HAUL┊ Sephora VIB Rouge Sale

So I know I'm supposed to be on a no-buying ban but the Sephora VIB Rouge Sale was just too tempting for me to pass up. I did control myself, picking up only 3 things for myself (the other two items are for my mom). The 4x bonus points was a good deal :D

I griped a lot when I hit VIB Rouge and this is a continuation of a previous post where I talked about the gifts I received for hitting VIB Rouge. Anyhoo, enough blabbing--let's get into the haul!

Sooooo many bloggers talked about this little lippie so I had to try out one. With 16 colors available, I had a hard time picking. I eventually left with Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 689 Vertigo. This is my first luxury brand lip product and I'm excited to report that this is a major hit with me! It goes on glossy but dries down to a comfortable semi-matte stain. Eating and drinking does not disturb this color too much. It wears down evenly so there isn't awkward lip ring action going on here. Scent-wise, it isn't unpleasant nor is it overpowering. The vibrant pink is bright but not neon, so it's perfect for summertime. I forgot about it for a while but I will definitely be pulling it out more often now! The only thing standing between me and more of these babies is the price. At $35USD each, these Fluid Sticks are quite a pretty penny. Still, my eyes can't stop looking at 893 Trompe L'Oeil, a raspberry plum shade.

My mom has dry skin so I was looking for a multi-tasking product that would help her get ready faster in the morning. Dr. Jart+ CC Essence Balm is an anti-aging face cream to provide hydration, protection, and coverage. Apparently, it is suitable for the most hypersensitive skin and is formulated with hyaluronic acid. I thought it had sunscreen but that one is the BB Bounce Beauty Balm. Dr. Jart+ is a Korean brand, if I'm not mistaken, so I really trusted its claims. My mom hasn't complained about this product so I assume everything is going well for her. Will make sure to ask her next time I call home to confirm :D Only con is that this product is offered in a limited 2 shades: Light/Medium and Medium/Deep. To be honest, there isn't much difference from Light/Medium and Medium/Deep; Medium/Deep looked to be about 1 or 2 shades darker than Light/Medium. 

 Along with her dry skin, her lips are constantly dry. I always make sure to buy her moisturizing lipsticks as that is her favorite makeup item (like mother, like daughter ♥). She likes beige-y pinks so I thought the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Honey would be a good addition to her collection. I have one in Rose and I really like it. The texture isn't waxy or watery. It falls right in between so it doesn't feel heavy nor slippery. However, temperature will melt this lippie so do not forget it in the hot car. I think it had a scent but I cannot recall with precision if it did. As it is a lip balm, the pigmentation isn't opaque but it is enough to add life back into a pale lip. The added SPF 15 makes it a summer (but really, year-round) staple. Packaging-wise, I love the locking mechanism because I never have to worry about the cap coming off it my bag. You twist the cap off--I tried yanking the cap off and surprise, surprise, it stayed put. As it was something my mom was going to use, I appreciate the no-frills packaging; it's sleek and sturdy, just like my mom.

 As I was heading torwards the checkout line, I saw these nail wraps. I'm a huge nail polish addict and I love doing nail art BUT it is time consuming. As I do it myself, each manicure can take up to two hours! These seemed like an easy way to have nice nails without taking up too much time. I really like the pattern of these two and even used the blue ikat patterned one for BeautyCon LA. The Formula X ASAP Real Nail Lacquer Appliques didn't chip or peel as quickly as regular nail polish, and was easy enough for a first-timer to use. My complaints are that it contains 16 nail strips but I have 10 fingers. Wouldn't 20 make more sense?? Also, these are waay too big for my nails. I have smaller than average hands so these one size fits all kind of thing doesn't work for me. I ended up using the two biggest ones on my toes and divided each of the remaining 6 on my hands. Luckily, my fingernails are quite short so each strip could fit two fingers. Removal process was a bit harder than regular nail polish but nowhere as difficult as glitter polish removal. Though it claims to last up to 14 days, it doesn't look as nice and pretty as it did when freshly applied--I removed them after a week or so. That's longer than regular polish for my hands but nowhere close to the 14 days. I know it "lasts up to 14 days" but it was disappointing nonetheless. I haven't tried gel nail polish yet (am afraid of what it would do to my nails) but I hear that for sure lasts two weeks or more.

I haven't used the Sephora by OPI one yet so I'll update when I do!

