My Hourglass Cosmetics Makeover

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending an Hourglass Cosmetics event at Sephora South Coast Plaza. I got to meet the absolutely lovely founder of Hourglass, Carisa Janes, and get my makeup done by one of the Hourglass MUAs. It was cold, windy, and rainy in SoCal yesterday, but well worth “braving” the weather! I love the look that MUA Laura came up with for me, and wanted to share the product breakdown with you!

Complexion: First, Laura primed my skin with their No. 28 Primer Serum. I have very dry skin, and the No. 28 Primer Serum contains 14 essential oils, 10 plant oils, and 4 vitamins all meant to help hydrate your skin as it primes it for makeup. As a bonus, it smells magnificent! After massaging in the primer and letting it sort of ‘marinate’ for a minute, she applied Illusion Hyaluronic Skin Tint. Even though this product is a tinted moisturizer, it provides medium to full coverage so only needed to be used sparingly. Laura also used a tiny bit of Hidden Corrective Concealer after the eye look was done since some eye shadow fallout had to be cleaned up and some coverage was removed in that process. She also used a fluffy shadow brush and the Ambient Lighting Powder in Incandescent Light (exclusive to the Ambient Lighting Palette) around my eyes to highlight the area.

Cheeks: Hourglass just launched a new shade of their Ambient Lighting Blush called Incandescent Electra, and I’m in love. It’s the perfect coral for my skin tone. Laura used that along with a hint of Ambient Lighting Powder in Radiant Light, which is a bronze shade (but sheerer than their new Ambient Lighting Bronzer).

Eyes: For my eyes, Laura used colors from the Modernist Eye Palette in Color Field, which is the one with the khaki green shade in it. She used the brown-taupe shade wet as an overall base color on my lids, and lined my eyes with the green shade (also used wet). She also used the highlight shade to blend out the brown. I really like the eyeliner she used, which is a mechanical Gel Eyeliner. She used it to tightline as well as line my water line, and the color is so perfectly black. I’m also wearing Film Noir mascara, which I’ve already tried and loved previously. Still love it!

Lips: Laura first applied their No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil to help bring some moisture into my dry lips. It has a pleasant botanical fragrance and felt really nice. After it had a chance to sink in for several minutes, she dabbed off any excess and applied the color. The first product she used was Panoramic Long Wear Lip Liner in Muse, a really pretty coral. These liners have a convenient blending brush on the end. After the liner she applied a light layer of the matching Muse Femme Rouge Velvet Creme Lipstick, and Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Lush. The gloss is a lighter, slightly more pink version of the lipstick and liner.

Brows: I had done my eyebrows previously to arriving, because I’m totally vain and really hate leaving the house without any brows on. Rather than re-do them, Laura left them as they were. I used Billion Dollar Brows brow powder in Taupe and Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel.

All of the Hourglass products mentioned are available for purchase at Sephora. I’m relatively new to the Hourglass world, and definitely left with some new things to add to my wishlist! The item at the top of my wishlist is definitely the Incandescent Electra blush. I just love a good glowy cheek!

Have you tried any Hourglass products?

Foreo Luna Now At Sephora

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Great news! The FOREO Luna, aka my favorite skin care gadget evar, is now available at Sephora! Let’s quickly re-hash why I’m ALL about the Luna!

* No replacement brush heads (what you pay is what you pay – no added cost built in!)

*All silicone – fully rinseable – goes in the shower with you!

* Easier to keep CLEAN because there are no nooks and crevices (under the brush head of a Clarisonic = HORROR SHOW)

* Also works as anti-aging device (massage in serums with it for extra ‘wow factor’ from your serums, too)

* REALLY gentle, even for sensitive skin. (I use the delicate brush head on Clarisonic and Sensitive/Normal for Luna

* Holds a charge FOR-EV-ER. (seriously, I have had mine for MONTHS and I haven’t even charged it yet since the initial charge)

So yeah, the Luna is pretty much the most awesomest (yes, that’s a word now… bwahahaha) skin care thingy ever. And it’s at Sephora now! Which means you can earn BI points on your purchase, buy it during F&F to save $$, and if you aren’t as head over heels in love with it as I am, Sephora’s return policy is the greatest.

