Tag Archives: sephora

Jul30

July 2022 Finishes

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July 2022 Finishes

Hello!!! It’s about that time to discuss my beauty finishes for the month of July and it was a good month, indeed. I got to try some new to me products, used up some of the ones that took forever, and revisited some old favorites. It was a GREAT SUCCESS so let’s get to it:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Spray: Omg, did this spray take forever to finish lol – at least half a year of almost daily use! This is fine by me, though, because I love anything apple scented and B&BW always delivers. The Country Apple is the perfect mix of sweet and tart and it is the perfect pick me up before leaving for work. I would definitely use it again but am fine with not using it for a while!

SkinLab Cleanser: I love SkinLab products and the Lift & Firm Daily Gel Cleanser was amazing. After about a month and a half of daily use, my skin looked more supple and felt smoother. It was invigorating to use every morning and also removed remnants of makeup really well. Although, I have to admit that it’s a bit sad to be moving onto products that Lift & Firm lol.

B&BW Shower Gel: Normally, the travel size shower gel from B&BW lasts me three weeks of daily use. However, this month I used up two of them because Johnny helped me out after he ran out of his shower gel. We both smelled awesome for the month of July and I adore the Gingham Love scent. It has all of the fresh, crisp feels of the original Gingham with juicy berries thrown in for good measure. Although I think it’s super cute that Johnny used my shower gel, I’m bummed out that I’m all out of Gingham Love!

Tatcha Moisturizer: This moisturizer was a freebie during my last Sephora Haul and it was nice but I wouldn’t use it unless I got it as a free item again. I love a water cream formula, especially during the summer and this one was delightful. It absorbed so quickly while still leaving my skin feeling ultra hydrated. It took me four days of twice daily use to finish the sample jar.

Lanocreme Moisturizer: I purchased this moisturizer during a winter haul at TJMaxx and finally got around to using it towards the end of June. Although it absorbed well, it was a bit too thick for my liking during the summertime. That’s not to say that it wouldn’t be great for fall and winter use, though! This moisturizer was rich, creamy, and left my skin looking and feeling peaches and cream perfect. It took me about five weeks of twice daily use to finish the jar.

Hope Soap Lotion: This is the second lotion that I’ve used from Hope Soap, which is a local shop in my area. I received both of them as a gift and the first one that I finished in June wasn’t my favorite because its texture was so runny. The Vanilla & Fig was the polar opposite, however, and had the consistency of a normal lotion which I liked much better. It also smelled awesome! As nice as it was, I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it for myself but it made a wonderful gift. It took me a little under two months to finish the jar.

As you can see from all of these empties, July was a month full of pampering. Whether the product was good or bad, I am glad to have used them up and am ready for lots more finishes come August!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Jun26

Ilia Lip Wrap Hydrating Mask Review

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Ilia Lip Wrap Hydrating Mask Review

Hey! I had a fantastic little three dollar haul from Sephora so that I could get my Beauty Insider birthday gift. I made the most of their free shipping at the time and ordered a pack of makeup wipes and lots of freebies. For my birthday gift, I chose the Ilia makeup set and have been so pleased with everything in it. I’m obsessed with the tinted lip oil, I gave my sister the mascara, and I just started using the Lip Wrap Hydrating Mask:

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I love the idea of a lip mask but they never seem to love me. I have never been blown away by any of the ones that I have tried and always find that the chapstick that I normally put on before bed is more effective. I was expecting similar results of “fine but not impressed” by the Ilia Lip Wrap Hydrating Mask and was so happy that I was wrong! 😀

The packaging on the lip mask promises “fuller and softer lips” and it definitely delivered. Upon waking up after one use, my lips felt ultra hydrated and even looked more supple. My bottom lip is fuller than my top one and I noticed a huge difference in my top lip’s size which I was shocked by. It looked much better portioned in comparison to my bottom lip and I have never had results like that after one or several uses of a lip mask.

Although I did really like the Ilia Lip Wrap Hydrating Mask, I don’t know if I can justify its twenty-six dollar price tag from Sephora. I was also surprised by a lot of negative reviews for it, one of which being that it had a gritty texture. I noticed that too but it was overall very creamy with a little grit that I just wiped off.

If you can snag this product as a freebie, then I say go for it. I know that I will be doing the same. However, twenty-six dollars is steep for a little jar of lip mask and no matter how impressed I was by it, I would never spend that much!

What is your favorite lip product? Which birthday gift did you choose if you are a Beauty Insider? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun21

Sephora Birthday Gift Unboxing & Tinted Lip Oil Swatch

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Sephora Birthday Gift Unboxing & Tinted Lip Oil Swatch

Hello!! I had a great little mostly freebie haul from Sephora, which also included my birthday gift for being a Beauty Insider member. As a Beauty Insider, you get to pick one from three or four different gift options during your birth month and I look forward to it every year. The choices range from a set for skin care, hair care, makeup, or fragrance and I always opt for the makeup because I rarely try out new products in that regard.

