Sephora

Sephora Sale Shopping

April 18th, 2023 by Karen 11 Comments

I’m really excited about the skin care, makeup and hair goodies I picked up recently at the Sephora sale. 🙂

A couple of standby favorites were in the mix of course; Kate Somerville Anti Bac and Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown, I’m talking to you!

I also grabbed a few new-to-me things, including this box of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Peel Pads.

I’m hesitant to add any steps to my already very simple skincare routine, but I’ve been needing some help with hyperpigmentation and heard raves from derms and estheticians about how this product works wonders on acne, uneven tone and fine lines.

You’re supposed to use it the in evenings, two to three times a week, which I can totally handle. Anything more than that, ugh, forget about it.

Have you tried it? I’m excited about it!

And because I’m a sunscreen hoarder, I bought a tube of Innisfree Daily UV Defense. Side note, I write for Innisfree! Anywho, it has chemical filters and is supposed to layer well with makeup. I plan to use it as an everyday sunscreen.

I’ve come to the realization that I really love trying foundations and concealers and can no longer fight the obsession. I couldn’t resist the siren call of Charlotte Tilbury’s Beautiful Skin Foundation and Concealer. I bought 8 Warm in the Foundation and 8 in the Concealer, by the way.

The Foundation is spot on my color, but I’m thinking the Concealer might be a little too light for my under-eye area. Hmm. I’m debating on whether or not I need to exchange it.

Last but not least, I finally gave in and bought a full-size version of Bumble and Bumble’s Hairdressers Invisible Oil. I love this stuff! It’s great for softening and smoothing ends. The trick is, though, to apply a tiny bit, otherwise your hair will feel super greasy.

I’m hoping the bottle will last me forever. LOL!

Anywho, let me know if you’ve tried any of these things. I always love to hear what you like and don’t like.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Happy Tuesday!

Sephora VIB Sale Recommendation: Tower 28 Pistachio AKA the BEST Purse Gloss | Fancy Lady Tea at Crown & Crumpet

April 12th, 2023 by Karen 12 Comments

I’m wearing Tower 28 Milky Lip Jelly in Pistachio

Hiya! Happy Wednesday. The Sephora Savings Event is coming soon (see here for details). If you’re looking for an easy gloss to wear that you can just toss in your purse, consider adding Tower 28 Shine On Milky Lip Jelly in Pistachio ($16) to your wishlist.

It’s a moisturizing, semi-sheer nude pink gloss that’s I’ve been been wearing steadily since February. It doesn’t dry out my lips and is just sticky enough to stay on! I like the formula so much that I’m going to grab a couple other shades — Seasame (a semi-sheer mauve) and XOXO (a sheer pink).

I wore it yesterday to a “fancy lady tea” with Connor at a tea house in Marin called Crown & Crumpet. She’s home for spring break this week, so we’re hanging out and doing all the fun things.

Connor ordered an herbal peach tea with her kids’ tea service, and our sweet and attentive waitress thoughtfully brought out a cup of ice so that we could cool the tea down in her cup immediately. I love nice touches like that, don’t you?

Anywho, I ordered a regular tea service with all the fixings and a big pot of darjeeling (YUM), which I drank joyfully with plenty of milk and sugar!

You know what I realized while I was there? I’m not a fan of crumpets. The one I had was a little chewy, and I felt like I was eating bread-flavored gum. LOL! I did love the scone and all the tiny sandwiches, though.

If you happen to visit with littles, FYI, right down the street is an awesome playground with a huge rope climbing structure. It’s a great place to get some wiggles out.

OH! If you visit the playground and need to use the lavatory afterwards, you can walk right around the corner back to Crown & Crumpet to use the loo. That’s what I did because DANG, that tea goes right through ya.

Anywho, we had a great time! Highly recommend it if you’re ever in the neighborhood.

I’ve really been enjoying my time with her this week. It’s really starting to hit me just how big she’s getting and how short the window I have for her wanting to hang out with me truly is.

Hope everything is going well with you!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Do you have any Sephora recommendations for me?

What’s on Your Sephora VIB Sale Wish List?

August 21st, 2019 by Karen 14 Comments

The Sephora VIB 15% sale is happening meow (it goes until August 27)!

Inquiring minds want to know… What’s on your wish list?

This time around, mine list includes a beauty bouquet of the usual suspects I hoard. For instance, I “need” another bottle of Kate Somerville Ani Bac, and another Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen, a few hair things, and (of course) foundation, which is apparently my makeup Achilles’ heel.

