Tarte

  • Sephora Mini-Haul

    Sephora Mini-Haul

  • Bobbi's Skincare Picks

    Bobbi's Skincare Picks

  • Bobbi Brown Mask

    Bobbi Brown Mask

  • Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil

    Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil

  • Bobbi Brown Moisturizing Balm

    Bobbi Brown Moisturizing Balm

  • Peter Thomas Ross Acne Invisible Dots

    Peter Thomas Ross Acne Invisible Dots

  • Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick Swatches

    Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick Swatches

Here is a glimpse of my Sephora Mini-Haul for the month of October. This month my focus was on the necessities vs. splurges. Alright, the Stila was definitely not a necessity. 🙂 Below is a breakdown and review.

  1. Sephora Collection Universal Lip Liner ($10) : I’ve was on the lookout for a universal lip liner because I’ve been sick and tired of trying to match every single lipstick or gloss with a similar lipliner.  I don’t know about you all, but its way too much work and too much money especially if your lip collection is extensive. There were quite a few options on Sephora’s website, but I decided on the Sephora Collection Universal Lip Liner because of its reviews and great price. I’ve used it for a week now and must say that its a great value product that gets the job done.  There was no feathering, no bleeding and no smudging no matter what lip product I used.  The only negative I found was with its waxy consistency, but I expected this given the purpose of the product.
  2. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation ($39): I have combination skin (normal to oily) and sometimes its difficult to find a foundation that will last hours without having to powder every hour. I use this foundation for daily wear because its one of the few that lasts a full work day and with minimal touchup. It also lives up to its name as being a full coverage foundation, which can make its application a bit difficult.  I either use a damp Beauty Blender ($20) or the Tarte Airbrush Bamboo Foundation Brush (what a gem!) with a few pumps of  MAC Fix+ ($22).
  3. Peter Thomas Roth Acne-Clear Invisible Dots ($12 for 24 dots): I always thought that the minute I past puberty I could kiss pimples goodbye forever. Adios. Hasta nunca baby!  Yeah…I was sorely mistaken.  Millions of adults continue to suffer with acne well past their teens and I’m no exception.  The difference is what I use to combat these nasty little suckers — Peter Thomas Roth Acne-Clear Invisible Dots.  Simple apply the dot over the blemish overnight and let the salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid do its thing.  After two treatments, my blemishes are gone leaving behind no scarring.
  4. Clarisonic Replacement Brush Head Twin Pack ($44/radiance): I’m a month away from having to replace my Clarisonic Mia 3 brush head and decided to stock up. However, this time I decided to deviate on the brush head type going from sensitive to radiance.  Apparently, the radiance brush heads are much softer and better for sensitive skin.  Once I try this bad boy, I’ll be sure to post a review.
  5. Stila All Day Liquid Lipstick in shade Firenze ($24): This line of liquid lipsticks are my absolute favorite, hands down!  So when the shade Firenze popped up as a Sephora VIB Exclusive, in a shade I normally gravitate to, I quickly put it in my basket. Its such a lovely, dusty mauve shade that I highly recommend!
  6. Samples:  Smashbox Insta-Matte, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer , Dior Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Creme
  7. Bobbi Brown Bobbi’s Skincare Picks: I’m so excited I received this box as part of a promotion code (check RetailMeNot.com for Sephora codes 🙂 ).  As we all know, Bobbi Brown products are expensive, but so, so good.  This box contains a coral grass & green algae moisture mask, a cleansing, and an extra repair moisture balm. I look forward to trying all of these out.
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Is a Primer Necessary?

Do you remember a time when your makeup look consisted of some foundation, a little bit of eyeshadow, some CoverGirl mascara, and lips topped off with gloss? It all seemed so simple and straightforward back then. However, that all seemed to change overnight with the development of products such as BB creams, CC creams, highlighters, bronzers, primers and so forth.

Primers in particular are of interest because of the premise that they can improve coverage and extend your makeup’s longevity. To be clear, there are primers for just about everything: foundation primers, eyelid, eyelash, and even lip primers. However, of those mentioned, I personally cannot live without foundation or eyelid primers. Without these little gems, my makeup would shift, smudge and wear out before you could scream “hot mess.” While I don’t like adding time or more money into my beauty routine than need be, I promise that primers are well worth it.

My Favorite Primers: Face

  1. Rimmel Stay Matte Primer ($6.99) – This particular primer is great for those with normal to oily skin.
  1. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer ($36) – This primer certainly hits the high price point range. However, if budget isn’t an issue, you will have an array of primers to choose from based on your specific need. Of the list below, my loyalty lies with the radiance primer because I love the embedded pearl tint which adds a healthy glow to any foundation.
  1. Benefit the POREfessional Face Primer ($31)

My Favorite Primers: Eyelids

  1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($20 $10)

This is my everyday go-to eyelid primer. A little bit of product really goes a long way and I appreciate the fact that they have other shades that can be worn as primer, highlighters or even shadow.

