Sephora Birthday Haul

Hello everyone! 

It's my birthday month and every year I will have this insane 'treat yo'self' spree. Last year I did buy quite a few cosmetics when I went to Korea (you can read that blogpost here), so this year I gave myself a relatively extensive treat at Sephora.

There have been quite a few things I've been eyeing for a while and I decided that I should just give msyelf a huge treat (as I do every year) at Sephora! These did arrive last Wednesday, so I made it a point to sorta try everything out a little here and there so I had a little more to say about each product in this blogpost.

I think I'll start off with some palettes that I've been considering/looking at for a fair bit of time. I don't have too many palettes, I try very hard not to buy palettes since I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to eyeshadow (it's almost always nudes, corals or pinks). I am, however, very into highlighters. I have had a lipstick phase, where I kept getting more and more lipsticks. Right now, I'm probably going through a highlighter phase. 

Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Amethyst Geode by Becca

I know a lot of people have been going crazy for the Becca highlighters, especially since they popped into Sephora. I've not owned a single Becca product until I bought this one, but I've been swatching the highlighters all the time when I step into the store. I've always loved Rose Gold (which was sold on out online) and Opal, but I decided to go for Amethyst Geode since it was a colour I didn't really have.

Skin Twinkle Lightning Palette Vol 2. by Tarte

I actually got this palette on impulse. The Tarte palette prices were all being slashed to $40, so I thought I should grab something. However, I never really felt for any of their eyeshadow palettes. I always looked at them, but I didn't particularly feel the need to reach for them.

However, when I saw this palette I really wanted to get it. I didn't really feel for the Rainforest of the Sea Eyeshadow Palette, though they did have so many beautiful colours, probably because I felt like I wouldn't use half of the colours, but for the Twinkle Lightning Palette, I felt I'd be able to make use of all 4 shades, so I snatched it!

I thought that Candlelight would be my favourite, but I found that Spotlight definitely stole me heart. I felt like Candlelight has a lot more fall out than the rest, but it looks so pretty on the skin!

Eye-conic Multi Finish Eyeshadow Palette by Marc Jacobs Beauty

I'd like to think of this palette as the HIGHLIGHT of the haul. It is literally my current favourite thing. Forget my custom MAC quad and my Urban Decay Naked palettes. 

I LOVE THIS PALETTE. 

It's definitely expensive for a small palette, but I've loved Marc Jacobs products for the longest time and the make up line is no exception. I've been using it almost everyday since it arrived and I can't stop looking at it. It has all my favourite shades and then some! 

Fresh Water Lily Hand Soap by estelle & thild

I discovered estelle and thild when I was walking around in Sephora, and I picked up their Fresh Water Lily body scrub which I absolutely loved. It smells amazing, and I think it'd be one of my favourite smells, needless to say, I picked up their hand soap without thinking much.

Honestly, I'm not sure if water lily actually smells that way, because normal lilies don't smell the way this does for sure. But if they do really smell like the soap, it might just be my new absolute favourite.

Dragon Fruit Brightening Superfruit Mask by Origins

I've never tried this mask before, but I'm always on a lookout for a good mask. I did give this a go, and I'm not the biggest fan of it. I think the exfoliating agent is probably ground up seeds from the dragonfruit, and it's a little too abrasive for my liking. I did get a little scratch on my face from it.

My skin isn't visibly brighter either so I'm not entirely sure how this mask is supposed to work. I don't particularly like how my skin feels after I've washed the mask off either. It might have to be used over a period of time to get results but right now, I might regret buying it. On the bright side, it smells delicious and looks very very pretty!

Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter in Fantasy by Marc Jacobs Beauty

I think the rose gold theme is getting more and more prominent through this blogpost. You guys know I love rose gold, but that isn't why I bought this product (but it is why I bought this shade instead of the other one).

Not gonna lie, I was a bit worried with this product because I bought the Genius Gel foundation a while back and I loved it at first, but in the past few months it hasn't sat well on my skin, so I was worried it was going to happen with this product. Then again, only time will tell!

So far, I love it. I must mention that one pump is wayyyy too much. I didn't realise how crazy one pump would be. It looks like liquid rose gold, it's amazing. It is a little dark for me (as a highlight), so I wouldn't use too much, but it does give a good glow. I probably need a bit more time to experiment with this product since I've not worked with gel highlighters before!

Chill Setting Spray by Urban Decay

I was very excited to try this out! I've been using the De-Slick one for years and I've not ventured to the other ones. Sad to say, this one was quite disappointing. I didn't really get much of a 'chill' or 'temperature control' from this product. It did set my make up for sure, but definitely left me feeling underwhelmed. I'd be sticking to de-slick, thank you very much!

24 Hr Brow Setter Brow Gel by Benefit Cosmetics

I didn't know what to expect for this product, but I really like it! It's basically brow gel, but I like the wand, it helps you to distribute the gel evenly as well as smooth down the brow hairs. I've tried using this on top my brow colours and it lasted through my ballet class so I'm enjoying this so far! 

Roller Lash Mascara by Benefit Cosmetics

Magic Marc'er Precision Pen in Cocoa by Marc Jacobs Beauty

I think most of you would expecrt this from me, but I've lost count on how many times I've repurchased these two products. I love the roller lash mascara, I've been using it non stop during my Tanglin days (ahh, the memories) and until now, it remains as my favourite mascara. I have contemplated on trying something new but I always end up going back to it.

The Magic Marc'er by Marc Jacobs Beauty has been my fave eyeliner for a long time, also since my Tanglin days, maybe even before (that's like wayy back in 2014/2015?!). The black one was sold out (much to my dismay) but I use the brown one as well so I snatched it right away. I will be back for the black liner, hopefully before my current one runs dry!

Left: Nippers, Right: Brow Defining Set

Slightly boring, but I do need to stock up on tools to keep my cuticles and eyebrows at bay as well! Nothing too special, but it's still part of my haul!

Flamingo Cup Holder Float

I didn't actually buy this, they gave this to me for free. I think it's pretty darn cute but I'd imagine that my cup would still end up toppling over if I kept it in here and I was in the pool. But it's definitely cute.

Sephora Hair Tie Set

Another free thing. I was in dire need of hair ties anyway so I'm not mad at these. They aren't the hair ties that I'm very used to but they're functional and pretty so why not?

With that, the haul comes to an end. If you've read all the way to the end, thank you very much, sometimes I wonder who are my readers who actually read till the end of the post. If you're one of them, thank you very much!

There are a few things that aren't available in store like the 3CE velvet lip tints which I've been coveting for a while. I am thinking of heading down to the store but I definitely don't have the luxury of time (or money, the damage done here was beyond me) to do so, but I'm hoping they'd come to the online store sooner or later so I can get my hands on them!! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this blogpost, and I'll see you in my next one!


xx
Shayne