Sephora VIB Sale Haul

I haven’t been wearing a ton of makeup this fall, for a number of reasons. I go through phases with makeup where sometimes I’m just not feeling it, haven’t got a lot of inspiration etc. Also, I had my laser eye touch-up in October so I wasn’t able to wear any eye makeup for a couple of weeks.

All this to say….That didn’t stop me from going a little crazy during the many sales this month. There was the L’Oreal warehouse sale, the Sephora VIB sale and I had a 20% off coupon for Tarte’s website….In my defense, I haven’t been indulging in new products as much as previous years, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to stock up since I could take advantage of some discounts. So stop judging me! She yells defensively…

Truth be told, I went a little crazier than I had originally planned….I don’t know what happened, guys. I just kept adding things to my cart. WITH ABANDON. It was equal parts exhilarating and shameful. Where are my fellow makeup junkies at? You know what I’m talking about….

So, here’s a roundup of my purchases with some swatches of the makeup items and a short blurb if you’re interested in knowing more about why I bought them. This is gonna be a long one, guys…

BEAUTY

Huda Beauty Obsessions Palette in Mauve

I haven’t heard much talk about this product and only discovered it existed recently while browsing through Instagram. To be honest, I have had no interest in the brand Huda Beauty before. It always seemed too expensive for no good reason and not that interesting to me. But these tiny palettes are right up my alley (I love me some tiny cosmetics). And my love affair with pink is still burning bright, so I decided to pick this up on a whim.

To be honest, the shade I thought would be my favourite (the burgundy at the lower right-hand corner) looks straight up purple on my eyes. When I swatched it in store and at home, it looked much more burgundy. The entire palette leans pretty purple, which I guess makes sense since it’s called “Mauve,” so I’m not sure how I feel about it. It is definitely nice though, if these colours are for you!

Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in In a Firenze

I’ve had my eye on this product since they released it however many months ago. But alas, it always seems to be sold out online. So, of course, I stayed up late the night before the sale, so I could check out as soon as the discount code was live, for fear this item would sell out immediately. Again, I thought this product would appear somewhat burgundy, but it pulls a bit more taupe on me. I do love a good taupe though, and it still has a bit of warmth to it, so I still like it.

(Left: combo of glitter + metallic sides / Middle: metallic only / Right: glitter only)

Tarte Metallic Treat Glitter Liner Set (limited edition)

I was originally gonna purchase this limited edition set on Sephora’s website during the VIB sale, but it sold out beforehand, so I ended up placing an order on Tarte’s website (I had a 20% off coupon). I think sales are a good time to get all your experimental makeup products. Things you might not normally wear, but you think would be fun to play around with. I normally don’t wear liner, period, let alone coloured/glitter liner. But these looked so pretty and I really love that glitter-liner-on-top-of-black-liner look. Maybe I’ll start wearing liner more often now!

Tarte Make Believe in Yourself Eye and Cheek Palette (limited edition)

I ordered this off Tarte’s website along with the liners above, but it is also available on Sephora’s website. I was really on the fence about this palette. On one hand, these are not normally colours I gravitate towards and I’m not entirely convinced they’re my thing. I’m more into warm hues, lots of pinks, browns, copper, gold etc. But on the other hand….Look at it!!! It’s so pretty and it was already on sale. I took the plunge and am really looking forward to experimenting on my eye looks with this baby.

Bite Beauty Multistick in Brioche

This was another last-minute addition to my cart and I have no idea why it was not on my radar for the Sephora VIB sale until I was about to check out. Especially since I’ve spent the past few weeks crushing on the monochromatic blush/lip look. And I love Bite Beauty! What is this, amateur hour?! Anyway, I have kind of been on the hunt for a sort of creamy lip/cheek product in a dusty, rosy, brown hue, which I’m loving for fall, so I ordered Brioche.

It’s a lot drier than other cream blush/lip product combos that I’ve tried, which is good and bad. I don’t like my cheek products to be too waxy ’cause my sensitive skin will start to break out, and this dries down completely on the cheeks without any residual tackiness, which is great. But because of that, it’s quite drying on the lips. The matte finish is lovely, but I think this is something I would wear with a bit of balm on top.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick in 4 Rouge in Danger

I already have this lipstick in a couple of other shades and decided to pick up this pinky-red shade since I could get 20% off. I love this line of lipsticks. It’s so creamy and moisturizing, and the packaging is exquisite. Enough said.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation in 230 Buff W

It took me a while to find a foundation I could call my favourite, but I think this is it. I’m almost done my first bottle of it and purchased a backup during the sale. It’s so hard to find a foundation that doesn’t make my skin look worse than if I don’t wear foundation at all. I have combo skin that’s sensitive and dehydrated. Translation: it’s very difficult for me to find a foundation that not only keeps my skin from getting too oily, but also does not emphasis dryness and texture, or break me out. Well, this foundation does just that.

