Archive for the SEPHORA HAUL Category

[Meli, where have you been?!...] – Yes, I’m (slowly) making a blog comeback – Thanks to My Sephora Visit Today

Posted in LIPGLOSSES, LIPS, LIPS - LIPSTICKS, MAKE-UP, PRODUCTS I LOVE, SEPHORA HAUL, SHOPPING on March 29, 2013 by stylebymeli

Hi everyone, it’s been over 4 months since my last post (around the holidays, I took an unexpected blog leave…everything is okay, I just have been overly sidetracked and just putting my creative energy towards other faucets of life…hey, it happens to the best of us!)

Admittedly, I’ve slightly been regretting coming back because of all the time I spent away from my blog and I didn’t quite know how to begin from where I left off (if I’m not mistaken, my last post was about my green smoothies and ways I like to stay fit)…until my visit in Sephora today.   It was just the inspiration I needed!

This morning, I got a text from a client/friend asking if I can find something for her at Sephora being that it was sold out at the locations by her and also online.  Luckily, they had one left of the item she was looking for so I picked it up for her.  Being I haven’t been into Sephora recently, I wanted to see what was new and of course almost ALWAYS by default, get drawn to the the lip units.  Do I NEED any new lip products?!  Hmm, given that I have over a hundred to choose from, I think we can firmly answer the question to that one!  However, I can’t help but want to discover a new color or new product.

Beauty Confession #1:  I have no problem wearing essentially the same eye makeup everyday, but when it comes to lip color, I really love to switch it up.  Lavender lips today…orange lips tomorrow! ;)  Who’s to stop me?

Beauty Confession #2:  My mother is also a lipstick fanatic (she won’t be seen anywhere without some form of a red lip…MAC “Dubonnet” is one of her absolute favorites FYI), so I cannot escape the fact that I have an obsession with lipstick (clearly it’s in the DNA)!

Moving towards the Dior lipstick unit… I don’t currently own any Dior lipsticks but I love the color selection.  What stops me every time from moving forward and purchasing one is that the color payoff never seems to be enough.  All their formulas appear to be too sheer.

A Sephora artist approached me asking if I needed assistance. Typically, I kindly reject the offer being that I’m usually just browsing and being a makeup artist, I can figure things out on my own.  However, I went ahead to ask him, “Do you know which Dior formula has the best color payoff…one with more of a kick to it?  These all seem to be so sheer…”

Now, he didn’t seem to quite know the answer.  He gave me his best educated guess (I’m OKAY with this, I don’t expect people in Sephora to know EVERY line of makeup the store carries unless they’ve tested the products or worked with them directly) but then he eagerly wanted to show me something he thought I would really like.  Sure enough, I did:  Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick!!!

I expressed I liked pinks and he brought over 2 shades, both lovely recommendations but I instantly had a love-at-first-sight moment with, “Backstage Bambi.”

Kat-Von-D - Backstage-Bambi

Kat Von D Foiled Love Liquid Lipstick in “Backstage Bambi” – Perfect bright frosted pink

I love the concept of a liquid lipstick.  It has great staying power and you don’t need to add a gloss really (although this does feel slightly dry once set on the lips).  Best of all, it leaves a little staining effect behind so there is always some form of color on the lips.  I’m thoroughly impressed by the product itself and look forward to buying another shade in the near future!  Specifically the shade, “Jeffree”is on my wish list.

In case you’re wondering…What Inspired me to be Blogging this very moment….

So after I checked out, I was walking out of Sephora and one of the artists approached me (Hi, Angie!) and said, “Do you write a blog?”  I was really in complete shock being that I had abandoned my blog in recent months and it made me realize that even on a small scale, my blog continually makes an impact in which people take away something from it.  When I asked how she found it, she explained that she was searching prom makeup and somehow my blog came up along with my photo and she thought, “I know this girl, I see her at Sephora all the time.”  I told Angie I would come back to my blog, so here I am!  

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Sephora “Chic Week” 15% Off Purchase – And New Serum I Bought Today

Posted in BEAUTY TREATMENT, FACE, ONLINE SHOPPING, PRODUCTS I LOVE, SEPHORA HAUL, SHOPPING, SKINCARE on April 3, 2012 by stylebymeli

I received this in my e-mail a few days ago and almost completely forgot about it!  I thought I’d share this with everyone as the offer is good until April 5th, both in stores and online.

In all honesty, do I truly need anything right now?  As a makeup artist and beauty connoisseur, I have enough to last me a lifetime: makeup, fragrances, skincare, etc.  (Do I want it all, why yes..NEED, hmm…next question…)

However, there is one thing completely missing from my skincare regime that I have been wanting to invest in which is a great face serum!  I’ve been given many samples of the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster  which has strikingly good reviews and  I’ve also had good experience with it.  Today, I ended up purchasing the serum and very excited to start using this everyday!  (In this order:  serum, moisturizer, primer, foundation).

[Has anyone used this serum?]

