I know it’s a bit late, but I’m sharing what I bought from the Sephora Holiday Sale!
I picked up a few things in store on the first day:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette – I know I’m super slow to buy this, but I’ve been debating which eyeshadow I wanted to get for years. I finally decided to get this one.
Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Custom Finish Powder Foundation (left – 220 Linen, right – 250 Sand)
And I ordered more online after browsing:
Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Custom Finish Powder Foundation in 250 Sand – I bought the shade 220 Linen for my mom during a sale last year. She hadn’t started using it until recently. She realized it was too light for her so she gave it to me and asked me to order a darker shade. So I chose 250 Sand. Comparing the two, 250 Sand looks lighter than 220 Linen – 220 Linen looks more orange. So I ended up returning 250 Sand and getting 310 Silk which looks a bit darker.
Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm Makeup Remover (variety size – 200mL)
Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau De Parfum – I wanted to try a new perfume and I sprayed this one in person when I went to the store. Apparently I wasn’t paying attention because I sprayed the Eau de Toilette in the store. There was barely anything left in the bottle, so I didn’t notice the colour was different. I don’t know why, but I didn’t spray it on me and just decided to purchase it. This was a mistake lol. The Eau de Parfum is too sweet for my liking. It gave me a headache. I went back to the store and sprayed the Eau de Toilette, but it was a bit too powdery for my liking. I actually preferred the Gucci Bloom one, but I’m going to keep browsing until I make a decision.
It’s been a while since I’ve done an empties post. I haven’t finished many products lately. For empties posts, I will now add how long it took me to finish the product. I keep a skincare journal of all products I use in a day, so I’m able to track how long it takes me to use a product. It also helps me figure out what products I’ve been using if I get a break out.
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10% AHA
Youth To The People Superclay Purify + Clear Power Mask
L’Oréal 8-second Wonder Water Lamellar Rinse-out
Rael Miracle Patches
Bubble Slam Dunk Hydrating Moisturizer
Cerave Hydrating Cleanser
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10% AHA – My legs and arms feel smoother after using this scrub. I think if you use this scrub, you need to be consistent though. I’ve been trying my best to use it as frequently as directed, but sometimes I check when I last used it and it’s already been 2 weeks.
Repurchase? I already repurchased a full-size bottle.
How long does it last? For 1 oz travel size mini, I got 7 uses. I used a generous amount each time – full legs and upper arms, so you could probably get a few more uses if you only use on legs or arms.
Rael Miracle Patches (read my review) – You probably already know that these are one of my fave hydrocolloid pimple patches.
Repurchase? Yes.
How long does it last? I used a couple sheets in the last 3 months because I was breaking out from some new skincare and also my diet.
Cerave Hydrating Cleanser – This was an okay cleanser. It was very gentle and it didn’t dry out my skin. Comparing it to the cheaper Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, I didn’t see a huge difference. I’d rather buy the cetaphil cleanser and spend the money on a moisturizer.
Repurchase? No.
How long does it last? For 562mL, it took 9 months to finish (250+ uses). I used it once a day – 1 full pump, sometimes I used 2 pumps. I would say you could stretch it out to 10 months’ use if you only used 1 pump every day.
Bubble Slam Dunk Hydrating Moisturizer* – This was a great moisturizer. I noticed that some of my redness went down when I woke up the next morning. I used this day and night.
Repurchase? Yes.
How long does it last? For 50mL, it took 4 months to finish (240 uses). I used one full pump each time and used it AM/PM (so 2 pumps a day).
Youth To The People Superclay Purify + Clear Power Mask* – This is the first clay mask I’ve tried that doesn’t dry my face out. I didn’t use this as frequently as directed, so I didn’t see any of the benefits from this mask. I’m kind of lazy when it comes to face masks and I don’t use them that often.
Repurchase? Probably not.
How long does it last? The 59mL bottle lasted me 6 months, but I didn’t use it as frequently as directed. I didn’t get many uses out of it because I used generous amounts and went down to my neck. Using a regular amount, you could probably get 20-25 (maybe more) applications.
L’Oréal 8-second Wonder Water Lamellar Rinse-out* (read my review) – It was a cool product to try, but I don’t personally find it worth the $10 for only 10 uses. It worked for me, my hair felt smooth, and it smells nice. For reference, I have straight hair and I haven’t dyed my hair in a long time. I also don’t style it very often, so it’s not damaged or frizzy. I’ve seen a few reviews where this hasn’t helped people with frizzy hair (as it claims).
Repurchase? No.
How long does it last? For a 200mL bottle, you’re supposed to use 20mL (or more) per use. 10 uses or fewer if you have thicker/longer hair.
Happy Hallowe’en! Here are this month’s product empties.
Dove Advanced Hair Series Regenerative Nourishment Serum-in-Oil (read my review) – I don’t do a lot of things to my hair, so it’s in pretty good shape. I don’t think I really need a hair oil, but I think every now and then I’d use a hair mask. This did make my hair feel soft, so if you need something to help smooth and soften your hair, I’d recommend this.
