Early Birthday Beauty Haul!

Hello fellow Makeup addicts! 

As you guys know, Shane is basically amazing (yes, I am a lucky girl!), and he completely outdid himself this year. He got me an early birthday present from SEPHORA! I had pointed out the Sephora Favorites Super Stars set from this year that I was drooling over, and he ordered it early for me so that it wouldn't be sold out from the holiday buyers. You KNOW I could not wait to open that sucker when it arrived, and I IMMEDIATELY took pictures so I could start trying the products out ASAP! So here is my Sephora haul and a brief review of the products. I will be doing full reviews + pictures of each product and posting them individually for a more in-depth look.

Full Super Stars set

Alright, first up is the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner. I love liquid liner, and it wound up being perfect that this was included in the set, because I had just run out of my old liquid liner when it arrived! I've already used this several times and can't rave about it more. It glides on so nicely, I have been able to get my winged eye on the first try a lot more often, which is a HUGE plus, because that is my go-to eye look.

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Rollerball: This perfume is super nostalgic for me. It smells EXACTLY like that So Pink perfume that Gap made (do they still make it?) and reminds me of high school, when every other girl smelled like this. I don't dislike it, by any means, it just brings back those days of wandering the mall. :)

This was another thing I was really excited about and have also used several times since I received it. The Anastasia Clear Brow Gel. In the last few months, I have started filling in my brows and haven't gotten around to buying a clear brow gel. I love this stuff, it is totally clear of course, but it makes my brows look a lot neater and holds them in place all day!

This is the Deborah Lippmann Treatment-infused Nail Color in Cleopatra in New York. I am actually currently wearing this over some black nail polish and I might never take it off. I am completely in love with this polish. As a glitter fiend, I appreciate a good glitter polish that doesn't take a million coats to have the effect you're going for. I swiped this on over my black base coat ONCE and it looks gorgeous. Highly recommend this polish! It also looks great on it's own because it isn't completely clear. 

I was also super pumped about receiving my first two NARS products! The first of which is this Nars Blush & Bronzing Powder Duo in Orgasm & Laguna. I have heard nothing but great things about NARS Orgasm blush, so of course I couldn't wait to try that. And I have to say, it is perfect. I love pinky blushes, and this went on beautifully. Doesn't look overly pink, and has a shimmer that doesn't make you look like you slapped some glitter on your face. Laguna is also great, I've used it once or twice so far, and it does give a nice light bronzy glow to my fair cheeks without looking ruddy or too dark. 

close-up of the NARS blusher/bronzer

outer packaging

Next up is the Origins GinZing™ Refreshing Eye Cream to Brighten and Depuff. I have used this a couple times after I've moisturized before bed and definitely have noticed a difference. Our sleep schedules have been super wonky for the last few months, so some days the bags under my eyes are darker than usual. This cream has noticeably helped brighten and de-puff. I love it! It's also super light and sinks into the skin fast without feeling greasy or heavy. 

A look at the inside of the eye cream.

This is the Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil. I've been on the fence about trying this for the last few years, because I've heard mixed reviews. I tried it just yesterday, and so far, I really like it. You can use it on your hair, nails, skin, feet...etc.
One of the negative reviews I saw was that it makes your hair look greasy, and I couldn't disagree more. I'm willing to bet whoever wrote that review just used a bit too much. And if you add too much oil to your hair... well, yeah, it's going to look oily. My hair naturally gets oily very quickly, and I didn't find that the Argan oil made it feel anything like that. I put 2 drops in my hands and rubbed them together to warm the oil, then ran my hands through my hair after showering and letting my clean hair air-dry. Before I put the oil on, my hair was clean, but a little dry and frizzy. A few minutes later, it felt so soft and looked shiny (NOT greasy!) and I couldn't stop touching it! 

This is the Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin & Mushroom. It was no surprise to me that I'd like this, mostly because I already own the Sin eyeshadow and use it almost every day. Of course I was happy to receive more, in fact, I had just started to get down to the bottom of the tin, so this arrived at the perfect time! I was anxious to try the Mushroom color, because I have to be super careful about dark shadows. I have super light skin and small eyelids, and if I use a shadow that's too dark, or accidentally use a bit too much of it, it will look like I just got socked in the eye. Mushroom turned out to be a perfect dark color for me. It is heavily pigmented, but a little bit goes a very long way. I have been putting Sin in the inner corner of my eyelid and using Mushroom on the outer corner, and I love the way it blends together. Awesome for an evening look. 

Opened tin.