For the makeup gift, I received a sample pack from Ilia that had a tinted lip oil, mascara, and a lip mask:

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^^^ Lol, I had to swatch on my wrist because my hands are now occupied with tattoos!

I am a tried and true user of Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara so the travel sized one in this birthday gift will be going to my sister. What really sold me on the Ilia set was the lip mask and tinted lip oil. I love me a lip mask and am constantly on the hunt for a good one because the last several that I have tried have been duds. The tinted lip oil in Only You was also just too pretty to pass up!

I have so many lip colors from Sephora birthday gifts and they never disappoint. Only You by Ilia, however, might be my favorite one yet. It is the most lovely carnation pink hue and I love the texture. While it looks like a gloss, it feels like a balm and I think that everyone can get down with that… No one likes a sticky lip gloss! It makes my lips feel smooth, look supple, and provides the perfect touch of color. I know for a fact that I will be wearing it all summer long. 😀

Keep it posted on lifewithlilred for a review of the Ilia lip mask as well as one more birthday present surprise. Gotta love a birth month!!

What is your favorite makeup brand? What did you choose as your Beauty Insider birthday prezzie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun19

Sephora Haul

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Sephora Haul

Hello everyone!! Sephora always gives the best birthday gifts to their Beauty Insider members and, shockingly, it had all but slipped my mind until I got a reminder email. I didn’t feel like going to the mall just to pick up one thing, however, so I took care of it online. Although I have plenty of the couple of products that I purchase through Sephora, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to buy more to reach the fifty dollar free shipping mark.

Happily, I discovered that they were doing free shipping on all orders when I got on their website! Rather than get more stock pile products, I purchased one small item so that I could get all of my freebies. This haul costed me three dollars in total and it was money well spent! Check it out:

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The Haul:

  • Sephora brand cleansing wipes
  • Ilia birthday gift – FREE
  • Tatcha water cream – FREE
  • Maison Margiela Replica sample – FREE
  • Sulwhasoo renewing cream sample – FREE

Prior to shopping Sephora online, I never quite understood people’s obsession with it. When shopping in store, you miss out on so many amazing deals and while I would make in store purchases, I never felt like I was getting a lot of bang for my buck. And, at over twenty five dollars for a tube of Better Than Sex mascara (Still worth it!) I couldn’t help but feel like I was getting ripped off.

Fast forward to my first online order and I was like “Oh… I get it now”. Sephora offers some of the best online deals that I have ever seen and I always feel good about what I bought because I get so many freebies. This little haul is a shining example of that and it costed literal pocket change. You just can’t beat that!

I got a sample jar of Tatcha moisturizer with my Beauty Insider points which I am excited to use. And when you shop online with Sephora, you are allowed to pick out two free samples to complete your order. I went for the Sulwhasoo cream as well as a fragrance sample. My best friend, Lea, and I recently had a conversation about wanting to try a more long lasting perfume so I couldn’t not get a new fragrance to test out. Unfortunately, Replica wasn’t a winner but, hey, it was worth a shot.

We will unbox the Ilia birthday gift after checking out my new nails tomorrow so keep it posted for that. In the meantime, give Sephora’s website a look through and see which freebies you can snag for yourself! 😀

What is your favorite fragrance? Which store offers the best in store or online deals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar31

March 2022 Finishes

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March 2022 Finishes

Hello everyone and happy last day of March! As per ushe, we will be discussing my beauty finishes for the month and there were a lot of them. I love months like these because then I can move onto other products in my stock pile, which helps justify future skin and bath and body care hauls! Lol, let’s get started:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

Hand Creams: We are not going through all of the different hand creams that I used in this post because I reviewed them all in this one. I will say that the eos Pomegranate Raspberry was definitely the best of the bunch and you can skip on the Renew and B&BW ones! The eos hand cream ruled – it smelled great and it really helped with my dry hands and the redness that comes with it.

Farmacy Night Mask: This night mask was a freebie from my last Sephora Haul and it was fine. It took me a little over a week to finish the trial sized jar and a little of it went a long way. Was it the best night mask I’ve ever used? No. Was it the worst? No. It did feel nice on my skin but I also noticed little to no difference in how it looked or felt and I wouldn’t use it again.

PTR Moisturizer: I used my Beauty Insider points during my Sephora Haul for the PeterThomasRoth Water Drench moisturizer and I wasn’t overly impressed by it. I always thought that a gel moisturizer was as light in texture as moisturizers go but this one proved me wrong. It was insanely light, applied easily, and my skin did feel water drenched as per its namesake lol.

