SEPHORA HAUL!

This past week I had the opportunity to visit my local Sephora at the Hamilton Place Mall in Chattanooga, TN. What a great little store with some super sweet (and helpful) clerks.  They truly wanted to help me find exactly what I was looking for, and of course I had no real clue what that was.  I knew I needed mascara and foundation but beyond that, I wasn't sure what I was looking for.  I was hoping to try the Armani mascara and foundation but, much to my dismay, this store didn't carry that brand in makeup.  So, I shifted gears and sought my favorite brands for options: Dior, Make Up For Ever, and Urban Decay.

Dior: Diorshow Extase Mascara - $28.50

Photo Courtesy of Sephora.com

This mascara is said to "plump your lashes inside and out".

DiorShow Extase provides built-in treatment benefits and high-impact lashes in a single stroke! The spherical-shaped Black Pearl Pigments create a 3D volume effect and the exclusive Metamorphosis Powders expand in size by up to 50% after application. Also, SR38 Patented Ceramid brings additional care, reconstructing damaged lashes and promoting stronger and fuller lashes. - Sephora.com

It comes in two shades: black and brown.  I purchased the black because I'm very brunette.  I love how it plumps my lashes and the intensity of the color is by far one of the best.  I've always been a fan of Diorshow mascaras and this one may be my new favorite because of the additional conditioning benefits it contains.  

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation - $34

Photo Courtesy of Sephora.com

I follow MakeupbyTiffanyD on Youtube (if you haven't watched her videos, you have to), and she swears by this foundation.  Having oily, troublesome skin myself, I wanted a foundation that offered medium to full coverage that was oil free and would leave my skin with a clean matte finish.  

The claim:

Hides imperfections, evens out skin tone, and mattifies with a non-oily, perfectly powdered finish. The result is flawless and lasts for hours.

Again, I've only been using this product for a week but I'm impressed with the results.  I still love my old favorite, the Chanel Mat Lumiere, but this offers more of the coverage that I'm looking for; whereas the Chanel is a little more sheer.  I think that I'm going to use this foundation when my skin is especially aggravated because it covers the redness and bumps that my skin gets at certain times of the month and during certain weather conditions.  It's not for everyone and being an oil free, water resistant foundation you have to work with it quickly.  Overall I really like the formula and color selections and truly a little bit goes a long way so the price is justifiable.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - $50

Photo Courtesy of Sephora.com

 I already owned the original Naked Palette and it is my go to, daily use palette.  I find that the colors in the original palette are a beautiful selection of warm, neutral shades that vary from light to dark and offer multiple textures like shimmer, frost, glitter, pearl and matte.  The new palette offers the same texture and variety but with more cool neutral shades.  I thought this would complete my neutral collection.  When I got the palette home, I was excited about the additions that his palette has.  The first palette came with a trial size primer potion and a double ended eyeliner.  This palette comes with a lip junkie lip gloss and a double ended brush that is not the cheap, just-have-something-to-fill-the-spot type of applicator you'd expect in a palette.  It's actually a nice brush.  The colors offer great payoff and apply very easily.  I'm working on swatches to add to the blog so you can see more accurately what the difference is between the old and the new.  I highly recommend this palette as well as the first to anyone starting a makeup collection because this gives you everything you need for any look, day to night.

Thanks for visiting my blog and I'll talk to you soon!