Sephora VIB Rouge Sale Picks: Lips

November 17, 2016 in Makeup

I'm back with the rest of my rather extravagant VIB Sale haul - you can see the face bits I picked up in the sale here. After I ordered the things I talked about on Tuesday, I thought about how many lip products I've had on my wishlist and somehow justified ordering four of them. They're all nudes, which I'm sure you're super surprised about (not).

The first one I got was the Surratt Beauty Lipslique Lipstick in Nu de Soleil. I'm on a bit of a Surratt kick lately (see my first impressions of other products here), and when I saw Estee Lalonde haul this shade I knew I needed it. It's quite a warm brown-y nude, but it's a sheer formula so it only adds a wash of that warmth. It looks so pretty on the lips, even on my cool-toned skin, and it's just the perfect fall nude. The formula of these is insane - it feels so luxurious and creamy on the lips, adding a glossy sheen without being sticky or tacky whatsoever. I'm going to need every color now, please (top of my list is Bandy - I would have gotten it instead of this one but it was sold out during the sale and it's taking all my self control to not order it right now since it's back in stock).

I also decided I needed one of the Guerlain KissKiss Creamy Satin Finish Lipsticks - I've had them on my list to try out ever since I read Eva Alt's Top Shelf on Into the Gloss. She just seems like the coolest ever, and I want basically everything she writes about on ITG. She didn't mention what color she uses, so I just looked up swatches and ended up getting Rosy Boop (369). I thought the name was cute and it's such a pretty pink shade - a bit different than the shades I normally go for. This adds the prettiest pink glow to the lips, and I just can't get enough of it. I'm wearing it on my lips in the picture I posted of my new tattoo on Instagram. It has a bit of shimmer in it, but it only makes the lips appear fuller, not frosty. It also has hyaluronic acid to help plump up the lips, and I really do notice a slightly (really, really slightly) fuller appearance without any stinging. I definitely think I've started a dangerous Guerlain obsession with the Terracotta bronzer from Tuesday's haul and now this.

T-B: Surratt Nu De Soleil, Guerlain Rosy Boop, Buxom Hot Toddy, The Estee Edit Sunday Vibe

I mentioned yesterday that the Glossier Lip Gloss got me back into lip glosses - so much so that I actually bought another one! I had had the Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in Hot Toddy on my wishlist since seeing Faith post about it a while ago. Everyone talks about White Russian so I'm sure I'll get that one soon, but I was really into these warm nude shades this time around. This gives such a beautiful glassy sheen to the lips without being sticky, and it feels super minty and nice on my lips. If every lip gloss formula was this nice, I'd be a regular lip gloss wearer.

The last lipstick I got was a bit of an impulse buy - I saw this photo on The Estee Edit's Instagram and decided all my problems in life would be solved if I just had this lipstick (not really, but I really liked how it looked). I wasn't even sure if the person in the picture was wearing anything on her lips, and frankly, that's what sold me. I picked up the Mattified Lipstick in Sunday Vibe and oh Mylanta is it something special. The formula is lovely, and it reminds me a lot of the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks - super creamy and comfortable on the lips, but definitely matte. The shade is a gorgeous pinky nude that's just an enhanced version of my lips. I've been patting it into my lips pretty much every day since I got it.

So that's it for my Sephora haul! I'm pretty much drowning in new skincare at the moment so I actually was able to restrain myself on that front. Like I said at the end of Tuesday's post, please please PLEASE leave links to your haul posts/videos below, they're some of my favorites to read/watch!

The Glossier Party Look: Black Tie Set

November 16, 2016 in Makeup

You know me when it comes to Glossier - it is completely impossible for me to resist any and every new release. When I saw the gteam teasing this new set on their Instagrams a few days before launch, I was chomping at the bit to find out what it was. I set my alarm for a few minutes early the morning of the launch and made sure a Black Tie Set would be mine.

The Black Tie Set is this year's holiday set - meant to give you the ultimate "Glossier-style" party look. The look is not quite black smudgey smokey eyes, a glassy glossy lip, holographic sheen-y skin, and the quintessential #glossierpink manicure. The set comes with a No. 1 Pencil in Graphite, Lip Gloss, Haloscope in Moonstone, and Nail Polish in (you guessed it) #glossierpink. I think if I wasn't so far sucked into the hype, I may have passed over the set, as I'm usually not much of an eyeliner- or gloss-wearer, but I'm so, so glad I picked it up.

No. 1 Pencil, 'Graphite' | If you're not into black liner because it's too intense (like me), then this is for you. It's got that soft, slightly shiny look of a real pencil, and I think the name is a cute play on the No. 2 pencils you typically use to write with. The formula is nice - it glides on smoothly with no tugging and smudges out easily (there's a little smudge-y sponge included on the end of the pencil), and once it sets it stays put. I typically have issues with my eyeliner smudging/fading throughout the day, but this one didn't seem to creep into fine lines or give me raccoon eyes throughout the day.

