Face of the Day With Some Sephora Favorites

I created a FotD with some drugstore faves here, and I thought it would be fun to do a post with some of my Sephora favorites.

Complexion:
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer -- This has a wonderfully light texture, and it has a seamless, skin-like finish.  It leaves the skin very slightly dewy.  It has kind of a citrus-y scent, which I don't mind, although it probably would be better for the skin if it didn't have fragrance.
Sephora 8 HR Mattifying Compact Foundation -- I like how I can get a little extra coverage from this powder foundation, or just use it sparingly to set my base.  It doesn't ever look cakey, and it controls shine fairly well.  I also quite like the compact.  Clearly I need a new one of these.

Pardon the dirty sponge.  Yeesh.

Cheeks:
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush -- Gorgeous in the pan and on the skin.  It is just light-reflecting enough to give a subtle glow to the skin.
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder in Milk Chocolate -- This is the lighter chocolate bronzer Too Faced offers.  It is just the right color to warm up my skin, and the lack of shimmer makes it usable as a contour color, as well.  And, yes, it does smell like chocolate, and I do spend a few seconds smelling it before I apply it.

from left: Hourglass blush in Luminous Flush, Too Faced bronzer in Milk Chocolate

Eyes:
Kat Von D Chrysalis palette -- I just love this palette.  It has neutrals, purples, metallics... I love all the shades.  The shadow formula is soft and silky, and, with the exception of Entombed (metallic blue) which applies slightly more sheerly than I prefer, all have good pigmentation and blendability.  

I used: Mezzanine (sparkling purple) all over the lid and lower lashline
            Hybrid Moments (matte plum) in the crease and outer v
            Lifelike (matte cream) under the brow and in the inner corner

Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Black -- So creamy and very black, this liner is easy to apply and wears well on my eyes.  I use it  most often on my waterlines, and it never irritates my eyes.
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Intense Black -- I can see why this is a best seller.  It is inky black, and has a calligraphy-style brush that makes creating a thin or thick line easy.  It sets quickly, so you don't have to sit with your eyes closed for 10 minutes waiting for it to dry.
Benefit They're Real Mascara -- Yes, it's a little tough to remove, but, man, does it work well.  I can tell I need a new tube because it usually does much more for my lashes than it did today.

from left: Mezzanine, Hybrid Moments, Lifelike, Too Faced liner in Perfect Black, Stila liquid liner in Intense Black

Lips: Dior Addict Gloss in Bed of Roses 576 -- This gloss is gorgeous!  It is extremely smooth, non-sticky, and shiny.  It's described by Sephora as a "petal pink shimmer".  It's a little darker than what I think of as a "petal" pink.  It doesn't have any scent or flavor.  Sooooo shiny!

Do you have any favorites you've discovered at Sephora?

Sephora and Drugstore Haul

Cosmetics companies are so good at making us (me) constantly buy new things.  All the pretty new colors they constantly manage to introduce that aren't like anything else on the market or in my stash (:P), and the beautiful packaging that it really just a feast for the eyes.  Plus, Sephora occasionally comes out with some nice free stuff.  So, here is my latest haul.

From my local CVS where everybody knows my name (cue the Cheers theme song):

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hr Eyeshadow in Caramel Cool -- After seeing so many swatches of the Limited Edition Dare to Go Nude collection, I knew I had to have Caramel Cool.  I think copper colors are flattering for my eye color, and I don't actually have any cream shadows this color (surprising).

Maybelline Master Hi-Light Highlighting Bronzer in Light Bronze -- This is one that looks pretty in the pan, and I've read that these blush/bronzer/highlighter hybrids from Maybelline have a good formula.

Swatches of Caramel Cool eyeshadow and Light Bronze Hi-light Bronzer:

From Sephora (I used a gift card that my mom gave me for my birthday back in November):

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush -- I didn't jump on these during the VIB preview sale because I wanted to wait until I saw some swatches.  This one appealed to me the most.  I still kind of want Diffused Heat just because of the way it looks in the pan.

Swatch of Ambient Light Blush in Luminous Flush:

Also from Sephora:

MAKE UP FOR EVER Lab Shine Diamond Collection Lipgloss in D8 and D14 -- This set has 2 full-size lipglosses.  D8 is described as a shimmering baby pink, and D14 is a shimmering indian pink (p.s. what is indian pink?).  This is a $38 value for $16, so it seemed worth it.

Swatches of MUFE Lab Shine lipglosses in D8 and D14:

The free stuff from Sephora:

Balenciaga Rosabotanica EDP deluxe sample and printed scarf -- This was a 500 point perk.  I had been saving my points for a really long time, waiting for something cool to come along.  I decided to use them on this because the packaging of the perfume and the scarf looked really pretty.  The perfume itself smells really nice.  I am terrible at describing scents, so I'm not going to bother trying.  The large box in the group shot above contained the Rosabotanica set.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner in Intense Black -- I think this was just a deluxe sample with any $25 purchase.  Sephora says this is one of their best-selling liquid eyeliners, so I figured this would be a good way to try it.  It has a nice calligraphy-style pen tip, which is my favorite kind of tip, so I'm looking forward to using it.

