Recommendations for Sephora couponing holiday season

As I'm typing this post my mind instantly goes into Mariah Carey's tune "All I want for Christmas is You".  I decided to create this post because the holiday sets and discounts are upon us and many of my friends have been asking for recommendations on what they should buy whether it be for themselves or as gifts. So let's get into it because honestly it's my favorite time of year and miniature products are always adorable.

Sephora Favorites Set:
I realize I'm being very blunt when I say that, but I seriously think  these are the best ways to get the most out of your money and to try a bunch of brands including cult favorites. They always have a bunch of different ones from Korean beauty favorites to beauty classics. Some of these sets sometimes also include full sized items which is already worth the purchase. My personal favorite of all of the sets is the mascara set (which I'm having a tough time finding at the moment and really hope they didn't get rid of it!). With the mascara set, you get 5 deluxe sized samples of mascaras from different brands and a voucher for a free full sized one of your choice all for $28. Definitely a great gift to someone especially if they're a mascara junkie. Most of these sets are limited edition so it's best to grab them when you can.

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Sol De Janerio Bum Bum Beauty Voyage:
This just came out and it's online only but if you haven't smelled this stuff yet, you need to. Not only does it smell great, but I also do love the formula of the body cream and the fragrance mist that comes along with it smells just as good. I mentioned this body cream in my June Favorites  if you want to read a more in depth review. Even though these are travel sized (still much bigger than deluxe  sized) I still think this is a great deal to try out if you're looking for a new body cream and fragrance. As far a tightening the bum bum? Eh I really didn't noticed much of a difference but it's still kinda funny to say bum bum. I'm a child.

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Bite Beauty Agave Kisses Set:
This might be one of my favorite sets actually of the season despite how small it is. If you haven't tried bite beauty yet and you really want to treat your lips I highly recommend getting this set. You get 3 deluxe sizes of the agave lip balm, the scrub and of course my favorite, the agave lip mask. All of the products also come in a little tin so it's great to bring it to travel. I can not recommend the lip mask enough and you can see me rave all about it all the way back in my January Favorites. All of the products have that great brown sugar smell and for $20 I think it's an affordable way to treat your lips or even to give to someone because who wouldn't love getting this as a gift??

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As a side note, I love that Bite Beauty comes out with these little holiday sets every year. It's a little bit of luxury for your lips without committing to the full price of just one item. Some of my other favorites from them that I would also recommend are the Amuse Bouche Liquified lip set  (I have a review on one of them from last month in my favorites)  and the Perfect Bite Amuse Bouche lipstick set. I would even be on the look out as we get closer to the holidays as they tend to come out with mini deluxe versions of their lip pencils or lipstick duos for a fraction of the price of what a full sized would be.

Tarte Blush Bazaar Amazonian Clay Blush Palette:
Ok never mind. I lied. This might be one of my favorites. Tarte Blushes are probably my favorite blushes (let alone product) at Sephora. This is definitely worth the price considering that one full sized blush costs $28. Even though they are smaller in size, for this set you get to play with 6 blushes and 2 highlighters for $44 dollars which s amazing. These are all waterproof, very pigmented but also very blendable. Another great thing about this palette is that you could mix two different blush colors and come up with a unique shade. This is very much worth it.

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Stila Written in the Stars Glitter and Glow Liquid Eye Set:
Well it's currently sold out and I'm not surprised at all. This isn't so much a necessity but more of a "I want to look like a glitter queen and blind everyone" product this season. You're getting 3 deluxe sizes for the price of a full size one. I haven't personally tried these yet, but my goodness. The swatches. They are beautiful. It's the definition of a festive holiday season.

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I could go on and on about what sets are worth it but this would be a pretty long post but the ones above are just some of my favorites. I would recommend that if you are considering getting one of these holiday sets, to get them when you can since most of them are limited edition. Best to download the Sephora app since I feel like that constantly gets updated and sometimes they have app exclusive deals. I would also look into skin care sets as well since skincare can be pricey for just one item alone when you can experiment the majority of the line for a fraction of the cost. Finally, definitely look into Sephora's Weekly Wow section that changes every Thrusday. They'll have about 4 to 5 products on sale normally for about half the price and if you have a BI coupon you can use that on top of it.

Alright well I hope this helped a bit! I would of course recommend other products such as foundations but I wanted to stick with the holiday and limited edition sets. Leave any comments down below if you are in need of any other particular product recommendations or any of the holiday sets.

Happy Shopping! ♥

September 2017 Favorites

And a happy October, aka the best month, to all of you. I'm excited to show off the favorites I have for this month. I have a new holy grail foundation and I even have some rediscovered drugstore favorites. Let's get right into it. Also can we talk about how cute the little pumpkin succulent is? It's fake of course but I got it from Target for $3 and I just think it's such a cute decor for this season.

