A Tale of Two NARS

Hey There!

So I think we're down to the final 2 reviews from my Sephora VIB Haul. Don't cry though. Black Friday is coming so there are bound to be many more hauls coming your way. What I can give you until then is my review of my two NARS products.

Let's begin with the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer ($16 mini), shall we? I was a bit concerned to begin with because it has a high SPF of 30 and sometimes, many times, SPF formulations break my face out. This one began uncomfortably but then after about 2 minutes my skin calmed and I was ok. The second time I wore it, I added more regular moisturizer and it felt more comfortable.

I purchased the mini size in St. Moritz. The color was nice but the SPF left a cast that I wasn't a fan of. When I sheer it out with more face moisturizer, the cast wasn't as noticeable but the coverage wasn't good. I do like the tinted moisturizer as a light cover on the weekend. The added SPF is good. It's not supposed to be anything more than that so I'm happy with the purchase. I can't say that I'll purchase it again. I'll probably just get a NARS foundation and when I want light coverage, mix my foundation with moisturizer.

My other purchase was the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Biscuit. I had been drooling over this for so long, that I was pretty sure that it wouldn't meet my expectations. I mean, it's a $29 concealer. It can't be as great as I thought.

YOWZA!!! I am in love. I really am. This is so creamy and the perfect shade. It covers my dark spots so well. It's not heavy and works well with my powder and liquid foundations. And, it lasts several hours longer than even my Bare Minerals holy grail cream concealer.

Now, I know that other people like it under the eyes to conceal and highlight. For me, that was a fail. It creased and added about 10 years to my age. No, no, I've decided that powders do better around my eyes. Liquids and creams are my eyeball enemies.

The price is so gross but I have NO doubt that I will purchase this again. I try to be fair to my other concealers and wear them too but I've been reaching for this goodie more than the others.

So that's it. I'm done playing with all of the lippies and face makeup that I purchased from Sephora. Now, I'm ready to play with new makeup. Please believe that it will be happening!!

Sample Bin Review - Sephora Samples

I frequent Sephora. You've probably gathered that. I like the fact that if you purchase something and you aren't happy with it, they will take it back. I LOVE the fact that you can pick up samples of things and try before you buy. That has helped me make some informed decisions before buying and helped me avoid some tragic mistakes. 'Cause watching YouTube and reading blogs will take half your paycheck if you aren't careful.  So, I try it before I buy it a lot. And my ladies at Sephora don't mind a bit. 

The first thing in my bag of goodies actually isn't mine. My daughter was going to prom a few weeks  ago and needed concealer. I really didn't want to purchase a full size for someone that only wears gloss so my ladies at Sephora hooked me up. They matched her and then gave a sample of NARS concealer ($24 for 0.07oz worth of product.  Let's just say I have no plans to try that for myself. It was hard instead of the creamy concealer that I like to work with. It did its job but was sooo drying. 

Mentioning concealer, I have used Bare Minerals concealer ($20 for .07 oz) since I began using concealer.  Because of that, I decided it might not be a bad idea to try some others. Lord have mercy, I tried a ton of others. One of the runners up was the Cover FX Cream Concealer ($27 for .33 oz). I really liked it. The color match was slightly off but it worked almost as well as my Bare Minerals. In the end I decided to go with Bare Minerals because it was a good match. I wouldn't mind having Cover FX as a backup though.

The next goody was a sample of Balenciaga Florabotanica parfum spray ($70 for 1oz). Can you say stinky? I thought it would be a nice, musky smelly it was just a nasty smell. Didn't like it. I would NEVER purchase it.   

Now one thing that I tried and fell in love with was my Bare Minerals Well Rested (it appears that Sephora doesn't sale the powder anymore - bummer - but QVC has it for $26 plus S&H for .03 oz). I wasn't expecting much from it because, well, it's a powder but man! I can really tell a difference when I don't use it. The Bare Escentuals website says that it's a favorite brightening base among the sleep deprived. It's supposed the diminish the morning-drowsiness look. I don't know if I'd go that far but it does brighten the area without that cakey look that I've gotten with other products. 

I always try my best to take good care of my skin. That's why when I heard about Peter Thomas Roth Camu Camu Brightening Moisturizer, I ran to Sephora to get a sample. The 1.7 oz container is $72! I definitely wanted to try before I buy on this one. But, this was a big fail for me. It smelled good, really good but it was too thick and I felt like it just stayed on top of my skin and never really soaked in. I can't stand that feeling so as nice as this smelled, it wasn't for me.

So these samples date back about 4 months.  I know that I should utilize the samples more often. I really do plan on that. That will mean more blogging for you...

...and more purchases for me.

Ahhh the price of beauty.

Gift With Purchase

I like makeup. You know that I'm all about a good sale. I love my drugstore makeup and love it even more when there's a coupon and a BOGO. But, I also have a wild side. Surprised?

I occasionally indulge in some fancy makeup too! I go nuts over a good Lancôme lipgloss (I'm currently loving Cinema  Cinnamon). Who doesn't love NARS bronzing powder in Laguna (I use it sparingly!). And, I really like my Estée Lauder eyeshadow trios. I like to play in high end makeup just as much as my drugstore makeup. I just have to save up a little longer to do it.

But, I have a secret! Kinda. I mean, it's not a real secret. Everyone knows about it -- Gift With Purchase!

I NEVER purchase high end makeup unless I'm getting something free! It's how I can test out new things. For instance, I used to love the Lancôme tinted moisturizer and when I saw that they now had a BB cream (Lancôme Bienfait Teinté Beauty Balm Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30), I thought I'd try it out. But that bad boy is a $45 purchase. I can't just go all crazy and spend all my money on one thing! So, I saved my duckies and waited until they had a GWP that included some goodies I could use. Now I have a new Définicls High Definition Mascara (remember Mascara March is coming up!!), Color Design Lipstick in Trendy Mauve, a Bienfait Multi-Vital night cream plus several other goodies. Will I end up purchasing all of the goodies that I get to try? Of course not. I might buy some of the things that I get free, but it is nice to know what I like can be put on my wish list.

How do I find out when good Gift With Purchase deals happen? Sometimes the television commercials will clue you in. You can also find several websites and blog posts dedicated to GWPs. But, remember in my BEE Nice post I mentioned sales associates? That goes for high end stores as well -- get to know your sales folks! Tell them about yourself. Let them know that you work hard but love a good red lippie. They will give you a call when something exciting happens. They'll call you when GWP times come up but they'll also let you know when a special guests will come to town. Many sales associates want to get to know you and help you stretch your dollar. Use your resources, ALL your resources, wisely.

DO I have any more gift with purchase plans? Of course! I'm just not sure what yet. There are a lot of GWPs out there. What's your favorite? What do you have plans to purchase? Have you made friends with the faces behind the counter? Go do it!!