HAUL x FIRST IMPRESSIONS | Sephora

Who's in the mood for a good Sephora haul? I know I am! As promised, here's a look at all the beauty bits I picked up at Sephora while I was in Boston last month. I also did some damage at Target and Colourpop, but I'll share those in a separate post 'cos there's so much goodness here already. Let's dive in!

The hotel we were staying at was located right next to a huge shopping complex, which - unfortunately for my wallet - included a very well-stocked Sephora. So naturally, I had to go in for a little peek. I take full responsibility for what happened next.

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop | First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy: Brighten, Depuff and Smooth in Fair/Medium | Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer in Light Warm | Fresh Sugar Sport Treatment Sunscreen SPF 30 | Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

I finally caved - after months and months of telling myself that I didn't need it in my life - and picked up the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop, and wow. It is the most stunning peachy gold shade and I've been wearing it all day, e'ery day. It is truly all it's hyped up to be and more. The First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Remedy: Brighten, Depuff and Smooth in Fair/Medium has become one of my favorite products to use in the morning - the applicator feels so cool and refreshing under my eyes and it truly does seem to depuff and brighten - but I still think the price ($36USD) is a bit steep for the amount you get. I wasn't that eager to try the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer, only because the Nars Creamy Concealer in Custard has been my ride-or-die high-end concealer, but I must say I am pleasantly surprised - the consistency is lighter without sacrificing coverage, and the shade I got in Light Warm is much more suited for brightening the under eyes and highlighting the face. I picked up the Fresh Sugar Sport Treatment Sunscreen SPF 30 without even researching about it because I love the brand that much and trust the quality of their products. So far, I've only used it once on the face and lips and it's worked really well - it's not greasy and smells like brown sugar and citrus! I got a backup of the Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, which I don't find absolutely essential for everyday, but is rather nice to have around for special occasions.

Sephora Collection Instant Nail Polish Remover + 14 Travel Size Wipes | Clinique Purifying Cleansing Brush Head Refill | BeautyBlender | Sephora Collection Classic Mini Multitasker Brush #45.5 | Sephora Collection The Natural: Citrus Brush Cleaner

I've been on the hunt for the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover for years - you know, the one in the tub where you dip your fingers in - and have not been able to find it anywhere! So when I saw that this Sephora Collection Instant Nail Polish Remover + 14 Travel Size Wipes was only $7USD and was in the same tub format, I snapped up two sets. Such a good deal! I purchased the Clinique Sonic System Purifying Cleansing Brush about two years ago (which I would not recommend btw, since only the handle vibrates and not the brush head itself) and stopped using it after just a few months. I picked up a Clinique Purifying Cleansing Brush Head Refill so that I could give it another shot, and Clinique recommends replacing the brush head every three months. As I've mentioned before, I always get a backup of my favorite BeautyBlender in every Sephora haul, it's the absolute best. The Sephora Collection Classic Mini Multitasker Brush #45.5 is a completely unnecessary purchase - I already have the full-sized version in #45 which I love - but this was just way too cute to pass up. When it comes to cleaning brushes, I've been on the hunt for something fast and effective, so cue the Sephora Collection The Natural: Citrus Brush Cleaner. I tried it in store on a dirty display brush and it worked like a charm, dried super fast and also smells like oranges. At just $6USD, highly recommend!

Sephora Favorites Eau So Luxe Perfume Sampler | Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Rollerball | Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita

I have no willpower when it comes to picking up Sephora sample perfume sets - this one is the Sephora Favorites Eau So Luxe Perfume Sampler - because it's just too good of a deal to pass up. It's $25USD and you get six samples, but also a voucher that lets you pick up a full-sized rollerball of whichever sample you fancy most. So essentially, you're getting a free rollerball. Uh, yes please! I ended up using the voucher to get the Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Rollerball, which I think every girl and her mother has tried and loves. What's funny is I distinctly remember disliking the scent when I tried it on a year ago - it was a bit too musky and spicy for my taste - but it has definitely grown on me. Hands down, the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita has been the hardest lip product for me to track down. Anyone else? It took me, no joke, over a year to finally find it in stores, and it's so surreal to now have it sitting in my makeup bag. I tried it on the second I got back to my room and it did not disappoint. I am and will forever be obsessed.

Sephora Favorites Paint It Pink

And perhaps the most exciting part of this haul is the Sephora Favorites Paint It Pink set that I picked up at the very last minute. Valued at $122USD, it was priced at just $40USD - which is an absolute steal considering a BeautyBlender is already $20USD, like what - and features eight beauty products, three which are full-sized, in everyone's favorite shade! The set includes a BeautyBlender (which I swear by), Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Rose Gold (who doesn't love rose gold?), Benefit Roller Lash Mascara (this is my current everyday mascara), Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in Baby Love (definitely my kind of color), Laura Mercier Velour Lovers Lip Colour in French Kiss (a bubblegum pink shade that's too bright for me but has a nice formula), Make Up For Ever Artist Pexi-Gloss #202 (super shiny but also super sticky), Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Blissful (love this range and this color), and Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Scratch (a really soft and buttery rose gold). This set is currently out of stock on Sephora's website - hmm, I wonder why - but if you ever happen to come across this, snatch it up and don't think twice!