It took me about four days of morning and nighttime use to finish the tester bottle and even though I kind of liked it, I wouldn’t seek it out again. I think that this moisturizer would be great for people who really suffer from dry skin. However, my skin type is normal and it felt like it was too much for what my skin needs.

Although there were a lot more “wouldn’t use agains” than usual for my March Finishes, I am okay with it because I was happy to use them up. In this case, I am A-okay with a fifty percent success rate!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Mar23

fresh Sugar Recovery Lip Mask Review

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fresh Sugar Recovery Lip Mask Review

Howdy everyone! Today, we are going to be reviewing the Sugar Recovery Lip Mask by fresh. This was a freebie during my last Sephora Haul and I was excited to try it because my lips always feel like they are in a permanent state of chapped. I love me a lip mask and I think that I talked this one up so much in my head that I ended up disappointed in the results. Let’s discuss:

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One of the last lip masks that I used was by LANEIGE and I absolutely loved it. The berry scent was delightful and I was amazed by how soft and plump my lips were the next morning. The fresh mask was unscented, which is fine, and it applied so nicely. Its texture was rich and creamy and a little of it went a long way. After putting it on, I felt confident that I would see and feel excellent results the next morning.

Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Upon awakening and examining my lips in the mirror, I saw no difference whatsoever. In fact, they felt dryer than they had before using it! Prior to trying this lip mask out, I have been using a plain old chapstick that Johnny’s mom gave me before I go to bed. It is literally the best chapstick that I have ever used so I was expecting similar results from a high end brand of product. This just goes to show you that plain old drugstore skin care can work as well, if not better, than a more expensive brand.

While I plan on finishing this trial sized jar of lip mask, it is one that I won’t be getting again. It is also a product that you all can skip on. So bummed that I spent my Sephora Beauty Insider points on it!

What is your go to brand for skin care? What is your favorite chapstick? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar21

Face Mask Festivities: Farmacy Vitamin B Night Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Farmacy Vitamin B Night Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to be discussing the Vitamin B Night Mask by Farmacy, which I got as a freebie during my last Sephora Haul. Shopping online with Sephora provides lots of options for free product and I always try to make the most out of my purchase with trial size face masks and moisturizers.

This new face mask was free with a twenty-five dollar purchase and it was a no brainer because I love me a night time mask. While I enjoy pre-shower clay or exfoliating face masks, night time ones are a no muss no fuss option and it makes me feel pampered even while I’m catching Z’s. Let’s get to it:

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When first opening the Farmacy Vitamin B mask jar, I was obsessed with the pale blue color and I also liked that it was scent free. I don’t mind skin care with a bit of scent to it but no one wants an especially potent product, especially before bed! I used about three dollops with a Q-tip to cover my face and neck and it felt so nice on my skin. The gel like texture was cooling and it was much needed because I had spent the evening at the park with my niece. We were running around the entire time and as soon as I got home, I got ready for bed lol.

In the thirty or so minutes before nodding off, a majority of this mask absorbed and I knew that the remainder would continue to work its magic throughout the night. When I woke up, my skin felt really smooth and it also looked way less tired than I felt because my legs were like jelly!

While I liked this mask, it probably isn’t one that I would go out of my way to use again. My all time favorite night masks are The Body Shop’s Vitamin E and Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleep Masks and I can’t help but compare every mask I use at bedtime to them. As a freebie, the Farmacy mask was great but it doesn’t hold a candle to my tried and true faves.

What is your favorite face mask? What is your bedtime beauty routine like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar13

Sephora Haul

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Sephora Haul

Hello! I don’t shop with Sephora often but, whenever I do, I make sure that my purchases are made online. Sephora’s online promotions pale in comparison to an in store shopping experience and I always receive lots of free goodies with a fifty dollar purchase so that I qualify for free shipping. And, we all know that that isn’t hard to do!

It had been a while since I restocked my Better Than Sex mascara and I was almost out of the tube that I have been using. I spent fifty-four dollars on my order and got all of these freebies to show for it:

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The Haul:

  • 2 Better Than Sex mascaras by Too Faced
  • PeterThomasRoth Water Drench moisturizer (Free with my Beauty Insider points)
  • Fresh Sugar Lip Mask (Free with my Beauty Insider points)
  • Farmacy Vitamin B Night Mask (Free with twenty-five dollar purchase)
  • Clarins serum and moisturizer sample (Free with any purchase)
  • Herbivore Pink Cloud moisturizer sample (Free with any purchase)

Other than Bath & Body Works, I would definitely say that Sephora has the best promotions to give you the most bang for your buck. And, it should because the products are expensive! The Better Than Sex mascara is the only “high end” makeup that I use and it is a whopping twenty-seven dollars per tube. Being able to test out all different kinds of brands and products FO FREE really helps to soften the blow for high priced purchases.

