Gimme Face: Sephora VIB Sale Edition

Hiiiiiiii! The ten or so of you who read us were probably starting to wonder if we were really coming back, but against all odds (the odds being sheer laziness and distance), here we are. Because we need to talk about the annual VIB sale at Sephora that happened this past weekend. Girl, it was LIT. All the holiday palettes and limited editions are out, a tiny capsule of Colourpop products are in select stores, and VIBs got 20% off EVERYTHANG. It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year.

In a shocking turn of events, I somehow made it out of this madness without breaking $150–which, even with that deep discount, is a feat I don’t think I’ve ever achieved in a Sephora before. The difference was that I went in there willing and able to splurge, which everyone knows is the real way to make sure you don’t spend money. If you’re broke and can’t afford it? TURN THEM POCKETS INSIDE OUT, HO.

Ahem. Anyway, this is what I came away with:

Look at that cute li’l complimentary tote!

Now, y’all know I love makeup blogs, makeup message boards, makeup Instagram, makeup everything, and one of the reasons for this is REVIEWS. There are few things I appreciate more than a thorough and honest swatch and review. Plus I’m rull excited about all of this stuff, and I want to talk about it in excruciating detail, because I’m the worst. SO GUESS WHAT YOU’RE GETTING TODAY, Y’ALL. That’s right, it’s an In Depth Look at My Sephora Purchases! Just want you always never wanted. Ever.

Obviously the most exciting items are the lipstick and the eyeshadow palette, so I’ll just quickly talk about the other stuff.

1. I got a sample of Tarte’s Rainforest of the Sea Deep Dive cleansing gel in an Ipsy bag and knew that I’d be buying the full size. I’m an oily girl who’s prone to breakouts, but I’m also old, which means all the moisture is leaching out of my skin leather as I shuffle the haggard husk of my body toward death. So like, I need a moisturizing face wash now? But it can’t be creamy, because that will still break me out (gonna leave a zitty corpse, probably)? Enter this stuff. It makes my skin feel clean without stripping the moisture away and also without leaving any residue or giving me major shine.
2. I’ve been kind of a mascara slut over the years and decided it was time to settle down with one. Okay, fine, two. Everybody loves Urban Decay’s Perversion, and that’s because it’s great. Volume and rich pigmentation make it ideal for more dramatic eye looks, and even though it isn’t waterproof, it stays put quite well. This was replacing the tube I already had, making this literally the first time I have ever repurchased the same brand of mascara. I also got a tube of Buxom’s waterproof mascara, which is my new go-to for daytime. It defines and gives a tasteful mixture of length and volume that isn’t in your face.
3. The tiny perfume sample you see was a 100 point reward, but I want to talk about it because I’m obsessed with it and plan to purchase the full size. It’s Nest’s Black Orchid. It’s a dark floral with a hint of sweetness that’s balanced by enough spice to keep it from being cloying. Your girl LOVES a dark floral, and this is perfect for chillier temps when you want to smell cozy but also a little mysterious.

And now for the good stuff.

Stila’s Stay All Day liquid lip is one of the first high end products I loved, and Beso is my perfect red, which I happen to be out of. So when I saw this little trio on the way to the cash, you know I had to buy it.

It contains minis of Stay All Day in the aforementioned Beso, as well as Caramello and one of their new shimmer shades, Splendore. Here are some swatches:

This picture doesn’t do any of these colors justice–Splendore isn’t a duochrome, but it has some beautiful gold shine to it that makes the base mauve tone shift in really interesting ways with the light. And Caramello is cooler on the lip than on my forearm–it’s the rare pale neutral that doesn’t wash me out. LOVE IT.

This brings us to the piece de resistance, the star of the show, the real MVP: The Tarteist Pro Clay palette by Tarte.

ART.

I have almost bought this palette SO. MANY. TIMES. I’m very careful about my palette purchases, because although I love looking at almost any beautifully packaged array of eyeshadows, the range of shadows I’ll actually wear is pretty narrow. This is partly because my life isn’t conducive to a lot of dramatic eye looks, and partly because I like a higher ratio of mattes to shimmers–but most of the matte palettes out there are either too warm or contain too many colors that are similar to ones I already have. This palette is the sweet spot for me: lots of mattes, but also a diverse rang of shades that still go together. It’s got warm colors, cooler colors, a couple of true neutrals… it’s perfect. And that very last shimmer, Trendy? I’m GAGGING FOR IT. It’s so beautiful. So yesterday I swatched this baby to give y’all my first impressions. Scroll on and I’ll meet you at the bottom.

 

 

 

 

As you can tell from the swatches, some shades are higher quality than others. The darker shades, particularly Vamp, Drama, and Edgy, are chalky and not super blendable (same with Punk, but I’ll only use that as a liner shade anyway). On the other hand, almost all of the lighter shades and shimmers are like butter. So creamy and pigmented, and though it didn’t photograph well, that shade Trendy that I’m obsessed with is GORGEOUS on the skin. It’s a duochrome dark purple with an emerald green shift and I can’t wait to do all kinds of weird shit with it. In my experience, with a palette this size, a few duds are par for the course, so I’m still really happy I finally took the plunge and bought this one. It’s chock full of possibilities for daytime and nighttime, and I am HERE FOR IT.

There you have it, ladies and germs. Did you go H.A.M. at the VIB sale? What’d you get? Are we still friends? Talk to us on Facebook and tell us everything. We love you!

C U Next Tuesday (yay)!

xoxo
RBF