Phew, that was long. I feel like I need to go lie down now. 

Hope you enjoyed this Sephora haul and was inspired to make some beauty purchases of your own! I'll be posting part two of my Boston beauty haul soon which includes goodies from Target and Colourpop. Don't miss it!

HAUL | Sephora.com and NYC

Warning. This post is long and may induce splurging. I will be showing you all my new beauty products that somehow made their way from store displays in the U.S into my makeup drawer back home in Hong Kong. 
           

This is a haul I’ve accumulated over the past few months – products that I bought while on holiday, and products I ordered online (that my best friend very kindly carried home for me). At Sephora, I am a Very Important Beauty Insider (VIB). Translation – I love makeup and I buy a lot of it. If I lived in the states, I’d be VIB Rouge for sure. Because I don’t, I only get to do Sephora hauls once, maybe twice a year. So when I get that opportunity, trust that I take advantage. Let's get started!
          

NARS Sheer Glow in Fiji | MAC Waterweight SPF 30 Foundation in NC 20 | bareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Buttercream 03 | Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizing Primer in Smoothing | Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
          

For the face, I caved and splurged on three foundations that have been on my wish list for quite some time. NARS Sheer Glow was the one product that I’ve wanted for years (probably since 2012) but just never got around to buying. I finally gave in when I found out recently that it was the foundation of choice by most brides on their wedding day. Flawless wedding-day skin? Yes please! MAC Waterweight SPF 30 Foundation was launched in the fall of last year, and I knew I wanted it the second I heard the name – I’m a sucker for natural, lightweight foundations and the SPF is a plus! I also picked up the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue, which seems to be the go-to foundation among beauty gurus for that radiant, everyday natural skin. I’ve heard glowing reviews on the Make Up For Ever Step 1 Skin Equalizing Primers and picked up the Smoothing primer for large pores and fine lines, because who wouldn’t want to hide those? The Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray was a spur-of-the-moment purchase while standing in line to pay at Sephora – also known as the Aisle of Doom. Oh, how I’ve fallen victim to it on so many occasions. But honestly, who could resist? The aisle offers a plethora of mini and travel sized products that are in the “that’s not too bad, I’ll give it a shot” price range that you can’t help but pick up more than a few. For setting powders, I picked up both the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder and Secret Brightening Powder after hearing that these are the best powders in the game, and also to cater to my newfound love for "baking".
       

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder | Secret Brightening Powder

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette | Sephora Collection Pro Flawless Airbush #56 | Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush | BeautyBlender | NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

          

I've craved for the Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette for so many months, and as you can read here in my recent review, I’m madly in lurve. The Sephora Collection Pro Flawless Airbrush #56 was the hardest to get my hands on – it was sold out in three Sephora stores in NYC and when I finally found it on my last day in the Big Apple, it was the last one left. Meant to be? I think so. The Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush is a “returned it, regretted it, repurchased it” product. I bought it a few years ago when Tarte first launched these blushes, and was disappointed in the color payoff. It wasn’t until recently that I’ve started to appreciate its subtlety and buildable quality. No Sephora haul is ever complete without getting a backup of my trusty BeautyBlender - I've been using it for years and it’s an absolute must-have in my books. The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer was another of my highly coveted products, but I couldn't seem to justify the price when so many drugstore concealers were doing the job. But cue the Aisle of Doom, and I’m checking out with a mini sized version.
          

Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette | Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion | Benefit Roller Lash Curling & Lifting Mascara | Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in 13 Marvelous Mauve

          
For the eyes, I had to pick up the Tarte Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette because matte eye shadows are my absolute jam, and the colors in the palette are right up my street. Neutral browns and taupes and purples. Yasss. I repurchased the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion after realizing my previous one was from more than a year (that’s a lie – two years) ago. Sorry, don’t judge. The mini size of the Benefit Roller Lash Curling & Lifting Mascara was another aisle-of-doom purchase and I don't regret it one bit. The Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve was love at first sight and I knew it had to be mine.
          

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser | GlamGlow Powermud Dualcleanse Treatment | Fresh Seaberry Restorative Body Cream

          

For skincare, I had to repurchase my favorite Fresh Soy Face Cleanser - it smells like cucumbers and removes all my makeup while keeping my skin feeling super soft. The GlamGlow Powermud Dualcleanse Treatment is another exciting addition to my growing GlamGlow collection. I had dragged my boyfriend to Sephora (for the second time that day) and he bought this for me while checking out the Aisle of Doom on his own. No one is safe, I'm telling you. The Fresh Seaberry Restorative Body Cream was an impulse purchase - I had never seen it in Hong Kong stores before - and I loved it so much that I went back the next day and bought an extra bottle (which I ended giving away to my dad, because I’m just that sweet of a daughter, you guys.)

Phew, we’re done!

I hope you enjoyed this haul and that I inspired a few (or more) beauty purchases! I will be doing in-depth reviews of these products in the near future, so stay tuned!