FOTD and Sephora Haul Product Reviews (Long post)

So I finally got to play around with my new Sephora haul products and here are my reviews (sorry the post is so long, but I wanted to be thorough with my reviews! I hope you don't get bored!)

1. MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Foundation

I think I am in love! This foundation definitely lives up to its reputation. First of all, it actually matches my skintone, which is always a problem for me. Second, the formula is great, it glides on smoothly and blends in evenly, leaving my skin with a soft focus effect. It has medium to full coverage, and lasts a pretty long time as well, I even took a nap with it on and when I woke up my skin still looked great (although my hair didn't :P ) It comes with a pump dispenser, which is much more sanitary and convenient. The only downside I can see is the price, it costs $40 as opposed to my MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation that costs about $26 for the same amount of product (30ml), but for the quality, I would definitely say it's worth it. Overall, I would definitely recommend this product!

2. MAKE UP FOR EVER HD POWDER

I really like this powder as well. I only got a small sample size to test it out, but it seems like it will last me for awhile because you don't need a whole lot to make your skin look good. The particles are very finely milled and blend in evenly, making your skin look smooth and matte. I used the Philosophy Supernatural Airbrush that I got to buff it in after my foundation and my skin looked great! I applied a couple layers to see if it would end up looking cakey, which it didn't, however, it did seem to make me look a little paler. But you do not need to use a whole lot, so I wouldn't worry about that part. I will probably repurchase this after I run out, I really like it a lot!

3. Benefit's Posietint

I have been wanting to try the original Benetint forever, but somehow I always end up forgetting about it, so when I saw that this kit had Posietint, I figured it was the next best thing. If you don't know what Benetint or Posietint are, they are liquid gel stains that you can use on your cheeks or lips to give you a nice natural flush of color. The applicator was similiar to a nail polish applicator, and the formula is very bright pink, like Barbie colored. It can be a bit intimidating to some, but it actually is very sheer. I actually am not overly fond of this product, it was actually a little too sheer, although you can build up layers for more color, and it made my cheeks feel kinda sticky afterwards. I don't know if it is the exact same formula as the original Benetint ( I hope not! ) but I probably will not be repurchasing this in the future.

4. Benefit's High Beam Complexion Enhancer

Omg, I am in love with this product too! Unlike some highlighters which contain too much glitter or shimmer particles, this highlighter is a pale pearl pink which gives your skin a nice glow without making you look like a disco ball. It's creamy liquidy consistency blends in evenly and enhances your cheekbones, browbones, or wherever else you want to highlight. I can see now why it's a favorite among celebrities and makeup artists. This one's a keeper!

5. Benefit's "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer

I have mentioned this stuff in previous posts, but to recap, I really like this stuff as well. It comes out pink but blends into all skintones and makes your face brighter and glowy looking, even when wearing foundation on top. I don't know if I would use it everyday though, I would probably save it for a special occasion where you needed an extra glow, because the original price is about $28 for 11ml, which doesn't seem to be a whole lot of product to me. But I do like this product and would recommend it.

Here are swatches of all three products,left is That Gal, middle is High Beam, and right is Posietint

6. Philosophy Supernatural Airbrush

I was a little undecided between this brush and the Sephora Platinum Professional Airbrush #55, they both got great reviews, but in the end decided to go with this one because it was cheaper (I told you I do that! :P) The head is actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be, the bristles are probably only a 1/2" in length, and are semi-stiff. I really like this brush, it took a little bit to get used to after using a flat foundation brush, but it actually works really well at buffing in my foundation, and being so small works  great around my nose. This brush, combined with the HD foundation and powder, made my skin look flawless! I'm really glad I bought this :)

7. Korres Eyeshadow in Silver

This was one of the items I got on sale and they only had like two shades left, so even though I already have a bunch of silver shadows, I decided to go for it anyways. The compact is very tiny, but cute, although I think it would have been cool if it had a tiny mirror inside. The color is very pretty and shimmery, but it actually doesn't go on very well. I had to use a sponge tip applicator to apply it and needed several layers for it to look even, and when I tried blending it, it didn't blend very well. I probably won't buy this again, but I will still use it (waste not, want not, right?)

8. Sephora for OPI nailpolish in Skinny Jeans

I was actually disappointed in the color when I got it, it looked totally different than what it looked like on the Sephora website. Although in the picture it looks more blue, in real life it is actually more turquise looking and very iridescent. I still like the color however, and the polish goes on very smoothly and evenly. Mine is already chipping, but I think it's because I cleaned the crap out of my house today and did a zillion dishes, so that probably didn't help the polish. They had a great selection of colors which made it very difficult for me to choose one, but I would definitely purchase this again (hopefully it will be the color I want )

Whew! So that is it for the reviews, I also tried some of the samples, but I think it's too soon to review any of them since they are facial products that need time for results to show. I will leave you with my FOTD in which I used all the products in this review, plus my Loreal Extra Volume Collagen mascara, Sonia Kashuk gel liner,  and some beige shimmery shadow from my e.l.f. makeup kit. I forgot to put anything on my lips though :)

Hope you enjoyed the reviews and thanks for reading!

