I feel like I haven't blogged in so long that this whole process feels so alien to me now.... /__\ how sad is that. Kudos to bloggers, or even YouTubers who are able to keep doing what they do so consistently over the years O_O
Today I'm bringing you the details of my Sephora haul :D I spent such a ridiculous amount. Sometimes I even wonder why do I buy all this makeup??? Especially when I just keep buying essentially the same things over and over again. I only like certain textures of base makeup. I only like certain colors of lipsticks and blushes. Whenever I make the effort to buy something that's really different I don't usually use them. A lot of things on the market are just the same stuff with different packaging and marketing campaigns... so why do I fall for them... why can't I just use up whatever I have first before I buy anything new??? I guess I'm trying to spring clean my collection and it kind of frustrates me seeing a lot of the unused stuff that I have to toss out. On the bright side though, this haul consists of mainly skincare XD which a girl always needs and will always use LOL.
So this is what my haul initially looks like.
1. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence
2. SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion
3. Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE VOLUPTÉ - Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick in #13 Peach Passion - vibrant peachy pink
4. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine in #14 Corail in Touch - creamy orange coral
5. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar - Matte in Nylon - classic bubblegum pink with a neon twist
6. Origins Original Skin™ Renewal Serum with Willowherb
7. Yves Saint Laurent Volupté Tint-In-Oil in Pink About Me 8
For samples, I got Omorovicza Queen Of Hungary Mist, Guerlain Abeille Royale Face Treatment Oil, CLINIQUE Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer
In the end... this is what my haul comes down to:
I ended up with two bottles of SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion O_o , keeping the SK-II Facial Treatment Essence, the Origins serum, and one lip product. Let me explain as we go :D
So first let's talk about the lip products, because to be honest, the one product I was most looking forward to was the YSL Tint in Oil... which, after much internal debate I ended up returning ~_~
So let's begin with the Tint in Oil. I got it in #8 Pink About Me. I know it looks like a purply color, but on my lips, it actually does not look purple at all. It was a really beautiful pink :)
Freshly applied.
The stain. It looks nothing like the color on the applicator. Unfortunately I don't have any lip swatches =(
The formula of this product is quite interesting... it doesn't look pigmented at all. And when I first apply it to my lips, it really doesn't look like anything either-- it'd just look like I have a layer of clear , shiny gloss on. But as it sets, it kind of thickens up a bit (I'm not sure if thicken is the best word to describe it, please bear with my limited vocab XD) and the color turns a lot of opaque and actually shows up quite well (I have relatively pigmented lips too, so I'm impressed by the color payoff!)
So what's my problem with the tint?
The color isn't the problem.... I've tried it a number of times in store and I knew I loved the color. It's more of the fact I was disappointed with the moisturization (okay I just made up that word) and the way it stains. When I tried it in the stores I thought it felt amazing and super moisturizing. But after wearing it to work multiple times... I noticed it actually does not keep my lips moisturized. When the tint dries completely, it left my lips feeling very dried out (I was expecting a supple feeling that you get after applying lip balm...). And a little bit shriveled. I remember the first time that happened I didn't have any lip balm with me and my lips were in hell that day -_- it was so uncomfortable. Plus, I noticed the unattractive stain it left behind... let's just say the patchy colors of pink did not look pleasing at all with lip lines that were accentuated due to being dried out. I feel like I can't be too harsh about the tint part cuz I have not yet used a lip tint product where the stain wears off gracefully (YSL glossy stains don't stain so they don't count). But I would at least expect moisture from this product. Maybe it's the tint component for this product that makes the product not work out the way it's designed to. I feel like for those who actually reapply lip products consistently throughout the day probably wouldn't find this as an issue. Who knows. Another thing is... I realized I'm not really into glossy lips... at least not from the amount of glossiness this tint oil provides. I can easily look like I just had a greasy Chinese takeout XD I tried applying a tiny bit but what's the point -_- the color doesn't really show up that way. In the end, I decided this product is just not practical for me. So I kissed it goodbye (metaphorically) and took it back.
Next, onto the YSL lipsticks
From left to right: #13, #14, #15. #15 was already in my possession prior to this purchase =D
#14 was love at first sight. I would say when applied lightly, the closest thing I have that's similar to it will be the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balmstain in 040 Rendezvous. However, Revlon is definitely more neon orange, and YSL is more orange with pink.
As for shade #13...
When I swatched it on my arm, not gonna lie I couldn't really tell the difference between #13 and #15. O_O
Note: #15 is rather sheer and that's about the opacity of 3 swipes. #15 also has a more buttery finish.
#13 and #15 look SO similar on my arm. But when applied to my lips, #13 actually shows up darker than #15. Pretty much the color you see straight from the bullet.
#13 is a gorgeous color and I've been eying it for years. But... it just doesn't look good on me. It's too nude for my liking. And since the color is lighter than my natural lip color... I have to make sure I apply a good amount to cover my natural lip color, and I found the formula to be a bit gloopy when applied straight from the bullet. I have to smooth it out with my fingers. Not that is a big issue cuz I tend to do that with all my lipsticks anyway. There's really nothing wrong with this lipstick... I just personally prefer more color on my lips, so don't let me put you off this lipstick. For me, having #15 is enough, since the nude effect is similar anyway. Well, now I can put my fantasies of this lipstick to rest /__\
Now... this OCC lip tar is a completely impulsive purchase -_- saw it on a YouTuber and thought it looked so pretty... but it just looked wayyyy too barbie pink on me!
Honestly when I swatched it on my hand I thought I would love the color! But I don't know... something about it just doesn't sit right with my skin tone. Too much blue?? Oh, and the formula is REALLY drying. Another big no no.
