If you're new to Sephora, the company partners with well-known makeup brands to release these beauty boxes with 3-5 deluxe sample size items, redeemable only with Beauty Insider Points that you accrue by shopping on the site--kind of like a loyalty perk package. Unfortunately, there is only a limited quantity of each box so if you see a brand/box you like, snatch it up quickly. I've seen many different brands on there with a variety of makeup, haircare, bodycare, etc. like YSL, Fresh, Living Proof and more. Right now, BareMinerals and Clean are spotlighted on the site for a limited time.
--AT A GLANCE--
This kit came with 5 items aimed at giving you a glowing complexion: the Matte Radiance Baked Powder, Lip Glace, Tinted Moisturizer, Foundation Primer, and the Flawless Skin Face Polish.
--THE BREAKDOWN--
- The Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact in shade Highlight 01--A smooth baked face powder to highlight and/or bronze the face. There are 4 shades: 01 to highlight and 02, 03, and 04 to bronze your face according to your skin tone. To complement your complexion, this will cost $36 USD for 0.26 oz ($138.46 USD for 1 oz). The one in the kit contains 1.80 g/0.06 oz (value of $8.31 USD).
- Lip Glace in Rose--It is a sheer, high gloss product that can be worn alone or layered over other products to add a bit of shine. This will set you back $25 USD for 0.15 oz ($166.67 USD for 1 oz). The deluxe sample has 2.8 g/0.1 oz (Value of $16.67 USD).
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- Tinted Moisturizer in Nude-- Contains Vitamins C and E to fight free radicals and broad spectrum SPF 20 UVA/UVB rays, the Tinted Moisturizer is a perfect blend of makeup and skincare. There's also an oil-free and illuminating version for those who have sensitive skin and/or want a dewy complexion. With 15 shades, it should fit a variety of skin tones. The sample I got contains 0.5 fl oz/15 mL (value of $14.34 USD); the full size retails $43 USD for 1.5 oz ($28.67 USD for 1 oz).
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- Foundation Primer in Radiance--This gel formula contains Vitamins A, C, and E as well as jojoba to moisturize and prep your face for base makeup. This can be applied to bare skin before moisturizer or underneath tinted moisturizer, foundation, or concealer. If you want a radiant AND bronze look, there is also Radiance Bronze for the person who wants the best of both! It comes in two sizes: 1 oz for $19.50 USD and 1.7 oz for $33 USD ($19.41 USD for 1 oz). This sample also contains 15mL/ 0.5 oz (value of $9.70 USD).
- Flawless Skin Face Polish--An exfoliating scrub with a creaminess that gets rid of flakey skin while adding a bit of moisture back in. Massage onto wet skin to remove dead skin cells. Wash off with warm water. Retails for $32 USD for 3.4 oz ($9.41 USD for 1 oz). This trial size has 11.3 g/0.4 oz ($value of $3.76 USD).
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| Photo courtesy of Sephora.com I misplaced the tube when I was taking pictures for the blog--sorry! |
--THE GOOD--
As a trial kit, the sizes are quite generous. The packaging for each item is adorable; they resemble the full size product to a T. Even the tiny powder compact is adorable and sturdy. My favorites from this kit so far are the Tinted Moisturizer and the Face Polish.
I haven't really used tinted moisturizers before so I don't really know what to expect. From what I can see, this is more coverage and thicker consistency than the tinted moisturizer from Aveeno, which I highly appreciate. I got this sometime in the end of May and my skin was going through a rough patch. It was dry and full of post acne inflammation (still is but at least I'm not getting any new breakouts!) After exfoliating with the Face Polish (more on that in a bit), I applied the Foundation Primer and then the Tinted Moisturizer to my face. I didn't think it would be enough; BB and CC creams claim to be all in one products yet I still needed an additional moisturizer, but surprisingly, my skin was good with just this moisturizer!It didn't look weird or emphasize the dryness of my healing blemishes. I'm all for multipurpose products like this Tinted Moisturizer that combines moisturizer, coverage, and SPF into one. However, I'd still apply a separate SPF product underneath because I don't think I apply enough product to get the SPF stated on the bottle, which is very important when it comes to SPF and summertime rays. The shade Nude, a light beige shade, is for fair to light skin tones. I never thought of myself as a light skin tone but I'm either getting lighter than I was since moving here and not being outside as much or the coverage is sheer enough that my natural skin tone can come through so it doesn't look mask-like. Either way, I'm glad this shade works for me. I recommend getting the 1 oz version if it comes in your shade because it is more economical than buying the 1.5 oz at $19.50 USD (rather than $28.67 USD). However, the 1 oz version only comes in Nude and Sand so if those shades don't fit the bill, you're out of luck.
Using the Face Polish really helped me clear the flakey bits off my face without feeling scratchy. Some scrubs I've used in the past were mildly uncomfortable or plain out hurt, like the St Ives Apricot Scrub. Others were ineffective at removing all of my dry skin, like the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power-Clear Scrub. Gentle yet effective, the face Polish made my skin feel baby's bum soft afterwards (sounds so pedo but I don't have another way to describe it). The scent reminds me of peaches (and so does the color of the tube). The sweet scent doesn't bother me and it's quite light. Texture-wise, it's a lot creamier than most scrubs I've used which didn't make my face feel tight or dry after washing the scrub off. Feels quite luxurious and relaxing when I use this, perfect for nighttime. To conserve this, I save it for special occasions. I was quite sad when I forgot this on my recent trip back home. Using the St Ives (since that's all my mom had) was literally a slap in the face after using the Face Polish--my face was red and irritated. As a side note, I've used the St Ives as a foot scrub when I was in a pinch and to my slight bemusement and horror, my feet were soft and smooth afterwards...