Bare Minerals Bare PRO Performance Wear Foundation in Cashmere:
I'm so happy to get back into one of my very first brands that I ever tried when I first started wearing makeup. I already rave about their liquid lipsticks enough that I'm sure everyone is done with me taking about them. I always loved their powder foundation since I started using it when I was 15 and my acne was at it's prime. Now at 25, I'm fighting with hormonal cystic acne but this new foundation has done AMAZING things for my skin. For starters, their products are already dermatologists tested so great for those with acne prone skin. It also has your spf 20 in it which is always important especially if you're on active acne medication like myself. You want to protect the skin from the sun's rays constantly and I think it's an important part in our routine that many people forget to incorporate. It's also a breathable full coverage formula and sets itself, so you don't even need powder on top of it. I'm beyond amazed at how well this has concealed and reduce the redness from the acne scarring yet the foundation still looks like skin. So no cake face here and definitely not overly mattifying. It wears beautifully throughout the day and only a few of my oils seep through but I don't look greasy at all. I received so many compliments on my skin with this foundation which I found shocking since I know I still have redness. Overall, if you're looking for an easy foundation that you don't have to worry about throughout the day and is easy on the budget ($34 is not bad at all for a well performing foundation) then I would definitely give this one a shot.

Also I'm so happy that brands are doing pumps for their foundations. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Biossance Squalane and Antioxidant Cleansing Oil:
This is a new brand in the beauty industry and my second favorite product this month. Before I was using the Clinque Take off the Day Balm which I did love but I'm happy to be using a product that has more natural ingredients and has been dermatologist tested which really has been great with the tail end of my cystic acne. The squalane oil (which is all plant derived) is going to help lock in moisture and hydrate over time. So you're giving back to your skin while removing the impurities instead completely stripping the skin. I think there are several things I love about this. I like that it has a pump (clearly stated in my excitement from the last product). It's also a powerful oil for removing makeup but still gentle and is safe on the eyes so use this EVERYWHERE. Always remember to use cleansing oils on dry skin in order to remove the makeup and oil afterwards. I personally love using this product and then taking a warm, wet washcloth and placing it over my face after massaging the oil in my skin. I'll then take the same cloth to remove the oil. I find the heat of the cloth helps remove the makeup better and it also feels incredibly relaxing after a long day. Anyway, if you're looking to explore into a natural skincare brand, I think this would be a great product to start off with and will greatly help with the "makeup removing" routine.

BITE Amuse Bouche Liquified Lipstick in Chutney:
Soooo speaking of liquid lipsticks, we're going to talk about a completely different formula of one that I've been wearing the majority of this month. This is a high shine, but fully pigmented color of a liquified lipstick. It's a thick formula but has a smooth application and doesn't tug at the lips at all. Although it is high shine, it's not sticky at all. I normally don't go for these type of finishes (I'm more of a matte finish type of girl) but I've really been loving the feel of this on my lips this month. It has such a good amount of hydration that last for several hours and the pigmentation fades away gracefully overtime. Throughout the day, it doesn't feel as thick as when initially applied and instead feels like a nourishing lip balm. I can see myself liking this a lot more especially when it gets a bit colder out and I want that extra lip balm treatment but color payoff. Sephora currently has a holiday kit for $22 and 4 minis if you want to experiment them first before committing to a full size. Bite always make such great sampler kits every season and these are great as a gift for yourself or to a friend especially if you never tried BITE before. It's a great way to treat yourself but also getting the most out of your money.

Fresh Sugar Lip Caramel Hydrating Balm:
And speaking of hydration, this will probably be my main stable lip balm going into Fall. As you guessed it and how my nose loves things that smell like food, this has a rich caramel scent that hydrates that lips without it being a super thick formula. I think the only downside to this is that it's in a tin when I prefer my lip balms more in a tube. However, that's definitely something I can over look because the thing I love the most about this lip balm, is that it doesn't disrupt your lip color. The first time I tried this, I was wearing a liquid matte lip color for several hours and I put the lip balm on top. Not only did it give me the hydration that I needed, but the color I had on my lips stayed in place and didn't get on my teeth (yay!). I would say this is more of a "treat yo self" product, but nevertheless, another great product from Fresh.

Essence Make Me Brown Gel Mascara:
I'm so excited to get back into some rediscovered drugstore favorites! I've been incredibly lazy with the eye brows this month but I'm also starting to realize the importantance of having some kind of definition to the eyebrows so I went back to this product. I never tried Benefit's Gimme Brow before but I will say the brush on the Essence one looks very similar to the Benefit's product and could definitely be a dupe for it. It helps give some tint and hold to the eyebrows throughout the day and is perfect for the lazy girl routine. Also the main difference is definitely the price point. For $3, I don't think you can go wrong with something just a simple and similar to the Benefit one. Save your money dear.