So now onto the products I ended up keeping
You guys are no stranger to this now. I'm already half way through my current bottle and I don't think it will make it till the November VIB sale, so I decided to pick up a bottle. I actually thought about stop using this product, but here's an update: I noticed it makes the back of my hand look so much brighter and smoother O_O which... you guys can't tell the difference, but I can!!
This year I made the resolution to start better taking care of my neck and hands... ppl all say a woman's neck reveals her age... but for me, I think it's hands O_o and I have withered looking hands to begin with. So I'm making an effort here lol. I just started applying any leftover of this essence to the back of my hands... and I noticed, the very next day, how much brighter and youthful my hands look. (☆_☆) Say whaat??!?!?!? So that's why I decided to keep using it, cuz it's doing something lol!!! Shame it doesn't do the same thing to my face.
The SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion is definitely a VERY pleasant surprise for me. By just looking at the name you would think it's designed for acne prone skin. The only reason I was interested in this product is because someone (can't remember who) claimed that this normalizes their combination skin. Like from oily to normal. So I thought I would give it a try. To be honest, I have EVERY intention to return this if it doesn't help with my oiliness. Half of my mind was already set to return this because I felt like it wouldn't work for me.
Here's the funny thing-- okay it did not work in the respect of normalizing my skin, not at all. But... holy crap, this thing makes my skin so bright, so smooth, and so much more even O___O seriously, I could not stop looking at my skin for the first week O_O Basically, everything that the Facial Treatment Essence claims and fails to do for me, this does it for me. What the what?!?!?! DID I MENTION THE PRICE OF THIS IS WAY CHEAPER THAN THE TREATMENT ESSENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes, I intend to make you deaf if you can hear me now)
The texture of this lotion is completely different from the treatment essence. While the treatment essence just feels like water, this lotion has a slippy feeling to it. I would compare the feeling to the Estee Lauder Micro Essence and IOPE Bio Essence, but minus the stickiness-- it's not sticky at all, and it feels very moisturizing (*´∀｀*)
Here's the most interesting thing that this Clear Lotion does for me. It actually noticeably shrinks my blackheads O___O Yes, it is noticeable. Unfortunately, it doesn't make them go away (been using it for two weeks now so I can tell you that). However, it really does help them from getting bigger and blacker... do you know what I mean??? I think those who suffer from blackheads will all know what I'm talking about. It really keeps them in check O_o it's amazing!! Here's another interesting, and may I say, hilarious part though XD For the first few days, it made my nose, so, extra, oily. LOL. Oh the irony. I'm not sure if it's because it shrank my blackheads, effectively "unplugging" my pores (ohhh thank me for me visual) so my sebum had free rein XD but for the first couple of days I was so oily it was ridiculous. But I liked how bright and smooth and even my skin looked that I didn't care and went ahead and ordered a second bottle (it was the last day of the sale O_O) Good news is the oiliness kind of slowed down after the first week. By now it's been two weeks and I feel like my skin is almost back to its baseline oiliness. Will keep you guys updated on this :D I am so surprised and happy with this product!! I think after I use up this bottle of treatment essence, I'm just gonna stick with this Clear Lotion (●´▽｀●) and as you can see in the picture, it's been two weeks and I barely used any. So that's another bonus... you don't need that much of this product! I didn't know how little product I needed, but if I did I probably would have waited off till the November sale to get the second bottle. Oh well. Did I mention it's way cheaper than the facial essence again?? Hahaha.Can I say enough good things about this product???? Lol okay I'm gonna stop. I'm just too excited hehehe.
A while back this serum was all over YouTube. Albeit knowing they're all sponsored videos, I didn't care cuz I've always adored Origins and I have faith in their products so I wanted to give it a try. Wanted to use this as my daytime serum :D
Erm, to be honest, I'm still too busy being obsessed about the Clear Lotion so this product hasn't really gotten any love from me Σ(☉A⊙ｌ|ｌ) I sorry serum!!! I have tried it like 3-4 times though... the only thing I noticed was the nice, refreshing, citrus scent. I think the effect of the Clear Lotion is just too powerful that I didn't notice anything when I used this O_o I guess we'll just have to wait any see LOL. I feel like the SK-II products I'm currently using are already "nutritious" enough for my skin so I don't want to layer too many products on top in case I break out
Other things that were on my wishlist:
Becca Perfect Skin Mineral Powder Foundation (My shade is Nude)
Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Foundation Powder (My shade is #5)
So many powder foundations on my wishlist :D But I still haven't finished my current one and I still have a backup of the Lancome one... so gonna work on those first lol.
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Naked (nude pink)-- saw it on a YouTuber and it looked sooo pretty on her! It might pull off too nude on me though... I think I've tried it in store but can't remember so that's why I held off on it lol.
Ambient Lighting Blush in Ethereal Glow (cool pink)-- I'm still loving my AL blushes so I'm looking forward to collecting this one :D maybe in November. I wish it comes in a smaller size or in a palette.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Pointed Eyeliner Brush-- Ehh I don't need another eyeliner brush. But it looks interesting LOL.
Hope you guys enjoyed this haul/review! Hope it wasn't too boring... since I didn't get any of the hot and exciting new products lol. There have been so many new releases that it feels quite chaotic O_O I have checked out a lot of the new foundation releases but for some reason I'm not really inclined to try any (as in I haven't gotten any samples... what is happening?!?!!?!) Maybe because I have too many already XD
Have a great weekend and I will see you on Instagram or my next post ^_~
<3 Frances