You should be aware that it does oxidizes, but that doesn’t really bother me. You just need be careful when picking a shade. Speaking of which, I wish they had more shades, ’cause 230 is slightly too light for me during the summer when I have a tan, and when I’m my palest in the winter, it’s slightly too dark, but going one shade lighter or darker no longer matches the colour undertone of my skin. It’s not such a big difference that I can’t fix it with bronzer or concealer, but if they just had more shades, I would give this foundation a 10/10.

Kat Von D Lock-It Blotting Powder refill in Light

I’ve been on the hunt for my “holy grail” setting powder for years. I have weird skin that’s really not that oily (combo-oily in the summer, combo-dry in the winter), but what oil does comes out is the most aggressive oil that has eaten away at every powder I’ve ever tried, within hours, without fail.

My latest trial involved the Kat Von D Lock-It blotting powder in light, which is really fine and smooths out my skin nicely. Does it keep my face shine-free all day? No, but I’m starting to wonder if any powder ever will. At least this one makes my skin look nice for a while and doesn’t break me out, which is a problem I have with a lot of face products.

Tarte No Shower Happy Hour (limited edition)

I’ve been mildly intrigued by this kit since it came out, I think it was this past summer, but never enough to justify getting it. But it’s on sale now, and with the additional 20% off on that, I just had to pick it up. It comes with a deodorant, a dry shampoo, a generous travel-sized portion of the Tarteguard Tinted Moisturizer in Medium (which I’ve been really interested in trying), a deluxe-sized Amazonian Clay Blush in Insightful and a sample-sized Glossy Lip Paint in Goals. I think it’s a great value at $18!

SKINCARE

Herbivore Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask

My number one skin concern is probably texture. I have persistent flaky skin and acne problems. I don’t mean aggressive breakouts (although the occasional pimple does drop by), I’m talking those little bumps that appear out of nowhere and tons of clogged pores. I tried this clarifying mask by Herbivore on a whim last year and haven’t looked back. It’s my favourite skincare treatment. I only use it maybe once every couple of weeks, but my skin feels amazing afterwards. It gets rid of my flaky skin and clears up the little bumps like no one’s business. My skin is so smooth right after using it! I love it.

Boscia Luminizing Black Charcoal Mask

Along the same lines, I also enjoy this peeling mask by Boscia. I mainly use it every month or so to unclog my pores and it helps a bit with the flaky skin, too. It can get a bit painful to peel away, but I don’t do my whole face, mainly just the forehead, temples, nose, mouth and chin areas. I stay away from the cheeks and under the eyes, which aren’t really my problem areas. It saves on product and makes it easier to peel away!

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Cream

I really love the Laneige skincare products. In the past couple of years, my skin has suffered from a lot of hydration problems and I think I’ve found something that really works for me and keeps my skin moisturized without breaking me out. It’s a heavy cream that doesn’t feel heavy or greasy at all. I use it every night and on those super dry winter days, I also use it as a day cream. As a side note, normally, I don’t like it when my skincare (or makeup) products have a scent, but this one is really mild, so I don’t mind.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

This is something I use in combination with the water bank moisture cream at night to really rehydrate my face. I use it after the cream during the winter and in the morning, my face is as soft as a baby’s butt! It is super light, but moisturizing and doesn’t cause me to get those annoying little bumps when I use products that are too heavy/irritating. Love it!

Shiseido Full Lash and Brow Serum

I tried this for the first time a couple of years ago and was super skeptical. A magic potion that will give you beautiful eyelashes? Yeah, right. Well, here I am repurchasing it for the third time. I’ve used it on and off since I first tried it and to tell you the truth, I think it does work. Kind of.

On me, I find that it makes my lashes longer, but I don’t suddenly grow more of them. And I’ve never tried it on my brows, so I can’t vouch for that. Some people might not think the price tag is worth a half delivery of claims, but I’m still pretty happy with the results.

Keep in mind though, I have the typical, sparse, straight, short Asian lashes, so it really does not take a lot to make them look better. Pretty much doing anything to them, makes them look a lot better. If you have nicer lashes to begin with, this may not work well for you.

Let me know if you want more info on any of these products or a more in-depth review, I would be happy to oblige!

Did you partake in any makeup sales this season? What did you snap up? I’d love to know!

xoxo