Score

I highly recommend Stay, Don't Stray!  When I saw that this $10 deluxe sample kit included two other stellar products, I decided I had to have it.

Get this, as I'm sure it will sell out soon!

Stay Put Collection, $10 at Sephora Online Only

What I'm Loving

My new favorite face wash. It foams, it takes off makeup, it is extremely gentle, it evens out the skin tone and it is perfect with a mild face brush.  LOVE it.

Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser

Facial Cleansing Brush

This stuff smells so freaking amazing.  I want to eat my own hands.  It makes them incredibly soft.  I got it on sale about a month ago.  Amazing.

 

This stuff does everything it claims to do.  Long-wear, non creasing...yes, yes, yes!!  I love having a long wear matte shadow.  It has changed my makeup.  I use it with a bit of powder shadow, like below--

Sephora Sweet Steals

Well, I finally recovered from the ball just in time for an insane Thanksgiving week.  I have had so many beauty and fashion things running through this little head, but have been too tired to write them down!  My two year old niece stayed here for six days.  I was her primary caregiver last weekend.  Wowza...not ready for kids yet.  It was fun, and I missed her as soon as she left, but WOW.

I have been suckered into three Sephora Sweet Steals already.  Have you guys discovered these???

First, I was buying those lipliners I wrote about a few weeks ago when I glanced at the set of TWO Benefit creaseless eyeshadows for $10.  No, I am not kidding.  They are ordinarily $19.  Now, I wasn't going to buy them unless I really liked the color.  I have been SO impressed with the staying power.

Recess - a great, yellowy base.  I have been using it under gray shadow and it lasts as long as Urban Decay primer potion!!  I can also use it as a brow highlighter.

Honey Bunny - a neutral, beigey brown.  Amazing on its own.  Completely matte.

So, tonight I stopped by to return this Benefit powder and scored again.  Frederick Fekkai Salon Glaze mini bottle for $5.  Woohoo.

I found this information on the Sephora blog. Stay tuned for these great little deals.  Don't be suckered just because it's a good deal. But, if it's something you want, go for it!!

Lip Liner

Ok, so I've been really wanting to create a better nude and pale pink lip.  I tried buying a lipstick, tried using concealer on lips like I've read...but short of actually wearing a lipstick, nothing has really worked.

Back when I was in 8th grade, I wore Wet'n'Wild #666 lip liner under Carmex--just like all of my friends.  I recently busted out my MAC Spice (cult favorite liner) and layered it under some Burt's Bees chapstick.  I loved the look, and it reminded me of my junior high days.

I have been wanting to try the Cover Girl lipstain since I really like my Styli Style one, but all the reviews say that they all come out bright.  I wanted a really pale lip.

Well, today I headed to Sephora and bought two Sephora liners.  They are $5 each.  I am SOOOOO pleased with my selections that I fully recommend them to you.  You get to try them on in person, and they are cheaper than most drugstore options.

I got two very similar shades-
Native Mauve




Candid Candy




I love each of them with just a touch of balm or chapstick over it.  I also have a plethora of sheer glosses I can't wait to try over them.  Such a steal for long lasting, ultra pigmented color.

Sephora Musings

I popped into Sephora over the weekend, completely bare-faced. I wanted to play with Benefit Erase Paste in the #1 shade, and some tinted moisturizers. I put the Erase Paste on one side and was amazed. The fair shade is so much better on me. I can use it under my eyes and on blemishes, and around my nose where I get red creases. I used my store credit from returning Coralista (which looked super bright and fake on me) and went home with this wonderful (but not perfect, see here) product.

I also played with NARS The Multiple in Malibu. Wonderful. It was the perfect pinky brown shimmer, looked great on both my lips and cheeks. How I long for it...but at $37, so not going to happen.

Benefit Erase Paste

Okay, I have a mixed review on this one. I am still up in the air as to whether I will purchase it with my store credit or not.

I had tried it when it first came out, and was not impressed with the staying power. Then, with my last Sephora order, I got the deluxe sample of it. I tried it on at the end of the day, so my skin was dewy and more hydrated (read: semi-greasy.) I was AMAZED by the brightening coverage under my eyes. Seriously, I did one side first and it made the other side look dark and haggard. Amazing coverage.

I have been wearing it everyday for about three weeks, and I have to say that I feel like I need it. It just covers those dark circles and brightens up the whole area. Now, to the negatives. Maybe it's because my skin is so combo--it starts off very dry early in the day and then gets oily--but it settles into the creases and feathers as the day goes on. I've even tried setting it with powder, but it still feathers. So, at lunch, I use the warmth of my finger to pat it and blend again, and it maintains coverage. But, I would rather it didn't feather at all. I don't want to be checking my makeup all day.

