Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday Gift 2014

I always look forward to the birthday gift at Sephora every year, so I went there on purpose last night to pick it up. I didn't buy anything, I actually returned something I got for Christmas.

 

 

 The Birthday gift is a mini set with two sample products from Make Up For Ever. You get Smoky Extravagant Mascara in black and Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in No 9.

 

The lipstick is a burnt rose color. It is so ugly, I will never wear this color. But I think my mom might like it. But I will use the mascara. Overall this is so-so, but since it was free I really can't complain too much :)

Birthday Haul!

My birthday was a few days ago, and I was so happy to get a few make up related presents. Since I love hearing about what kind of make up gifts all my friends and family get, I thought I'd share what I got on here...

 

I received:

Urban Decay Lipstick in Venom

Too Faced Budoir Eyes Eye shadow palette

Mac Lipstick in Ruby Woo

Mac Lipstick in Up the Amp

Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study

Mac Eye Shadow 15 Palette

Mac Eyeshadow Phloof!

Mac Eyeshadow Shroom

Mac Eyeshadow Atlantic Blue

Mac Eyeshadow Club

 

 

I plan on doing a separate post for the Too Faced Palette, so I only swatched the Mac stuff. I listed them in order of the swatches above, Eyeshadows on the left, lipsticks and paint pot on the right.

 

I have to admit that I put most of these items on a birthday wish list. So I am very happy with what I got. Do you like getting cosmetic items for gifts that are a total surprise? Or do you prefer to pick them out yourself?

Fergie Take on the Day Mattifying Powder by Wet N Wild in Pedestal

$4.99 at Walgreens

Shade: Pedestal

 

 

 

Take on the Day Mattifying Powder in Pedestal is a white pressed powder. It is to be used as a universal shade for all skin types that can be worn alone or over foundation to set make up and leave a matte finish. It also says that it is a light reflecting powder. Sort of confusing, is it supposed to be matte or shiny?

 

I was excited to try this powder, it is the first drugstore white setting powder that I have seen. The tray holding the white powder in the compact lifts up to reveal a hidden compartment for a white sponge. However, there is no mirror, so it's not quite equipped for on the go application.

 

 

The powder is very very soft. Other than that, this stuff is pretty bad. The powder doesn't pick up evenly or apply evenly. This doesn't keep my skin matte or make my make up last longer. This doesn't even blend from white to translucent, it just makes my skin look pale. Did I mention the white sparkle? Yes, there are tiny little white specks of glitter in a face powder! And  no, you can't use it as a highlighter because it isn't pigmented at all.

 

 

These are swatches of the powder, as you can see they are patchy and pale.

 

 

 

This is with the powder blended out, and you can see the white sparkle. When on the face, the sparkle only shows up if you look closely, but still, I don't need sparkle on the tip of my nose and forehead.

 

 

Overall: Don't buy it!

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser

 

 $6.99 at Walgreens

 

 

This is a primer for your skin that is supposed to help fill in your pores to give you the look of baby skin. It is a clear silicon gel that glides on smoothly and feels incredibly soft. In my hand, it feels similar to every other clear face primer I have ever tried. But when I apply it to my face it feels ever so slightly slippery. I tried two different application techniques for this. One day I applied foundation directly after the primer. Another day I let the primer set for about 15 minutes before applying foundation. I received the same results on both days. Initially, my skin looked like my pores were smaller and felt very soft. After about 4 hours, my skin became shiny and looked less flawless, but it still felt soft. At around 8 hours, my skin was still soft and the shine was still present, and the coverage of my foundation looked as though it was breaking down. 

 

 

There are no claims for this product to make your foundation last longer, but that is usually an intended use for a face primer. So I expected this primer to do that, but it didn't. I have combination skin, and this made my skin look more oily. It would probably do better for someone with dry skin looking to add a smoother finish to their foundation routine. But for me, it just made my foundation fade quicker in exchange for a few hours of smoother skin. I don't plan on using this again.

Dollar Store Fake Nails

$1 at The Dollar Tree

 

 

I have had good experiences with Drug Store glue on nails in the past, and I was thinking of heading over to Rite Aid to pick out a new pair. But while at the the Dollar Tree, I noticed this fun and wild set of nails.

 

 

Often times when I see really cheap glue on nails, they are super small and meant for children. I have average sized nail beds, and these looked like they would be big enough. Actually, they ended up being a bit too big. The largest thumb nail, is GIANT. So I used the 10 smallest nails. Each one is just slightly too big, and felt like it didn't fit the round of my natural nail while gluing. But I am happy that none of them cracked. I have had $8 glue on nails crack in the middle when they were too large for the nail bed I was trying to glue them to.

 

 

 I used my usual nail glue that I got from Rite Aid (Pro 10 Professional Nail Glue $2.99). Yes they feel very cheap on the nails, like they are just a bit to thin, and slightly sharp. They need to be filed just a bit to soften them up so I don't accidentally scratch my face. And the rainbow animal print is a little bit faded around some of the edges. But for a dollar, I like them. I think I prefer the quality and selection of the brands offered at drugstores, but I would definitely try another pair from a dollar store.

Intuition Pure Nourishment Razor for Dry Skin

$8.99 at Target.

  

 

 

This is the razor that comes with a moisturizing shaving cream bar wrapped around the razor. These have been around for years, and I have always wanted to try one. In need of a razor while down visiting my family in California, I decided to try one out. The kit comes with the razor, two refill blades and a shower caddy. These shower caddies for razors NEVER work for me. I love the idea of them, but I'm not even going to bother messing around with this one. The scent or flavor of this razor is coconut and almond milk. It smells amazing! I think the scent is what really drew me in to buy this instead of my regular Venus razor.

  

 

 

 I didn't know if I would need to get it really wet to get the shaving cream/moisturizer going enough to work, but I just splashed it under the water of the shower and it was ready to go. It felt like a quicker, more gentle shave then I am used to. It was really easy to use and left even my armpits soft.

 Now that I have it, I am really curious if the moisturizer will last as long as the blades. I think that overall, a regular old Venus razor is more cost effective than this would be if the moisturizer disappears and I end up having to use shaving cream in a can. But I'll just have to wait and see what happens. But as for right now, I love this razor!