sephora makeup reviews
Finally got to go to the Sephora store at JCP in Spanish Fort today, and I made sure to take all the free sample cards I'd been hoarding the past few months, as well as the coupon for a free full sized Bare Minerals foundation that I got in a BM set I bought at Christmas. So here's what I got on the haul:
Bare Minerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation in Fairly Light- Free after coupon:
This is my go to foundation, so not too much to say about it. I like the powder foundation better than a liquid one because it's easier for me to apply and make it look good, instead of looking like I tried to spackle my face. I don't have as bad a time with tinted moisturizer, and I'll wear that when I don't feel like messing with brushes.
Bare Minerals Advanced Protection SPF 20 Moisturizer for Combo Skin -trial size freebie:
I had got this in the little BM set I bought at Christmas, and really liked it, so I had the choice of this, an acne wash, and oil blotters, and since I don't have an acne issue nor overly oily skin, I chose the moisturizer.
I like this because it absorbs really well, and isn't greasy. Since it has the SPF, I usually try to make sure I at least put this on if I'm going to be outside for awhile, and I don't have to worry about sweating it off like a sunscreen.
Benefit's They're Real! Mascara mini and Watt's Up! soft Focus Highlighter mini - free b-day gift for Beauty card members:
I've tried Benefit's BADgal mascara, and really liked it, so I was curious to see what this mascara would be like. I wasn't impressed with the product mainly due to the brush. It's one of those prickly looking plastic type brushes with a round ball-like tip. For me, these types of brushes mainly just glob the mascara onto your lashes, leaving them feeling really wet and weighted down. There's not really any way to blot the mascara off the brush before applying it, so when I put it on and blinked a few times, I had immediate raccoon eyes. I'll mess with it a little more to see if I can make it work a little better before totally writing them off.
I'm still unsure of how exactly the highlighter is supposed to work, so I'll post more on it later.
Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara Mini - free trial size:
This is a product line I haven't tried before, but I like it so far. It has a traditional mascara brush, so I'm able to blot the product before applying it. Seperates my lashes quite well and adds volume. I'll have to use it a few more times to see if I like it as much as Benefit.
Sephora Eyeshadow Singles - on clearance at $3 apiece (normally $13 each):
Have I ever expressed how much I love a clearance rack? Especially a makeup one?
I've got a small Sephora eyeshadow collection, but unless I carry a large purse, it's hard to take on the go sometimes, so I picked up three of the singles. I got Full Moon Romance, a bluish-purple color, Caroline's Pride, a lavender color, and Bohemian Chic, a mossy green color. When I first tried them on, I was really disappointed because there was hardly any color payoff at all! And the colors were amazing just to look at them in the packaging! But then I had an idea...what if I tried them wet...and so I did. Boy, talk about an amazing change! Where there was no color payoff while dry, there was TONS when used wet. I had noticed before that some of the ones in the collections I have had the same issue, so I'll try this with them and see what happens.
Sephora Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner in Olive - $12 :
I needed a green eyeliner that wasn't an OMG green and not teal either, that would actually have color payoff. This is just the right shade of dark green with a slight metallic sheen, but isn't glittery. It glides on really well, not tugging at my eyelid. I will definatly get more of these in the future.
Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper (black) - $18 :
I was a little "eh" at paying $18 for this, but I'm glad I did. I've been wanting to use a liquid eyeliner more often, but I wanted one that would be easy to apply and would be easy to control the type of line I wanted, and this does both. I'd previously tried to used E.L.F's liquid liner, but when I put it on, it would bead up and not even smooth out for anything. It was like water beading up on oil.
I'll more than likey go back and get the brown one at a later time.
Bare Minerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation in Fairly Light- Free after coupon:
This is my go to foundation, so not too much to say about it. I like the powder foundation better than a liquid one because it's easier for me to apply and make it look good, instead of looking like I tried to spackle my face. I don't have as bad a time with tinted moisturizer, and I'll wear that when I don't feel like messing with brushes.
Bare Minerals Advanced Protection SPF 20 Moisturizer for Combo Skin -trial size freebie:
I had got this in the little BM set I bought at Christmas, and really liked it, so I had the choice of this, an acne wash, and oil blotters, and since I don't have an acne issue nor overly oily skin, I chose the moisturizer.
I like this because it absorbs really well, and isn't greasy. Since it has the SPF, I usually try to make sure I at least put this on if I'm going to be outside for awhile, and I don't have to worry about sweating it off like a sunscreen.
Benefit's They're Real! Mascara mini and Watt's Up! soft Focus Highlighter mini - free b-day gift for Beauty card members:
I've tried Benefit's BADgal mascara, and really liked it, so I was curious to see what this mascara would be like. I wasn't impressed with the product mainly due to the brush. It's one of those prickly looking plastic type brushes with a round ball-like tip. For me, these types of brushes mainly just glob the mascara onto your lashes, leaving them feeling really wet and weighted down. There's not really any way to blot the mascara off the brush before applying it, so when I put it on and blinked a few times, I had immediate raccoon eyes. I'll mess with it a little more to see if I can make it work a little better before totally writing them off.
I'm still unsure of how exactly the highlighter is supposed to work, so I'll post more on it later.
Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara Mini - free trial size:
This is a product line I haven't tried before, but I like it so far. It has a traditional mascara brush, so I'm able to blot the product before applying it. Seperates my lashes quite well and adds volume. I'll have to use it a few more times to see if I like it as much as Benefit.
Sephora Eyeshadow Singles - on clearance at $3 apiece (normally $13 each):
Have I ever expressed how much I love a clearance rack? Especially a makeup one?
I've got a small Sephora eyeshadow collection, but unless I carry a large purse, it's hard to take on the go sometimes, so I picked up three of the singles. I got Full Moon Romance, a bluish-purple color, Caroline's Pride, a lavender color, and Bohemian Chic, a mossy green color. When I first tried them on, I was really disappointed because there was hardly any color payoff at all! And the colors were amazing just to look at them in the packaging! But then I had an idea...what if I tried them wet...and so I did. Boy, talk about an amazing change! Where there was no color payoff while dry, there was TONS when used wet. I had noticed before that some of the ones in the collections I have had the same issue, so I'll try this with them and see what happens.
Sephora Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner in Olive - $12 :
I needed a green eyeliner that wasn't an OMG green and not teal either, that would actually have color payoff. This is just the right shade of dark green with a slight metallic sheen, but isn't glittery. It glides on really well, not tugging at my eyelid. I will definatly get more of these in the future.
Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper (black) - $18 :
I was a little "eh" at paying $18 for this, but I'm glad I did. I've been wanting to use a liquid eyeliner more often, but I wanted one that would be easy to apply and would be easy to control the type of line I wanted, and this does both. I'd previously tried to used E.L.F's liquid liner, but when I put it on, it would bead up and not even smooth out for anything. It was like water beading up on oil.
I'll more than likey go back and get the brown one at a later time.