Some people use this on other blemishes, but it would only be an undereye concealer for me. It is kind of a pinky tint, which counteracts the blue under the eyes, but would look super obvious against my yellowish skin.

Benefit Erase Paste

My package arrived!!

All day, I was so excited to come home from work because I knew my Sephora package would be here...my Stila tinted moisturizer and my Benefit Coralista. AND, most importantly, my Benefit bonus!!

The first product I tried was the Rush Hour stick. It is called a "soft plum rose" shade, made to be used for lips or cheeks. Now, this is a preliminary review because most lip/cheek combos are too drying for my lips. But, so far, I love the color. I have been obsessed with finding the right rose stain for my lips (I will admit that this look was inspired by Whitney in last season's The Hills.)

This picture is taken after a long day of work, and I swiped a little on my lips and cheeks. Love it so far. It helps that it was free!

To Splurge or Not...

So today, I dragged my sickly body out of bed/the couch and went to Sephora. I hadn't left my house all weekend, and had a coupon for 15% off that I wanted to use for a replacement eyelash curler (Shu Uemura) and the Bare Minerals sunscreen powder (I really want it to keep in my purse for times I'm unexpectedly in direct sunlight.)

I really, really wanted this in Jersey Pink:
But...it is $25.50!! It is BEAUTIFUL. I love glosses with peachy pink and gold flecks in them.

But, then I realize I could buy this for under $5 as it's on sale at Long's this week. Hmmm...

Makeup Application

I am not great at applying makeup. I love researching the best makeup, the key ingredients, the most efficient products...but, when it comes to applying it, I am too lazy to apply myself. That's why I love learning new tricks. A couple of months ago, I went to Sephora on a Saturday to pick up mascara (putting down Twilight book four "Breaking Dawn" for the trip) An employee there ended up playing with my makeup for about an hour. So fun.

Here are the results (I am just now uploading pictures from the last two months!) of her work. She used Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes palette, which I already have. She used DiorSkin Airflash foundation, and expertly used bronzer to slim my wide face.


I look so awkward in these, but didn't want to forget how she had applied everything. She even had me practice so that I could use the techniques.

Back to Beauty

Today all I wanted to do was stay at home and finish Twilight book number four. But, I had a hair appointment, and could not wait to cut 2+ inches off of my hair. That done, I decided to stop by the mall because I was out of my fave mascara, Imju Fiberwig (read about my love for it here.) I hadn't been to Sephora in at least two months. I know, what is wrong with me?? So, went for the mascara and ended up being very curious to try DiorSkin Airflash spray foundation. The girl doing my makeup ended up bonding with me, and we spent an hour together...talking about products and adding more fun things on. She put on DiorShow in Plum...very fun and different. And contoured my eyes in a very subtle, yet stunning way. She had me practice techniques, and told me repeatedly that I should model (haha!! I think they expect us unsuspecting girls to all aspire to be models and, therefore, want to be told that.) The whole thing was very fun. I took some pictures of the makeup and will post them soon.

I got home, and was thinking about matte eye makeup. I started playing on the Bobbi Brown website and fell in love with this palette. I want it!! Perfection. I love the not-too-warm and not-too-cool colors. The mauvey color is shimmery, but the rest look matte. I would, of course, only wear matte eyeshadow with a strong primer underneath to keep my oily lids from creasing (I love Urban Decay Primer Potion.)

Basics Eye Palette

A convert

Up until a few years ago, I was a sun bunny. I had tan lines nearly year round (thanks to the warm southern CA beach weather) and never seemed to be tan enough. How times have changed!! For a few years, my face has been protected by SPF or hats. I definitely get some sun on my arms and upper body sometimes, but mostly rely on self tanner.

Usually I use BareMinerals Faux Tan powder over my makeup (sweeping across my forehead, nose, cheeks and blending down below my jaw.) And yet, today, I experienced a new product.

I have been reading about the Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Spray. This retails at $57 (ouch!) It has silicone in it and dries to a powder finish. I got my new Sephora catalogue the other day, and took myself to the mall to try the items I had circled.

At first, I sprayed the #2 shade in error. I looked like I had just come back from a year on a deserted island, without sunscreen. Luckily, a kind Sephora employee offered her services and showed me how to lightly spray #1 on. And it was amazing. I looked the tan old me, before I started caring for my skin. Maybe I can find this cheaper on Ebay! What a lot of high maintenance it takes to make me look like the truly low maintenance, younger me. But, I'm older and more responsible now.

I feel too lazy to use my normal camera, so snapped one on my phone, but I don't think you can tell how tan I look. Oh well...