Close-up of Sin/Mushroom

Next up is the Nars Lipstick in Dolce Vita. Apologies for the state of this lipstick. I promise it did not arrive like this. In my excitement of taking these photos and moving the makeup around, I forgot to screw down the lipstick and went to put the cap on, and it took a small chunk out of the top of the lipstick. Whoops! No big deal though. This definitely isn't a color I would normally pick out. Nudey-pink colors like this usually look awful on my teensy lips. This lipstick looks great, though. Of course. It brings out the pinkness of my lips without making them look too shiny (which I hate). It goes perfectly with my everyday makeup, which is great, because most of my lipsticks are red and much more bold, and most of the time I don't feel like dealing with the upkeep of red lipstick.  

This was another product I was on the fence about. Also heard mixed reviews. I like it a lot, but I can also see why some people don't like it. This is the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray that you can spray into your damp or dry hair to achieve that whole tousled, beachy look. I tried it once in my damp hair and once in my dry hair to see which I thought worked better. For me, it was the dry hair. When I sprayed it into my damp hair and scrunched it, it didn't really give me the effect I wanted, it just kind of tangled my hair up and made it sticky and I ended up creating a lot of split ends brushing it out later. HOWEVER, I used it on my dry hair that already has a natural wave to it, and it gave me some volume (which I NEED) and definitely made the waves more defined gave my hair some body as well. I would recommend trying this on your damp hair and your dry hair before you decide you don't like it, because I think it has a lot to do with your hair type. And maybe it really just isn't for some of you. But I will continue to use it when I want to add some extra oomph to my dry hair. :)

This is the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 35 in Light. I am a newbie to BB cream, so I actually googled how to apply them to make sure I was doing it right (haha). Basically, you can either use this as a concealer, a highlighter, and a foundation all in one. I have been using it as a foundation because it gives great coverage and moisturizes my skin (I still use moisturizer though). It also doesn't feel heavy like a foundation, it goes on more like a moisturizer. I love this! It's great if you still want coverage and a nice healthy glow to your face without putting on tons of makeup. 

This and the product below are a two-part mascara duo called Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Mascara Base & Top Coat and oz Too Faced Flexistretch™ Nylon Fibers. I am also a newbie to the whole nylon fibers thing, and it is sooooo weird to me. I had no idea what to expect, really.
First, you curl your lashes, then you take the gold tube (pictured above) and swipe your base coat of mascara on. Next you take the white tube (pictured below) and swipe on some of the nylon fibers. Then, you use the gold tube again and swipe on a top coat of the mascara. I was skeptical about this at first, because I thought the fibers would come off into my eye or make my eyelashes clumpy, and that couldn't be further from the truth.
I don't quite understand how this even works yet, but it does. my eyelashes looked beautiful and not clumpy at all. I will definitely be doing an individual post about this mascara pretty early on, mainly because it is fascinating to me.
There is a pro and a con that are one in the same though... it stays on your lashes REALLY REALLY well. Which means two things... A) It's going to last all day and look gorgeous, and B) It can be a pain in the ass to get off your lashes later. I still love it and that doesn't turn me away by any means, but that is the reason I don't buy waterproof mascara. I hate how much more difficult it is to get off.

nylon fiber tube

I absolutely love the freebies from Sephora! Here's what I came away with this time...
Givenchy Very Irresistable Perfume Sample
Jimmy Choo Flash Perfume Sample
Marchesa Perfume Sample
Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer Sample in Park Avenue Princess
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + Sample
Clinique Spot Healing Gel Sample

I also snagged a couple more cheapy things I wanted to try out...
Sephora Creamy Body Wash Caps in Toffee, Green Tea & Cotton Flower (for $1.00 apiece)
& Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Emerald Green

I just used the Cotton Flower body wash yesterday and LOVED the way it smelled. I kept sniffing my arms throughout the day... didn't even need perfume, these are great! I'm excited to try the other scents.

I haven't used the spot healing gel yet, mainly because I haven't had a need for it. But it is nice to have to try out when a breakout does occur.
I have used the moisturizing lotion several times, though, and LOVE it. I'm a moisturizer addict, and this one does not disappoint at all. Makes my skin feel smooth and silky, definitely not greasy or heavy at all, and sinks in quickly.

I haven't tried this yet, but will put up a review as soon as I do. I rarely wear bronzers, but it is fall, so now would be the time. :) 

I grabbed this because I really wanted a green liner, and I love this one! I was hesitant to get a pencil again, because I've never liked pencils much. This one glides on very smoothly, unlike most other pencils I've tried. I love using it on my waterline, It makes my green eyes pop and is a lot more subtle than black. And the price is not bad at all. $5, and they have tons of shades to choose from. I am tempted to go back and buy a few more!

Well, that's it for this brief review, As I said before, I'll post individual reviews with pictures of them actually ON my face. Today is not a makeup day, so I will start working on those tomorrow and get them on here ASAP. If you have any questions or if there are any specific products you'd like to see the in-depth reviews on FIRST, please comment here and let me know! I will do my best to get to the ones you want to know more about as quickly as I can! 

Thanks for reading! 

Meagan