Lip Gloss | As I said above, I wasn't really into lip gloss, but this one has truly gotten me back into it. This one is a nice, cushion-y formula. It feels slightly thick on the lips and a little sticky, but not in an unpleasant way - it feels nourishing and like it's going to stick around for awhile, which I really appreciate. It never feels gloopy and coats the lips evenly. It gives the lips such a glassy sheen that doesn't bunch up on the lips. I'm definitely hooked, and how cute is the packaging?

Haloscope, 'Moonstone' | I pretty much bought this set to get the new Haloscope shade. I wrote a review on the Haloscopes when they first came out, and they're still my all-time favorite highlighters. I just had to get the new shade. It gives the same dewy sheen to the skin as the other Haloscope shades, but this time with a slightly more extra-terrestrial blue/silver glow. It's like Glossier's take on the holographic highlighter trend, and they certainly pulled it off. I think this is my favorite product of the set.

Nail Polish, '#glossierpink' | I've been dying to find a nail polish that was that perfect pink shade, so I really appreciate this addition. On the nails, it actually looks a lot like Essie's Fiji, but without the super finicky application. The formula is lovely and coats the nails in two coats, and the brush is perfect - it's so fat and hugs the nails perfectly. I really hope they come out with more shades, because I'd seriously buy every one for this formula. I'm on day 3 of wearing it and have only some very minor chipping on the tips of my nails (I work in a lab and am constantly banging my nails on cement blocks and washing my hands so that's super impressive).

If you want to get your hands on a Glossier Black Tie Set, I'd definitely do it sooner rather than later. This is a limited edition release, and it'll only last until their current stock runs out or until the end of the year - whichever comes first. And if you want to get 10% off your order (and help me out), you can shop through this link!

Did you get the Black Tie Set?

Sephora VIB Rouge Sale Picks: Face

November 15, 2016 in Makeup

Let's address the elephant in the room here: yes, I'm splitting up my VIB sale haul into two posts because yes, I bought way too much. Not to get too heavy here, but I'm definitely noticing a tendency towards "emotional spending" lately - my beloved family cat had to be put down the night before the sale started, so I pretty much spent the whole weekend trying to cure my grief by buying tons of makeup. It was on sale, so it's ok, right? Spoiler: it didn't work, and I'm still sad about Tabby, but I'm still excited to use everything I bought and let you know my initial thoughts.

PRIMER | Marc Jacobs Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Face Primer | I'm usually not much of a primer-wearer, but something about this one was calling to me. I'm sure it was the super chic packaging. I'm a sucker for anything that promises to perfect and hydrate the skin, and this does just that. It really seems to plump up and smooth out the skin pre-makeup. It's quite similar to the Too Faced Hangover Primer, but I prefer this Marc Jacobs offering - it's a thinner liquid so it smooths over the skin more efficiently, and it doesn't feel tacky on the skin, which I found happened to me with the Too Faced one.

FOUNDATION | Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation | I've had this on my wishlist for such a long time because Karima McKimmie always uses it in her videos, and her skin is basically goals. I love how natural it looks on her skin, but NikkieTutorials uses it too, so it seemed like it would be really buildable if I wanted more coverage. So far, I'm absolutely in love. You literally cannot detect it on the skin. I use a more sheer application, but it builds up beautifully in areas where I need more coverage without getting cakey. It's definitely good skin in a bottle.

BRONZER | Guerlain Terracotta Healthy Glow Blush Bronzer Powder Duo | I didn't necessarily need a new bronzer, but I had always heard how beautiful the Guerlain Terracotta bronzers were, and my sister had just gotten this duo and was raving about it. She's basically my ultimate enabler, so into my online cart it went. I got the lightest shade, and it's absolutely perfect for me. I actually swirl the blush and bronzer shades together and just apply it all over my cheeks for more of a rosy glow, and I really like the effect. I was quite surprised by the fragrance, though - it's quite strong and lingers on the skin. If you're sensitive to fragrance you may want to skip this.

BLUSH | Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, 'Mood Exposure' | Another thing that's been on my wishlist for ages. I've spoken before about my love for nude/mauve blushes, so this one slots into my collection perfectly. It adds the loveliest wash of mauve luminescence to the skin that goes with pretty much any look. I'm in love.

EYESHADOW | Surratt Beauty Prismatique Eyes, 'Style Eyes' | I originally had a Bobbi Brown cream eyeshadow and Sparkle eyeshadow in my cart, but then I found this duo and decided to get it instead - look, Mom, I saved money! The cream eyeshadow is a really lovely and thin formula so it doesn't feel heavy on the eyelid, and the pressed pigment adds such a chic sparkle to the eye - nothing chunky here. I thought the color I was getting would be a little bit more brown/taupe but it actually looks quite lavender on me, which I don't hate. I wish it was a little bit more neutral, but I guess that's what I get for relying on Sephora's color descriptions online. I still really love the formula and am looking forward to getting a little out of my comfort zone with the color.

Tomorrow I'm taking a break from the VIB hauls with a review of the Glossier Black Tie Set, but Thursday I'll be back with my lip product picks from the sale. Did you pick anything up in the VIB Rouge/VIB Sales? If you have haul posts/videos please link them below, I'm super nosy and would love to see what everyone got!