SEPHORA LOYALTY REWARDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS - DEC 2015

Sephora Loyalty Rewards are finally arriving so start checking the mailbox and/or your email! The loyalty rewards are redeemable starting today, Dec 2nd and consist of $25 off purchase of $50 for VIB Rouge, $20 off purchase of $50 for VIB and $15 off purchase of $50 for BI (Beauty Insiders). The loyalty reward is good for a one-time use and doesn't expire until Dec 13th for BI and Dec 14th for VIB Rouge and VIBs (they're given an extra day to redeem theirs).

Here is a roundup of several beauty recommendations to use with your loyalty reward and a few items I am considering purchasing as well.

My latest makeup brand obsession is Burberry; especially their wet / dry silk shadows. I recently purchased three and am currently testing them. So far they have exceeded my expectations. These shadows have a silky texture and are incredibly soft to the touch. There are a total of eighteen to choose from and I am eager to purchase more. If you plan on purchasing any of these I recommend you do so now as they tend to sell out rather quickly.

For those that crave a subtle eye look I highly recommend the Lancome Auda(City) in Paris eyeshadow palette. The color selection in this palette is not over the top or super bright. It is more of a subtle wash of neutrals with a slight punch of color. This highly underrated palette houses sixteen gorgeous shadows with amazing staying power. See my full review and swatches here for reference.

A few lip products I have been dying to try are the Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro lip colors. They are a matte lip stain with a velvety soft texture. These are quite popular and over half the colors tend to stay sold out. I am most interested in trying 507, a mauve rosy pink and 508, a pink nude. Hopefully Sephora will restock these before the loyalty rewards end.

This next item launches on the Too Faced website Dec 8th, the Chocolate Bon Bons eyeshadow palette. The palette IS available online at Sephora during their loyalty rewards period. I have the original Too Face Chocolate Bar palette and it contains a mixture of warm and cool toned eyeshadows. While this new palette is rumored to be all cool toned shades. I've seen a few online swatches on Instagram and it seems to house quite a few pink shades.

My last two recommendations are the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette and the Marc Jacobs The Sofia Five Piece Petites Le Marc Lip Creme Collection. The first item, the UD eyeshadow palette, is limited-edition so I would purchase this now as it will definitely sell out. The palette itself was created and developed with Gwen Stefani. It houses 15 of her must-have shades with the majority of the palette being somewhat neutral. The Marc Jacobs Sofia lipstick collection is available in store at Sephora and consists of five gorgeous mini Marc Jacobs lipsticks. I own several of his lipsticks and this is such a great value for your money!

BEAUTY HAULING / LATEST BEAUTY FINDS - JULY 2015 EDITION

Currently on my wishlist, or in my shopping cart waiting to be purchased , or already purchased and making it's way to me are a few of these goodies!

Givenchy Le Prisme Visage Mat Soft Compact Face Powder -
Currently on my list to purchase during the Sephora Beauty Insider Appreciation week are two Givenchy Le Prisme products: 21 Inspiration Rose and 87 Pink Velvet. Inspiration Rose is a Le Prisme blush powder and 87 Pink Velvet is a Le Prisme Visage Mat Soft Face powder. Both items were recently added to the Sephora website and are only available online.

NARS Baby Doll Lip Gloss -
Next up is the Nars fall collection. There are two glosses released with the Fall collection: Chelsea Girls and Baby Doll. Chelsea Girls is a nude pink and Baby Doll is a medium candy pink. I ordered the latter of the two and it should arrive either today or tomorrow at the latest so I'll try to post swatches. The rest of the collection is nice but it's a pass for me. I wasn't wowed by the velvet shadow sticks. Although there is a really nice eye palette I might get but I want to see and swatch it in person before I commit to it.

Marc Jacobs Beauty The Face III Buffing Foundation Brush -
OMG! Another Marc Jacobs brush! I must have this NOW...
The Face III is the new buffing foundation brush released in conjunction with the new Marc Jacobs full coverage foundation (see image at the top or the link below). I've purchased just about all of the Marc Jacobs brushes and they are absolutely fantastic and so worth the money. This brush will most definitely be going home with me.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate -
This is another product I'm super excited to try. Depending on how my skin is reacting I have several foundations in constant rotation. Most of my foundations offer light to medium coverage but there are times when I really need a good full coverage foundation. Especially for those days when I can't get my skin to cooperate and my hyperpigmentation is in full swing! The new Marc Jacobs Re(marc)able full cover foundation is specially formulated to give 24 hour coverage with a soft matte finish. Sign me up, I want it!

