Lush, Sephora & Barneys Haul

Did some last minute shopping at Lush, Sephora and Barneys before I made my journey to London! Check out the products I got!

Review: Urban Decay - Glinda Palette

I was eyeing this palette for a really long time before I caved in and purchased it. I must've gone into Sephora and swatched it like at least 5 times. So when the VIB Chic Week code came around, I jumped at a chance to get this Urban Decay Oz the Great and Powerful Glinda Palette ($49). Now I warn you because I know this is going to be quite a long post. I'm going to be reviewing the entire set, meaning the shadows, the liner and the lip gloss pencil. So be ready for a lot of writing.

Review: Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of BB creams but the ones here in America typically can't cut it. When compared to Asian brands like Skin79 and Lioele, what we call BB creams here are really just tinted moisturizers. So it only makes sense that I was super skeptical when I purchased the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 ($39) in the shade Light/Medium.

Review: beautyblender

I always wondered what all the hype was about this tapered egg-shaped hot pink sponge. YT gurus, makeup artists and beauty bloggers like myself were always raving about this thing. So I caved in and bought the Beautyblender Duo Set ($39.95) from Sephora. Clearly, I must have been missing out on something.

When I first got it I was like "How the heck do I use this thing? But seriously, what makes this overpriced sponge so amazing?" And after the first use, I was hooked.

Review: Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Polish

I've been in the market for a good body scrub for a long time. I used to use Lush's Ocean Salt ($21.95) but it was much too abrasive and way too expensive for my liking. So when Sephora sent me a 15% off VIB coupon code, I jumped at the chance to get this Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Polish ($20). I had always looked at it in stores and everything from the texture to the smell really drew me in.

As with all Soap & Glory products, this body polish comes in the most adorable and girly pink container. There's just something in the way they design the labels on their packaging that never fails to entice me into buying or at least checking out their products. You get 10.1 fl oz. of product in this giant pink tub, which is quite a lot more than 4.2 oz. of Ocean Salt you get for $21.95.

According to the packaging, the product is a "shea butter, sugar and peach seed powder spa body polish with skin smoothing sea salt, grapeseed and almond oils." It may sound like a load of mumbo jumbo but basically it's a sugar based body scrub that smells so delicious you'd want to eat it.

The consistency of the product is very gooey and it feels like a paste with little scrubby beads when you apply it to your skin. A little goes a long way and you don't need to scrub too hard to reveal softer and smoother looking skin. I use this product about once a week and in just three uses, I've already noticed a decrease in in-grown hairs, bumps and dry patches on my skin. The best part is right after you use it, if you touch your skin it feels baby smooth even without lotion.
I'm completely in love with this body polish and it's definitely the best body polish I've ever tried. It's not too abrasive and not too gentle, it smells delicious and works wonders on my skin. I'll definitely be repurchasing this once I use it all up but I don't see that happening for a long time since you get such a generous amount of product! ♥
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Sephora VIB 20% Off Haul!

My fellow Sephora VIBs would know that this past weekend was the VIB exclusive 20% off sale. I try to wait all year long for this deal to come out before I buy anything I want from Sephora that I don't need right away. I hope my fellow VIBs enjoyed their 20% off as much as I did because there were some real nice goodies out in stores this year!

1. Urban Decay De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray Travel Size ($12) - I currently have the UD All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray in the 4 oz. size and I love it. It really helps to keep my makeup looking good all day. However, since I first purchased it my skin type has slowly changed from normal to combination and I seem to have developed the problem of a very oily T-zone. I wanted to try the UD De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray to see if it would keep my makeup lasting longer and control the oils on my T-Zone. Luckily, I spied this travel size version hiding in those boxes at the checkout line and thought it was a sign from the makeup gods. I have a vacation coming up in January with my boyfriend and I had wanted to try this product anyways so I quickly grabbed it for it was the last one!

2. Tarte LipSurgence Collectors Set ($34) - I just tried looking for this set on Sephora's website and it seems it's already gone! I had been eyeing this LipSurgence set for about a month now because I had always wanted to try a Tarte LipSurgence but could never decide on one color. The shades included in this set were: Sweet, Elite, Exposed, Escape and Enchanted. They're all great colors for the Fall and I've been wearing them on my lips ever since I got them.

3. Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion - Blemish Prone/Oily Skin ($33) - I'd been searching for a new face moisturizer for months now since my skin type changed from Normal to Combination Oily and I finally found one I like! This moisturizer was recommended to me by one of the skin experts at the store and when she said it caters to blemish prone and oily skin I was sold. So far I've been really enjoying it and I've noticed my skin isn't as greasy as it would be hours after I apply it.

