Summer Sephora Haul

What better way to continue my beauty blogging venture than with the beloved haul from our mecca Sephora. A few weeks ago I dropped a good chunk of my paycheck on a few items I’ve been eyeing and redeemed some of the points I’ve been hoarding for years.

Part of this was purchased in store, and then I made an online order. The online and mobile deals on Sephora are really fantastic. There’s always some sort of promo code you can enter to get a nice sample size of a skincare item, cosmetic, or fragrance. They also include three free samples with every order. It’s kind of dumb, but sometimes I’ll even opt to go to the store, swatch what I like, then go home and order it just so I can get those extra perks.

 So for my three free samples I chose Benefit’s Porefessional, which is a face primer that minimizes pores and just smooths everything out. I also picked up two fragrance samples from the brand Replica in “Lazy Sunday Morning” and “Jazz Club.” I’ve been getting more into fragrances lately, and I’ve found that Replica has really unique, nostalgic scents. Unfortunately, the full sizes are just way too expensive for me right now, but these samples should hold me over for a little bit!

I’ve also been trying out new skincare products. The Origins High-Potency-Night-A-Mins is a night cream that I redeemed with some points. It smells so fantastic, and even before receiving it, I knew I’d like it because of my love affair with their Drink Up overnight mask. It smells delicious and is enriched with minerals and vitamins C, E, and H, so my skin feels hydrated and bright from when I go to bed to when I wake up.

I’ve been eyeing the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask for months now, so I was thrilled when I saw it offered through a promo code. It’s a peel off mask that is supposed to detoxify and brighten the skin. I’ve only used it once, but so far I like the way it makes my skin feel cleaner without over-drying it. I also picked up the Glow and Go! set by REN that features mini sizes of their Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial and Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask. I really wanted to try the latter because I’ve been looking for a chemical exfoliant, and although I’m still testing them out, I’ve been enjoying incorporating both these products into my skincare routine.

I finally found a 500-point reward I was willing to redeem my points for. I haven’t used any of these products, but as I mentioned, I’ve been experimenting with different skincare products. The box set includes small sizes of Fresh’s Soy Face Cleanser, Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask, Rose Face Mask, and Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil.

I picked up the bareMinerals Up Close & Beautiful: 30-Day Complexion Starter Kit for my friend’s birthday. I’ve actually never tried mineral foundation before and just stick to liquid formulations, but recently everyone and their mother has been raving and revisiting this product. My curiosity has spiked, so I’ll wait to see how my friend likes it before looking more into it! If you’ve tried mineral foundation or anything by bareMinerals, let me know what you think!

I caved and got two products I’ve been admiring for a long time: Tarte’s Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in “Exposed” and BECCA’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Jaclyn Hill’s color “Champagne Pop.” Blushes tend to have poor staying power on my skin, and this Tarte one has gotten a lot of positive reviews. The matte nude shade looks like nothing special in the pan, but it looks really stunning on the skin. I’ve only used it a couple of times but I’m a big fan and so, so happy for finally picking it up.

Last but not least (in fact, probably my favorite purchase), the BECCA highlighter.
It’s truly lived up to the hype, and although I haven’t followed Jaclyn Hill for long, or done more than swatch the other shades in store, “Champagne Pop” is really brilliant. It makes the skin look so luminous, and, as with the other shades, the formula is smooth and creamy and stays on the skin all day. I’ve honestly never had a piece of makeup that makes me feel so beautiful and confident as this highlighter does. This shade is limited so I definitely encourage anyone interested to pick it up ASAP!

If you enjoyed this post and have any other recommendations or suggestions, please let me know in the comments! I hope this was interesting and informative for you, and if you have any products you’ve recently bought or been loving, share it in the comments as well!

xx. Diana