  1. NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($26)

My Favorite Primers: Eyelashes

  1. Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer ($22)
  2. Dior Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum ($28.50)

There are only two situations where I utilize eyelash primers. The first, is to lengthen and create full dramatic lashes. I find that using one is a viable alternative to wearing false eyelashes. The second situation is when I’m using a waterproof mascara. The additional barrier helps protect my natural lashes from the weight of waterproof mascara and helps expedite the mascara removal process.

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Sephora Play! June 2016

Included products in this month’s Sephora Play! bag:

  1. Bumble and Bumble Don’t Blow It (Full size, $31)
  2. BareMinerals bare Skin Bronzer (Full-size, $28)
  3. Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara(Full-size, $24)
  4. BECCA Backlight Priming Filter (Full-size, $38/1oz)
  5. Tarte Tarteguard 30 Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 30 (Full-size, $32)
  6. TOCCA Beauty Florence Perfume (Full size, $68)

First Impressions:

Bumble and Bumble Don’t Blow It:  I’m a sucker for hair products, especially those that claim to give a “laid-back, air-dried style (as per The Minimalists booklet included in this month’s bag).  So for those of you who have fine hair and are looking for an airy summertime wavy look, I would recommend giving the Bumble and Bumble Don’t Blow It a try.  Just simply work the product into wet hair and then proceed to loosely braid your hair.  Once your hair is dry, take it out of the braid/braids and you’re good to go. I added some hairspray to keep the waves in a light hold since this products will not withstand in a high humidity environment.

BareMinerals bare Skin Bronzer:  Wow…just WOW!!  This bronzer is amazing.  As you all may know from a previous post, I’m a big fan of using a bronzer when looking for a summery glow.   However, I never entertained the idea of using a serum version of bronzer.  Well, I was really surprised with how natural and dewy the BareMinerals bare Skin Bronzer is.  And while at first application the serum may look really dark, it actually blends into sheer tint.

Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara:  This mascara needs no introduction because anyone who is a makeup fanatic will have heard of this gem. In fact, I recommended the Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara in a previous post.  So don’t think twice about it the next time you run out of mascara – run and purchase the Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara!

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter: I use a primer on a daily basis because it allows my makeup to stay in place.  At the moment, I use Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in Radiance ($36/1.7oz) because I love the illuminating effect it gives. I’m happy to announce that the BECCA Backlight Priming Filter is a great addition to my short list of recommended primers.  The overall finish of the BECCA Backlight Priming Filter’s finish is very similar to the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in Radiance, the only difference I found was that the BECCA product is a bit more watery compared to the thicker consistency of the Laura Mercier.  If you’re looking at the bottom line, then the Laura Mercier primer will give you more bang for your buck ($36/1.7 oz vs $38/1 oz). However, at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter which of the two you use because they are that good.

Tarte Tarteguard 30 Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 30: Of the group of products in this month’s Sephora Play! bag, the Tarte Tarteguard is the only flop of the bunch.  First off, it is extremely expensive for a sunscreen at $32 for 1.7 oz bottle.  The price alone puts this product at a severe disadvantage.  However, I was willing to put price point aside and focus on the product itself, but it didn’t get any better.  The Tarte Tarteguard is greasy in nature – like really greasy. It also has a very heavy scent that many would be turned off to. I mean, sunscreen is meant to be applied liberally. While, in theory, giving a sunscreen a pretty scent is a good idea, in reality it can be just too much and will ultimately keep consumers from using this product. Since most of us will be buying sunscreen this summer, I recommend you by pass the Tarte Tarteguard 30 Suncreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 30.

Bonus Perfume

TOCCA Beauty Florence: Thank you Sephora Play! for helping me stock up on summer inspired scents.  The TOCCA Beauty Florence perfume is a lovely mix of violet petals and other scents which give a light and timeless scent.  While this is not a perfume, I would buy in full size because I tend to go for musky scents. However, the TOCCA Beauty Florence is a great addition for those days I want something completely different from the norm.

NOTE:  Every Sephora Play! bag comes with a Sephora Play! Pass which gives you 50 extra Beauty Insider Points with any purchase.

Final Verdict: MERGE

Kiss Kiss

Makeup Deconstructed Rating System:

1 Kiss = Purge: Only one of the products in the box/bag is worth keeping.

2 Kisses = Merge: Two to four products make this box/bag worth merging into your makeup collection.

3 Kisses = Splurge: All five products are amazing and worth splurging on!

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