Sephora

JoSometimes · ‎11-27-2023

T’was the week before Christmas and all through the malls, BIC’ers were shopping and collecting their hauls…

Happy December to everyone! There will surely be plenty of delightfully decadent December hauls as we all get ready for the holidays. Whether they’re gifts from loved ones or something for yourself, show of your holiday hauls for everyone to see!

Happy birthday to all the December babies! (If you’re like some of my relatives, I’m sorry you only ever got one present at this time of year… You are still very special!)

And Merry Christmas, Hanukkah Sameach, Habari Gani, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

itsfi · ‎12-19-2023

@faeriegirl, thank you. It really is a standout gift. 🎁 They sure know how to get people to buy from them. 😆

danielledanielle · ‎12-18-2023

My eyes immediately went to the brushes. Dior really does have some fab GWP\loyalty gifts @itsfi

Agreed about perfumes, it's easier to go through travels and minis anyhow.

itsfi · ‎12-19-2023

@danielledanielle, I’ve been ordering through Dior direct off and on since early last year and have been impressed with what they offer when you reach other spending tier. I wasn’t expecting the brushes to be as soft as they are. You know I don’t need more brushes but I wasn’t going to say “no” to this free gift, when I was already going to pick up the serum. 😊

I love the mini’s and travel sizes. They’re portable and for the mini’s that are literally smaller replicas of the full size bottles, they’re just so cute❣️

WinglessOne · ‎12-17-2023

Waited for more of my Cyber Week shopping spree to arrive before posting here, plus some more recent orders.

Sephora:

Fragrance points multiplier promoYAYPOINTS promo

A few notes:

Spoiler

Fragrance points multiplier order:

VOLUSPA Tropical Oasis Mini Tin Candle Trio - I planned to keep the watermelon candle and gift the other 2 away. But I might gift all 3 away since I still have a big jarred version of the watermelon candle to burn.

KILIAN Paris The Arsenal of Scents Woodsy Duo - wasn’t sure I’d like Angels’ Share because it might smell too sweet. (I love Apple Brandy OTR, for reference.) But I’ve smelled and enjoyed the fairly straight-up sandalwood Sacred Wood before, so I figured I might gift away Angels’ Share + the travel case (I already have one). Still undecided on that.

I also ordered one of the free promo sample bags but didn’t get it in my package. 😒

YAYPOINTS order:

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight Transcend - a very impulsive purchase. Haven’t even swatched it yet, I just realized… maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.

MUFE - no swatches yet because I don’t feel like making a big sparkly mess right now 😅:

MAKE UP FOR EVER Star Lit Powder 2 Frozen Gold
MAKE UP FOR EVER Star Lit Diamond Powder 107 and shade 104

I’ve used another shade of Star Lit Powder before as eyeshadow, so I know what to expect from these 3 shades. As with most loose pigments, I prefer using a mixing medium with MUFE’s. But they also work well with a brush sprayed with MAC Fix+.

Nécessaire The Body Bar - With 2% Physical Exfoliant, 5 Ceramides + Niacinamide 5 oz / 140 g - I think this is the first Nécessaire product I’ve ever tried. I needed to restock my usual body bar and figured I might as well try this one at 20% off. Hopefully it’s just scrubby enough to work for me without being too abrasive.

Topicals Faded Under Eye Brightening & Clearing Eye Masks 6 pairs / pack - satisfying my curiosity here. Most of my undereye hyperpigmentation’s not treatable with skincare products (it’s due to sunken skin) but, like all eye masks, these can be used elsewhere on the face and body. Since they contain arbutin, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, licorice root, niacinamide, and glutathione, they should indeed be able to reduce hyperpigmentation. I look forward to trying them.