4. MUFE Full Cover Concealer ($32) - I know this was on one of my wish lists though I'm not sure which one, but anyways, I finally got it! I'd been in desperate need of a face concealer and this one works like a charm. It covers all my blemishes and redness like no other concealer I've ever tried.

5. BareMinerals READY SPF 15 Touch Up Veil ($22) - So I've never had my own pressed setting powder, I always used my mom's, and I finally found it time to buy my own. This product is basically a pressed powder version of the loose powder BareMinerals Mineral Veil and since I like that one I figured I'd like this one as well. It turns out though, that I like this one much more! I'm not a huge fan of loose powders because they're so messy and I like how I can take this pressed powder on vacation with me in January.

6. Boscia Pink Peppermint Blotting Linens ($5) - I have the Green Tea version of these and while I like the quality of the sheets, I can't stand the smell. So I figured this pack would smell much better and boy was I right. I like these a lot better and I'm considering stocking up on them!

7. Too Faced Shadow Bon Bons Set ($42) - This was the product I was most excited about purchasing. This is the first Too Faced product I've ever purchased and I'm glad I did because it comes with 12 beautiful shadows, a primer potion and a mascara. So far I'm really loving this palette because it comes with very pretty neutral colors like purples, pinks and browns. I'm hoping to do a review on this set very soon so keep your eyes out!

What have you recently bought from Sephora? Are you a Sephora VIB as well?

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H (310 Bisque)

I first mentioned the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H ($44) in my Sephora haul about a month ago and since then I've been using it almost every day. I have the product in the shade 310 Bisque and it was color matched to my skin during the summer, so unfortunately, this probably won't work for me during the colder months. However, I'm extremely happy with the product and it's actually converted me back to foundation from tinted moisturizer.

The product comes in a frosted glass pump container with a plastic cap. The packaging is nice, it looks very pretty in my makeup collection, and I really like the fact that it has a pump. Pumps are a much more sanitary way of applying your foundation rather than constantly dipping a dirty brush into a container and having it breed bacteria.

I typically use one and a half pumps to cover my entire face and I'd say that the coverage is medium to full with a matte finish. The product itself is very creamy and I like to use the Sephora Pro Flawless Airbrush #56 to apply it. I apply some extra product to any areas that have redness or blemishes and it definitely evens everything out.

The product says that it lasts for 24 hours but really, who wears makeup for 24 hours?! Anyways, it definitely lasts all day because I have normal to combination skin and I apply it at around 7:30 in the morning of my longest school day and get home at 9:30 at night and I still have an almost flawless look to my skin.

I would recommend this product to all skin types because it's creamy and moisturizing enough for dry skin types and mattifying enough for oily skin types. It's one of the best foundations I've ever tried and I will most likely repurchase it when I run out.

Sephora Haul!

This past Monday I went to Sephora Soho with one of my girlfriends to get a free VIB makeover. The makeup artist did a great natural but pretty look on me and she helped me pick out some cosmetics as well. Here's what I got:

I know that summer is coming to an end and my skin is slowly fading back to its natural fairness, but I really needed a foundation for the nights that I go out and want some more coverage. I usually wear Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer SPF 18 during the day but when I go out with my friends and my boyfriend at night sometimes I want to look a bit more polished. I also noticed my skin type changed drastically this summer, going from normal skin to combination/oily. The makeup artist recommended this Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation ($44) in the shade 310 Bisque (C).

The next thing I got was this Stila Perfecting Concealer ($23) in the shade D. I've noticed that my dark circles have been getting worse since I've started taking summer classes and they've also been getting very dry from allergies. I needed a moisturizing yet full coverage concealer that didn't look too cakey and it looked pretty good to me when she applied it to my face. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this concealer because I'm afraid the shade might be too dark but I'll give it a try and see what happens.

The last thing I got was this Sephora Pro Flawless Airbrush #56 ($32). I've been looking for a good face brush that will give me an airbrush finish so I don't look too caked up but at the same time I still get decent coverage. The bristles are extremely soft and it's small enough to get into corners but big enough to cover a decent area of my face. I usually use Sigma brushes because they're much cheaper but I've noticed that their face brushes tend to irritate my sensitive skin since they shed and aren't as soft as I'd like.

I'm really excited to try out the foundation and the foundation brush but I'm pretty sketchy about the concealer. I'll let you all know how each of them goes with a review once I feel I've gotten enough experience with each!

NOTD: Hot Pink + Gold Glitter Tips

I just uploaded this Nail of the Day on my Instagram (@lipstickndlace). This nail design was really quick and easy to do. I used Essie's Off the Shoulder all over the nails and brushed layers of Sephora by OPI's Only Gold for Me on the tips. Use a top coat to seal in the glitter and even out the nails and you're done!

XOXO,
Elle