Dior 'Addict' Fluid Shadow -
The Dior Fall Cosmopolite collection features eight new fluid eyeshadows. At this time only six are currently available at counters but you can check out the other two here at Dior.com. Anyway, during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale I stopped by my local counter to see and swatch them in person and let me just say...LOVED THEM! There are two shades I definitely want to purchase: 655 Univers and 825 Aurora. There is a third shade 075 Eclipse I want as well but I have yet to find it anywhere.

Dior '5 Couleurs' Cosmopolite Couture Colours Effects Eyeshadow Palette (Limited Edition) -
Another item(s) from the Dior Fall collection are the two eyeshadow palettes: 766 Exubérante and 866 Electric. Both are gorgeous but I prefer the cooler colors housed in the Electric palette. The moss green, brown and burgundy colors are beautiful fall shades that will compliment my fair skin really nicely. I can't wait to purchase it.

Tom Ford Illuminating Powder -
New for Tom Ford is the illuminating powder. I have high expectations for this product especially for the $77 price tag. It is said to "diffuse imperfections and create radiant skin with this weightless and undetectable, micro-fine powder". My hope is the powder will brighten as well as illuminate the face and not enhance pores or dry patches. This is another product I will definitely need to see and swatch in person for sure.

Tom Ford Complexion Enhancing Primer -
I was most excited for the new Tom Ford complexion enhancing primers. There are two shades to choose from: Pink Glow and Peach Glow and both are said to compliment a wide range of skintones. It is a hydrating primer (Thank You Mr Ford!) that infuses skincare and makeup. It "brightens skin's undertone, reversing signs of dullness or fatigue, and helps neutralize the appearance of discoloration while minimizing the look of pores". YES, please! I think I need to buy a back up of this! I have already pre-ordered Pink Glow and it should ship out later next week. So you can expect swatches once it has delivered.

A few other products worth mentioning on my wishlist that I am looking to purchase are the Tom Ford eye and cheek shadow ombres, the Tom Ford illuminating duo powder and the Dior Diorskin Nude Cosmopolite Illuminating Face Powder.

302 ALLOW ME MARC JACOBS ENAMORED HI SHINE LIP LACQUER - SWATCHES AND REVIEW

Marc Jacobs 302 Allow Me is a glossy medium pink lip lacquer with a peppermint scent and fine flecks of sparkle with a slight iridescence. Allow Me is one of the brands more pigmented lip lacquers. When worn alone it applies with a nice wash of medium pink gloss and wears for about four hours. Over a lipstick such as Marc Jacobs Have We Met (see swatches here) it transforms itself into a beautiful iridescent glossy mauve pink and wears for about six to seven hours.

There are eighteen shades of Marc Jacobs enamored hi shine lip lacquers available for purchase. They currently retail for $28.00 USD, contain .16 fl oz of product and are available at Sephora.

THE FACE 1 MARC JACOBS LIQUID FOUNDATION BRUSH - REVIEW

The Face 1 is a Marc Jacobs liquid foundation makeup brush. The brush bristles are made up of synthetic fibers and the extremely large top was designed to give an airbrushed finish to the face. The ends of the brush bristles are tapered which prevents streaking or smudges during the application process. The FACE 1 brush currently retails for $48.00 USD and is sold exclusively in-store and online at Sephora.

While this is a nice brush to have in your collection - it's definitely not a "must-have". The weight of the brush feels rather cumbersome and continuous pro-longed use will almost certainly tire out the hand. During the application of my foundation I found the over-sized top just way too large and not very effective especially when using a thicker foundation formula. The tapered bristles didn't pick up enough product and what product it did pick up was mainly centered in the middle of the brush - maybe if the brush bristles were more dense it might have worked better for me. I even tried using the brush with my Guerlain meteorites but the brush bristles were way to soft to really pick up any product. Then I tried using the brush with my loose face powders and I did achieve better results but overall, in my opinion, the FACE 1 makeup brush just doesn't live up to all the hype.

310 STUDDED KISS MARC JACOBS LUST FOR LACQUER SHEER LIP VINYL

LUST FOR LACQUER SHEER LIP VINYL - $28.00 USD

310 STUDDED KISS - shimmering berry lavender

What it is:
A champagne grape-infused lip vinyl with a shimmery wash of lust-worthy, sheer-coverage color.

