Flashback to a little over two weeks ago when I was sharing my bits and bobs recommendations for the Sephora Customer Appreciation Sale… remember that? Well, the sale has come and gone, and I decided that after a few folks wanted to see what I actually bought, I’ve decided to share and play show and tell.
So, with that, let’s see what goodies I bought.
… and as usual, I kind of went a little nuts.
Ha.
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Let me preface this by saying that this post is in no way, shape, or form a bragging post. I rarely spend this much money, in a limited time frame on makeup… even as a “beauty blogger.” I’ve been saving up some money (and had a few gift cards laying about) so that I can stock up on favorites and purchase some things that I’ve been eyeing for a while. I will say that this “haul” was a series of purchases over the two-week event… and as of this week, I’ve started a no-buy for beauty makeup since I’m in full on creation mode for my 13 Days of Halloween.
I usually wait to do the bulk of my makeup shopping when things are on sale – either during 20% sales, Weekly Wows, or during ULTA’s 21 Days of Beauty Events. I hate paying full price for things and will only do so when I either run out completely and need to get the thing right this now or it’s a hot ticket item / new release that I’ve been drooling over. The latter doesn’t happen as often anymore just because I’ve wisened up a bit and am being smarter about where I spend my coin.
MAKEUP IS RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE.
As you can see in the photo above, I kind of went nuts with the splurging, but having saved almost $140 bucks in the end… I can’t complain. After adding everything up, there was a total of $500ish (minus taxes) /gulp. That makes me cringe… EVEN WHILE WRITING THIS POST… but knowing that it could have been MUCH more expensive and most if not all of the products are either products that I’ve already tried and love or come HIGHLY recommended, I’m okay with it. Makeup is what I use on a daily(ish) basis for my job, so it’s worth it. Right?
—– skincare —–
Sales like this make me want to stock up on skincare items because as a whole, they tend to be the most expensive right off of the bat. Spending a little extra on skincare is okay in my book. You’ve only got one face, and it’s best to take care of it.
If you read my Farmacy Honey Collection review, I had mentioned wanting to pick up the Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum… and thankfully it had come back in stock when I was making my one-time online purchase. I haven’t used it yet mainly because I’m so busy with other things, but you better believe that I will be using this and doing a review for ya after a while.
Another Farmacy item was also on my buying list, and that is the Farmacy Bright On Massage Activated Vitamin C Mask. I have had my eye on this product for a while, and after three samples worth of using it, I decided to get the full size. This mask is pretty cool. It’s massage activated which, to be honest, I didn’t realize during the first time I tried it – but after wisening up and actually reading the directions – I like it.
Next on the skincare splurge list were the Sephora Makeup Removing Facial Cleansing wipes in Watermelon and Coconut. The wipes are lovely, and I especially like them for the fact that they don’t contain Aloe – which is something I have a sensitivity/allergy to. They do a great job of cleaning up the face without over cleansing the oils that your skin needs to stay healthy.
Last on the skincare splurge is the First Aid Beauty Ginger and Tumeric Vitamin C Jelly Mask. I’ve had this little jelly mask on my “wants to buy” list for a while. One of my favorite OG YouTubers, VintageOrTacky, had recommended this MONTHS ago and I’m a sucker for anything ginger or vitamin C. I used the 20% off sale as an excuse to grab it when I saw that it was in stock in my local Sephora. I’ll let you know what I think on a later review, if’fins that’s something you’d like to see.
—– makeup base products —–
As I mentioned in my Top 10 Recommendations blog post, base products like foundation, primer, and concealers are products that folks who do their makeup on a semi-daily basis run out of faster than anything else. I am one of those folks who go through foundation and concealer – especially ones with my favorite formulations – FAST.
Halloween is just around the corner and when I realized that Make Up For Ever offered a pure white Ultra HD Foundation Stick, it hopped in my basket faster than you could say “PAINT ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR FRENCH CLOWNS, BATMAN!” I am a fan of the Ultra HD Stick Foundation formulas, especially during times where I’m either creating a character or need super blendable and ultra coverage. You will be seeing this in the coming months in action. Yup.
You had to expect that there would be a lot of Milk Makeup items in this haul. I use their products in almost EVERY look that I do. I needed a back up of the Blurr Foundation in Fair and their Flex Concealer in the same shade, so I picked them up during the last day of the sale because I looked in my stash and saw that I was almost out of both. Blur Foundation is one that I wear during the Fall and Winter months just because it gives a little more coverage and doesn’t budge as much as the Sunshine Skin Tint does. Flex Concealer is an all-time fave and having an extra just sets my mind at ease. I also wanted to pick up some of their Sunshine Oil after having heard wonderous reviews of it from folks who have finicky dry skin, like myself.
The next two items on my base list were recommendations from Samantha Ravndahl – @ssssamanthaa on IG – and a few other content creators. The First Aid Beauty Bendy Avocado Concealer and Kona Eye Stick are both reasonably new products to the market, and I wanted to see if they were as good as folks have been saying. Mind you, the shade range for the Bendy Avocado Concealer is pitiful. I’m hoping that the shade I purchased, Bone, will actually be light enough for me and won’t oxidize like crazy. I am a sucker for eye primers that are hydrating, so this one called out to me and practically jumped into my basket. I want to do a follow up on both products down the line.