--THE MEH--
I'm not really a fan of the dewy and radiant complexion look. I've experimented with it and do like it at first. However, my oily areas get really oily and then my entire face looks like it's ready to fry some chips or something. I much prefer to mattify my face as much as possible, to the point that I look like a board full of flour, ready for kneading some dough onto, but I'd be a board full of flour than a greasy pan any day (must be hungry or something with all these cooking references lol). That being said, the Foundation Primer and Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact are the least used products from this kit.
The Foundation Primer is a warm, peachy-toned primer with gold shimmers. It isn't noticeable unless you look at your face from a 1 inch distance. When I went a little overboard, the gold shimmers were really noticeable so proceed with caution. A half a pea sized amount was enough to highlight the tops of my cheeks, bridge of my nose, center of my chin, and middle of my forehead. I don't normally highlight my nose or chin because I have enlarged pores and bumpy texture there from acne bumps but I did just to see what it would do. I didn't really notice any filling in of the pores with this product, which is my main use for primers in the first place. At least it didn't make my pores more noticeable (only when I went overboard did that happen).
The Baked Powder Compact is soooo smooth and creamy feeling. It is pigmented but blends out to a radiant look. I didn't understand how a product could be radiant and matte but I think I get it now. There are no visible glitters or sparkles but if I look reeeeeeally closely, I notice some silver and champagne particles. From far away, the light bounces upon my swatched hand beautifully. MY hand is darker than my face but 01 doesn't look ashy. The creamy color actually makes my hand look so healthy and glowy without being glittery. If I had to pick one highlighter, this would be it. Too bad I'm not into highlighting as my face's oils naturally breaks through my foundation and powder to give me that radiant look all on its own. However, if I go overboard on the powder, this would be nice to apply on top to give my skin a more real skin, radiant look.
Again, I'm not really a fan of lip gloss. My hair is usually down and when I'm out and about, my hair gets stuck on my lips, which is quite annoying. I don't like leaving a stain behind on my cups or straws either so the slippery texture of lip gloss is a no no for daytime (or any time for that matter). However, that all changes when my lips are dry and peeling and lip balm doesn't cut it. That's the only time I would suffer through lip gloss. The Lip Glace in Rose is a light red pink with gold micro shimmer. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I hate shimmer in my lip products. That's one of the reasons why this doesn't get more action in my routine but the micro shimmers aren't noticeable unless I'm up close and personal with my mirror. They add a nice sheen to my lips but that could also be due to lip gloss' shiny nature. My lips are pigmented but when I first wake up in the early mornings, they look really pale and zombie like or they are a mauve-y color that I'm not quite fond of. I like using Rose on those days to add a rosy hue to my lips.For lazy days, lip gloss is perfect too because my hair is usually up and I don't have to suffer through the sticky hair issue.The scent is a very sweet vanilla but it isn't sickeningly so. Once it's on the lips, I don't even smell anything anymore. Wildflower and Poppy look like really pretty shades of reddish magenta and ruby red without shimmers so they are next on my lemmings list. I'm holding off on those since I know I'm not a fan of lip gloss or anything that isn't long wearing. At $25 USD a pop, they are quite expensive to be sitting in the back of my makeup graveyard.
--BOTTOM LINE--
I recommend the Tinted Moisturizer and the Face Polish. The fact that the TM comes in three formulas makes it even better. Once I run out of this sample and another one I grabbed as a points perk, I'm definitely going to be purchasing a full size. With all the acne treatments I've been using lately, my skin could use the extra moisture. The Face Polish is expensive considering it's just a physical exfoliator but it works so well without irritating my skin I'm thinking of getting it as a birthday present as my skin will need it more to combat the dry and cold seasons. For now, the gentlest setting on my Clarisonic is good enough. The value of this kit is $52.78USD according to my calculations. Considering I spend $500 USD to accumulate this many points, it is a bit short BUT I discovered a couple of new staple items I wouldn't have know about in the first place!
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| I swear these were taken weeks apart yet I'm wearing the same thing O_O I think the left is with the primer and the right was without. The Left was right after application and the right was after a couple hours of wear. You can sort of see the coverage of the TM--most of the post acne hyperpigmentation and redness around my nose is covered but the darker, newer spots are still visible. I'm comfortable with this medium coverage for every day. If I was looking for a perfect kind of look, I'd just add MUFE Full Cover Concealer. |
MWAH Musings ♥
- After weeks of trying to avoid the unavoidable, I need to buy another makeup container to house all the overflow. After class tomorrow, I'm going to make the walk of dread to the dollar store and find something that will fit everything. I've just been throwing it into a large makeup bag but even that bag has filled up. >_<
- I've been obsessed with Fire Emblem:Awakening lately. For the past three weeks, I've been unable to put it down. I haven't played it today which surprises me but I like playing it right before bed, even though I stay up to ungodly hours, utterly absorbed by it. I really liked Sacred Stones too but I never finished the game. I'm determined to finish Awakening though; I'm already on Chapter 19. Before you think I'm some awesome gamer, I'm playing it on Normal Casual LOL.
- I seriously should make dinner. It's already 10PM O_O
This ends yet another post. I hope you found it helpful! I know I said I was going to keep it short BUT I had five different products to talk about so there.
XOXO,
MWAH ♥
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Disclosure Statement: All products mentioned were purchased with my own money. I am not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned above and was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. Links are not affiliate links and are provided for the readers' convenience. I cannot guarantee that the product(s) will work for you. I do not approve or endorse the products or information available on these sites. Proceed at your own risk.
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