What it does:
Satisfy your lip gloss craving with Marc’s lighthearted, champagne grape-infused lip vinyl. This lightly pigmented, plumping formula is infused with antioxidants, essential oils, and a hint of effervescence for a perfect pout with the highest shine. The patented, pillowed applicator glides on the lip vinyl for precise application with a shimmery, lust-worthy finish.

312 LUST FOR LIFE MARC JACOBS LUST FOR LACQUER SHEER LIP VINYL

LUST FOR LACQUER SHEER LIP VINYL - $28.00 USD

312 LUST FOR LIFE - shimmering reddish raspberry

What it is:
A champagne grape-infused lip vinyl with a shimmery wash of lust-worthy, sheer-coverage color.

What it does:
Satisfy your lip gloss craving with Marc’s lighthearted, champagne grape-infused lip vinyl. This lightly pigmented, plumping formula is infused with antioxidants, essential oils, and a hint of effervescence for a perfect pout with the highest shine. The patented, pillowed applicator glides on the lip vinyl for precise application with a shimmery, lust-worthy finish.

302 KISSABILITY MARC JACOBS LUST FOR LACQUER SHEER LIP VINYL

LUST FOR LACQUER SHEER LIP VINYL - $28.00 USD

302 Kissability - shimmering lilac pink

What it is:
A champagne grape-infused lip vinyl with a shimmery wash of lust-worthy, sheer-coverage color.

What it does:
Satisfy your lip gloss craving with Marc’s lighthearted, champagne grape-infused lip vinyl. This lightly pigmented, plumping formula is infused with antioxidants, essential oils, and a hint of effervescence for a perfect pout with the highest shine. The patented, pillowed applicator glides on the lip vinyl for precise application with a shimmery, lust-worthy finish.

I purchased three Marc Jacobs Lust For Lacquer Sheer Lip Vinyls during Sephora's pre-sale of a few select Marc Jacobs beauty items. Read more about the pre-sale here. The entire collection is now available (as of August 9th) at all Sephora stores and online at Sephora.com. The glosses retail at $28.00 for .16 oz and at this time there are a total of six glosses available. I purchased three of the glosses: 302 Kissability, 310 Studded Kiss, and 312 Lust For Life.

302 Kissability is described as a shimmering lilac pink. It is a rather sheer gloss but it deposits enough color that it could be described as a "my lips but better (mlbb)" shade. There is a faint sweet candy scent to the gloss but it isn't anything overpowering. Once applied the gloss leaves behind or has a slight minty feel on the lips almost similar to a lip plumper. The gloss lasted two to three hours wear time and it didn't dry out my lips but there was slight shimmer residual left on my lips afterwards.

204 THE STARLET MARC JACOBS BEAUTY STYLE EYE-CON NO 7 PLUSH EYESHADOW PALETTE

Sephora.com recently offered their VIB members the opportunity to purchase a few select pre-sale items from the MARC JACOBS BEAUTY line. The full collection will be launching on August 9th so if you missed out on the pre-sale you will have another opportunity to make a purchase when it launches.

During the pre-sale there were two Style eye-con No 7 eyeshadow palettes available: The Starlet 204 and The Tease 202. I went with The Starlet 204 because it seemed to have a more diverse color range than The Tease 202. The latter housed a range of purple eyeshadows which were nice but not very appealing to me. With the Starlet 204 palette the color ranges are so diverse they will work for just about everyone.

The staying power and the pigmentation for these shadows are among the best. The shadows are a powder formula but felt creamy to the touch. When swatching I barely touched the shadows and the color intensity was insane. All the shadows kept their vibrant color when applied to the lid and all wore for a solid 6-8 hours with little to no creasing during that time. After about 12 hours I noticed minimal fading and slight creasing but nothing too significant.   

Please note:
Not pictured is a single sponge applicator that is supposed to come with this palette but I checked all the packaging and mine was missing. Also, the net total weight for the eyeshadows is .24 oz. 

Read more about the pre-sale collection here: MARC JACOBS BEAUTY SEPHORA VIB PRESALE

The Starlet 204 -
metallic muted lilac, metallic champagne pink, metallic dark copper brown, metallic bright copper, metallic gold, metallic bluish silver, metallic gunmetal gray

STYLE EYE-CON NO. 7 PLUSH EYESHADOW - $59.00 USD

What it is:
A super skinny, sleek palette of seven eye shadows that harmoniously marry with a creamy, sumptuous finish.

What it does:
A super skinny and sleek design will instantly make these seven harmonized shadows become your eye essentials. Each palette of shimmery metallics, buttery mattes, and lustrous sheens are made with advanced pigments that allow true, instant color payoff, and long-lasting plush performance. Marc invites you to play and become your own Style Eye-Con.