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[Sephora Haul] – Lorac “First Kiss” Co-Stars Lip Stain and YSL “Rose Libertin” #26 Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick

Posted in LIPS, LIPS - LIPSTICKS, MAKE-UP, ONLINE SHOPPING, PRODUCTS I LOVE, SEPHORA HAUL, SHOPPING, YSL with tags , , on December 7, 2011 by stylebymeli

Here is a look at my most recent online purchase from Sephora.  Two brand new lip products!  

Lorac "First Kiss" and YSL Rouge Pur Couture "Rose Libertin" #26

1 –  LORAC “First Kiss” Co-Stars Lip Stain:

I have always wanted to try Lorac’s “Co-Stars” 8 hour long-wearing lip stains and picked up the shade, “First Kiss” which is a gorgeous light pearly baby pink with a slight peachy/coral undertone.  OMG it’s beautiful.  This is totally the type of color I like to wear on an everyday basis as it is understated, but still pops.  Also would look great with a smokey eye.  The color might as well be called, “Meli” at this point! ;)

The concept of this lip product reminds me of MAC’s Prolong Wear, also a double-ended all day lip stain.  (Where you apply the color, let it dry on the lip and then apply a gloss coat over it).  Since I already own almost all of the MAC prolong wears at this point, it’s time for me to venture out and find other companies who make the same thing.

It’s a shame that Lorac doesn’t make that many shades of these!  The “French Kiss” is also pretty.

2- YSL “Rose Libertin” #26 Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick:  

Okay I have been lusting for this lipstick for quite awhile now.  I have probably walked into Sephora and tried it on at the store at least three times and admire it every time I put the lipstick on.  It’s a bright pink with blue undertone.  I probably own at least ten other shades like this one, but there is never anything exactly alike, now is there?  

Recently, I got an e-mail from YSL on Cyber Monday that everything was 20% off.  I was excited to FINALLY order the lipstick through YSL directly only to find that this specific shade was out of stock (can we say, BUMMER!).  Out of all the lipsticks on their website, of course this happens!  (At this point, this makes me want it even more!)  Which is why I finally just ordered it on Sephora!

I LOVE the color although it’s not always the most wearable thing in the world although I somehow make it work.  It actually looks best by itself minus lip liner and lipgloss.  The only drawback is the texture of this specific lipstick doesn’t seem to go on as smoothly.  Not quite sure why, just an observation.  (Hey, if I’m going to spend $30 on a lipstick, it better be up to my beauty par.  Just saying!)  Regardless, I like it and happy to finally own it!

Along with my package came a “Mystery Bag” of deluxe samples as you can see below:

A bag of "mystery" goodies from Sephora that came along with my new YSL lipstick and Lorac lip stain.

The reason I prefer to order my products from Sephora (rather than purchasing them directly from the store) is that usually there is free shipping and they allow you to pick up to three samples with your order.  They also ALWAYS have some other specials going on just for placing an order.

 They advertised a “Mystery Bag” of deluxe samples with any $25 purchase.  This included samples from: Clinique, Murad, Ole Henriksen, Shiseido, and L’Occitane.  I was MOST excited about the Ole Henriksen “Red Tea See the Difference Serum” and the L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream.  I am still looking for a good serum so these samples are always GREAT (I use them) and I LOVE L’Occitane products.  The hand cream will be great to use before I go to bed!

[Anyone familiar with these products?  If not, what would you most be interested in trying?]

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[Sephora Haul] – More YSL Lipsticks and Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner

Posted in EYE MAKEUP, LIPS, LIPS - LIPSTICKS, MAKE-UP, PRODUCTS I LOVE, SEPHORA HAUL, SHOPPING with tags , , , , on August 21, 2011 by stylebymeli

More YSL lipsticks to add to my collection along with Too Face's "Perfect Black" waterproof eyeliner pencil

Yesterday, I went to Sephora and picked up some new things that I’m going to share with you here!

1-  Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in “Perfect Black” - Okay, I have not officially worn this yet (I will start using it tomorrow); however I have a really good feeling about this product based on testing it out in the store (just swatching the liner on my hand and it really stays on nicely while also gliding on super smoothly) along with the exceptional reviews I have read thus far.

This is a fairly new eyeliner that they came out with and every time I go to into Sephora, I’ve been tempted to buy it so this time I actually went ahead and purchased it.  Besides being waterproof, smudge-proof, and long-wearing (they claim 8 hours of staying power), what makes this product also exceptionally more desirable is the fact that it is paraben free AND the other end of the eyeliner has a built-in smudger.  This is great for creating a softer line, especially for a smokey eye effect.  

If this eyeliner turns out to be as amazing as claims to be, you better believe that I will be picking this up for my makeup kit!  I always have to explain to clients that with bottom eyeliner, there always is a slight chance it could smudge a little (I seriously have yet to find something that doesn’t smudge at all).  So let’s keep our fingers crossed that this really does the trick and stays on all-day like it claims it does! ;)

[PS- I forgot to mention, that I plan on using this as a BOTTOM eyeliner only.  With top eyeliner, I ALWAYS use a liquid/gel based liner and have been exceptionally faithful to MAC's "Rapidblack" ever since the day it came out.  I probably go through these eyeliners about once a month!]

