Sephora: My Stash

For the past couple of years, Sephora has been offering a pretty cool deal just before Thanksgiving. They hold a special event for their members and take 20% off on any purchase in-store or online. Seems just like a normal discount, right?! Wrong! You see, Sephora carries the high-end brands like YSL, Dior, Guerlain, etc. so this means you get 20% off on all these high-end brands too! You don't even see this kind of promo in Saks or Bergdorf's (they usually give u a nice free gift with purchase but rarely a discount).

On the final day of the event, I went in hoping to get a lipstick or two but the boyfriend is too much of an effective cheerleader that I ended up getting more than I came in for. It's pretty easy, really--- He finds somewhere to sit, I go back and forth and show him different shades of lipsticks or cheek blushes or eye shadows and he says YES, NO, or I can't tell the difference (can't blame him for being a guy!).

I got most of these things in-store, especially the lipsticks, 'coz you're pretty much playing Russian Roulette if you buy any make-up without trying it out. Anyhoo, here's my stash:

Make Up For Ever Studio Case with 12 eye shadows, a black eye liner and a step-by-step guide (which I probably can't follow just 'coz I suck at doing eye make-up)

Fresh Dare to Bare Sugar Lip Ritual My lips chap so easily and I've always heard great things about Fresh's lip care line so it's great that they came out with a set so I can try them all. Sets are usually a good buy too, since most brands slash the prices compared to buying the products piece by piece. Check the sticker on the upper right of the photo below, the set is valued at $59 but sold at $45. That's an instant $15 dollar savings!

Dior Top Coat Gel and Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer in Stone Jungle The Marc Jacobs nail lacquers are definitely top quality, you can tell by how they lay on thick and shiny, even with just one coat!

Dior Limited Edition Shock Colour Lip Duo in Mysterious Shock and Passion Shock. I love how one side is matte and the other side is metallic, what a perfect marriage!

I'm trying to show the colors but the lighting inside my apartment sucks.

Here's Mysterious Shock.

Here's Passion Shock.

Dior Natural Lip Treatment in Lys Rouge and Diorette. This is the most moisturizing lipstick that I've ever had. It feels like a lip balm but there's so much pigment in it that you won't be mistaken for a lip-gloss smackin' highschool kid. Yes, I was that kid.

Dior Addict It-Lash and Dior Show Liner (not shown) Here's a fun fact for ya... I cut my eyelashes with a pair of scissors back when I was 8 or 9 years old and it just never grew back as long anymore. Let's see if this baby could redeem me from my scissor-happy days.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette I love how this blush set is mixed in with some luminizer so I can easily get that dewy look without having to add one more step to my routine.

Clarisonic Radiance Brush head for my Clarisonic Aria (now known as the Mia 3). If you're vain about skincare as I am, you know you gotta have a Clarisonic! I got the Aria for $199, it's got a hefty price tag but your skin will thank you for it!

I also got my membership upgraded to V.I.B Rouge. You can unlock this status when you purchase a minimum of $1,000 per calendar year, which is probably just peanuts for the real make-up enthusiasts. Anyone with the Rouge status can enjoy perks like access to exclusive events, receive special gifts, free shipping on anything and everything you order from their website and unlimited services (makeovers, consultations) from the Beauty Studio.

When you get upgraded to Rouge, they'll give you a new card with a cute little Bite Beauty lipstick in a shade of red that's made exclusively made for Sephora.

If you've seen me in person, I know you're scratching your head right now. When do I ever wear all this damn make-up? I don't know. I always say, just in case I run into Keanu Reeves! Ha!

Toodles!

Sephora: My Stash

Hey, hey, hey it's the weekend and there's no better way to come back from my short hiatus than do some retail therapy at Sephora! *insert googley eyes* I was running low on some stuff and Sephora had this promo of earning 3X points on every purchase (promo ran for about 3 days only) so I happily took advantage of the great offer.

Let's check out my stash for the day:

L-R: Marc Jacobs Beauty Lovemarc Lip Gel, Make Up Forever HD Primer, Make Up Forever Double Ended Sculpting Brush 

Marc Jacobs Beauty Lovemarc Lip Gel in Neo-Noir. I've been experimenting on different types of red hues for my lips and I simply love the rich color of Neo-Noir! The lipstick glides on smoothly and my lips did not dry out after having it on for a couple of hours. This is my first Marc Jacobs cosmetics purchase and I am impressed!