I also picked up an Illamasqua nail polish in Regal. Packaging is sleek and square, which stands out among all the cylindrical ones. Royal is a bright cobalt blue. I've always wanted a dark blue and while this one isn't particularly dark, it fit in better with the summertime.  I'm still on the hunt for a good, dark navy blue and essie has some that I'm looking into but I'm holding off until I finish a bottle of nail polish up. My only gripe is that the color might not go well with my skin tone atm; I think it clashes with my warm skin tone and makes my hands look dirty. I'm going to wait until my tan fades a bit and try again because I remember liking the color. I used it in a manicure down below, though it's a bit covered up by all the flowers... Apparently, this color is a Sephora in-store only exclusive so I'm sorry if y'all can't find it where you are >.<

 Now onto the freebies! These items came in a black zippered bag that I forgot to take pictures of before I gave it to my mom T_T.

Anyhoo, I'm super excited about the Laura Mercier Primer* because it has SPF 30 PA+++. I like products that cut down the number of things going on my face in the morning as it saves time and money. I haven't used it yet but it's floating around somewhere...

The Dr. Jart BB Dis-A-Pore Beauty Balm* (such a cute name!) is designed for combination to oily skin types to moisturize, protect, and perfect pores. Only con is that it's offered in one shade: fair to light. I can possibly pull this off in the dead of winter but right now, I'm just not even going to try.

The MUFE HD Cream Blush* is pretty but not something I would wear on my cheeks. I avoid orange and red blushes because it can make me look feverish. I much prefer pinks and plums for my skin tone to brighten and define my cheeks.

I'm not much of a hair girl but the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5 in 1 Treatment* is intriguing to say the least. Endorsed by Jennifer Anniston, this hair treatment provides volume, smoothness, conditioning, strength, and polish in one easy step. I'm such a bag blogger that I haven't tried this product out yet, even though I've had it for months now but I swear, I will get around to it this weekend to see how it does. >.<

I already have a small sample of the Benefit Watts Up! Highlighter* and I know I like it. The champagne color is flattering on my skintone and looks perfect paired with a bronzer for a bronzed glow. I'm not into highlighting as my skin tends to have its own natural (oil) glow in a few hours anyway. It's a cream highlighter so it's really easy to blend if you get too much. 

A girl can't have enough mascaras so the Buxom* one is a welcome addition. I'm not sure which one this is but I will hopefully update when I've given this a go. 

The Escada Born in Paradise Eau de Toilette* is a nice summertime fragrance. It's fruity without being sweet and dries down to a musky scent. It's different from other stuff I've sniffed and I like it. A lot of stuff smells the same to me but this one has a distinct scent to me.

Lastly, the Algenist Complete Renewal Eye Balm* rounds out this freebie. I don't have it anymore as I passed it onto my mom. She's looking for a new skincare routine so I gave her mine as well. 

The last bonus was this trio of Buxom lippies. The Full On Lip Polish* is what I hate the most in lip products: stinging. I don't have particularly sensitive lips but this stung so bad that I had to wipe it off right away. My lips looked bright red underneath but that might have been because I was furiously wiping it. I had a bad experience with this prior so I didn't even bother try this one on. The Full Bodied Lip Gloss* doesn't have that stinging experience so I gave it a shot. It's nice but not as pigmented as I'd like. Sweet Thing just adds a pink tint to my sometimes pale lips. It's not obvious from the picture but there are shimmers running through both of these products. The glitters are not obnoxious in the lip gloss nor can I feel them once applied. The Full Bodied Lipstick* in Mistress is a very nice warm bubblegum pink. It didn't skip during application but it's not slippery either. Definitely a shade I see myself using. 

This haul was months ago and I'm just getting around to posting this. I wasn't going to at first but then I remembered that I wanted to see what perks I got for being VIB Rouge and so this is a nice follow up to my previous post. Overall, the bonuses were nice. Light snacks and drinks were provided. However, I was not aware of brand representatives being present to talk about their products and offering more freebies, so I missed out on that at my location. Also, there were free eyebrow shaping and makeovers that I was also not aware of. I think I came a bit late and missed the announcement or something but yeah, still sucks to have missed that. Overall, I am happy with what I picked out and so is my mom!

Let me know what you've hauled (or not) this month(s)!

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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. Products marked with an asterisk (*) were given to me as samples or gifts with purchase.