Swatch of Stila Waterproof eyeliner:

What have you been hauling lately?

P.S.  I have a feeling I need to update my pop culture references.

Valentine's Day Themed Face of the Day

It's time for some Valentine's Day makeup.  Lots of pink, of course.

Pics with flash show the pink shadow better

Eyes: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Strawberry Milk
          MAC eyeshadow in Pink Venus
          Urban Decay eyeshadow in Limit (from the Naked 3 palette)
          Sonia Kashuk Dramatically Defining Gel Eyeliner in Ebony
          L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly mascara

MAC Pink Venus eyeshadow

Cheeks: Stila Love at First Blush palette (limited edition from 2012 I think)

Lips: Starlooks Lip Pencil in Tickle Me Pink

from left: NYX Strawberry Milk Jumbo Eye Pencil, MAC Pink Venus eyeshadow, Urban Decay Limit eyeshadow, Stila Love at First Blush palette, Starlooks Tickle Me Pink Lip Pencil

This look actually started out much softer and more romantic, but then I went a little crazy with the gel eyeliner and it turned into something more dramatic.

I kept the lips matte (which is unusual for me) using just the Starlooks lip pencil.  I think the lip pencil color looks lovely with the eyes, and I didn't want to change the color in any way.

I'll probably wear some sort of smokey eye look for the actual day of the St. Valentine celebration because my husband is such a big fan of smokey eyes.

What do you think of Valentine's Day makeup?  Do you automatically think of pinks and reds?

What's In My Travel Makeup Bag?

I'm going out of town for a few days (so fewer posts this week), so I thought I'd share with you what's in my travel makeup bag (this does not include skincare).  I am not flying, so I don't need to worry about being FAA compliant.  I'm just driving myself, so I can kind of have as large a bag as I want, but I'm only going for 2-3 days (or more, depending on the weather), so I don't really need much.  I'm also just going to see family, but I like to be able to be fancy with my makeup if I feel like it.

I tried to make this photo all artsy with stuff tumbling out of the bag.

My sparkly purple makeup bag is the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Quinceanera bag (no longer available).

Here's what made the cut:

Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer -- This is my favorite "base" product.  I don't usually wear a true foundation on a daily basis, but if we were going to get dressed up for any reason, I would take a foundation with me.

Wet 'n' Wild Coverall Pressed Powder -- This just happens to be the setting powder I'm using right now.  I want to try the Rimmel Stay Matte powder next.

Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Candy Glow -- I like how this has pink and coral colors so it works with cool and warm-toned looks.  Plus, it has some light shimmer to it, so it gives a little luminosity to the skin, and I can skip the highlighter.

Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Corrector -- My favorite concealer.

LORAC Creamy Brow Pencil in Auburn -- A pencil with a spoolie brush on one end is convenient.

Urban Decay Primer Potion -- If I'm going to wear eyeshadow, I need a primer.  (I don't feel the same way about traveling with face primers, because the serum I use in my skincare regime works as a primer if I want to use it as such).

Tarina Tarantino Hyperliner eye pencil in Tommy Jet -- A great waterproof black pencil liner.

Too Faced Pretty Rebel eyeshadow palette -- There are so many looks that can be created with this palette, and the shadows themselves are amazing.  I could have picked the Naked or Naked 3 palette, but my family kind of gets a kick out of my colorful eyeshadows, so I chose this.

Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara -- My favorite everyday mascara at the moment.  I considered putting in my Benefit They're Real mascara, but I want something that removes easily, and I don't need the dramatic lashes that mascara gives me when I'm just visiting my family.

Real Techniques Powder Brush -- It's a little on the huge side, but it fits in my bag, and it is currently my favorite powder brush.

Eco Tools Travel Powder Brush -- I think this came in their 5 piece mineral brush set (I acquired it quite a while ago).  I use it as a blush brush.

Eyeshadow Brushes: E.L.F. Eyeshadow "C" brush, MAC 217 blending brush, Sephora Crease brush, Sonia Kashuk blending brush (it doesn't have a number or name on it), Sephora cat eyeliner brush (came in a set with another brush).

I also considered throwing in Josie Maran Coconut Water Cheek Gelee in Poppy Paradise, Milani Illuminating Face Powder in Amber Nectar (which is held together by packing tape), and  Benefit Speed Brow brow gel.

I haven't included lip products, because I carry those in my purse.  I'll have to do a "what's in my purse?" post soon.

If I was just going overnight, I would take less than this.  Probably just tinted moisturizer, blush, mascara, brow gel, a cream eyeshadow so I can skip the eyeshadow brushes (I usually take Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze), and what ever lippies are in my purse.

How much do you take with you for short trips?  Have you ever regretted not having something with you?