Sephora Double Points Haul

Sephora had a promotion a couple weeks ago where Beauty Insiders could get double points, VIBs triple points and VIBRouge quadruple points for anything bought/ordered. I couldn't pass this up so I just bought a few things, including the Becca Beach Tint I've been eyeing forever!

People were saying the color wasn't listed anywhere. They must have changed the packaging.

The tube is VERY tiny, but trust me when I say you don't need a lot.

Seriously, this is enough for both cheeks! Super pigmented!

Becca Beach Tint is a lip and cheek product. I guess they call it a stain, and it is supposed to be waterproof, but I don't think it lasts as long as I'd hoped. I think Dragonfruit is their most popular color, so I figured I would go with that. It's a great shade. The texture of the product feels more like a primer than a cream blush, sort of silky. If you looked at all the pictures, you can see that you really only need to use the tiniest dot of product for a lot of color. I usually spread it out over my cheeks with a stipple brush just because I have a problem spreading cream blush out evenly with my fingers. I really like it on my lips too. It's a soft color and texture but doesn't really wear like a stain. I am glad I finally bought it and am excited to actually try it at the beach!


Then I bought a 'travel size' of Tarte's BB Tinted Primer. I looked at this while I was out buying my Benefit Big Easy BB Cream and decided if I was buying the one, I didn't need to also buy the other. I'm a little sad I waited because this stuff is awesome!

I really like the idea of a tinted primer, instead of just another BB cream, though they still had to put the "BB" in front of this. Sometimes I want to have a primer if I know the weather will be gross, but my skin is uneven, and my powder just doesn't always fix that. This feels like other primers, in that it's sort of silky, but has a nice light coverage to even out skin. I bought the color "Light" but I almost think I could've mixed the light and the medium for my summer skin. This primer works really well on my oily skin and seems to last all day.

Also, a 1oz tube of this stuff is $35, but this 0.5oz travel size was $10. You can do the math on that one...


I cashed in 100 points to get this sample-sized Sephora Rouge Infusion Lip Stain. It came in the color Red Essence, which I would not have picked for myself but I'm glad I got it.

The shape of the tube is very unique and easy to find in a bag. It comes with a doe-foot applicator and as you can see, it's very pigmented! I don't often wear a red lip, but it's nice to have such a deep stain when I want to! I wore this out one night to a comedy club and it lasted through a beer, some fries, laughing and chatting, and a margarita after. And I'm pretty sure there was still some color on my lips when I woke up the next morning. I had to go out and buy a more "everyday" color. Review on that here.


I was also able to get a promotional item, so I chose a sample of Sephora's Color Reveal Lip Balm.

This is just like those "mood" lipsticks from back in the day... yes I had them too. It contains a dye that reacts to moisture and turns pink. It's supposed to turn into a perfect shade for each person, and I don't know if that's true, but I loved the color it turned on me. Just a nice soft pink. The texture of the balm is really nice and moisturizing, and the smell is amazing! Some people may not like it but I love it. It's supposed to be a honey flavor but I get a bit of vanilla too. I will probably buy the full size when I'm all done with my sample :)


And of course I got 3 samples with my online order:

Peter Thomas Roth CC Cream

Amazing Cosmetics Concealer

They didn't have one of the samples I wanted so I got sent this one instead: Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black and Nirvana White fragrances.

Benefit Posietint and High Beam

Curse you sample section next to the registers at Ulta! This was just sitting there, taunting me. I've actually always wanted to try Benefit's Posietint and HighBeam though. I love my Benetint and was interested in what the creamier formulas would be like.

The top picture is how creamy they are when first applied. The bottom picture is the product smoothed out a bit. The Posietint really does stain if you don't work with it fast enough!

I don't really like the Posietint on my cheeks as much. It just never seems to give me the color I want, always too sheer. I didn't think I would like the pinkiness (is that a word? Is now!) of the color, but after using it, I really do. Once I do find the right amount of color, it looks pretty natural, like a just-got-in-from-10-degree-wind-chill flush (oh believe me... I know what a negative 40 degree wind chill flush looks like too, it's not fun.) On my lips though, is where I love it! It takes a couple layers to get the color I want, but it will stay on there. Very nice pink color that I'm not used to but I like a lot.

I also love the HighBeam! I've been using it every day so far on my cheekbones and under my eyebrows. It just gives a nice glow when you turn your head. Once it's sheered out, it seems to set to a powder finish. I've rubbed my cheek before and my finger comes away a bit sparkly, which I didn't think would happen with a liquid.

If you're curious about either of these products, this is the perfect package for you. The samples sizes have a lot of product in them and one full size bottle of just one of these is $30! Save yourself some money and get these two for $13.

Hard Candy Haul

While I was home in North Dakota, I decided to stop by the new Wal Mart in Grand Forks and get some Hard Candy items I was hearing about. (There is a Wal Mart sort of close to me in LA, but I've heard horrible and scary things about it and have been warned not to go... so I don't.)

First I decided to try the Glamoflauge Lite in Light Medium because I don't have a very good basic all-over concealer. I am really impressed with this. It comes with a more yellow tone on one side to correct and a more pink tone to cover. It is very creamy and easily blendable. It's not the greatest for under eyes, as it does pull a little bit, but I have used it in a pinch. Cost: $6

Left: the yellow end / Center: the pinker end / Right: blended together

Then I decided to try the Cheeks and Balances Contouring Stick in Cheeky Pink. I have started to really love cream highlighters. I really like that this comes with a highlighter. It's very light, but is nice for days when I don't want to wear a lot of makeup, and can definitely be layered. Cost: $7

It's hard to see the highlight, but I think that's kind of the point. It's just a nice shimmer. This was only one swipe.

Of course I had to pick up one of the All Glossed Up Hydrating Lip Stains. I chose the color Pout. This is my new favorite makeup trend: the tinted lip stain/balm sticks. I don't have a lot of them yet, but I do have a few, all different brands. This one is amazing. I may brave a trip to the Wal Mart here in LA to get another color (or 5), that's how much I like it. (Though, I think I'll just order them online.) It is very smooth and hydrating. The stain lasts a long time too. I can't say much as far as morning to lunch, etc. but I can say that I am very happy with it. I will be wearing it a lot. Cost: $5 

Pout is very pink, and is not this sheer on the lips. Again, this is only one swipe. You can see that it is very glossy though. 

Last, I decided I wanted a bronzer, but I don't really know how to use it and what color would be the best so I thought the So Baked Contour Trio in 3rd Wheel would be a good option. It is a baked powder that comes with a highlighter, blush and bronzer in one. I love the finish of this powder! It has a nice sheen to it without being glittery and the bronzer isn't too dark for a novice like me. I find myself layering this on top of a cream blush at times. Cost: $9

I wish this brand wasn't exclusive to Wal Mart because I really like it, but now that I've moved to LA, it's so much harder to get. I've bought other items from Hard Candy in the past: tinted mascara, glitter eyeshadow, and nail polish. My favorite is the Black Tie Affair nail polish.