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 Big Easy

I think I'm in love. 

I got a very small sample of this in one of my Birchboxes (I think February) but I wanted to pick a day to wear it because it was only enough for one use, maybe. I also went to the Benefit and Birchbox event and had them try it on me there. The girls told me it would be very good for my oily skin, but I wasn't convinced because it was 7pm when they put it on, and I washed it off about 9:30pm so I couldn't really tell. I also felt like they put too much on. I finally decided to try the sample on one of the days it was 100 degrees here in LA. And it held up! So I went to Sephora and bought it. 

"BIGGER than BB! Why? Two reasons. First, big easy balances moisture & controls oil. Second, the cushiony liquid-to- powder formula melts in like a cream, yet finishes lightweight & velvety like a powder.

This multi-balancing complexion perfector gives light-to-medium natural coverage to even out skintone and conceal imperfections. Even better, it contains ingredients known to soothe & comfort the skin and help fight free radicals. One & done…big easy saves the day! Non-comedogenic. Oil-free."

I had to make sure I was getting the right shade. I was sent 02-Light as my sample and it seemed to work well. The woman helping me agreed this would be the best since it says it's "self adjusting".

It's actually pretty thick right away. But it smooths out easily.

And it turns into a powder.

I decided to put it through a real test. I helped my friend move at noon, so I put on my makeup about 10:30am. I helped her move in Hollywood, which wasn't too hot but it was sunny and moving furniture still made me sweat a little bit. Then we went to lunch, went shopping, I helped her put her bed together, and finally went home about 8:30pm. This is what my face looked like when I got home: (note, I did NOT put any powder on over. That was a huge thing! With my oily face, I've never not put powder on)

Ok, so it's probably hard to tell from the photos, but my face was not greasy. It was a tiny bit shiny, but only slightly "dewy", not like it usually is. Yes, you can see all my fine lines around my eyes (still working on that) and it settled a tiny bit around my nose and on my laugh lines, but only if you looked closely. Even my friend said my face looked great! I love this so much!

I also got a sample when I was at the checkout. The woman just put this in my bag after I was all done paying. Funny thing is, I already own this powder and I love it. But I'm always happy to get a sample! This is great for oily skin! I've used it in the middle of the day for touch ups. The powder is very sheer but absorbs all your oil. My original review of the Porefessional Agent Zero Shine is right here.

I love that this sample comes with a brush!

Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 Review

I got a sample of the Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen for Face in my March Birchbox. I wore it to the beach one weekend and loved it! My face seemed less greasy sitting out in the sun for 4 hours than it does in the office during the week. I had to buy the full size!

What it says on birchbox.com:

"This is no ordinary SPF. COOLA suspended two skin-safe mineral sunblocks—titanium and zinc dioxide—in a moisturizing base to ensure a smooth, even application. Shea butter naturally softens skin. Age-reversing antioxidants like evening primrose extract and borage seed oil deflect free radicals, while naturally water-resistant plankton makes the formula extra-durable."

I was expecting this to come on Monday, but I actually got it on Saturday - right as I was leaving to go to my friends' pool. I had used some of my sample but as soon as I saw this box on my doorstep I had to open it and put more on. It held up once again. We were sitting outside in the San Fernando Valley heat, legs in the hot tub for over 3 hours and my face was not greasy or burnt. I'm so excited to use this at the lake when I go home! 

It does say that it's 'tinted' and that is a little misleading. I thought it would be more of a BB Cream (it actually says that on the label) but the tint is there more so it doesn't look white on your face. 

I have used this as a primer, because it's so smooth and it definitely helps with the shine throughout the day. It's not a miracle worker, but it does help. 

It does smooth pores too. I didn't notice it that much on my face, but I convinced boyfriend to let me put it on his nose (or more like I just did it and he didn't really argue.) He has larger pores on his nose and wow, did it make a difference. He asked me what it did and I explained that it basically filled in his pores to make them appear smoother. 

I don't know how I feel about the "Farm to Face" label on the box. I realize it's saying it's good for you and blah blah blah... it just sounds funny.

Verdict:
If you couldn't already tell, I love this product. I would've never known about it if it hadn't been for my Birchbox subscription.