Anyone going to be trying out the Luna now that they’re at mama Sephora?! This thing has been life-saving/game-changing for me. When I went to BeWell Expo in October I had someone look at my skin under a microscope (which was definitely as daunting as it sounds), and she said my pores are TOTALLY clear. I owe it to this!! I was given an A+ in skin and it’s totes because of my little Luna.

Sephora Bobbi To Go Palette

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I’m taking a break from the Monday Mashup this week because I got SO excited when I saw this new Beauty Insider perk from Sephora! I typically do not cash in my points, but this new “Bobbi To Go” 500-point perk grabbed my attention so much that I made an order for cotton rounds ($4) in order to cash in my points and get this perk. Don’t judge me. I actually did need the cotton rounds, and with the Flash shipping it was worth it. ;)

The kit includes a mini palette, a sample of mascara, and a sample of eye cream. I haven’t tried the eye cream or mascara yet, but I had to dig into the palette the very next morning after it arrived!

Let me preface my thoughts & swatches with reminding you this is a Bobbi Brown palette. Bobbi Brown is not known for having bright, vivacious colors. I typically do my makeup pretty naturally, and I like Bobbi Brown. If you are more into Sugarpill, Urban Decay, etc. you probably wouldn’t be interested, but I really like my Bobbi! I have several of her other palettes.

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Here she is. It’s definitely a mini – roughly the size of a credit card.

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The palette contains 1 blush, 4 shadows, and 1 mini brush. The brush is kind of floppy and would be useful for blending but not placing shadow or forming shapes, in my opinion.

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The blush color included is called Pale Pink. It’s from the regular core line and can be purchased in a full size for $25. Unlike the name would imply, it’s pretty bright!

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The 4 shadows. They’re pretty tiny, but great neutral colors. Clockwise from the top right they are Heather Mauve Shimmerwash, SaddleMahogany, and Bone. All of them are available in the core line for $21 each, however Saddle is not yet available on Sephora’s website.

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Here are the colors swatched. The Pale Pink blush is quite pigmented. Bone does have pigmentation but it pretty much matches my skin so you can barely see it right below Pale Pink. Heather Mauve shimmerwash is a shimmery taupe. Mahogany is a dark ashy brown. Saddle is a dark matte brown that also leans toward ashy rather than warm.

I’ll admit the mattes do not swatch well at all. They are kind of annoying in that way. However when working with them on the eye I kind of appreciate that you have to build the color up rather than it showing up full-throttle at first swipe. It gives you more control. Because of that though if you have a deeper skintone you probably would find these annoying. They’d take a lot of building and layering to show up with enough contrast. For pale-skinned me, however, it’s a plus.

Overall, I like this perk and I’m glad I got it. This is definitely a palette for someone who is already a Bobbi girl and knows what she is getting formula-wise. I look forward to trying the eye cream and mascara, and will certainly post reviews of those too.

Sephora Chic Week Sale

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If you’re a beauty junkie, Sephora Chic Week is one of your favorite times of the year! That’s when everything is 15% off at Sephora and Sephora.com. The sale ends 4/22.

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Make Up Forever Holiday 2011

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but this was enough to bring me out of blogger hibernation. If it’s not obvious by now, I love Make Up For Ever. The products are of the highest quality, and every interaction I’ve ever had with any member of the MUFE staff has been perfection. Their holiday collection this year is free of gimmicks, silliness, and fleeting trends and gets back to what makes this brand fantastic: great makeup. Whether you’re a makeup artist, makeup artist to be, or just someone who appreciates a really nice beauty product, you’ll want to send your friends & family to Sephora to do their x-mas shopping for you this year!

