A Sephora VIB Sale Haul & Wishlist

I'm trying to be better with my spending this year, but I couldn't just not take advantage of the Sephora VIB sale - I kept it pretty tame compared to the past couple years, but I thought it deserved its own post nonetheless.

I just had to take the opportunity to try one of the Pat McGrath Labs LuxeTrance Lipsticks - $38 was too hard to justify (says the woman with 2 full-sized Tom Ford lipsticks), but the sale made it more tolerable. I'm so glad I finally tried this, because the formula is just glorious. It almost feels like nothing on the lips because it's so lightweight, and yet it's so incredibly pigmented. It lasts well without fading weirdly despite being the creamier of her two lipstick formulas. I got the shade Realness, a mauve nude, and it's quite similar to my natural lip color. It really adds a nice defined look to my lips.

T-B | Pat McGrath Realness, Hourglass Confession Set: True Love Means, You Are My, My One Desire, NARS Rock With You

I'll continue with the lip product section of the haul, because I admittedly got too many. I decided to grab another NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment (taking my own advice from my Sephora Recommendations post yesterday), and this time I got the shade Rock With You. It's described as a deep mulberry, which is pretty spot on. It's a great deep berry shade that doesn't have too much purple in it. It's going to be perfect for fall. It also looks stunning sheered out to almost nothing - it gives a grape-popsicle-esque stain. 

I also decided to get the Hourglass Confession Lipstick Set - I've been wanting to try the Confession Lipsticks since they came out, and since I loved the look of swatches I had seen of all three shades in the set, I thought it would be worth the money. These have the loveliest formula and are so creamy and comfortable on the lips, with a beautiful satin finish. The three shades included are True Love Means, a peachy nude, You Are My, a rosy brown, and My One Desire, a cool rose nude. True Love Means may be a little too peachy for me, but I haven't tried it on my lips yet so we'll see. I'm already in love with the other two shades are would definitely recommend the set. The set also includes one of the holders that you can switch the shades in and out of. The holder is super weighty and luxe, and I'm going to feel so fancy whipping this out to reapply.

I tried to rein myself in with skincare because I already have so much to get through, but I just couldn't resist the Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb. I was recently sent a few Belif products and have been loving them, and that on top of hearing nothing but good things about this new eye cream had my mind made up. I used it last night and this morning, and I already am seeing what the fuss is about. At this point of my life I'm not going for radical anti-wrinkle creams or anything, I'm just looking for something to keep the area moisturized, and this does just that. I swear it's instantly plumping and fills out fine lines - it kept my usual concealer creases at bay today! It's a similar consistency to their Moisturizing Bomb, so while it's not as light as the Aqua Bomb, it's not heavy at all. I can definitely see this becoming my go-to, especially for mornings.

The last thing I got was a repurchase of the Milk Makeup Gel Brow - I'm down to a little nub of mine and I just love it. It pairs perfectly with the Glossier Boy Brow to give bushy yet feathery lashes. It is pretty soft, so I go through it quickly and have to sharpen it often, but I love the result so much that I don't care. If you're looking for a new brow pencil, I'd definitely check this one out.

I'm going to try and hold off on getting anything in the sale this weekend (although I'm going to Sephora with my mom and sister tomorrow) but there still are a few things sitting in my cart. I've got the Drunk Elephant Babyfacial in there because I think I'm about to run out of mine and can't even imagine being without it. I'm also thinking of restocking on the Ouai Hair Oil and Origins Drink-Up Intensive Mask - I'm just about at the end of both of these, and while I have alternatives I could use, I do love them both. And not that I even need more lip products, but I've got my eye on the Nudestix Magnetic Matte Lip Color in Rose and the Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored High-Shine Lacquer Lipgloss in Pretty Thing. They look like great everyday colors, and I love the Nudestix formula and have heard nothing but good thing about those glosses. The one new thing that looks quite intriguing (although again, I don't need more skincare) is the Laneige Mini Pore Waterclay Mask. I've been loving their Water Sleeping Mask and Lip Mask, and I'm really noticing a lack of clay masks in my collection. So maybe that one is justifiable?

