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.

bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Cream Eyeshadow

I received a sample of the bareMinerals 5 in 1 BB Cream Eyeshadow in my July Ipsy Glam Bag in the shade Divine Wine. I really liked the formula so I went out to buy something that would hopefully be a little more of an everyday color. I bought Blushing Pink.

Sample size (left) vs full size (right)

The sample and the full size came with the same applicator. It's not quite a doe-foot, because it seems to be fluffy on 2 sides and more flat on 2 sides. The application is very easy, but I prefer to use a brush with it. I usually swipe on 2 lines of color on my eyelid, then quickly blend out with a brush. If I want the color a little darker, I'll wait until I've done the other eye, then go back and add one or two more swipes and blend again.

The 5 in 1 is supposed to be: long-wearing color, primer, brightening, smooths line, and protects with SPF 15. I can attest to the fact that this will not come off. It doesn't ever crease on me, and lasts all day! Even when I swatched it on my hand, it wouldn't budge after it dried. I really like that this has an SPF of 15 too. So few eye products have SPF, even though it's one of the most sensitive areas of the face, and somewhere where you probably never put sunscreen.

I'm a little disappointed in the color - I was hoping the pink would be more pink, but on my skin it just sort of blends in. I hope bareMinerals will come out with some bolder colors soon because I don't just use this as a primer, but an actual colored shadow.

Sephora Trip in ND

I stopped by Sephora while I was home in North Dakota just to see what they had. I ended up finding a few things (as I always do). 

I heard about Anastasia Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat from one of Birchbox's Limited Edition boxes and thought it was a great idea. It's a clear waterproof topcoat to put over your favorite mascara. I hate wearing waterproof mascara, and my eye doctor actually told me not to with my contacts, but every once and a while it would be nice to have. I used it at the lake before I rode on the jet ski (already had makeup on, then decided to go on it), also when I was flying back to LA (tears all around), and when I went to Disneyland for the day (82 degrees and sunny). It worked beautifully every time! I love that I can wear whatever mascara I want, then choose to make it waterproof if I need it. 

Then I remembered I had wanted to look for a new eyelash curler, since the one I was using was still from high school, and this would be perfect time to get one. I looked at a few different kinds but decided the Sephora brand would be just fine. I didn't need anything fancy. The thing I really liked about this is that it came with 2 extra rubber pads. It definitely curls better than my old one. 

The travel size section near the register always gets me. Though, this was probably one of the best things I've found in that section. I needed a new makeup remover for waterproof makeup, especially since I was buying the Anastasia Top Coat. I found this Make Up For Ever Sens'eyes Waterproof Makeup Remover. I'm not even sure what the full size looks like because I've never thought of looking for it, but I think I will have to buy it when this runs out. This stuff is great! It pumps out a creamy blue liquid that I smear over a cotton pad, then rub over my eyes. It's very gentle and doesn't sting. It even takes off my Benefit They're Real Liner!

Then I got a 100 point reward item. I love Benefit so when I saw they had this Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer, I had to get it. It didn't seem to work that great for my oily skin, but I've heard different reviews say there is a trick to applying this. I guess you have to do it in sections because it dries so quickly and it needs to still be a little tacky (not sure if that's the right word) for your foundation to stick and last. I haven't tried it again, but I will eventually.

It came with this nice cap over the top. So cute for the small size.

Comes with a decent amount of product.

MAC Paint Pots

I read some amazing things about MAC's Paint Pots. Initially, what caught my attention was that the colors Soft Ochre and Painterly could be used as an undereye concealer. The person who posted it said it was great because they didn't crease. So, I ran out and got both colors.

After some research, Paint Pots are just a creaseless cream eyeshadow, and the two colors I bought are used more as eye primers. The sales associate told me the Soft Ochre works best under warmer colors, such as golds or greens because of it's yellow undertone. Painterly works best under cooler colors such as purples and blues because of it's pinker undertone. Both colors look very natural on my skin.

I can't say much about the priming power though. I still feel like it creases and doesn't seem to make my shadow colors any bolder. I have noticed that setting the Paint Pots with a powder first, then applying eyeshadow seems to work better as far as creasing goes.

It also did not work as an undereye concealer. They are WAY too thick to use under eyes. Lots of pulling and hard to blend on thin skin. When I finally got it blended out, it creased right away because of the thickness.

The nice thing is that they will last FOREVER. Especially because I don't use them very much. They are $20 a piece, but you get a lot and doesn't take very much for each use. Right now I'm trying to decide what color I want to buy next, and use as an actual eyeshadow.

Smashbox Primer Try It Kit!

I have very dark circles under my eyes so I've been using Benefit's Erase Paste concealer. I love the coverage, but it's really bad if you have lines under your eyes like I do. (I'm pretty young but started applying makeup by tugging on my skin around my eyes and don't know any other way. I'm trying to relearn though...) I read some mixed reviews about Smashbox's Hydrating Under Eye Primer but I saw that it came as a trial size in this kit, so I figured why not? It was only $14!

This kit includes:
Photo Finish Lid Primer (0.02 fl. oz.): Locks on shadow and keeps it crease-free for up to 8 hours

I really like this lid primer. I don't usually use an eyeshadow primer, but I can see that this helps make the colors bolder/darker and it really will last all day.

Photo Finish Hydrating Under Eye Primer (0.17 fl. oz.): 10 under-eye benefits, 1 primer breakthrough

I haven't really had luck with this primer. I was hopeful but the reviews were about 50/50 with people loving it and it just not working. Hasn't seemed to work for me. Maybe it's really just the concealer. I am going to keep trying it.

Photo Finish Foundation Primer (0.25 fl. oz.): Creates the perfect canvas for makeup application

Seems to work really well. I don't wear liquid foundation so I don't really need a primer like this. I mostly only use a primer for mattifying under my powder. It was suggested to me to use this under my eyes to fill in the lines though. We'll see how that works.

I love the tiny sizes. They're great because you don't need to use much product anyway. I feel like the eye lid primer and under eye primer will last me a long time. If I really like the foundation primer, I may buy a full size. (BTW: I have tiny hands. My ring size of those index fingers is between a 6 and 7. Just to show you how small the samples are.)