MUFE’s holiday offering is 4 collections. I have two of them that I will be swatching and showing off, but for now I just want to give you the low-down on everything.

Wild & Chic Aqua Eyes Collection – $36 ($70.50 value) – in stores & online

The Aqua Eyes Collection comes with 5 travel size Aqua Liners and one full size Aqua Liner. The travel size guys are pretty little, but will still be plenty to get a lot of good use out of. I like the fact that the black one is full size, since that’s most people’s workhorse color. The other colors included are dark metallic grey, navy w/ sheen, blue-green, pearl brown, and metallic purple. I have my fair share of Aqua Liners and these babies are fantastic. They were developed for water ballet performers and they do perform up to task! If you’ve struggled with so-called waterproof liners in the past, try these out. I think you’ll love them.

Wild & Chic Best of Make Up For Ever Collection – $55 ($103 value) – in stores & online

This collection would make such an awesome gift. There’s a little bit of everything; all of MUFE’s best (except the foundation, which would make a really great companion gift to this kit!). There’s mini sizes of the HD powder and primer, a mini black Aqua Liner, a full sized Smoky Lash mascara, and a pinky pearl beige lipgloss that is sure to flatter just about anyone. And then there’s the Aqua Cream. Oh Aqua Creams, how I love you. Aqua Creams are similar to MAC paint pots in the sense that they’re potted cream shadows that you can use as a base, but overall I find them much better as far as wear. The shade included here is a warm champagne shimmer, easily one of their most popular and universally useful shades. (It was also the first one I decided I needed to have!) One thing about this kit too is if you already have one of the items (like me, I already have that Aqua Cream), nothing in the kit would be a bad thing to have two of. They’re all “workhorse” products that having more than one of would actually come in handy.

Wild & Chic Aqua Cream Collection – $175 ($242 value) – not available in stores

When I saw this kit I think my reaction was somewhere along the lines of “…oh my god“. This is Aqua Cream HEAVEN, people!! I know the price tag might seem steep, and this is definitely a high-ticket item, but keep in mind you get 10 Aqua Creams that normally retail for $22 apiece, and a brush. It’s not a flimsy little travel brush either! It’s a full size artist quality brush. These can be shadows, shadow bases, eyeliners, or even blush/highlighter. The versatility of what’s included even further adds to the value. They also come in a nice tin type case (the copy on the Sephora site refers to it as a clutch, but it’s hard-sided so I don’t think that is quite right to say– it’s closer to a pencil case). The whole thing is portable so you could easily slip it into a bag. Cream shadows are so great because you don’t have to worry about them spilling like pigments, or shattering like pressed shadows. The case is designed to hold them upside down, so you can open it up and find the color you want easily. What’s also good about that is when stored upside down cream shadows last longer. I just tested it out, and there is room to slip in an eyeliner or lip pencil comfortably as well (or maybe even a lipgloss in a slim enough tube). I’ll be interested to see if I could fit a mascara in there for the ultimate “on the go” case.

Wild & Chic Collector Case – $330 ($616 value) – not available in stores

Shut. The front. Door. This beautiful traincase comes packed with all of the products in the picture. This would probably be the Best Gift Ever for someone in cosmetology school, or your favorite beauty blogger on your holiday shopping list. ;) It has a little bit of everything to get you started (or further your love affair). Screw blockbuster palettes; this kit blows them out of the water. Of course, the price is substantially higher than most big blockbuster palettes, but I can tell you whoever receives this kit will use everything in it way more than you would use a big huge honkin’ palette. These are professional products that will perform and last– a much wiser buy.

