Sephora freebies!

After Christmas I made a Sephora purchase and got a couple freebies. I thought they were worthy of their own blog posts haha.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15

I hear about this face primer all the time. I have always wanted to try it but was hesitant because its SOOO expensive! ($52 for 1oz!) So when I saw this was up for a 100 point purchase I jumped at it. The bottle is actually a nice size, I'll get a lot of use out of it. The formula is so nice, it glides over your skin and really blurs everything. It doesn't drastically change your skin but it does do a good job making your skin a smoother surface for your foundation. My foundation also went on super nicely over my trouble spot, the dreaded T-Zone... My makeup looked smoother and more natural but I got really good coverage. I also didn't feel like I had a ton of makeup on! I also thought the SPF was a nice added bonus.

If you really want to try this there is a smaller size, 0.33oz, for $18. That's still kind of pricey but if you are in need of a great primer this might be it for you!

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector SPF 25+

Every time I shop anywhere online I use Ebates for cash back and coupon codes. At this time Sephora didn't have a lot of good coupon codes so I chose to get a deluxe sample of this BECCA product. I have never tried anything from this brand and know little about it. The sample was in Opal, it's supposed to be used as a highlighter or you can mix it in your foundation to give your face a glowy effect. I didn't expect much out of this because I knew nothing about it but I was pleasantly surprised! The product is very creamy and its a BEAUTIFUL color! It's a much more pronounced highlighter than most of the ones I have but I really love it! I was also surprised by the size of the tube! I expected it to be at least half the size it is. This is going to last me for quite a while, which is good because I honestly won't buy the full size since its $41. Given this is a beautiful product that is really pricey compared to most other highlighting products.

Overall these were great freebies of expensive products I would not have tried otherwise and I'm glad to have them both!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

So I want to start off with my skin, because for me the way my foundation looks directly correlates to my skin. I have the most awkward skin and I don't know anyone who has the same problems I do. I am combination but not regular combination. My skin is SUPER dry in my t-zone, it gets flaky and gross, but then it will be oily at the same time. As I get older the pores on either side of my nose get larger and more and more pores in my t-zone are clogged. I've been looking for a skincare solution to my ailment but for now all I can do is cover up. because my skin is so freaking awkward I have a hard time finding foundation that doesnt look gross on me. Everywhere else on my face beside that central area is fine and foundation looks great there but the makeup on my nose will look dry and flakey, either side of my nose will look cakey, and my forehead will look oily. It's just a mess.

So on to the foundation. I was skeptical about trying this because of my skin, not the product. Urban Decay is my favorite makeup brand and I love all their products. I was just worried this foundation would look bad because of my skin. I also bought this not knowing my shade which was nerve racking! So I didn't get my heart set on this foundation being amazing for me.

This is $38 at Urbandecay.com, Sephora, and Ulta. I got it in shade 1. I actually went off Vintageortacky's foundation shade. She is a shade lighter than me usually and she uses shade 0.5 so I got 1 in the hopes it would match.

Now to start with the praises, lol. The shade I got matched my skintone perfectly which was great by itself. This foundation is a strange consistency for me. Most of my liquid foundations are kind of thick. This is thin but not watery. Its strange and I can't really describe it. It applies beautifully and has very nice coverage, medium I'd say. And its buildable so if you wanted full coverage that could be achieved. It actually covered all my problem spots really well. The bridge of my nose still got dry, but I expected that and it wasn't because of the foundation. It made my skin look so naturally even and smooth.

Another big point was the price for me. I go through foundation pretty quickly so paying $38 for foundation is a huge thing for me. The most I had ever paid before this for foundation was $24 for a Clinique one. So I was putting a lot of confidence in Urban Decay and it was well placed. A little of this stuff goes a long way so this bottle will last me a while!

Overall I am way impressed and this does live up to the hype. They also have a great range of color so I think everyone could find their perfect shade. Its not too matte or too dewey so it would work for most skin types as well. It's well balanced and totally worth checking out!

xoxo

-Kenzie

Amazingness---Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself Cheeks

Set Packaging

Products in set

 I have always wanted to buy NARS products but never have because they are so pricey. Their blush in Orgasm and Bronzer in Laguna are their most famous and coveted products. I don't have very many blushes and the bronzer I use isn't the greatest. Since I had the money I figured why not and bought this set. I told myself "If I don't like it I can always return it!" Well this is not going back to Sephora....EVER!

This set contains:

Blush duo in Orgasm and Angelika (each bigger than half size)

Bronzer in Laguna (full size)

The Multiple in Copacabana (full size)

The multiple in Copacabana

  The Multiple in Copacabana is an amazing highlighter. It gives such a natural sheen to the skin. It's not an obvious highlighter. It makes my skin look like its just naturally glowing, bright, and beautiful. Its a pale pearl so it goes amazingly with my pale skin but I think it would look beautiful on any skintone!

Blushes in Orgasm and Angelika. Bronzer in Laguna.

When I first got in to high end makeup the first blush I heard about was Orgasm by NARS. Literally everyone says its amazing so of course I wanted to try it. I only own a few blushes and haven't found one that is my absolute favorite. Oh lawdy I have it now! Orgasm is a blush that, like everyone says, would suit ANY skintone. It's the most beautiful peachy color with gold shimmer. It's SUPER pigmented, all of these products are, and I had to use a light hand. My blushes arent nearly as pigmented as this one so I was used to applying it more heavily. Angelika is a cotton candy pink with glitter. It's so girly and amazing! This duo is perfect for this kit because they are pretty universal colors!

The bronzer I use right now is a Rimmel one and it does the job but its not super pigmented and I'm just not satisfied with it. I was really worried that Laguna would be too dark for my skintone. I also am used to using a matte bronzer because I use it to contour so I was worried the gold shimmer would look strange. I was completely wrong! Laguna is so perfect I literally gasped when I put it on. A little goes a loooong way, I had to diffuse it with some powder because I put on WAY too much hahahaha. It is so beautiful and natural looking, it really made my cheekbones stand out and my face have some color in it!

This is the perfect cheek set. Every product would suit every skintone and they all go together beautifully. What I love most about these products is they look so natural on your skin. They accent your own features and make them stand out and it doesn't look like you have a ton of makeup caked on. It makes your natural beauty shine through. This is by far the best makeup set I have ever bought and I will continue to buy NARS products, even though they are a splurge. I am so impressed and happy with this purchase and on top of the quality the price is amazing! This set was $75. The bronzer is $34, a single blush is $28 and the multiple is $39. So you save some money and get a bunch of amazing products! NARS will be a staple in my makeup collection from now on!

NARS set at Sephora

Hauls!

 I had a bunch of money from Christmas so I decided to buy makeup I never buy because It's too expensive and add to my MAC collection! I'm going to make posts about them individually but I thought I would throw this up so you guys have something to gawk at while I make the posts haha!

Sephora-
Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation
NARS Makeup Your Mind: Express Yourself Cheeks Set
Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Deluxe
Samples-Coach Poppy and Poppy Flower, Bvlgari Jasmine Noire, Boscia Oil free Nightly Hydration

MAC-
Primped Out Lip Look Bag
2 Eyeshadow Refill pans
Eye Makeup Remover

I also got another Z-palette to condense my makeup! 

Blog posts coming shortly, XOXO

-Kenzie