Did you get/will you be getting anything in the Sephora Sale?

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The Twenty-Fifth Birthday Splurge

One of my goals for the year was to spend less money on new beauty products. And so far, I'm failing miserably. I had been good (well, better than usual) for a couple weeks, and since 25 is kind of a big birthday, I decided to treat myself to a few things using some of my birthday money. I'm hoping this will be my "last hurrah" of sorts, especially because we set a date for our wedding (!!) so saving money for that feels a whole lot more real now.

La Mer The Bronzing Powder | I tried to resist this one, I really did. I certainly didn't need another bronzer, let alone one this expensive. But it's just so beautiful. I can see myself using this for years to come, and it makes me feel so happy to take it out and use it. It's such a lovely shade when all four sections are mixed together - not too orange, not too gray, with just a hint of glowy-ness. It's super smooth and pigmented and blends over the skin effortlessly. It does have a bit of perfume to it, so that's something to keep in mind if your skin is sensitive to that.

Givenchy Le Prisme Blush, 'Vintage Pink' | I found this beauty while perusing Sephora's website and decided the shade Vintage Pink had to be mine - I've been into brighter blushes lately. The formula of this is insane, so much softer and smoother than I was expecting! It kicks up a little bit of powder, but that's not something that ever annoys me about a product. I convinced my sister she needed the peach shade, and she vouches for how gorgeous it is, too.

By Terry Rouge Expert Click Stick, 'Bare Me' | I had heard nothing but rave reviews about these lipsticks, and being a fan of the few By Terry products I've tried, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try one out for myself. I of course chose one of the nudes, Bare Me, and it's a beautiful color - not too beige, not too pink, just right. The formula is lovely as well. It glides onto the lips so comfortably and smoothly, and yet it's quite matte. It doesn't feel dry at all, though - this may be a dangerous new find.

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel | Despite knowing this wouldn't be hydrating enough for my skin type on its own (gels never are), I wanted to try this to layer underneath more hydrating creams as more of a serum step. I had tried it on my hand recently in Sephora and was amazed at how smooth my skin instantly felt. So far it's been love, as is everything else I've tried from Drunk Elephant.

Dior Addict Lip Glow Pomade | This just looked too chic to ignore. I'm a huge fan of the original Dior Lip Glow balm, so I needed to try its new(ish) gloss counterpart. It doesn't really give my lips a color like the original does, but it's super comfortable and a beautiful gloss nonetheless. It feels quite nourishing on the lips and not sticky whatsoever - it's one of those "cushion-y" glosses.

Milk Makeup Eye Vinyl, 'Bridge' | I'm suddenly VERY into the glossy eyelid look (more on that soon), so I wanted to try one of the Eye Vinyls from Milk Makeup. I like that it's in a convenient click-pen so I can use it on the go without my fingers getting sticky. The color bridge is a sheer nude color that pretty much looks like a clear gloss - just what I wanted. I use a thin layer, but it doesn't feel sticky or goopy at all and gives me that editorial look I've been wanting.

Kevyn Aucoin The Exotique Diamond Eye Gloss | Even though I got the Milk Makeup product, I just couldn't resist this one. I had been adding it and removing it from my cart since it came out, so I finally decided to bite the bullet. This one is GORGEOUS, and if you just want to find the best of the best for eye gloss, this is it. It has tiny shimmer particles suspended in it, but this only adds to the glossy look once on the eyes - it doesn't look glittery in the slightest. This feels a little tackier than the Milk option, but it just means it sticks around longer. It's not going to keep your eyes glued open, A Clockwork Orange-style, or anything.

Have you gotten any fun new beauty products lately? And let me know if you're an April baby, too!

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