Sephora Friends & Family Sale

The Sephora Friends & Family Sale (20% off your entire purchase) is working a little differently this year. In the past, there has been one code that anyone can use over and over again until FF is over. Now, you will get a 1-time code that is unique to you.
How to get your Sephora F&F Code:
1. Visit www.sephora.com/friends and type your email address in the dialogue box.
2. Your unique 1-time use code will load on the screen after you submit your email.
Good To Know:
You are only allowed one code per email and 5 email addresses per computer.
Your codes are unique to you. So if you give it to a friend, you can’t use it.
And you can only each code one time.
These codes are not valid with any other codes (in other words, no code stacking).
$50 free shipping still applies (in past years it has been based on your total before your discount).
You can still use ebates! Don’t forget! :)
This is going on until 11-2! But stuff tends to sell out, so get shopping!

Window Shopping – Sephora

Please tell me I’m not the only one who does this? I like to go to my favorite sites like Sephora, Ulta, etc. and just browse. Sometimes I even fill up shopping carts and “pretend shop” – I don’t actually order the stuff (I’d spend thousands of dollars lol…) but it’s just a fun thing I like to do. I’m not alone, right??? 


Anyway, I thought…this might be fun to share! Here are the things that made me go “ooo” when I was browsing Sephora tonight.

Oh hello there. What have we here? It’s the new Smoky Palette by Makeup Forever. It’s not yet available; it has the dreaded “coming soon” on the Sephora website. However, it’ll be just $45 which is a steal for 8 MUFE shadows. This went immediately on my Amazon wishlist!
And then there’s this new Sinner palette from Kat Von D. Kelsey (BalmaholicTV on youtube) told me about this baby. It looks really pretty, and apparently none of those shadows are those godawful cream shadows! This one is $35, and also not yet available – but that won’t stop me from putting it on my wishlist too. I will say that even though there are purples in this palette, I think I like the looks of the MUFE palette better.
This caught my eye a few days ago but I went back to look at it again and it’s still just as beautiful. Josie Maran has released 3 new eye quints (4 shadows and 1 shadow liner). The one pictured above is my favorite, called Beautiful Nudes. Don’t they just look like they’d be soft and buttery to apply?! They’re $36.
I have been wanting to try this since I heard of its release – the Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleansing oil. I have so much skin care that I’m trying to finish up though, I haven’t justified it. But I will get my paws on this eventually! Just you watch. I LOVE Purity Made Simple (the original, not the foaming or the wipes), so I’m anxious to see if I love this as much. 
Behold, the cuteness. A Hello Kitty shower cap. I’m not a huge shower cap person; I usually just use disposables. But this is adorable. The reviews say it’s sturdy and not a throw-away type thing, which is good since it’s $16. But what really caught my eye about this shower cap is the memory I have associated with shower caps. I used to have a white one with rainbow polka dots. My cat Sienna was just a baby at the time, and every time I’d put on my shower cap she would FREAK OUT, arch her back, and run away from me sideways while hissing with all her mighty kitten-ness. I wonder if she’d like this one better?
…plus bonus picture of Sienna, who is much more grown up and less afraid of shower caps now. ;)
A couple of other observations while browsing on Sephora:
WTF? Why is this Stila palette $75? This is coming from the makers of the blockbuster palette that was $20 at Costco? I are confuse.
Ooo, pretty shiny things – Nails Inc. is now available at Sephora. PRETTY. Have you tried any of these polishes? I’d love to know your thoughts. They’re a UK brand and I haven’t tried them before.
Did any of you pick up the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette? I did. I haven’t played with it much yet, but I wanna know what you guys think. Do you love it? Do you notice a difference in the new eye shadow formula?
That’s it for now! What have you been eyeing at Sephora lately?

Sephora Shopping Ideas

With the recent mailings of VIB and BI codes, I thought I might put together a list of Sephora shopping ideas. :) Just some stuff that, if I were hauling my brains out, I would look at and consider. 
Makeup

Make Up For Ever Uplight luminizer – These babies are gorgeous! There are three choices of finish, and several shades to choose from. A little bit goes a looooong way, so don’t be worried about the value – you are definitely getting your money’s worth.
Stila Perfect & Correct Foundation – I haven’t had a chance to try this, but I’ve heard nothing but good things. If you’re a foundation junkie, you might wanna check it out!
Bite Luminous Creme Lipstick Trio – Bite is a new brand to Sephora, and when a discount code is out I think it’s the perfect opportunity to try new things. ;)
Benefit Feelin’ Cheeky Minis – I’ve been chattering on Twitter about how this is at the top of my wishlist lately. How about you? Leave one for me! 
Skincare

Sephora Collection Bamboo Charcoal Blotting Papers – I’m really intrigued by the bamboo charcoal blot papers. It’s something new I haven’t seen in a blot paper before!
Fragrance

Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh – I reviewed this fragrance before, and my opinion hasn’t changed – this fun fruity floral is great for spring! 
Bath & Body

The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter To Go – The first product I ever tried from TBS was the Satsuma Body Butter. It smells amazing and is a great energizing scent for the morning. Snag this mini version for just $5!
Hair

If you’re like me and you have an expensive hair product habit, now would be a great time to stock up on essentials, no? I’m partial to the Alterna Caviar Moisture line, myself, but goodness knows there’s tons to choose from. Remember, Bumble & Bumble is now available at Sephora too! 

Sephora’s "Give Me Some Lip" Set Has Lipstick Addicts Covered!

Normally I wouldn’t be inclined to buy a beauty set just because a store called it a compilation of their “favorites,” but based on the fact that I’ve far surpassed the 500-point mark on my Sephora Beauty Insider card, I think it’s safe to say I trust their judgement. I’m also a self-proclaimed lip gloss junkie, so it’s no wonder why the Sephora Favorites “Give Me Some Lip” Set has found its way onto my wish list! The 7-piece set features a slew of best-selling lip color favorites from across their board of brands — Tarte, Urban Decay, Lancome, Smashbox, and more — and even has your bases covered when it comes to kinds of lip products. Plumping gloss, lip liner, lip stain, and of course, the classic lipstick courtesy of Buxom, this set has just about everything you need to keep your inner makeup addict under control through the spring season (or at least through the next couple of weeks, if you really have an addiction). After all, a $62 value for only $26 is a great excuse to experiment if I’ve ever heard one!

– Alex Gambardella for The Find

Bumble & bumble Now at Sephora

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!! You guys! You guys you guys you GUYS! Hair care brand Bumble & bumble is now available at Sephora! I am simply beside myself with joy. I LOVE Bumble & bumble! I have a bunch of their products and I love them all.

Interested in what to try? Here are some little mini reviews of my fav Bumble goodies…

If you hate hair spray, but need what hair sprays do for you, try out the Does It All Styling Spray. This was suggested to me by a stylist as a hair spray for people who hate hair sprays, and boy was he right. They say it offers “strong yet flexible hold” and that is exactly what you get. No hair spray stickiness or crunchiness, just glorious hold in your hair. Great for taming flyaways, or sleekifying your flat ironed hair. It also doesn’t stink like many hair sprays do. If you are at all familiar with Stila’s Jade Blossom perfume, it smells vaguely like that. Pictured is the “luxury size” 10 oz can, which is $25 at Sephora.
For those of you with angry or oily scalps that need soothing and calming, try Tonic Lotion. Tonic Lotion is a pre-styling spray chock full of scalp-happy ingredients such as tea tree oil, peppermint extract, rosemary extract, and nettle extract. All of these are designed to give you a happy scalp and feed nutrients to your hair. Tonic Lotion is also a really great detangler! It is available in an 8 oz bottle (pictured) for $18 or a mini 2 oz bottle for $7.

Ahh Creme de Coco Conditioner. Thirsty hair’s best friend. Creme de Coco is like a luxurious coconut-scented body butter for your hair. It makes my hair so soft, moisturized, helps tame frizz, and gives it luxurious shine. Not to mention it smells good enough to eat! This conditioner also has a matching shampoo, and a masque. Plenty of pampering to go around! Pictured is an 8 oz bottle which Sephora has for $22. A mini 2 oz is available for $8, and soon liters will be available (online only) for $58.