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

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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.

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The Best Lip Balm...

I've been on the hunt for the perfect lip balm for absolutely ages. It is the first makeup product I ever used, yet I have never been able to find one that hits the mark on all accounts. I want a non- sticky, hydrating, nicely scented, good value, portable lip balm. Why is that so hard to find?!

The Fresh Sugar lip balms are extremely popular and well- reviewed, so I was thrilled to get a sample of them at Sephora for my birthday two years ago. While they were decent- smelling, I really hated them because they lacked form and were too soft, so it was easy to use them up quickly by smashing them on your lips. Definitely not a good value, and I wasn't impressed with many other aspects of them too. I began to give up hope that the perfect lip balm existed.

I bought the Tokyomilk Dark Femme Fatale Collection Lip Elixr in "Salted Carmel No. 36" completely as an impulse buy during Christmas shopping. I liked the idea of a salted carmel scent, I was charmed by the packaging, and $7 at Sephora for a good- sized lip balm seemed to be a steal. However, I was skeptical. It was one of those purchases where I was expecting to be let down.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this! First, the smell is literally incredible. I cracked it open and was immediately in love with the scent. It's strong, but not overpowering, and fades within half an hour on your lips, which is nice if you are wearing other scents. When inevitably it comes off your lips and into your mouth (always something to consider!), this lip balm tastes great. The texture is fantastic. It's definitely not sticky, and the "bee balm" formulation makes it very hydrating without getting your lips addicted to it (coughbabylips!cough). It feels as if I am providing a shield to my lips whenever I put it on. I wear it over lipstick, under lipstick, really whatever I feel like, and I always have it on hand. It's an amazing value. It's made with great ingredients, and the package is quite large. I've been using it since Christmas and have only made a small indentation. I know this is going to last for absolute ages.

If I was getting really picky, I would say the only drawback is that it's in a tin and not a tube. I do like tube balms because you don't have to get your fingers sticky. However, I find that since this is that beeswax formula, I just rub the excess into my knuckles, and it softens my hands as well! By no means would I ever consider using this as a hand cream - it's much too thick for that - but I don't really run into the "tin problem" quite as much with this. 

If salted carmel isn't your thing, this collection features many other delicious and unique scents, such as "Coco Noir" (chocolate and cherry), "La Vie en Rose" (rosewater, orange, vanilla), and Jenna's choice - "Clove Cigarette" (clove, lavender rose, saigon cinnamon, vanilla). I found a few testers at Sephora and smelled them all, and I have to say, every one smelled like a winner to me. I am looking forward to getting more eventually, although I know it's going to take me quite a bit of time to finish this one off! 

What's your favorite lip balm/ lip products? I would love to test them out and hear your opinions. 

Xx Kate 

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Hair Chalk Let Downs

I love the idea of abnormally colored hair. Pink, purple, green, teal, blue, yellow, orange, silver, or anything really. That being said, not all colors/dye jobs are created equal. It takes time and commitment to have truly awesome colored hair. Unfortunately a permanent dye job is not possible right now so I decided to look into hair chalk.
Most of the options that I encounter resemble the pastels I remember using in elementary school that inevitably ended up smearing on every surface within an eight foot radius. So, when I saw that Bumble and Bumble would be releasing a limited edition, spray-on version, I was ecstatic. They were offering four colors (blue, pink, light purple, and a minty green) AND it was actually available at my neighborhood Sephora.
It took me a while to decide which color I needed and after a few in-store test sprays, I went with the minty green.

Immediately upon spraying it on my hair, I was disappointed. The smell was horrid and very potent and had definitely NOT been noticed when I had tested it at the store. But, I was willing to overlook the scent, figuring it would dissipate over time. Then the bottle ran out. I had managed to get it where I wanted but had anticipated being able to use it more than once after having spent $20. 

(The expression on my face is a representation of my feelings of this chalk) This was approximately twenty minutes after I had sprayed my hair and already I could see that the color was less vibrant than when I had initially sprayed. Which was a total let down seeing as I hadn't even left my house at this point. The chalk also rubbed off my hair and onto my outfit. :(

This is a picture from the following day, where the color is mostly faded. Unfortunately it still faintly smelled funky and had acquired a weird congealed texture.

I would definitely not reccomend this product to anyone. Despite the reputation the Bumble and Bumble has built with their products, the quality is just not found in their spray-on hair chalk. 

Jenna

xx.

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