Everything Olaplex: Everyone I know raves about this brand, and I really want to try ALL THE THINGS, including the No. 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo ($28), the Hair Pefector No. 3 ($28), No. 5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner ($28) and the new No. 7 Bonding Oil ($28).
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer: Their iconic tinted moisturizer has new packaging and a new formula, and I reeeeeally want to try it. Back in the day, the O.G. one was one of my makeup bag staples… I wonder if the new version is just as good.
Josie Maran Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation Fluid: This medium-to-full coverage liquid foundation has been on my radar for a while, but I keep getting distracted by other things, ha ha!
Shiseido MicroLiner Ink: I’m enamored with the super skinny tip of this twist-up liner, which is supposed to last a long time and be excellent for tightlining.
Budget skin care products: SO MANY bare-bones, affordable skin care products have come out over the past few years, and Sephora stocks quite a few of them. I’m very curious about the AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution by The Ordinary (only $7.20!) and The Inkey ListNiacinamide ($6.99).

How about you? What’s on your VIB wish list?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Unsung Heroes: The $6 Sephora Collection Eco Biodegradable Sharpener

August 20th, 2019 by Karen 5 Comments

makeup pencil sharpener — All that and a bag of chips!

What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.

Y’all…with the 15% off VIB sale happening now, I know you’re busy playing chicken with your Sephora cart, but please take a moment to consider one of the most underrated (and best!) tools the mother ship has to offer — the $6 Biodegradable Pencil Sharpener, otherwise known as “the pencil sharpener that elevated my winged liner and saved me from a lifetime of makeup misery.”

It’s the only makeup pencil sharpener I’ve ever owned that I haven’t wanted to hurl across the room.

From sephora.com:

What it is:
A professional-grade, two-in-one pencil sharpener made of an innovative, biodegradable, and sustainable bio-polymer.

What it does:
The Eco Biodegradable Sharpener is a perfect accessory to your cosmetic collection. This sharpener not only accomodates a multitude of pencil sizes, but you can feel confident knowing that you are also helping the environment when you dispose of it. The corn-based PLA body of this sharpener is biologically degradable, while the blade is recyclable. Made in Germany, the carbon steel blades give your pencils the perfect pointed tips for flawless application.

What else you need to know:
This sharpener can be used with a multitude of pencils, sized from 8mm to 12mm. It includes a removable pick tucked neatly into the body to help dislodge the toughest pieces of shavings and lead from the blade.

Sharpest tips EVRRRR

Every successful kitten flick I wore this summer, I totally owe to this sharpener. You know how sometimes you’ll sharpen a pencil, and the end will get nice and pointy but then immediately when you run it across your skin the tip breaks off? That happens to me all the time…but never with this sharpener. The blades whittle dull tips into sharp points with just a few twists and turns, yet they still hold back juuuuuust enough from going past the point of no return.
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Sephora VIB Recommendations: It’s Time!

April 16th, 2018 by Karen 34 Comments

Good luck to you (and good luck to me) exercising self-restraint at the Sephora VIB sale, which we’re in the midst of now. If you’re in the mood to treat yo’self, here are some skin care, makeup and hair products I love and can wholeheartedly recommend.

Sephora’s Spring Bonus sale starts on April 13 for members of its Beauty Insider rewards program.

VIB Rouge members will get 15% off their entire purchase on April 13 – April 16 and April 20 – April 23.

VIB members will get 15% off on April 20 – April 23, when Insiders will get 10% as well.

Gift sets are a great way to get the most bang for your buck during the sale, since they are already good value before they are discounted.

Customers are limited to one Dyson product and three Drunk Elephant products per purchase; products from the online-exclusive brand The Ordinary are not available as part of the sale.

Skin care

Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover for Lids, Lashes & Lips — takes E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G off
Kate Somerville Anti-Bac Clearing Lotion — LOVE ? OF MY LIFE
Caudalie Vine Body Butter and Caudalie Hand & Nail Cream — for the driest of the dry skinned
AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Enzyme Peel — helped clear up a bad breakout a few years back
All the stuff from Clarins that I love — the Toning Lotion with Chamomile, Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs, Instant Eye Makeup Remover and Tonic Body Treatment Oil

Makeup

Urban Decay Cannonball Waterproof Mascara — I’ve been wearing this off and on for six years (!) and still love it for the length, separation and curl
Awesome neutral palettes — Tarte Tartelette in Bloom Palette and Viseart Neutral Palette
Hourglass Arch Brow — all that and a bag of salt and vinegar chips!
Hourglass Brilliant Nude Blush — natural-looking cheeks
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer — fantastic for covering dark circles and skin imperfections, and the coverage looks legit natural
Make Up For Ever Mist + Fix — an underrated, IMO, and awesome setting spray
NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder –set the MUFE concealer with this
Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint Shadow in L-54 — gorgeous on its own for 10-minute makeup, but it also layers really well with Tartelette In Bloom and the Viseart Neutral Palette
Sephora Collection Colorful Shadow & Liner in Violet — an unsung hero of the purple liner world
NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base — best of the best!
Liquid liner loves — Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen and Clinique Pretty Easy Pen

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Sephora Beauty Insider Collectible Pin Set

January 18th, 2018 by Karen 23 Comments

Throughout the entire history of “Karen going to Sephora,” which is a long history, I’ve never gotten as excited about a Sephora Beauty Insider points exchange as I got for this Collectible Pin Set.

