3 Things I'm Really Going to Regret Not Buying During the Sephora Sale

We all have regrets before sales, during sales, and after sales. Before sales, I always wish I had saved more money, so I would have more money to spend. During sales, I sometimes I wish I got this thing instead of this other thing, because this other thing isn't actually that great - but it was cheap. And, after sales, I always wish I had bought these other things that I wasn't brave enough to.

The Sephora sale was, of course, a challenging moment in my life. I did get a lot of stuff I had been craving - The Bumble & Bumble Surf Shampoo & Conditioner, the Ren Invisible Pores Detox Mask (which I am already addicted to), the Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara, and the Ole Henrisken Clean Truth Brightening Cleansing Cloths that were always just a liiiiiitle too expensive to justify pre- sale. I'm really happy with all my purchases, but of course, there are few things I really wish I had bought. Here are my top 3.

1. Make Up Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation (price: $42)

I've been told this is a really great foundation for full coverage, and I am a huuuuge fan of Make Up Forever, but the $42 price tag combined with the fact that I forgot to go get shade matched at a Sephora in person really made me waffle on this. Plus, I have about seven tubes of foundation right now, so I didn't think it was THAT necessary.
However, on the other hand, I really don't have a go- to full coverage foundation yet, and my skin has been breaking out a bit lately. Additionally, I would really like to get more into luxury foundations, as that's something I haven't tried extensively before, and I think this would be a good starting point.
Likelihood that I will eventually buy this: 8. If I go into a Sephora and find a shade I like, and it feels good on my skin in- store, I think there's a strong likelihood that this will be purchased.

2. Dior Rosy Glow Healthy Glow Awakening Blush in Petal (price: $44)

Everything about this blush looks absolutely gorgeous. The packaging looks so luxe, the color is unique and beautiful, and ughhhh I want it so badly! I managed to talk myself out of it because I do have quite a few blushes, and I don't feel to deprived in that arena. I don't have one this color, but I do have many different shades that look flattering on me, so do I really need this??
Likelihood that I will eventually buy this: 5. I really love this, and I haven't found a barbie pink color similar to this in the drugstore yet - what I love about this is that it really is unique. However, if I were to find one (and I am sure there's one out there somewhere), I wouldn't have any need for this. If I can't find a shade like this anywhere, I could see myself asking for this during my birthday or something to that effect. Blush does last a long time, so I do see good value for the price. I just don't need another one right now.

3. GLAMGLOW Supermud Clearing Treatment (price: $69)

I honestly build up the steam to buy this about once every two weeks, but it hasn't happened yet. Here's why: I spend the whole week hating my skin, and convincing myself that my face wouldn't look like this if I had a really nice mask. I don't think the effectiveness of this is heavily disputed. Generally, it's very well- reviewed, and I know a few beauty bloggers that swear by this. I have actually been lucky enough to sample this, and I have to say, I did notice a difference with this mask, even with the paltry amount I put on my face. So I've built up the steam to buy this, and then I go into Sephora on saturday afternoon, take one look at a) the price and b) the size of the jar, and convince myself that I will never need a mask that badly. I cannot stress how disappointingly small this product is. I'd be surprised if you could get 10 uses out of this. That's about $7 per mask. SERIOUSLY?! I'm a law student living mostly on student loans. I literally will not ever be able to justify this - even with a 15% discount. But oh, do I want this....
Likelihood that I will eventually buy this product: 2. The silver lining of this story is that there are a lot of lovely masks out on the market. You could spend half as much and get the Ren Invisible Pores Detox Mask, which I did buy during the sale, and absolutely love. If you go through all the drugstore masks and all of the reasonably high- end masks and you still can't find something that rivals the Glamglow, then I'd say, what the heck are you waiting for. But until I do that, I'm going to keep exploring.

Do you have any beauty regrets post- Sephora sale? And what did you choose to splurge on during the sale? Let me know in the comments!

Xx Kate

Read More

Orchid, the Color of the Year in Blush

2014's color of the year, according to Sephora+Pantone Universe, is "Radiant Orchid." Kate was very excited about this since the announcement while I only realized it was happening about a week before it was released in the store. So naturally, when it was finally in stores, Kate was on vacation and I went to Sephora for concealer but left with the new orchid blush palate and a cute make-up bag that was a free gift with purchase.

The purple blush was to enticing for me to pass up but I was also hesitant about actually putting the palate to use because my previous feelings toward blush had been more of the 'well hopefully no one can tell this is here'  variety. But that is more to blame on my general lack of makeup knowledge than anything else, I have since been introduced to the combined efforts of blushes, bronzers, highlighters, contouring, etc. That being said, this blush is a lot brighter tone than I was used to working with in general.

There was a definite learning curve involved with application, which I should have expected because I also own a bronzer from the same brand and it has to be parsed down before application unless I want to look like Attack Of The Self-Tanner. This is an attempt one morning before work that was a bit brighter than originally planned (but also I tend to apply make-up without glasses/contacts so...) (additionally ignore this weird expression, it was before 6 AM).

This photo is more recent and toned down to a level that I prefer. The times that it is too bright/much for me, it is necessary to remove all makeup and start again because I've found that trying to blend down does not work as efficiently as I would like but does attest to the staying power of the color. That being said, I do really love the brightness of the purple and the level of pigmentation. I find that its really suitable for Spring and a lot more fun than the duller mauve-y tones I had previously be more inclined to purchase. I definitely recommend giving the palette a shot while it is here.

Read More