Wet and Wild Color Icon Bronzer in Reserve Your Cabana:
This is not a bronzer at all. However, it is a beautiful highlighter that honestly I forgot all about and was shoved towards the back of my makeup drawer. This isn't going to be your super sparkly and "highlight so bright you can blind a person" highlight. It's a subtle highlight that enhances the cheekbones and looks so natural. I forgot how much I love this type of highlight and it's great for days when I'm doing subtle looks. Also for $4, you get SO much product. It's about the size of my cheek. Not the best packaging (I know mine looks worn out and gross) but the important part is what's on the inside (truly a great life motto to go by) and the inside of this product, is perfection.

Commodity Gold:
You guys know that I love really good scents and I'm also the worst at describing really good scents. I was just introduced to this fragrance this past month and I've been wearing it constantly. If I want something a little bit more for for a night out, I'll go for the Elizabeth James Bourbon which I feel like has similar notes to this Commodity scent, just more enhanced. The Commodity Gold. Ugh honestly I just stopped typing to smell it more. It has a warmth and a slight sweetness to pull you in. Kinda reminds you of a late fall/ early winter evening and you're wrapped up in a flannel blanket next to a fireplace with someone. It's so inviting but also still subtle so good for everyday. I hope that helps but if not, feel free to look at the notes of the scent online and just go get a sample a Sephora. Just do it. It's so intoxicating and you'll feel like a million bucks (I guess hence the name "Gold").

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Guys that's it! That's all my favorites for this month and I'm super excited to get into the fun holiday months and holiday products with you all. Wishing you all an awesome October!

Review: Bite Beauty Agave Lip Collection (Scrub, Treatment, and Balm)

It's winter still so that means it's chap lipped season and Bite Beauty added two more products next to the cult classic Agave Lip Treatment. I adore Bite Beauty lip products but I never tried any of the treatments before so it was quite a treat (ha) when I received the lip balm and some samples of the treatment for gratis (yes those are the ones that kinda look like medication pills but it's really adorable). All of the products in this line have a sweet brown sugar smell which I'm obsessed with! The agave lip scrub I wound up making a sample for myself just to try it out so I apologize for the not so photogenic picture.

Agave Sugar Lip Scrub:

Lip scrubs are great to get rid of dead skin cells and especially before using a matte liquid lipstick which can tend to show lines and cracks on the lips. I definitely come to enjoyed this one as it gently exfoliates while also providing extra moisture. Almost reminds me to a honey and sugar scrub  just not as heavy. When you add water do the scrub, it becomes milky and activates the scrub. It really makes the scrub more effective and provides soft lips instantly. Although I do like how this product performs, the scrub is a little bit high up in my price rage and would recommend something quicker and easier such as the e.l.f Lip Exfoliator.  However, if you need a effective but gentle exfoliator for chapped lips, I don't think you'll be disappointed by this product. Just remember kids, exfoliate especially during those winter months.

Agave Lip Balm:

I remember seeing this on instagram and being way too happy that they made this into a balm. Same sweet brown sugar smell and gives the moisture that the lips need for about 3-4 hours. However, I do wish it was a bit creamier to apply. It does have a matte finish to it so if you wanted to moisturize the lips before going in with a lipstick it would be perfect for that. If it's a day I just want a lip balm, I probably would gravitate towards something else only because I like something just a bit creamier. So not a bad product, but not something that amazed me.

Agave Lip Treatment:

I really wished I didn't joined the bag wagon for this one, but it's a reason why this is so loved by many. It's a thick, creamy balm which is perfect for overnight. I love how this is still on the morning after and you'll feel a big difference. Even though the samples look small, a little bit goes a long way so getting the full size of this will definitely be worth the price point. I was previously using the Vaseline Lip Therapy Creme Brulee as my overnight lip balm which helps get the job done but the Agave Lip Treatment is just a bit creamier and lasts a lot longer. However, I wouldn't rule out trying the Vaseline Lip Therapy as it's a great drugstore alternative (also the smell...THE SMELL *heart eyes*)

So is it worth the whole collection? Honestly, if you suffer from chapped lips constantly, it might be nice to make an investment to treat your lips and constantly have them feeling great (and yes smelling great too). If I had to pick a favorite though, I think the Agave Lip Treatment takes the cake. Get a sample. Give it a shot because it's a beautiful product.

What lip balms or scrubs have you been liking for this season? I kinda want to do a whole post on lip balms possibly in the near future (yes the obsession is real).

♥