Fragrance points multiplier order: - I planned to keep the watermelon candle and gift the other 2 away. But I might gift all 3 away since I still have a big jarred version of the watermelon candle to burn. - wasn’t sure I’d like Angels’ Share because it might smell too sweet. (I love Apple Brandy OTR, for reference.) But I’ve smelled and enjoyed the fairly straight-up sandalwood Sacred Wood before, so I figured I might gift away Angels’ Share + the travel case (I already have one). Still undecided on that. I also ordered one of the free promo sample bags but didn’t get it in my package. YAYPOINTS order: - a very impulsive purchase. Haven’t even swatched it yet, I just realized… maybe I’ll do that tomorrow. MUFE - no swatches yet because I don’t feel like making a big sparkly mess right now : and shade 104 I’ve used another shade of Star Lit Powder before as eyeshadow, so I know what to expect from these 3 shades. As with most loose pigments, I prefer using a mixing medium with MUFE’s. But they also work well with a brush sprayed with MAC Fix+. - I think this is the first Nécessaire product I’ve ever tried. I needed to restock my usual body bar and figured I might as well try this one at 20% off. Hopefully it’s just scrubby enough to work for me without being too abrasive. - satisfying my curiosity here. Most of my undereye hyperpigmentation’s not treatable with skincare products (it’s due to sunken skin) but, like all eye masks, these can be used elsewhere on the face and body. Since they contain arbutin, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, licorice root, niacinamide, and glutathione, they should indeed be able to reduce hyperpigmentation. I look forward to trying them.

Paula’s Choice:

5 purchased items + 4 GWP items.This bag was also GWP.
Restocks: Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting BHA 9 Treatment 0.3 oz/ 9 mL, Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster 1 oz/ 30 mL, and RESIST Advanced Smoothing Treatment 10% AHA.

Everything else was GWP. Of these products, the ones I’ve used before are Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant for Clear Skin and Paula's Choice Pro Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster 0.67 oz / 20 mL. I’ll happily try the Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA and Paula's Choice RESIST Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer with Ceramides 1.7 oz / 50 ml soon.

MAC:

The blush isn’t the shade I ordered. MAC refunded me for that error and let me keep the blush, so I’ll re-home it.

Cream Colour Base shade Improper Copper - will use as a blush/highlighter hybrid, and might try as a lip color; it’s very emollient creamy; there’s a blurry swatch of it in the Ulta spoiler below
Amplified Lipstick shade Dubonnet
Lustreglass Lipstick shades Cockney, Succumb To Plum, and I Deserve This

I have more MAC coming. The rest of this order was backordered, and I need to go to my local standalone MAC store to pick up my birthday gift since it was OOS online. I also need to use all my loyalty program points before they expire; I’ll do that in-store too.

Ulta BOPIS order + “eh, while I’m here…” in-store buys:

Swatches & notes:

Spoiler

NARS Laguna Talc-Free Bronzer Powder Laguna 04 and Laguna 6 - options to mask or warm up the fading hyperpigmentation on the sides of my face. 04 might get muddy on that skin since it’s a neutral (according to NARS) undertone. When I picked up my BOPIS order, I swatched shade 06 which might work better on that skin tone. I’ll have to try both shades on my face to find out.

My camera decided to focus on the background instead of my arm.

NARS Afterglow Sensual Shine Hydrating Lipstick On Edge 209 - not to be confused with the Afterglow Balm. It applies pretty well with good coverage in 2 glossy coats that aren’t sticky and haven’t feathered/bled in the 15 minutes I’ve worn it so far. It does pool in my lip lines, as you’ll see in my lip swatch photo. I’m not super annoyed by that, but I know it’s a dealbreaker for some folks.

Byoma Hydrating Recovery Oil - added to cart to bring my BOPIS order into promo discount range. This oil may be a good alternative to e.l.f.’s discontinued Nourishing Facial Oil, based on its INCI list.

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Crystal Holographic Lip Luminizer HOLLA'GRAM - just when I thought I’d missed out on this (it sold out online everywhere), I happened upon it in-store. “But you don’t need this,” I thought to myself as I picked it up and carried it to the registers. 🙃

and Laguna 6 - options to mask or warm up the fading hyperpigmentation on the sides of my face. 04 might get muddy on that skin since it’s a neutral (according to NARS) undertone. When I picked up my BOPIS order, I swatched shade 06 which might work better on that skin tone. I’ll have to try both shades on my face to find out. My camera decided to focus on the background instead of my arm. - not to be confused with the Afterglow Balm. It applies pretty well with good coverage in 2 glossy coats that aren’t sticky and haven’t feathered/bled in the 15 minutes I’ve worn it so far. It does pool in my lip lines, as you’ll see in my lip swatch photo. I’m not super annoyed by that, but I know it’s a dealbreaker for some folks. Byoma Hydrating Recovery Oil - added to cart to bring my BOPIS order into promo discount range. This oil may be a good alternative to e.l.f.’s discontinued Nourishing Facial Oil, based on its INCI list. - just when I thought I’d missed out on this (it sold out online everywhere), I happened upon it in-store. “But you don’t need this,” I thought to myself as I picked it up and carried it to the registers.

Danessa Myricks:

A Prism FX swatch & some notes:

Spoiler

I visited Danessa’s TikTok shop a day ahead of her recent Lightwork Vault event and noticed TikTok had a 30% off discount on various brands. I couldn’t pass that up. But I gotta say… (mini rant ahead)

Spoiler

Shopping via TikTok was very frustrating. Glitches kept getting in my way, even during checkout. That’s most likely the app’s fault, not the cosmetics brand’s. I can’t imagine trying to beat shopping bots during that Lightwork Vault event to snag a palette*; I’d never have gotten through checkout fast enough.

So yeah, I still loathe TikTok overall and won’t use it unless absolutely necessary. I’m kinda like a cranky cat at the end of a vet appointment (that involved shots), after the vet or vet tech has given me a treat. “This is delicious but it changes nothing, I still hate you.” 😾

*I already have Lightwork IV and the mini Lightwork III, so I didn’t need another of those for myself. I was considering trying to buy another IV to gift away.

Anyway, I bought Danessa Myricks Beauty Infinite Chrome Flakes Multichrome Gel for Eyes & Face Moonlight, Prism FX Hydrating Face Lotion shade Peach, and a ring palette. I’ve wanted that little ring palette ever since I first saw Danessa wear it in one of her videos. It was sold out for a while at her site, so I stopped looking for it. I’m happy to have it now!

Prism FX shade Peach is on the right side of my hand. Hard to see, I know. I bought it because I figured it’d be this subtle on me. Gonna try it as an undereye brightener; gotta patch test it first though, since it’s fragranced.

I visited Danessa’s TikTok shop a day ahead of her recent Lightwork Vault event and noticed TikTok had a 30% off discount on various brands. I couldn’t pass that up. But I gotta say… (mini rant ahead) Shopping via TikTok was very frustrating. Glitches kept getting in my way, even during checkout. That’s most likely the app’s fault, not the cosmetics brand’s. I can’t imagine trying to beat shopping bots during that Lightwork Vault event to snag a palette*; I’d never have gotten through checkout fast enough. So yeah, I still loathe TikTok overall and won’t use it unless absolutely necessary. I’m kinda like a cranky cat at the end of a vet appointment (that involved shots), after the vet or vet tech has given me a treat. “This is delicious but it changes nothing, I still hate you.” *I already have Lightwork IV and the mini Lightwork III, so I didn’t need another of those for myself. I was considering trying to buy another IV to gift away. Anyway, I bought , Prism FX Hydrating Face Lotion shade Peach, and a ring palette. I’ve wanted that little ring palette ever since I first saw Danessa wear it in one of her videos. It was sold out for a while at her site, so I stopped looking for it. I’m happy to have it now! Prism FX shade Peach is on the right side of my hand. Hard to see, I know. I bought it because I figured it’d be this subtle on me. Gonna try it as an undereye brightener; gotta patch test it first though, since it’s fragranced.

Terra Moons:

Swatches & notes:

Spoiler

Made myself pick just one indie brand’s Black Friday eyeshadow sale. Terra Moons won because I’ve never used their shadows before. These powders don’t feel as loosely soft as, say, Clionadh’s do. TM’s feel more compact in the pan, but still soft. I might actually prefer TM’s formula; won’t know for sure until I try these shadows on my lids. (Don’t get me wrong, I still like Clionadh’s shadows.)

Also bought lip gloss shades Cosmic Rebel and Zero Rays because I couldn’t resist. Haven’t tried ‘em on yet but I suspect they’ll feather/bleed, so I’ll be sure to use a lip liner or primer to control them.

Made myself pick just one indie brand’s Black Friday eyeshadow sale. Terra Moons won because I’ve never used their shadows before. These powders don’t feel as loosely soft as, say, Clionadh’s do. TM’s feel more compact in the pan, but still soft. I might actually prefer TM’s formula; won’t know for sure until I try these shadows on my lids. (Don’t get me wrong, I still like Clionadh’s shadows.) Also bought lip gloss shades Cosmic Rebel and Zero Rays because I couldn’t resist. Haven’t tried ‘em on yet but I suspect they’ll feather/bleed, so I’ll be sure to use a lip liner or primer to control them.

JoSometimes · ‎12-20-2023

Wooow what a haul @WinglessOne! I see some birthday treats in there. Happy birthday!

I also spotted Byoma Recovery Oil. Have you tried it before? If so, how was it?

WinglessOne · ‎12-21-2023

Thanks @JoSometimes ! Nope, I’ve never tried Byoma’s facial oil before. I figured it may be a good alternative to e.l.f.’s discontinued Nourishing Facial Oil, based on its INCI list. The only questionable (for my particular skin) ingredient is blue tansy oil, which is really an essential perfuming oil that can tick my facial skin off, depending on how much is in the product and whether or not any other fragrance components are in the mix. Luckily it’s at the end of this product’s INCI list and there are no other fragrances lurking there. I plan to use it mostly as a hand and nail oil, but will patch test it on my face.

JoSometimes · ‎12-21-2023

Interesting. I’d love to hear more after you’ve tested it out @WinglessOne

lmaster · ‎12-19-2023

Ohhh those rainbow swatches are stunning!! Enjoy all your beautiful goodies @WinglessOne

WinglessOne · ‎12-21-2023

Thanks @lmaster !

curlychiquita · ‎12-19-2023

Everything looks beautiful, @WinglessOne! You're doing your birthday right! 🎂

WinglessOne · ‎12-21-2023

Thanks @curlychiquita !

CynthieLu · ‎12-19-2023

Happy Birthday Month!! 🎉🥳 @WinglessOne I hope you have yourself an amazing birthday when the day arrives! 💕

Your haul is soooo good! I liked the palette ring too! It's so neat. 😀 I'm happy too see one appear here on BIC.

Did you shop any of her 12 days of sales? There are some good deals going around. 😉

WinglessOne · ‎12-21-2023

Thank you @CynthieLu ! That little ring palette’s already come in handy! I like it much more than my plastic palette that covers the entire back of my hand; I have more freedom of movement with the ring palette. And it even stays on my chonky ring finger pretty well. 😂

Why yes, I did shop one of Danessa’s 12 days. Did you? I skipped Infinite Chrome Flakes day because I knew I’d go overboard with it. Instead I bought backups of the eyeliner shades I know I’ll quickly run through.

CynthieLu · ‎12-21-2023

I can see it being more handy than big ones, yes exactly you can move around with way less issues, and that is kinda key when your working on your own face, lol. You need that room for your fingers to move. I thinks that a simple but pretty handy little tool. Great scoop getting it! 😀

Naw life things happened (Our car had a tantrum and it's priority one atm. ) But I may not have even gone in on anything, after duties and shipping even the sales aren't sales anymore. During BF I was going too stock up a bit and it didn't make sense after I did the math.

I do see myself ordering directly from her in the future , there are fun items that I want to try, but not atm. 💖

makeitup305 · ‎12-18-2023

@WinglessOne what an AMAZING haul! I am a big TerraMoons fan and have a lot of their multichromes so if you're interested in a shade, let me know, I might have it. Their formula varies so some are flakier than others but their shifts are stunning. The MUFE powders are so fun. I forget they have them (and that I have one :P) but I love the sparkle they give.

How do you compare the PC Azelaic to the Inkey List one? I have been loving the latter and it's really helped my skin when I pick at a blemish. I actually just ordered a 20% Azelaic Serum from Dermatica. I've never heard of the brand but I'm interested in trying this product as a spot treatment.

Those MAC lipsticks are bringing me back. I can't remember the last time that I bought one but it's so nostalgic! I'm sure they'll look fabulous on you. Happy belated birthday!

P.S. to you and to @JoSometimes and @CynthieLu I just picked up some skincare products that you might like. I got them off of Olive Young. It's the Ceramune line from Bioheal BOH. My skin has been crazy dry lately and I've been layering the Skin, Fluid, and Cream and it's such a nice feeling. I know your skin is pretty sensitive but I'd figured I'd share since I remember you guys talking about loving ceramides.