How cute is this!? It’s sooo cute, right? I had to (“had to,” air quotes) go to Sephora last week… Was it last week? Yeah, it was just before I got sick.

Anywho… I had to pick up another bottle of Kate Somerville Anti Bac Clearing Lotion because I was down to the last drop, and without it my face totally breaks out. So, I ran to Sephora, grabbed it, grabbed an $8 lipstick too (we’ll talk about that in a second), and when I was at the front counter, I saw this cute little set of four enamel pins.

sephora beauty insider collectible pin set — I couldn’t say no.

When the sales associate asked me if I wanted to redeem any points, I didn’t use my standard answer, which is almost always “no” because I’m hardly ever really moved by any of the chintzy samples they give away for like 500 points, but I saw these pins and was like, “YES, GIRL. HOOK A CAT LADY UP.”

OK, there are four pins… There’s a peace sign with painted nails. That one’s very sassy.

sephora beauty insider collectible pins peace — Nail art lives!

There’s this unicorn, whom I’ve named “Treasure.”

sephora beauty insider collectible pins unicorn — Say hi to Treasure.

This trio of cute little hearts…

sephora beauty insider collectible pins hearts — Hearts are my thing, man.

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Sephora Adventures: Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo, Drunk Elephant Tinted Umbra Tinte Daily Defense, and Pinrose Perfumes

May 23rd, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

sephora adventures with connor — Practicing her #RBF

I swear, my last trip to Sephora was Connor’s idea. If she looks a little crabby in this picture, it’s because she’s practicing her #RBF (resting baby face).

I went to grab a couple things I’ve been wanting to try from my lust list, and speaking of that, that list has been exercising my wallet in ways I did not anticipate, LOL!

First, there’s this clarifying Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo.

I had a a lot of product buildup in my hair after using a Klorane shampoo and mask, and Sunday Shampoo, which I used on Saturday (such a rebel!), got my hair feeling normal again. Buuuuuut, I still think I’m going to return it, because I read on the Sephora website (and don’t ask my why this didn’t sink in beforehand) that it isn’t recommended for color-treated hair, which I have.

Oh, well… It was fun while it lasted.

I do like the idea using a clarifying shampoo every so often to remove buildup from dry shampoo and other hair products, so I’m thinking about exchanging it for a shampoo by Briogio, a natural hair care line at Sephora, called Be Gentle, Be Kind Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo. It’s $24, so about the same price as the Bumble shampoo, which is $25, but it’s supposed to safe for color-treated hair.

I hope it smells good. 🙂

Also, while I was there, I picked up a tube of new Drunk Elephant Umbra Tinte Physical Daily Defense Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 30 ($36) with 20% zinc oxide.

Zinc oxide usually leaves a white cast on darker skin, but this one doesn’t! It’s really neat. I thought it would be too deep or peachy for me, but it isn’t. I can’t see it at all, which is great, and there’s no white cast! I used it on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and my skin really likes it so far. It has a light mousse-y texture, so it absorbs quickly, and I don’t have to sit there working it in for days and days. Plus, it isn’t sticky, so it doesn’t leave my neck feeling gross, and it layers under foundation well.

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Purple Power! A New Purple Liner Love I Found at Sephora

May 16th, 2017 by Karen 15 Comments

purple eyeliners — Kindasorta obsessed with purple at the moment. Here’s an assortment of old faves (and a new one!) from the top: MAC Eye Kohl in Prunella ($17), Urban Decay Glide on Eye Pencil in Vice ($20), Sephora Colorful Shadow & Liner in Violet ($14), Make Up For Ever Waterproof Eye Pencil in 1-90 ($21) and MAC Pearlglide Intense in Designer Purple ($17)

It’s both wonderful and terrifying to live so close to a Sephora, because when I get on a makeup whim, I can just hop in my car, and BAM! Five minutes later I’ve got every purple liner in the store swatched on the back of my hand.

Yeah, I’m going through a purple liner phase right meow, big time (in case you haven’t noticed, LOL!). I love the look of a warm brown lid with purple liner on the lash lines. I’ve just been into it lately! Please be patient with me as I work my way through it…

Anyways, Connor convinced me to go to Sephora last Friday (yes, it was all the baby’s doing), so we went looking for a new purple to add to my collection. This latest love is a shade called Violet by Sephora Collection.

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