(L to R) metallic muted lilac, metallic champagne pink, metallic dark copper brown, metallic bright copper, metallic gold, metallic bluish silver, metallic gunmetal gray

PRIVATE INVITATION: MARC JACOBS BEAUTY (SEPHORA VIB)

SEPHORA VIB's get early access to the new MARC JACOBS BEAUTY collection. This collection will not be available again until August 9th. So hurry and get your SHOP ON!

Please note: This is only a portion of the beauty collection that is available for sale right now! There will be loads more of gorgeous beauty items to come on August 9th.

Here is the link and happy shopping! - MARC JACOBS BEAUTY

THE 48-HOUR EARLY ACCESS STARTS NOW
Online only Friday 7/19 to Saturday 7/20 11:59 PM PDT

BE THE FIRST TO EXPERIENCE MARC JACOBS BEAUTY
Only at Sephora. Only for VIBs. Only 48 Hours.

STYLE EYE-CON NO. 3 PLUSH SHADOW - $42.00 USD

What it is:
A petite set of three plush eye shadows that harmoniously marry with a creamy, sumptuous finish.

What it does:
Each mini palette of shimmery metallics, buttery mattes, and lustrous sheens are made with advanced pigments that allow true, instant color payoff and long-lasting, plush performance. Shades are cleverly sized to suit your eye shadow needs. Marc invites you to play and become your own Style Eye-Con.

The Glam 108 - warm cream/metallic bronze with gold shimmer/peachy copper sheen

The Mod 112 - eggshell white/black with iridescent shimmer/light grayish taupe

STYLE EYE-CON NO. 7 PLUSH EYESHADOW - $59.00 USD 

What it is:
A super skinny, sleek palette of seven eye shadows that harmoniously marry with a creamy, sumptuous finish.

What it does:
A super skinny and sleek design will instantly make these seven harmonized shadows become your eye essentials. Each palette of shimmery metallics, buttery mattes, and lustrous sheens are made with advanced pigments that allow true, instant color payoff, and long-lasting plush performance. Marc invites you to play and become your own Style Eye-Con.

The Starlet 204 -
metallic muted lilac, metallic champagne pink, metallic dark copper brown, metallic bright copper, metallic gold, metallic bluish silver, metallic gunmetal gray

The Tease 202 -
purple sheen, matte grayish purple, matte pale pink, iridescent champagne sheen, metallic pastel pink w/gold shimmer, matte bright aubergine, deep aubergine w/iridescent shimmer

MAGIC MARC'ER PRECISION PEN - $30.00 USD

What it is:
A liquid eyeliner inspired by the classic calligraphy pen for drawing the finest lines and achieving perfect definition.

What it does:
This waterproof liquid eyeliner pen features a calligraphy-inspired proprietary capillary system that draws thick and thin lines for accentuating the lash line or building a bolder look. This never-seen-before shade was developed in Japan to create the shiniest and blackest black on the market. The fast-working, no-transfer, no-fade formula lasts all day. This sleek liner begs to be held and is suitable for the boardroom.

Blacquer

LUST FOR LACQUER SHEER LIP VINYL- $28.00 USD

What it is:
A champagne grape-infused lip vinyl with a shimmery wash of lust-worthy, sheer-coverage color.

What it does:
Satisfy your lip gloss craving with Marc’s lighthearted, champagne grape-infused lip vinyl. This lightly pigmented, plumping formula is infused with antioxidants, essential oils, and a hint of effervescence for a perfect pout with the highest shine. The patented, pillowed applicator glides on the lip vinyl for precise application with a shimmery, lust-worthy finish.

304 Overprotected - shimmering pastel pink | New

308 Heart Shaped - shimmering baby pink | New

302 Kissability - shimmering lilac pink | New

310 Studded Kiss - shimmering berry lavender | New

312 Lust For Life - shimmering reddish raspberry | New

Lip Lock Moisture Balm - $24.00 USD

What it is:
A buttery, rich lip balm with SPF 18 that locks in hydration.

What it does:
Meet the ultimate makeout accessory—the addictive and refreshing minty flavor will keep you coming back for more. With nature’s best exotic oils and butters like andiroba, buriti, shea, and avocado, this moisture balm is too good not to share. Indulge. Hydrate. Repeat.

What else you need to know:
Broad spectrum SPF 18 protects lips from harmful UV rays which are the number one cause of premature skin aging, leading to skin discoloration, loss of elasticity, and the appearance of fine lines.