Sephora

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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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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What I Wore Wednesday, Vol. 9: Purple Wings and Lips

April 19th, 2017 by Karen 41 Comments

It’s been a minute since I’ve worn this much color! It felt SO good though. I was inspired by a picture I saw of model Ruby Rose on Urban Decay’s website wearing purple winged liner with matching sparkly purple lips.

So I took the idea and ran with it. I’m wearing a lot of Urban Decay in this look, including their Afterdark Eyeshadow Palette.

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Today’s Mini Sephora Haul

March 15th, 2017 by Karen 14 Comments

I think I’m at the point where I should just stop pretending that I can go into Sephora and leave with just one thing.

Like really Karen? Who do you think you’re foolin’?

I went in there today to grab a new bottle of Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch-Up Spray, which is THE BEST tinted spray I’ve ever found to temporarily hide gray roots between coloring sessions.

It’s $25, so it’s a little expensive, but it’s the only one of these sprays that hasn’t made my scalp itchy and make my hair feel stiff or look too matte.

Basically, it’s epic, and if I did the math on how many of these bottles I’ve bought over the past few years… Well, I don’t want to do the math because I’d probably pass out on the spot.

So, yeah, I went into the store for this. That’s all I wanted, but of course I also walked out with a bottle of Sephora Perfect Mist Airbrush Foundation in Medium, which has like a billion great reviews on the Sephora website and gets 4 1/2 stars. It’s comes in 13 colors for $28 each.

I was just about to head over to the register to pay for the bottle of Rita Hazan when I saw it and thought, “I’ll swatch a couple, just for fun,” and I probably would’ve walked away if I hadn’t seen it in Medium, which was practically the same color as my skin…but I did see it in Medium.

Oh, well!

My skin has slightly warm undertones (warmer in the summer), and I can’t always find matching foundation shades that aren’t too pink or peach for me.

I’m stoked to try it because I’ve heard it’s like Dior Airflash… which is like $62 BIG ONES. I used Dior Airflash once a long time ago during a makeover, and I remember liking the feel but not the color (too pink).

Hopefully Perfect Mist is a better match.

Have you ever tried Sephora Airbrush? If you have, lemme know. I’m curious.

Oh! I almost forgot. Today for the first time ever I asked a lady if I could take a picture of her tattoo. I can’t post it because I told her that I’d only share it with my brother (he’s got tons of tattoos), but it was so cool! It looked like one of those little Leggo people wearing a black ninja outfit, and it had cat ears. Or it was a Leggo cat woman. Not sure.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Almost forgot… I also left with a sample of Sunday Riley Good Genes, which I actually needed because I’m running low. 🙂

My Latest Skincare Finds for Combination Skin

July 1st, 2016 by Adia Goss 12 Comments

Over the past year or two, my decidedly normal skin became very “combination.”

Maybe it was my cross-country move from NYC to the Bay Area, or maybe it’s just that I’m in my 30s now, but I’m constantly looking for the right products for my sensitive, combination skin.

Here are some things I’ve been testing:

combination-skin-2 — The skincare products I’ve been testing lately (L to R): boscia Charcoal Mattifying Makeup Setting Spray, Erborian Bamboo Matte Lotion, Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 and Sephora Clarifying Booster

I don’t like heavy skin products, especially now that it’s consistently over 85 degrees every day, so I’ve been trying out all kinds of different things, from setting sprays and toners, to SPF and skincare boosters.

First up is Erborian Bamboo Matte Lotion (available at Sephora for $34). It’s the product I’ve been using the longest of this bunch, and for good reason. I love it! It’s definitely earned a place in my skincare routine.

It’s actually a toner, and I picked it up randomly one day at Sephora because I’d been curious about it for a while. As you can see in the photo above, a powder settles at the bottom of the bottle. I just give it a quick shake and apply directly to my face.

Since my skin is classic combination right now — dry on my cheeks and shiny along my T-zone — I can’t really get down with strong toners because they just make my skin feel too tight, but this Bamboo Matte Lotion manages to work well wherever I use it.

The water is infused with moisturizing bamboo, but the powder helps soak up oil.

I love applying this after I wash my face. It just balances my skin so perfectly.

I’ve also been testing Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 (also available at Sephora, and it’s $40).

It’s a moisturizer with SPF, and I definitely like the convenience of having one product that does both. It does a great job preventing shine, but at the end of the day, my cheeks feel a bit tight when I use it. I don’t think that translates into visual dryness, but I can feel it!

Also, I feel like SPF 15 is pretty low for a sunscreen, and I like to wear SPF 30 at least. My uncle was diagnosed with skin cancer when I was in junior high, and even though he was able to get treatment in time and is doing just great now, that experience alerted me to the danger of not protecting myself from the sun.

I’m gonna get off my soapbox now, but outside of the low SPF, I think this Murad does a good job at keeping my skin matte.

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