This color is going to be perfect for fall! :)

So excited, I tried it on right after taking a nap. Uhm yeah, I'm really frustrated with my camera 'coz when I tried to take pictures of my lips, the color seems to look PINK instead of like a dark cherry (bad bathroom lighting, I guess). See what I mean? 

I love my messy hair. Ha!

I love how the casing has a built-in magnet by the enclosure so the cover snaps into the body case easily.

Make Up Forever  HD Primer. I think there are about 7 different kinds of HD Primers and I always go for Yellow #6. It says here on the box that it's used to lighten dark complexions and yellowish skin tones. I don't have a dark complexion per se, but I do love the fact that this primer evens out my skin tone before applying foundation.

Make Up Forever Double Ended Sculpting Brush. I badly needed a blush brush and I already have MUFE's Kabuki brush and Foundation brush so I already know it's going to be a reliable product. I love how it has a dual purpose, one side for highlighting/ applying blush and the other side, for sculpting. As if I know how to use a bronzer! Ha! But it's best to be prepared with the right tools, right?

I restocked on my Shiseido Facial Cotton, too. So far, this is the only cotton that doesn't feel abrasive on my face. Ever had some cotton pads that feel rough? This one is so soft that I don't feel like the fibers are going to scratch my face!

I also tried the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue - Escape to Panarea but after some time, I didn't like the scent of it on my skin. So I had to go back to the store and just switched it to the trusty 'ol regular Light Blue instead.

I didn't want to go overboard with just a single purchase, especially for someone who rarely wears make-up so that's about it for me today.

I'm thinking my next lipstick purchase should be in a dark gothic color then I'll shave my head just to freak my boyfriend out. Ha!

Happy Weekend my minions, I'm glad to be back!

Toodles!

Perks Alert: Sephora

Being a horrible daughter that I am, I wasn't able to get anything for my mom during Mother's Day. So today, I told her I would bring her to Sephora and let her get whatever she wants so  I don't have to feel guilty anymore I can finally make the Mumsies happy. 

I wasn't really planning to buy anything for myself but I forgot that I actually need some stuff too :

This is the thickening spray that I use from Bumble and bumble. I only use this product when I cut my hair short since my hair is too straight and I need something that would give my hair some volume. What I love about this spray is that it's not sticky nor heavy, so it doesn't feel like you've actually put something on your hair.

I needed a replacement for my everyday lipstick and usually I get the subtle pink or coral tones from Dior Addict but this time, I wanted to try the Dior Addict Fluid Stick. The product itself isn't new since YSL came out first with it around last year called Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain . It's like a hybrid product of a lip tint, a lipstick and a lip gloss. When you first put it on, the consistency feels like a lip stain but then somehow the product thickens and starts to feel like a lipstick and it has the right amount of gloss.

Brilliant packaging. They shaped the container to look like it's a lipstick but that's actually the gloss.

I think it's got a good amount of pigment and the color is buildable if you want it darker.

Anyhoo, this is a Perks Alert post so let's talk about what Sephora had for me today. If you're not familiar yet with Sephora's rewards card program, here's a little breakdown for ya: It's a free program and there are three statuses you can achieve. You can avail of the Beauty Insider status with no purchase necessary (just go to a store near you and get your Beauty Insider card), then if you've spent $350 in a calendar year, they upgrade you to VIB status (Very Important Beauty Insider) and if you've spent $1000 in a calendar year, they upgrade you to VIB Rouge status, which has a great perk of free shipping on any purchase, anytime. To get more details on the perks, click here.

You get one point for every dollar that you spend and they usually have a 100-point or 500-point reward that you can redeem your points with. I had over 1,200 points and to be honest, it's sometimes hard for me to redeem any them 'coz the selection of the rewards kinda suck. I mean, if I'm gonna spend 500 points = $500, then it better be worth it.

But ooh la la, what do we have here? A Balenciaga silk scarf with a mini Rosabotanica Eau de Parfum for 500 points...Score! :)

I'm beginning to think that I am sorta kinda obsessed with freebies---well, semi-freebie since you do have to spend 500 bucks (for 500 points) just to redeem this gift. Tee-hee.

Toodles!