Repurchase? Probably not.
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil – I got a little sample of this and it lasted a long time (probably because I liked it and I was saving it until I bought another). I mostly used it on and around my nose to moisturize those areas. It could sometimes look cakey in those areas after a few hours of wearing foundation. So, I learned to be light-handed with it and make sure it absorbed before applying my makeup on top.
Repurchase? Absolutely. Although, right now, I’m using the Tarte Maracuja Oil instead (it’s cheaper because it has more in the bottle for the price).
Milani Keep It Sweet Sugar Scrub (read my review) – Initially, I really liked it, but I realized it was kind of just moving the loose skin on my lips back and forth instead of actually scrubbing it off. I would rather use a warm, wet cloth to exfoliate or use the elf lip scrub.
Repurchase? No.
Sonia Roselli Water Balm (read my review) – When I first got this, I used way too much of it. I learned that a smaller scoop went a long way because when you rub your hands together, it turns to water beads.
Repurchase? Absolutely!
Bobbi Brown Intensive Long Wear Makeup Remover – This was a really good makeup remover, but there are tons of drugstore brands that are more affordable. I only had this because I got it free when I purchased a palette from Nordstrom.
Repurchase? No.
First Aid Hello FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer – I don’t really love the smell of this. I’d rather get the Sonia Roselli Water Balm if I’m going to get a 2-in-1 moisturizer and primer.
Repurchase? No.
Live Clean Biotin Extra Body Shampoo & Conditioner – This shampoo says it thickens and volumizes. While I could use some volume in my hair, it definitely doesn’t need to be thicker. I liked the smell of this shampoo and conditioner. I didn’t really notice if it did, in fact, thicken and volumize my hair. I noticed that this conditioner was the thickest of the Live Clean conditioners I tried.
Repurchase? No, my hair is already thick.
Garnier Skin Active Micellar Water (Waterproof) – This micellar water is great to remove makeup. Although, it does have an oily feeling. So, if you prefer not to have that feeling, get the pink one that’s not for removing waterproof makeup.
Repurchase? Absolutely, but I want to try other micellar waters.
Shiseido Benefiance Extra Creamy Cleansing Foam – This had some type of bead in it which I didn’t like. If I’m using a foamy cleanser, I want it to be nice and smooth. This was very fragranced and I’m not sure if my skin had a reaction from it.
Repurchase? No.
Earth Therapeutics Purifying Foot Scrub – I bought this a loooong time ago at Winners. It’s a good scrub and it made my feet and hands feel smooth, but I don’t know if they still sell it. One thing that I didn’t like is that it was really hard to squeeze out product, I don’t know if it was a flaw in the design or something, but I always had to use both hands to squeeze out the scrub.
Repurchase? Probably not.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Foaming Scrub – I think this was an old formula, so it still had the plastic beads to exfoliate. I was using it every day which was too much for me. If I use it a few times a week, I think it would’ve been okay. I didn’t really love this product.
Repurchase? Probably not.
The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Body Wash – This product worked well. It concerned me that it said not to use on the face though- how much stronger is it than their other tea tree products?
Repurchase? Possibly.
Essence Get BIG! Lashes Triple Black Mascara (read my review) – This mascara does darken and volumize my lashes…and it’s a great price! The brush is just too big for my lashes.
Repurchase? No.
Inglot x Jennifer Lopez Lipglossy Lip Gloss in Pinky (read my review) – This is a beautiful lip gloss shade, but it’s so expensive and I don’t really like that it’s scented.
Repurchase? No.
Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Concealer in Warm Ivory – I did not like this concealer. I would rather get a drugstore one than use this one. I got a bit of a reaction from using this concealer under my eyes. When I swatched on my hand and blended it out, it would look beautiful, but when I used it under my eyes, it would just look terrible. I’m glad I didn’t pay full price for this (bought it at the MAC Warehouse Sale).
Repurchase? NO.
Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Balance Stick Foundation in 130 Buff Beige (read my review) – I actually really loved this foundation (I think I preferred it to the liquid Fit Me). It lasted throughout the day on hot summer days. Of course, I would still get shiny in the t-zone, but it still looked really good after 8 hours of wear. I don’t know how it would do on someone with oily skin, but it worked great on my normal-dry skin. I’ve compared it to the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation stick (read my review).
Repurchase? If I were going to continue buying drugstore foundations, I would definitely buy this again.
bareMinerals BAREPRO Performance Wear Powder Foundation in Cashmere – This was a sample size and I really liked using it to pop in my purse (because of the size of the sample) for spot conceal touch-ups. I also liked using it to clean up my brows.
Repurchase? I prefer loose powder foundations, but I would definitely consider bareMinerals.
OPI Mini Nail Lacquer in Tickle My France-y – I love this colour, it’s a pinky-purple shade. I have to declutter this mini because the polish was starting to get really thick when I painted it onto my nails.
