Hello! Like I promised, I am here to give you my shopping list for the 20% off event. I am actually headed to Sephora today after lunch, so I will do a haul post after I buy everything from instores and online :D

Sephora always gets me with their 20% off. I've reached a point in my makeup/beauty life now, where I can control my impulsive needs to buy ALL the lipsticks and eyeshadow palettes, but 20% off is such a good deal, I always waver between buying the new Christmas limited edition palettes and lipstick sets and just sticking with restocking on my basics/HGs.

So without further ado, here is the list of things I will definitely be buying:

Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Encre de Peau

This is my HG foundation, the Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Encre de Peau. It's super light weight, but provides medium to full coverage, and is build-able. The thinness of this foundation may not work for those of you who have acne or other similar skin troubles, but if you skin is relatively "smooth", I would definitely recommend this. It covers all my hyper-pigmentation and makes my skin super smooth. I often forget I'm even wearing foundation.

Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Night Infusion Cream

I recently finished up my jar of Philosophy Hope in A Jar Night. I've used this one consistently for about 2 years now, and it does a superb job of moisturizing my skin during Toronto's shitty winters but I find that it doesn't do much other than moisturize my skin. Seeing as there's all these newer products out on the market now, I've decided to try Caudalie's Resveratrol Lift Night Infusion Cream. It claims to visibly redefine facial contours, which I highly doubt.... but why not give it a shot. Sephora's excellent return policy means that I can just try this product and if it doesn't work as well as I'd like it to, I can just return it and get my Philosophy night cream as usual.

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos™ Glycolic Night Serum

I'm in the market for a good serum, and I stumbled upon Drunk Elephant's T.L.C. Framboos Glyolic Night Serum. I'm hoping my skin will react positively to this, as this will be my first time trying out AHA. It's got good reviews, and a lot of people say that it's completely healed their skin troubles, while it didn't do much for others. The $112 price tag is quite steep but with 20% off, I figured I might as well try it, and if it doesn't do anything for my skin, or if it breaks me out, I can just return it.

Anastasia Brow Wiz

Stocking up on another HG product. I'm currently using Anastasia's Brow Wiz in the colour taupe, but they've changed the colours/names yet again and replaced the lightest one with taupe. I try to get the same colour as the dipbrow pomade, and seeing as those all the other colours but taupe don't match my hair colour, I'll probably repurchase taupe.

MUFE Step 1 Base Equalizer

I actually have the Hydrating Primer in the travel sized version, but I will repurchase in the nourishing primer full sized one because I find that it works and is super good. I wish MUFE would come out with more travel sized versions because $43 is kinda steep :(

Now let's move on to a list of items I want to buy, but probably will not buy because I think I can control myself... but all the limited edition stuff released for Christmas is super cute and has great value this year so ugh what is my life:

SEPHORA COLLECTION hakuho-do + SEPHORA PRO Kanpeki Perfection Brush Set

A motherfucking set for the Hakuho-do + Sephora Pro brushes. A SET OF THEM. When they were originally released, they were released individually and were priced like $60 each SO THIS SET IS SUCH A GOOD DEAL BUT UGH I don't really need those brushes in my life anyways, so this is something I'm gonna pass on. But the brushes are such good quality. I have the angled concealer brush, which doubles as a highlighter brush (and that's what I use it for), and the bristles are so smooth and soft on my face. Why am I poor.

Clarisonic Mia 2 Keith Haring "Dance" Skin Cleansing System

Clarisonics' are HGs for some, and a complete waste of money for others. I kinda want to try it out, but as my skin isn't breaking out into hives or whatever just yet... (knock on wood), I don't really need to spend this kind of cash, even though the Keith Haring special edition is one I would totally buy just because I resonate with its message.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana White Dry Shampoo

I actually own the Elizabeth and James Nirvana White perfume so when this came out in a dry shampoo formulation, I wanted it so bad. I love the scent of the perfume and it's the exact same scent in the dry shampoo but because it's ridiculously overpriced at $34, I'm probably not buying this. My Batise dry shampoo for $7 works pretty good so there's no need to buy one that's more expensive.

Marc Jacob Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 20 - Plush Eyeshadow

Marc Jacob has released this super gorgeous eyeshadow palette for the Christmas season and I want it soooooo bad. It's got a good mix of neutrals and just a pop of smokey colour and I love the addition of all the purples. But I've got already got enough eyeshadow, and another one isn't going to help me.

I  think this is the finalized list of things I'm going to buy and things that I want, but I know I'm going to be enthralled by all the tiny travel sized shit near the checkout counter so watch me come home with more lipsticks than I need...

Anyways, happy shopping everybody! What are you buying this year? Let me know in the comments below :)

The time for shopping has arrived! Sephora's annual 20% off sale event starts tonight (if you're RSVP-ed to attend their private shopping event), and lasts until the 9th. Rouges get 20% everything Sephora carries, which makes this their best sale of the year. Brands that never go on sale, like Marc Jacob Beauty, YSL, Armani, etc, are all inclusive in this sale so go wild!

Use the code ROUGE20 when shopping online; in stores, just show the sales assistant your VIB Rouge card or give them your email.

From what I've heard, Nov 6-9th is the official sale period for Rouges, and Nov 13-16 is the official sale period for VIBs. No word on why Sephora is separating the sale period this year but it's probably to cut down on the volume of 20% offs they get during this period. Probably makes it easier to do statistics for the higher ups.

Anyways, have you decided what you're going to get during the sale period? Watch out for my own personal shopping list, which will go out tomorrow morning, right before the next ABCs of Skincare/Makeup Ingredients post.

I'm back with a haul video! I'm going to talk about what I purchased here, but there will be no review yet, as I've only tried out one product so far. 

In total, I bought 11 things from the Sephora Beauty Insider Appreciation Week event. I purchased a few of those items online after the video was made, so unfortunately you won't be able to see them. 

In all, the Sephora Rouge exclusive event I attended last week was fairly mediocre. They had some free cake pops, Godiva chocolates, and sparkling juice/water. Additionally, they were hosting three classes that night but I didn't attend any of them. One was a MUFE Smokey Halo eye tutorial, a class on how to use oil, and a class on how to strobe. There were brand ambassadors available for almost every brand available (the exception being some of the more higher end brands like Armani, Marc Jacob, etc). Overall, the brand ambassadors were very knowledgable, the Sephora employees were friendly and looked like they were enjoying themselves. 

So here is the full list of products I've bought.

• Bite Beauty Maple Matte Creme Lipstick in Mulled Maple

• MUFE Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in 125 

• Smashbox Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel Liner in Jet Black

• hakuho-do + Sephora Pro Angled Concealer Brush (Kusuriyubi)

• Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop 

• Pinch Provisions Minimergency Kit for Her in Pink Hot Mess

• Cover FX Custom Cover Drops in G40

• Living Proof Restore Repairing & Damage Reversing Travel Kit

• Bite Beauty Maple Agave Lip Mask

• MUFE Step 1 Skin Equalizer in the Hydrating Formula (Travel Sized)

• Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powder in Medium

I'm excited to try out my new products and update with reviews. I'm already loving the MUFE foundation. It's a better match to my skintone than any of my current foundations. The Bite Maple Lipsticks & Maple Agave Lip Mask do smell deliciously like maple syrup. Here's to hoping I don't just lick all my lipstick off! 

This is the first time I'm trying out video posts, so please subscribe for more updates! Also please let me know if you like these types of videos (stop motion/animation) for haul videos, or 10 minutes+ talking haul videos better.

email from Sephora

Sephora's annual Beauty Insider Appreciation Week is on! I believe it started on Aug 3rd and ends Aug 9th. As a Rouge, I get 4x the points, but VIBs will receive 3x the points, and BIs will receive 2x the points. There is no discount on any items. If you already have a large amount of points, now may be a good time to get more, as Sephora is coming out with some epic rewards on Aug 10. There will be rewards for 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 points (if you receive Sephora emails, check your inboxes for full details).

The Rouge event for Canadian is tonight as well! Watch out for my next post, which should be come in the next few days, for a haul video.

Just a heads up, Sephora is running their annual Beauty Insiders appreciation event again. This year there will be a closed door shopping event. You can RSVP here (for Canadians) by Aug 3rd.

Canada's RSVP page

Essentially, if you're a VIB Rouge, you get to go shopping with other rouges (and their +1s) behind closed doors, meaning no peasants. You'll get 4x the points on everything purchased, brand ambassadors will be there to promote their lines and teach you how to use their products, and you get a gift bag at the end of it (your +1 will also get a gift bag if they are at least a BI and purchase something).

The last VIB Rouge event I attended last year was also a closed door shopping event (I was at the Toronto Bloor location). I showed up a bit late (I left work early to attend but couldn't leave too early just to go shopping), gave my name to the Sephora workers standing at the door, and they let me in. There were free drinks (water, juice, and coffee I believe), and free desserts. They also had a Benefit promotion going on; the brand ambassador was handing out free brow wax cards to interested shoppers. Generally, I'm not a huge fan of the Bloor location; it lacks a wide variety of selection, and it's further away from where I live. As someone who can pick between the Bloor and Eaton Centre locations, Eaton Centre's Sephora is much better and bigger. I chose to go to the Bloor location because it's closer to my workplace and I had to attend a meeting afterwards at school, meaning it was just more convenient for me to go to that location over the Eaton Centre one.

If you do choose to go, pick a location that is either a) convenient for you to go to, or b) has a wide selection. My friend and I debated between going to our local mall (a mere 5-10 minute drive), or to one of the Sephoras downtown. Our local mall has a smaller selection, and our high school classmate works there, but the Sephora downtown is nicer and has more higher end goods. In the end, we chose to go downtown.

These events are often quite measly and offer little incentive to go. Nothing is discounted, and unless you have a list of things to buy, there really isn't any point to going when you can do all your shopping online and still get 4x the points. But as my friend and I are both currently unemployed and on summer vacation, we figured we might as well go because why not.

If you are in the Vancouver area and going, I'll be at the Robson location! Let me know in the comments below if you are going to attend this event :)

P.S. You could also sign up for the American version of this event, but it'll be on Aug 2nd, from 9-11am.

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Yesterday, I wore a sample of Sephora's new foundation to go grocery shopping. I had this sitting around in my drawer for quite some time now and I believe I got in as a sample in an online Sephora order. I also wore a couple other samples on my face, but I will talk about the foundation in detail. So onto my first impressions!

First off, the sample they gave me was literally just a dollop of product. It was barely enough to cover my face, even though I didn't use a brush. Secondly, I got this in the shade medium and it was still too dark for my face.  I usually wear Urban Decay's Naked foundation in the shade 3.0 (which is a 5Y05 I believe, in the Sephora foundation system). Thirdly, the coverage for this foundation was very light. I would compare it to a bb cream coverage except bb creams provide reasonably well coverage these days. I suppose one could build up the coverage by using more product, but I only had the sample amount to work with.

I left a tiny bit untouched and you can really see the difference between my skin tone and the foundation shade

Because the coverage was so light, it didn't cover my red spots very well. I layered it on around my red spots, and used it sparingly around my forehead. This provided me with better coverage, but it still wasn't good enough for me.

I wore the foundation for around 9 hours and it held up reasonably well. It only faded/smudged in the area around my nose where my sunglasses were. However, this happens with pretty much everything I wear on my face because I lack the nose bridge to keep glasses on my face properly :(

store lighting

outdoor - shade

Other samples I also wore yesterday included a MUFE HD powder, a NARS eyeliner, Tarte blush in Dollface, YSL babydoll mascara, and a NARS satin lip pencil in Rikugien.

The MUFE HD powder is pretty much the exact same as the ELF HD powder, only it came in a powder format and not a loose powder. This makes it much easier to carry around for touch ups. Don't have anything negative to say about this one...

The Tarte blush in Dollface is nice, wore for about 4 hours before it began fading and by 9 hours it was pretty much gone. It's a universal pink that works for any skintone, I'd say. However, it's difficult to pick up product with this one and I have to swirl my brush in the pan for a bit to pick up enough product. (I have this sample as a travel size blush so I will be giving this one away at the end of the month).

The NARS eyeliner and satin lip pencil I got as part of the NARS 500pts perk from Sephora. I loved the staying power of the eyeliner and would probably repurchase it if I regularly used pencil eyeliners. The only downfall to this product was that it tugs at your eyelids. It did not glide on very well. Comparing it to the MUFE Aqua Liners, I would say that the MUFE ones are much creamier and go on easily but the staying power does not compare to the NARS eyeliner. I have oily lids and the MUFE eyeliner smudges quite fast for me but the NARS one only smudged slightly in the corner of my eyelid by the end of 9 hours.

The NARS satin lip pencil is a MLBB color. It glided on very nicely and felt hydrating. Would definitely purchase a satin lip pencil in other colors. The downside is that you would have to reapply after eating or small pecks on your SO's cheeks. It completely disappeared after I ate dinner and I never bothered to reapply it after that.

no mascara

with mascara

I bought YSL's babydoll mascara in that mascara favorites set from Sephora a while back. It is a holy grail for many beauty gurus. I've been using it for a while now and need to throw it out, but I thought I'd wear it for the last time for reviewing purposes. It does a good job of lengthening my lashes but can't hold a curl - mainly because it isn't waterproof. I wouldn't repurchase this; the price tag is just too high for me to justify for a mascara.



TL;DR:

If you're looking for a thin/light foundation, then the Sephora 10HR foundation is perfect but you could get a drugstore foundation that does the same thing for cheaper. There's nothing special about this foundation so if you're into high-end brand products, skip this and save your money. NARS eyeliners are the bomb, go purchase one if you use pencil eyeliners. If you're in the market for an HD powder, just buy the ELF one. Unless you have something against loose powder, there really isn't a difference between the MUFE one and the ELF one.

Sorry for the gross yellow photos. I don't have good lighting in my house :(