1-  Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture SPF 15 in “Taupe Raphael” (#25) - So I just blogged the other day about how much I love YSL’s Rouge Volupte lipsticks, so I figured, why not try their Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks?

Again, the color selection they offer is truly amazing.  Although there were quite a bit of colors I’d like to get in the near future, I wanted to limit myself to one and ended up choosing “Taupe Raphael.”  

To me, it’s more of a rosy taupe  with a pink undertone more than a brown taupe.  I think it’s a really nice everyday color.  I look forward to wearing this.

1-  Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte in “Nude Beige” (#1) -I really love this color and have tried it on at the store on numerous occasions.  Although I’m sure I already own at least ten lipsticks that are close to this shade, I still can’t help but gravitate to it.  It really looks great!

“Nude Beige” is a light nude pink with slight beige undertone (but totally pink in my opinion).  I love that I can totally put this on by itself and it looks stunning!  

It’d classify this as semi-nude, and by that I mean that the lipstick is sort of nude, but not nude in color to the point where it washes out your complexion.    

[Has anyone tried any of these products?]

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[Sephora Haul] – AMAZING Products from Laura Mercier, Josie Maran, and Murad

Posted in BEAUTY TREATMENT, FACE, MELI'S FAB FINDS, PRODUCTS I LOVE, SEPHORA HAUL, SHOPPING, SKINCARE with tags , , , , , , on July 11, 2011 by stylebymeli

On Friday, I went to Sephora and picked out some new face and skincare products that I’m very excited to share with all of you as I have gotten a chance to try all of them and share my thoughts.

1-  Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 – Oil Free – Laura Mercier is famously known for having the best of the best in terms of their tinted moisturizers.  Although I’m not one to really wear a “tinted moisturizer,” I have to admit that I’ve been curious to see how amazing this product really is (or if it’s just a bunch of hype).  I also wanted to see if this is a product that I’d be interested in carrying in my professional makeup kit for my clients.

When I was looking at all the different shades, I was immediately approached by a Sephora “artist” (not sure their exact title) trying to assist me in making a selection.  I told her that I am a makeup artist, which was a SOCIAL CUE that I do not need any direct help (as I can figure out stuff by myself obviously), but she did NOT seem to get the message and still insisted on color matching me.  At that point, I figured, okay she is just doing her job and she is probably more familiar with the product than I am, so I’m open to a second opinion.  She seemed pretty confident I was the “Sand” shade, which on my hand did look nice.

When I actually went home to use it, I realized it was just way too dark for my fair complexion.  (At Sephora, we only tested on my hand, which obviously is NOT the best indication because the hand is always darker than the face in most cases.  Lesson learned, just kindly brush away the Sephora assistance and play with the products by myself).

(I was able to wear it still and make it work, just had to strategically blend the product and powder accordingly).  Besides the shade being slightly off upon application, the product itself is truly FANTASTIC.  I have to say, I am pretty impressed by it.  The coverage is good enough for it to serve as a light foundation (which is how I would be using it) and it really gives my skin a healthy, fresh finish.  Somebody actually did take note and comment on my skin looking good when I wore it, which to me was an indicator that it was doing something above and beyond.

I went back to Sephora the following day to exchange it and I swapped it out for the “Bisque” shade instead which blends PERFECTLY!!!  I am so happy to finally invest in this product as it truly is worth it!  

2-  Josie Maran Protect Daily Sun Protection Argan Oil Infused SPF 40+ To Go - Okay, talk about another AMAZING product.  Been wanting to try this for quite some time, as I always stumble upon it when I’m at a Sephora to scope out new products.

This time I actually went ahead about bought it.  I would have probably bought the bigger size if they carried it, but I guess it’s good to start with the “To Go” version to try it out.

I’ve been wanting to try this for a number of reasons..1) High quality of SPF (I always aim for a minimum of 30 for the face…ideally 50-60 range if possible), 2) I already am a HUGE fan of Josie Maran’s argan oil products (I have tried the actual oil and recently purchased her oil cleanser), 3) This product serves as a moisturizer, which I would use under makeup as a part of my skincare prep.

Can I just tell you that I noticed a difference in my skin at the end of the night after I took off my makeup?  I only tried this out for a day, under a liquid foundation and I swear my skin looked MUCH clearer as compared to the beginning of the day.  I know I shouldn’t jump to conclusions and automatically assume that this product gave me results that quickly, but honestly, my skin looked more radiant.  Over time, I’ll know if it’s this product that’s really giving me the positive effects or not.  (I have a feeling it really is though)!  The consistency is lightweight lotion, not an actual oil, meaning it’s not greasy and absorbs quickly.

3-  Murad Acne Spot Treatment - So far, I like this product and the whole concept behind it.  I’m definitely in favor of acne spot treatment products, especially being that I find my skin is breakout out constantly.  (It really needs all the help it can get)!  I have only tried this out two times so far, it seems to be helping and I’m sure it’s good as a preventative product, but it’s a little too soon for me to make a real judgment call.  I plan on using this consistently everyday, just over the areas of my skin that need that extra attention.

[Has anyone tried any of these products?]

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