During my online shopping with Sephora, I usually find something that I can use my Beauty Insider points with and typically use my rewards for skin care. While they have free makeup and hair care available, I don’t do my hair and makeup every day, more like once a week, so a trail size mask or moisturizer makes more sense for me. I went with the Fresh Sugar Lip Mask, which I can’t wait to try because my lips are always in a permanent state of chapped. I also cashed in for the PeterThomasRoth Water Drench moisturizer for something different during my skin care routine.

Sephora also offers a plethora of Beauty Deals online and you can get a free trial size product with a twenty-five dollar purchase. Like free shipping for fifty dollars, this is not difficult to get and just one Better Than Sex mascara got me over the twenty-five dollar mark. I chose the Vitamin B night mask from Farmacy for this freebie because it has been a while since I had a new Face Mask Festivities on my page. Keep it posted for a review on this mask soon!

Finally, with every online purchase you can pick out two free sample products which is a nice touch. I always go the skin care route for these samples too and ended up with two moisturizers and a serum sample. With all of these freebies combined, it makes every online order with Sephora well worth it and I feel like I got a deal for how much I spent.

Of course, it’s always fun to poke around in store at Sephora and see everything in real life. I recommend going home and ordering the products you have your eye on online, though, so you can score a great deal too!

Which store offers the best promotions? What are your thoughts on any of the products in my haul if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan30

January 2022 Finishes

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January 2022 Finishes

Hello everyone and welcome to the first beauty empties post of 2022! Beauty care in the winter is all about hydrating dry skin, which I tended to this past month with lots of body butters that I finally got around to using from The Body Shop. My hands have suffered from dry winter skin for as long as I can remember and they have looked much better this time around thanks to these product finishes:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

TBS Body Butters: I have always been fond of the products from The Body Shop and their body butters are wonderful. Using them is such a lush experience and it feels like the ultimate treat from my own self care perspective. The Moringa butter is not my favorite scent by TBS but that’s because I’m not a floral girl, however, if given the opportunity I would happily use any of their product lines!

It took about a week and a half to finish each mini jar from nightly use on my hands and areas where I have stretch marks. After the body butter is on my hands, I put on my compression gloves for bed and have noticed a huge difference in the discoloration and texture of my dry skin. TBS body butters are the best extra oomph that you need for nourishing winter skin.

Equilibria Oil: This oil treatment was a Christmas gift that actually included soothing CBD in its ingredients. It took me roughly two months to finish the Equilibria Daily Oil Treatment and I would use it again if it was gifted to me but wouldn’t buy it for myself. The scent wasn’t the most pleasant and it was also a mixed bag in terms of effectiveness. Sometimes, it left my skin feeling even dryer than before and left my face with unsightly red patches. Other times, it felt hydrating and my skin looked picture perfect. Not the best product but not the worst.

Clinique Moisturizer: The Moisture Surge moisturizer by Clinique was a freebie from a past Sephora haul and I really enjoyed it. I finished the jar after a week of morning and night use and wish that I had more of it! This moisturizer had a slightly thicker texture than a traditional gel one and was ultra nourishing but never felt heavy. It absorbed quickly and sat well under makeup. I probably will never get a full size of this moisturizer but will always order it if it is a freebie option with Sephora!

Overall, my first beauty finishes of 2022 was pretty good. While I’m pleased with most of the products, I’m even happier to be using up lots of the goodies in my new and improved beauty hoard! 😀

Which products did you use up this month? How do you combat dry skin? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov6

Face Mask Festivities: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to discuss the Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask that I got as a freebie during my last Sephora haul. There are some things that I like about this mask and others that I don’t so let’s get to it and you can decide if it’s worth the buy or not:

I have been using this mask morning and night for the past several days and, as you can see, it is fairly thick in texture. Despite that, it applies so easily which I wasn’t expecting at all. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever used a skin care product that applies and absorbs into your skin in one go. One sweep on my face of this mask and I was done. This was definitely a novelty that I enjoyed and was pleasantly surprised by.

Although these were all good things, the buck stopped there. I expected this mask to be ultra hydrating and that just wasn’t there. After continued use, I noticed no real differences in the way my skin looked or felt. Rather, my normal skin care routine provided everything that I wanted this mask to do and more. And, at almost fifty dollars for a full sized tube, I think that I will be sticking to my drugstore brands, thank you very much.

While I love trying out new products compliments of Sephora freebies, I am always pleased to see that my cheaper brands tend to work better than anything with an expensive price tag. If you are looking for a new face mask to try, I would say to skip on the Jet Lag one by Summer Fridays. You’d be surprised at how much more bang for your buck you can get at your local drugstore or the skin care section of TJMaxx!

Have you ever used this face mask before? What did you think of it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah