*~Sephora Watercolors~*

[Julessss14]

Working day-in and day-out on the Sephora site and apps, I am often seeking additional ways to be creative, and have fun, with beauty products. 

I’ve started a series that I dub *~Sephora Watercolors~*, mixing pencil, watercolors, a variety of shiny gelly roll pens and deco markers, and, of course, a healthy assortment of Sephora-sourced lip glosses, sparkly nail polishes, glittery face pigments, and more.

In terms of inspo? It’s a mix of the charming illustrations of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the (precious) watercolors of my grandmother, an artist in her own time, known for her Asian-inspired and tropical tableaus, mixing watercolor with fine pen marks. She also designed and merch’ed up the windows for the historic West Coast department store I. Magnin & Company in Los Angeles, which I think is pretty cool. 

So, without further delay, here is the series. I will post whenever I have a chance, hopefully bi-weekly. I’ll note out the date of creation, link to the products and list out the materials used in the work. 

Can’t wait to hear what you think! 🙂 ❤️💄

Note: Worked with product management @ / contracted for Sephora previously.

***

Left: 

• Sephora product: CHANEL CHANCE EAU TENDRE Eau de Parfum 
• Date of creation: 4/19/23
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil, pink gelly roll pen, gems, rapid tone repair dark spot corrector, Sephora Collection eyeliner, Dior lip gloss, Sephora Collection nail polish

Right: 

• Sephora product: JVN Complete Nourishing Hair Oil Shine Drops 1.7 oz/ 50 mL 
• Date of creation: 4/20/23
• Materials: Watercolors, silver deco marker, gems, gelly roll pen

[Julessss14]

I think everyone wants to feel like a part of something magical and beautiful and that’s ingrained in the human experience. 

As someone who doesn’t always feel like they belong, I believe that’s one of the biggest things I love about Sephora is helping people across every imaginable background express themselves and articulately express identity in a way that embraces every color in the rainbow and every star in the sky. 

I’m extremely thankful to the community team at Sephora for letting me share my art with the greater comminutay. It’s a very private and delicate corner of my world and I feel grateful to have a chance to share it with an audience that has responded with nothing but positive support and gracious encouragement. 

This is just one final post and a note that I’ll be putting this thread on ice until 2024 just to give myself a chance to creatively recharge. 

hair for daesmore minimal color palette of red, silver and pinkLuvz a glitter"Works cited" + as close as I could get to Dior 4pm...In actsh (featuring bracelet from Spellbound Sky and scrunchie from the BI rewards bazaar!!!)

• Sephora product: dae Cactus Fruit 3-in-1 Styling Cream Original 
• Date of creation: 10/5/23
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil, trixie cosmetics stay the night shimmer topper in spoiled (silver-y blue undertone), trixie cosmetics lip gloss in scarlet letter (pop art red), pink gelly roll pen, Kaja Jelly Charm Glazed Lip Stain & Blush With Keychain 02 Squeeze Guava , Urban Decay Moondust Liquid Glitter Eyeliner Grind 

[Titian06]

Can't go wrong with red and green, @Julessss14 !  Very pretty!  I'm going to miss your pretty artwork. 😔  I look forward to your new creations next year (if you decide to share). 😘

[Julessss14]

A color classic theme - honestly! Thank you @Titian06 @so much for your kind words ❤️✨🕊️💝💜💖 One of the very talented UX designers that I work with had the brilliant idea to offer a few for VIP moments in the BI rewards bazaar. I would maybe part with 10 (or 15 idk dependz…) at this point. Not sure if the loyalty team but could be super cute and a great way to give a few out because then we don’t have any address exchange confidentiality issues 🙂 ❤️✨💝

[Julessss14]

Anchovy cameoFinished product ❤️Detail shot ❤️

• Sephora product: Tower 28 Beauty Mini SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray with Hypochlorous Acid 1 oz/ 30 mL 
• Date of creation: 10/3/23
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil black pen, NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment Dragon Girl , blue marker, silver jelly roll pen, #Urban Decay Moondust Liquid Glitter Eyeliner Grind , Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Highlighter Wand Pillow Talk , SEPHORA COLLECTION Color Hit Mini Nail Polish Top Coat , Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Mini Sincerely Me Eye Essentials , trixie cosmetics shimmer topper in spoiled, trixie cosmetics lip gloss in lollipop luxe & scarlet letter, light blue sharpie, white colored pencil

[Julessss14]

Adding last minute finishing details + watercolor paletteHere she is! ❤️A works cited of sourceDetail shot of silver abstraction

• Sephora product: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Absolu Platine Eau de Perfum
• Date of creation: 10/4/23
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil, silver deco marker, pink crayola marker, silver gelly roll pen, trixie cosmetics lip gloss in royal jelly & new thing, trixie cosmetics stay the night shimmer topper in spoiled, love potion & sleeping cutie, black pen, Glossier Lidstar Long-Wearing Shimmer Cream Eyeshadow Lily , gold paint, r.e.m. beauty liquid eyeshadow in lab coat & comet

I honestly love perfume bottle design and feel like maybe it should be studied in universities as an academic field of inquiry? The detail and thought-work that goes into creating these mini-sculptures that house a variety of scintillating scents truly can be gob-smacking. The silver sheen of this gorgeous Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) Libre Absolu absolutely caught my eye and I would definitely like to try it one day...

Btw, is the brand now Yves Saint Laurent or just Saint Laurent? I can't remember exactly what happened but I personally I am definitely a fan of the longer, more refined version of the name, the full Y-S-L moment. And there's lots to love about Mr. YSL himself, I mean, who doesn't love having an art and design foundation in Morocco? 

Compositionally, I was definitely going for metallic mosaic splash here. Gold, silver, copper, penny, dime - whatever. I totally get sucked under the spell of these glimmering shades and I happen to love all metallics equally and think it's definitely a fab-style-choice to go for a metallic mix (the more the better if we're feeling really maximal...) Maybe the stars could use a little bit a more of a defined shape here, but always into the wabi-sabi vibe and not everything always has to be so perfect. 

[Titian06]

This design is gorgeous, @Julessss14 ! 🥰  I love all the metallic colors and the big, gold YSL.  (If they're just SL, what a boring and unimpressive logo would that be?...mmm)

[Julessss14]

@Titian06 100% ❤️❤️❤️

[Julessss14]

Tower 28 in a glam cloud (makeup abstraction)When the marketing copy hits ❤️

• Sephora product: Tower 28 Beauty ShineOn Lip Jelly Hydrating Non-Sticky Lip Gloss Chill 
• Date of creation: 10/3/23
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil, PAT McGRATH LABS Venus in Fleurs Luxe Eyeshadow Palette: Voyeuristic Vixen (lunar new year edition), gelly roll pen in pink x2 (one glitter, one matte), red, yellow and burgundy, trixie cosmetics in prism (sparkly purple) and royal jelly (not sure how to describe this color so linking), trixie cosmetics shimmer topper in love potion (deep sparkly purple), orange marker, HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Hy-Power Eye, Cheek & Lip Pigment Paint Magenta Shimmer , silver deco marker, blue pen, black pen

I didn't know this before talking to some folks at Sephoria but Tower 28 finds it name origin in the lifeguard tower in L.A. below the Santa Monica Pier where Venice starts. It's so funny because I used to swim in the ocean out to buoy with my OG yoga teacher Kath at Tower 26. I never put two and two together that Tower 28 is, in fact, right by Tower 26, where I spent many early mornings with the daily-beach-going-Venice-crowd (honestly don't know if I fit in but love that vibe). 

For what it is worth, this Tower 28 Beauty ShineOn Lip Jelly Hydrating Non-Sticky Lip Gloss Chill was Emilio's favorite product from Sephoria. Obviously, I've loved this product for a long time  and I think I maybe bought it actually years ago at a Revolve pop-up on Melrose where they had a cute little display when they were first launching. Compositionally, playing with the concepts of giving more of a sense of motion and vibrancy to the stars by adding a touch of trixie cosmetics lip gloss in kind of an ombre-esque blend. 

There's a subtle layer of glitter on the surface of the paper that it's hard to picture with a light dusting from the Lunar New Year edit of the PAT McGRATH LABS Venus in Fleurs Luxe Eyeshadow Palette: Voyeuristic Vixen moment. Honestly, her stuff is so beautiful and mixed with the hauz labz magenta shimmer, it creates a really gorg-y blend. It's kind of delicate rn so I am not sure how to seal it but will figure it out when it dries 🙂 

[Titian06]

This is really pretty, @Julessss14 !  Love the story!  This is the only PMG palette I have, so great choice. 😄

[Julessss14]

Finished product ❤️Close-up of an abstract moment~*

Table scene with Anchovy cameo!

• Sephora product: Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops 1 oz / 30 mL 
• Date of creation: 10/2/23
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil, NARS Powermatte Long-Lasting Lipstick Dragon Girl - 132 , Glossier Lidstar Long-Wearing Shimmer Cream Eyeshadow Lily , black pen, gelly roll pen in pink and burgundy, Lancôme Juicy Tubes Original Lip Gloss 05 Marshmallow Electro , trixie cosmetics lip gloss in hi gay and scarlet letter, Danessa Myricks Beauty Colorfix - Multi-Use Eye, Cheek & Lip Waterproof Liquid Pigment Latte , Danessa Myricks Beauty Infinite Chrome Holiday Kit - Eye & Face Multichrome Pigments Bottle Service , Yves Saint Laurent Best of YSL Lipstick Set , clarins paris lip comfort oil shimmer in coral

I've always been a very big lover of the color red and it's actually my mom's favorite color, so it has been quite a theme in my life ever since I was a wee child. Red, generally speaking, is full of and brimming with energy and, like the bold hue, I am, similarly, always a fan of people who show up with passion, vitality and a greater sense of purpose. 

Happy to report that actually I have a lot of new beauty products / art supplies from Sephoria this past weekend, where I collected an amazing amount of lip glosses and cheek blush and glittering pigments and other Sephora goodies. 

Want to share one pic with my friend Emilio and the drag queens Kimchi and DayaBetty at the Farmacy booth. Yes... I am the smurf with the blue hair 🙂 But going silver at the end of the week for my friends' fashion show...

Sephoria moment ❤️

It was a really cute event and honestly how amazing are the bees in Kimchi's wig? She totally understood the assignment... no notes, no crumbs. 

[Mellmars1185]

@Julessss14 Awesome painting! Great photo. I also want to see your new hair! 🩶

[Titian06]

Love seeing Anchovy, @Julessss14 !  Cat hair counts as an art supply, right??? 🤣

[Samtian]

@Julessss14 Love it, and I want to see that silver hair!

[Julessss14]

Headed to New York tonight just for fun and to see my friend Emilio. I guess NYC kind of has an all-nighter vibe (known fondly to some as the city that never sleeps...) and the name of this face spray (which really is a perfect addition to any makeup vanity... and feels incredibly refreshing...) immediately drew me in. 

I've had a few all-nighters in college and have been known, occasionally, to fall deep into a late-night youtube worm hole that can become all-nighter-esque. Also, I just happen to be a huge fan of Urban Decay - to be perfectly honest I can't think of one makeup brand I like the name of more... 

Finished composition ❤️Dolphin gem in a juicy tube sea detailSorry my hand is blue because I am dying my hair...

Sadly, this gold dolphin moment is the last of my gems from the French General. Of course, I can order online but I kind of miss being able to go there Saturdays and treasure hunt through the glass jars and French antiques... Since the store went from being open every Saturday to just being special-event and special-experience driven, I am not sure the next time I will have a chance to re-stock IRL...

• Sephora product: Urban Decay All Nighter Vitamin C Hydrating Setting Spray 
• Date of creation: 9/28/23
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil, dolphin gem from the French General, jelly roll pens in green and burgundy, trixie cosmetics shimmer topper in love potion and spoiled, oval-shaped face gems from amazon, clarins paris lip comfort oil in coral, green highlighter, stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow Perlina , Lancôme Juicy Tubes Original Lip Gloss 05 Marshmallow Electro , pink marker, purple marker

[Mellmars1185]

@Julessss14 Gorgeous painting. I now understand why NYC is the city that never sleeps. I hope you had an amazing trip.

[Julessss14]

Finally managed to make my way to the art store so here's the beginning of a new palette. Since the first page has a black background before the actual watercolor paper kicks in, opting for an abstract composition. 

Abstract composition #1: a variety of glittering pigmentsA little lip gloss goes a long way... ❤️

• Date of creation: 9/28/23
• Materials: Watercolors, trixie cosmetics shimmer topper in love potion and spoiled, r.e.m. liquid eyeshadow in lab coat, Glossier Lidstar Long-Wearing Shimmer Cream Eyeshadow Lily , trixie cosmetics lip gloss in prism, MILK MAKEUP Dewy Cream Highlighter Stick Lit 

[Titian06]

This is gorgeous, @Julessss14 ! 🥰

[Julessss14]

It was my Dad's birthday on 9/20 (a prolific day to be born, in my opinion) and I am having my family over to my place on 9/25 for dinner to celebrate and having a little moment for the jewish holiday. Since he plays so much golf (when not mediating big law cases, we love a passionate hobby!) his skin is looking a little red, tbh, so I got him this Glow Recipe Avocado Soothing Skin Barrier Serum with Ceramides 1 oz/ 30 mL (I used the skin concerns "redness" refinement in my search... online) - he's apparently very excited about it since I sent him the link to what I got him. I also recommended a bee-keeper-type-veil / hat situation to keep away the sun while playing golf but he wasn't as thrilled about that fashion statement... (which is totally fine - he is not someone like lady gaga who thrives in a bold sartorial statement). 

Additionally, I am also planning to gift him this updated stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow Perlina watercolor / makeup piece (below). I believe I posted a more skeletal version before (one can ostensibly dig through the archives of this thread to find it...) - but I went ahead and added in the lettering (was lazy before / letting the perlina glitter dry), filled in the hearts with some lip gloss action and added a little bit more dimensionality to the abstract space background with the ever-gorgeous silver shimmer topper from trixie cosmetics to pair with the Sephora Collection nail polish in my favorite glitter shade... 

I think I heard that trixie was maynz going to host a pool party for stay the night shimmer topper at her super cute bungalows / motel in palm spring? Maybe I am wrong... Sounds like a super cute event and I love a pool party / beauty content moment. As goop content maven and former mag editor (and amazing author) Jean Godfrey-June is known the feel, and this is via the completely stellar writing of Cat Marnell, being "dewey" is essential to having a great beauty lewk (or was that Zoolander...?) so love the whole pool / feeling beautiful and refreshed vibe, personally.

we love a detailed moment ❤️finished product ~mise en place ❤️ ("works cited")

• Sephora product: stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow Perlina 
• Date of creation: 9/23/23
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil, Charlotte Tilbury Superstar Lips Lipstick - Pillow Talk Collection Pillow Talk , Lancôme Juicy Tubes Original Lip Gloss 05 Marshmallow Electro , gold deco marker, Glossier Lidstar Long-Wearing Shimmer Cream Eyeshadow Lily , stila perlina (obvi), green, blue & black gelly roll pens, SEPHORA COLLECTION Color Hit Mini Nail Polish Firework , r.e.m. beauty liquid eyeshadow in lab coat, clarins paris lip oil in coral, trixie cosmetics stay the night shimmer topper in silver shade

[Titian06]

Happy birthday to your dad, @Julessss14 !  I hope he likes the Glow Recipe and lovely watercolor! 🥳🍰🎁

[curlychiquita]

Such pretty artwork, @Julessss14! I hope your dad had a nice birthday!

[Julessss14]

• Sephora product: MILK MAKEUP Hydro Grip Primer + Dewy Setting Spray Makeup Set (grip primer)
• Date of creation: 2023
• Materials: Watercolors, pencil, pink gems from the French General, pink nail polish, clear nail polish, silver glitter nail polish, silver deco marker & more