through Ebates giving me 8% cash back.

I was up late (early?) on November 6th constantly refreshing the Sephora page as it continued to crash from all the traffic of everyone else up late trying to place their orders during the 20% off sale. Happily, I was able to snag everything I wanted sometime between 3:00 am and 4:00 am. I'm pretty happy with all of my purchases though I'm thinking about maybe returning the FAB cream as I realized that I already have a backup from a gift set I bought last year.

First of all, I had to pick up of this Shiseido concealer. It's a little pale for me and isn't as high coverage as I need it to be but it's a easy go-to concealer. I love how light it is and how easily it blends in. The first time I bought this concealer I lost it when I took it on vacation. When I bought it a second time and took it on vacation it exploded in my makeup bag. For whatever reason it doesn't travel well but it's fine it carry around in my purse for touch ups. 

I have wanted this Hourglass lip gloss for a while now as soon as I saw they had a mini version but I just left it in my cart assuming it would sell out by the time this sale rolled around. Obviously it didn't. I've heard good things about this shade so I'm excited to try it out this winter.

I love the formula of the Urban Decay Revolution lipstick I already own in F-bomb so I decided to pick up two more shades. I was tempted to get a backup of F-bomb but I don't think this line is going anywhere and I have plenty of that lipstick left.

This is Anarchy. I think it'll make a great fall shade that can also transition into spring and summer.

This is 69. I know I have too many reds. But I can't help myself. Red and fuchsia lip colors are my go-to shades. Also, I have to toss some of my old lipsticks and I don't know if I'm going to replace them yet. Let me know in the comments if you'd be interested in seeing the lipsticks I'm tossing out of my collection.

Now I'm not totally sold on the Clinique blush I already own in Plum Pop. I keep using it with my BH cosmetics brush which I don't think picks up a ton of color so I can't tell how pigmented it is. However, that blush does blend really nicely and look very natural on my skin so I thought what the heck, I'll pick up this orange-y shade as long as it's on sale. So far I haven't been able to commit to an orange blush but maybe this will be the one.

This is my fun purchase. I heard about this product from amarixe and fell in love with her swatches. I don't know how I'll rock this product as I stay away from heavier eye looks but it was just too gorgeous to resist and sales are a great excuse to try out more outlandish products you normally wouldn't purchase.

The top looks like an eye dropper but it's attached to a doe-foot applicator.

It looks quite coppery in the bottle but hopefully it's more rose gold on the skin.

REVIEW of Sephora by OPI Leotard Optional With SWATCHES

Hello peanuts,

I've got a quick review for you today. This polish also came from the Sephora by OPI Tinsel Town Collector's Set I mentioned purchasing in my review of Sephora by OPI A True Romantic.

Color: Leotard Optional is a dusty rose creme polish. Like A True Romantic, even though you would probably call it a "pink" polish, the reason I like it is because of how much it isn't just a pink polish. When I look at this polish it seems to have a good deal of brown in it (whether that makes any sense or not). I guess it has a bit of a mauve quality. Indoors with the yellow-ish lighting in my house it can look like a light tan, mainly at night. The more natural night, the more pink the polish appears, and the more artificial light, the more brown this polish appears. I think this a fantastic sort of neutral polish for me. Sometimes very pale polishes look jarring against my skintone and Leotard Optional just has a very relaxed vibe.
Formula: The formula isn't noticeably thick or thin. If I had to make the call, I'd say it's a thinner polish.
Application: This polish applies smoothly without any drag but it is also streaky. I wouldn't try and work with it too much with the brush. I applied three coats of polish and my manicure still wasn't opaque. While I will sometimes do more coats for a light nude or a glitter I refuse to do more coats (beyond three) for a creme like this.

CONCLUSION: I would have recommended this polish if it wasn't so damn sheer and streaky. While I do like the color of this polish, I can't recommend it based on the formula. However, if, for some reason, you don't mind streaky polishes that are not opaque at three coats, go ahead and get Leotard Optional. I will be looking for a good dupe.

SWATCHES

Sephora Disney Cinderella Collection Compact Mirror

Hi darlings!

I don't know how long you've been reading this blog, but anyone who really knows me knows I am a Disney fanatic. I grew up during the Disney Renaissance and those films (and some of the older ones) contributed a lot towards those dashes of insanity and my love of singing. So, even though I was extremely disappointed with the trailer Sephora put out advertising the collection, I held out hope. And then the first few images came out. And then the negative reviews. And I was sad. But in the midst of all that, was this mirror. Though it was $20, I decided to splurge because it was just so pretty in all the promotional pictures and I am so glad I did. It is even more gorgeous in person and I don't regret the decision at all. I was a bit worried it might be flimsy but it actually has a nice weight to it and even though I was scared at first that the way I throw my handbag around, it might break easily, it has proven to be very durable. And for a themed collection piece, it's not childish at all. I happily pull it out for touch-ups when I'm out and about and yes, it does speak to the little girl in me who wants to feel like a princess. It's a gorgeous piece to treat yourself to or to pick up as a gift for the holidays.