WinglessOne · ‎12-21-2023

Thank you @makeitup305 ! My birthday’s actually today, so you didn’t miss it; you were early! 🙂 I might take you up on your swatch offer for future Terra Moons orders. It was hard not to order half the site’s available shadows during the sale… I had to whittle my cart waaay down. So far, I’m very impressed by these 9 shades!

About azelaic acid: I’ve used the Paula’s Choice product for a few years now, I think. This year (or last year?) I went through a full tube of The Inkey List’s azelaic acid and didn’t like it as much as PC’s. I’m sure TIL’s is effective. I just wasn’t a fan of its performance, aside from efficacy. I’ve also tried a few other 10% azelaic acid products; here they are, listed in no particular order. My faves are PC and Peach Slices, though Facetheory’s is kinda nice in frigid temps due to its emollient feel.

Product	Texture	Performance	Key helper ingredients
Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster	Cream	Spreads easily, penetrates skin quickly, doesn't leave much of a finish behind. Can pill if overapplied.	0.5% salicylic acid, licorice root, adenosine, allantoin, bisabolol, boerhavia diffusa root
The Inkey List Redness Relief 10% Azelaic Acid Serum	Cream (if I recall correctly; been a while since I used it)	Spreads fairly easily, penetrates quickly, leaves my skin feeling dry/matte. Green tint may help mask some redness.	Allantoin; also contains 2 forms of gardenia extract which may or may not be helpful, depending on your skin's sensitivity to fragrance
Peach Slices Redness Relief Azelaic Acid Serum	Light lotion	Spreads very easily, penetrates skin quickly, leaves a slightly hydrated feel. Green tint may help mask some redness.	Centella asiatica, spirulina, mugwort, allantoin, arginine; also contains gardenia extract which may or may not sensitize skin
Facetheory Lumizela A10 Serum	Rich milk	Easiest of these to spread. Leaves an emollient finish, feels kinda moisturizing.	Oats, aloe, green tea, rosehip extract (not oil, according to brand)
Skinfix 2% BHA Acne Spot Treatment	Cream	Moderate spreadability (to be fair, it's meant more as a spot treatment). Pills so badly on me, I have to wet-wipe it off my skin—so I can't say what kind of finish it leaves behind.	2% salicylic acid, kaolin clay, green tea, niacinamide, licorice root, zinc PCA

Anything above 10% azelaic acid usually needs a prescription in the US… Dermatica’s one of those online pharmacy type retailers, but located outside the US, right? Someday I’ll ask my derm for Rx azelaic acid; for now, it’s less expensive to use OTC 10% twice a day.

I’ve been buying MAC lipstick for decades. 😂 One of those shades I bought is a restock: I finally finished my (very) old tube.

And I’m noting to self to check out the Bioheal BOH Ceramune line. Ceramides are fantastic, though there are other ingredients my fussy skin needs even more. Good to know your skin’s loving those products! This reminds me to reorder a few things from Olive Young (or whichever retailer has the best price). 🙂

makeitup305 · ‎12-22-2023

@WinglessOne Your breakdown is so thorough! Do you keep a spreadsheet with thoughts on all your products? I realized after I ordered that the 20% serum is shipping from the EU. It was actually not that expensive, about $30 with shipping. I skipped the PC when I first was looking at this active because my skin doesn't get along with BHAs (or AHAs for that matter). They don't irritate my skin but I feel like I always get a couple of little bumps after, no matter the brand or the type of acid. It might be fine since it's such a low concentration but I'd rather not risk it. The Peach Slices sounds nice. I'll add that one to my "to try" list. I was also looking at the Naturium, which also looks promising. I'll report back on how the Dermatica does as a spot treatment when it arrives and I give it a good test run.

Olive Young is the only place I've seen the Ceramune so far but YesStyle tends to get the same products a few weeks after they do. Both of those are dangerous to my wallet, I fill up my cart so fast lol

Definitely let me know if you're ever interest in the TM swatches and I look forward to reading your thoughts when your new ones come in. Here is (most) of my collection