 

Sephora Haul

What is the best way to wake up in the morning? To find a package from Sephora sitting at the foot of the bed, of course! :)

My order finally came after a week of waiting, which technically isn't that long to wait, but I am very impatient, plus I paid for 3 day shipping! Anyways, here is what I got with the gift certificate my aunt gave me for Christmas:

Just so you know, I am the pickiest shopper you will ever meet! It takes me forever to pick out something to buy, then when I finally decide on something, I go back and forth with my decision until finally I end up buying something else just because it is on sale or cheaper! That is what happened with this order, it took me like three hours to decide on what I wanted, and for the most part I like everything I got, but I kinda wish I had gotten some other items instead. Oh well, I did want to try some of these products anyways.

I am finally trying out the MUFE HD foundation (I know, I'm always the last one to try things out!) I got #127 Dark Sand, my current foundation (MAC Studio Fix Fluid) was too light for me (NC35) so I got this in a shade that looked a little darker than that. Hopefully it doesn't end up being too dark though. I also got the HD Powder, but just the sample size so I could try it out. I've heard so many good reviews about these products, so I have really high expectations of them! I hope they don't let me down :)

So I recently purchased a concealer and foundation brush set from CVS (Essence of Beauty) but I really wanted to try this brush out because I heard that it gives your face a really flawless look, so I hope it does!

This color is called Skinny Jeans, and I am a little disappointed because on the website it looks more blue and more matte, but when I got it, there's definitely some iridescence and shimmer, and it's kinda bluish green (you can't really tell in the photo though) . I still like the color, but it's not what I was expecting.

Like I said above, I always end up getting things that are on sale because I can't decide on anything else, so I got this little kit, plus it was only $10. I already have the foundation faker in the full size, but I've tried the primer and really liked it, and I wanted to try the High Beam and the Posietint since I've heard so much about them. They are all really small sample sizes, perfect for carrying in my makeup bag.

I'm always looking for new eyeshadows so I chose this one, again it was on sale, but who doesn't like a sale, right? :P I actually wanted a different color but they were all sold out with only two choices. :(

Sephora has this deal where if you are a Beauty Insider you get to choose an additional free item based on how many points you have. This was one of the options, so I chose this because I am always looking for new eye treatments to get rid of my puffiness and circles ( I suppose I should just start sleeping more!)

And these were just some free samples that they were offering, all the other samples were perfume, but I am already in love with my Escada (which my lovely friend bought me for my birthday) so I thought I would try these out.

So that is it! Hopefully I didn't bore you with all the details! I will do a FOTD with the items that I bought, and some reviews of the products as well. Stay tuned!

 

~Sephora Purchase~

So I finally redeemed my online gift certificate to Sephora, boy, that was exhausting! I seriously spent like two days trying to decide what to buy. I think the reason it took me so long is because since I can't see anything in person, I'm hesitant to buy it because I don't want to end up regretting it later. I was so mad too, I went to visit my sister and we went to Sephora which was like an hour away from her house, and we get there and it's just  a mini one in the middle of J.C. Penneys! I was so mad because they didn't have anything that I wanted, and the whole reason I went there was so I could pick out my MUFE HD  foundation shade in person so I could match it right. I ended up ordering it online still, I just pray that it's the right shade because I've seriously been dying to try it! And I hope it lives up to all the hype :P Another mini rant, I placed my order on 12/29/09 and I paid for 3 day shipping. Then I get my tracking order # and it says that it's not supposed to arrive until 1/05/10. Now maybe my math is off, but isn't that a whole week and not three days? What was the point of me paying for 3 day shipping if it doesn't even arrive in 3 days? Grrrr...I'm so impatient :(

Christmas Goodies

Hi everyone,  I hope you all had a great holiday and got to spend lots of time with your loved ones! I know I did, and I am sad it is over :(  But I am definitely looking forward to the New Year! I just wanted to share some of the nice gifts that I got from my great family and friends

My lovely friend Brandy got me these things, she knows how much I love jewelry and cooking, and I am always complaining about being cold, so these gloves/mittens will definitely keep my hands warm! And even though I'm not really sure why she got me martini glasses, I still love them! (Last year she got me some great wine glasses, maybe she is trying to start a collection for me? )

My boyfriend's family got me a gift card to Sephora, which was so nice of them! I already spent it, which is why it's not in the picture, and I bought an Anastasia Brow Whiz eyebrow pencil (keep an eye out for a review!) , some Rosebud Salve, and Philosophy's Purity facial cleanser. The gift card came in a great little compact that has a huge mirror, I'm gonna keep this in my purse :)

My lovely sister got me the e.l.f. Lip Beauty Encyclopedia because she knew I had the one for eyes, and she knows I'm obsessed with Sex and the City, so she bought me Season 5 which I don't have yet (aha, maybe her and Brandy were sticking to a themed present, you know, giving me Sex and the City and some martini glasses so I can drink Cosmopolitans while watching it? hmmm, it's a thought! :) . She had also bought me clothes, but she actually bought me them before Christmas, so I've already been wearing them (she's so impatient when it comes to giving gifts, she always tells me ahead of time what she's getting me, even if I tell her not to!)

My other lovely sister sent me this cute sweatshirt from Korea, along with a little diary and an adorable jacket for my son! He's gonna look soooo cute in it! Great timing too, because I just lost his other jacket and can't find it :P

And last, but not least, my aunt gave me these adorable Hello Kitty earrings and necklace (she knows I'm obsessed with Hello Kitty!) and an egift certificate to Sephora which I still have yet to redeem (I'm so picky when it comes to ordering online!)

So those are a few goodies that I got, haha, I just noticed that everything is very girly and pink! I guess everyone knows me so well :) I hope you all had a great holiday, what are some gifts that you received?