Last for the base stuff is the Becca Cosmetics Hydra Mist Set and Refresh Setting Powder. I love this stuff. I’ve gone through almost a whole container within the last two months and have been using it to set the oilier areas of my face every time I’ve done my makeup for daily life. This powder is definitely different, and there is a cooling sensation to it for the first month or so of use. It has 50% water infused in the powder and if you use it as much as I do – even with closing it up immediately after grabbing some powder on my brush – the water does evaporate over time. It’s still a bomb setting powder, and for daily makeup wear, it’s okay… so I repurchased it. For SFX, I do use my Dermablend Translucent Setting Powder because that stuff is THE BOMB and I at least had to mention it when talking about favorite setting powders.
—– colorful things —–
Now we get to the part where we talk about the pretty items that I gravitate towards and want to throw my money at. Don’t get me wrong, I love skincare and know that base makeup products are VITAL to a good look… but I love colorful things and things that make me not look as pasty pale as I am.
I needed to pick up a few more of the Bite Beauty Multisticks and wanted to complete my stash of the Prismatic Pearl Multisticks, which I will have a review on in the coming weeks. I adore the versatility of both formulations of the Multisticks and find them so handy on days where I just need to get out and go without a whole lot of muss and fuss. I picked up the Multistick in Creme Caramel (fresh melon) and FINALLY got my hands on the Rose Pearl shade in the Prismatic Pearl Multisticks.
Speaking of Bite Beauty, during the Labor Day weekend Sephora had an extra sale going on, and their Bite Beauty Lip Pencils were 50% off. I am a HUGE fan of their pencils. The shade range is diverse with many undertones and shades that span from nude to dramatic and bold. They are my absolute favorite as far as lip pencils. They are creamy, pigmented and utterly comfortable on the lips. I also greatly appreciate that the little caps on the ends of the pencil are color coded to the shades which make things SUPER easy to pick up when digging around for them in my drawer. When I saw that they were on sale, the little voice in my head screamed GET THEM! So, I bought five – two of which were ones that I already had in my collection, so I’ll be exchanging them for some different shades soon. I picked up 074, 050, 068, 048, 036 and swatched them (out of order) for you below. 
On the subject of pencils, I wanted to pick up a few more of the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencils. These pencils are formulated so that they can be used ALL OVER THE FACE and blend out like a dream. I have several and can complete a full makeup look with these pencils and a little setting powder. I picked up two more for my stash, 718 Free Burgundy and 602 Completely Sepia. Would you guys like a full review with my Artist Color Pencils since I’ve been using them for MONTHS? I have several looks using them, and I am pretty sure I’d give a good review. 
One of the most creatively inspiring artists that I’ve been following for years on IG, @DominiqueLDR, recommended the NARS Liquid Blush in Torrid a couple of months ago and have had positive experiences with past recommendations — I got it, finally. I think it’s a perfect fall blush tone and you better believe that it will be making an appearance on upcoming autumnal looks. MUWAH HA HA HA HA.
I picked up a backup of my Milk Makeup Holographic Powder Highlight in Mars because it was on sale and was 20% off. I might save that little gem for a giveaway or something, we will see. Their powder highlighters are creamy and catch the light beautifully. In addition to that, I also picked up the Milk Makeup Eye Pigment in After Party after seeing it demoed on their Instagram Stories. It’s a pretty light pink shade that works really well as an all over lid color on days where you don’t feel like doing your makeup but want something a little extra.
Having seen all the hype with Natasha Denona eyeshadow palettes and not really digging their RIDICULOUS price tags, I noticed that the brand had released a tiny, 5-pan Lila palette that has purple/plum hues for only $25 dollars. I figured that it wouldn’t put me out of a lot of money, and it has a smattering of their matte, duo-chrome, and shimmer formulas AND since purples are really hard to create and make creamy, I thought that if they can nail those maybe it’s worth looking into other eyeshadow palettes down the line.
Lastly, are two Bite Beauty Lip Products; the Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick in Arrowroot and their new French Press Lip Gloss in Salted Caramel. I have tried minis of the liquified lipsticks before and love Bite’s twist on the trending “matte liquid lipstick.” These don’t dry down, and they are literally liquified versions of lipstick. They stay creamy on the lips, and I find them to be uber comfortable. The Liquified Lipstick was also part of the Labor Day sale, so I got it for 50% off with an additional 20% off, so it’s a major win in my book. Bite’s French Press Lip Glosses are ridiculously comfortable. I had already purchased the shade Flat White before the sale and love wearing it. You guys should know by now that I am a sucker for a very nude lip and this gloss compliments some of my favorite go-to shades nicely. It also has caffeine in it. JAAAAAAVVVVAAAAA!
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I thought that it was nice having a Labor Day sale ON TOP of the Appreciation Event. It was one of the influencing factors for me picking up a few products that I already love, but wasn’t planning on getting this time around. The only thing I found mildly annoying about the sale was the fact that you could only use the 20% coupon ONCE for an online order. I had to make sure that I got everything that was either out-of-stock or an online exclusive all at once. The online purchase was my biggest out of the bunch, so I had to make sure that I was absolutely sure of what I wanted to get and that everything was in stock. /le sigh.
Alrighty, so that’s my massive haul for the 2018 Sephora Customer Appreciation Sale. It’s a smattering of products, for sure. I can’t wait to try the new (to me) products as well as continue using some of my favorite tried-and-true products. If you, my dah’lings, would like in-depth reviews or updates on anything mentioned in this little haul post, let me know.
For now, I want to know what you picked up during the sale. Hop on down to the comments and let me know if you restocked some of your favorite products or if you picked up some new things to try. I’m a sucker for makeup recommendations, and I want to know what you guys like. If you’ve tried any of the products that I’ve mentioned, let me know your thoughts about them as well.
