Believe it or not, until this month, I had not ventured into Sephora—in fact, it was actually admittedly a personal strike on my part because I am known for clutching a grudge closer than my pearls. You see, Khol’s used to have a jewelry counter where they sold everything from lab created gemstone jewelry to diamonds. We know that I am a fan of all things shiny so naturally I got to know the department very well including the salespeople by name. I loved this jewelry counter and spent many hours shopping there for my mother and with her when we both got the same sparkle itch. Most jewelry stores lack a good display featuring a range of gems and it was so lovely to see the way inventory was thoughtfully arranged.

By now you may be wondering what this has to do with Sephora and I will tell you! One day I went in for my usual jewelry shopping—I buy all my mother’s jewelry and her anniversary was coming—and the whole department was completely cleaned out. Nothing of my gemstone cave was left intact. It looked deserted and depressing. And do you know what they replaced it with? Yes, a Sephora. This is the genesis of my feud with Sephora and for the last four years I have held a personal vendetta against this store for taking away my treasured shopping place. Bitterly and begrudgingly, I had to shop Khol’s jewelry counter virtually or result to peasant solutions like TJ Maxx’s abysmal options.

It may seem petty but it has been a very big deal to me and so bridging that gap was immense and I think if I had a therapist, they would be quite proud of my progress. My mother and I had been talking about needing new makeup and wanting to try new products. When my birthday rolled around, she took the day off to spend with me doing whatever I wanted and I decided to conquer Sephora. Nothing says “happy birthday” like a new anti aging cream to try, right? I asked for a complete mother daughter self care day and that’s exactly what I got. It’s everything that I wanted and so much more. This was a long introduction but below I’ll be sharing some of what I snatched based on my own opinions which may differ from yours—don’t come for me, it’s fine!

Haus Labs Bio Radiant Gel Powder Highlighter

Listen, I don’t know how mother monster managed to make a highlighter that’s a gel and a powder but I got two of these. I know nothing about it other than it’s clean beauty, it’s expensive, it’s made by Gaga—a fellow Italian girlie—and it’s pretty. That’s all. I haven’t read reviews, researched, or googled. I didn’t swatch it or anything but I saw it in the store and became transfixed by the shine. Like any good racoon, I got it.

The two shades I got are “Fire Opal” and “Rose Quartz” because they are some of my favorite gemstones and I thought they would compliment my skin. Because of my light complexion, I’ve played around with the idea of trying tinted highlights as a blush for their sheerness and shine since most blushes look clownish. I have not had a chance to try these yet but I’m really excited for them, I won’t lie.

Sephora’s Best Skin Ever Concealer

In my recent makeup tutorial, I mentioned that I have been using a concealer by Believe Beauty that’s becoming harder and harder to find. When I went to Sephora with my list, this was one of the first things on it. There’s nothing worse than not having a reliable concealer—especially when your skin is one of the most noticeable things about you. With any and every blemish visible like it’s under a magnifying glass, I need something good, you know?

So I snatched this what I’m pretty sure is the lightest shade. I’ve used it once and I’ll be perfectly honest in saying that I don’t think it’s the best concealer. I don’t hate it but I don’t think it fully does the job if you understand what I’m saying. The only thing that kept me from taking it back is that it’s actually an amazing brightener so while it didn’t cover my blemishes as much as I liked, it did brighten up my skin without the sparkle of a highlighter. My quest for a good concealer may continue but I’ll be keeping this onboard as a liquid brightener for when I want a matte bright look.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain

I love these and they are my newest obsession. I was intrigued by the idea of a cream lip stain because all of mine dry me out like a fish in the Sahara. I was thinking it would be more like a lipstick that just stained but it’s not. To be honest, it’s still a lot more drying than I wanted but it’s much more buildable than the stains I’ve been using and doesn’t chap my lips as badly as other brands. These are also clean beauty and my others are not so that’s a bonus!

The applicators make lining your lips easy so if you want to go over your pencil liner with the stain to blend them, you can do so without issue. They are very nice to layer and I’ve been wearing mine with Sephora’s All That Shine Sheer Lipstick. The color definitely stays put all day with limited smudging. I got too many shades to list them here but I did get the Sephora 5pc Cream Lipstain Set and most colors with “rose” in them from the wall of endless options.

Sephora Love the Lift Mascara

One of the only non-clean makeup products that I continue to use even though it’s not the healthiest option is Maybelline’s Colossal Spider Effect Mascara. Old habits die hard and I have used it for years. To date, this is the only mascara that I can easily apply without clumping. I can’t tell whether it’s the formula or just the applicator itself but this mascara separates my lashes well while still lifting them up when others I use just brush them all together. I am a fan of soft, doll like eyelashes rather than an exaggerated false look which is why I have safeguarded this mascara with my life.

However, given that I am truly trying to commit to clean beauty, I decided to grab Sephora’s Love the Lift Mascara and the waterproof version as well. I do have clean mascaras from Believe Beauty that I have used but just haven’t liked as much as my Maybelline so the hunt continues. I have only tried the regular—not waterproof—mascara because I am slowly introducing new products into my routine one at a time so I can see how they work with my skin (I also recommend that you do the same when trying new cosmetics) and I found it to be decent! It doesn’t give as much as a lift or lengthening as my Maybelline Mascara but it stayed on, didn’t smear, and looked beautifully natural. They look like good, quality mascaras but only time will tell.

Sephora Hydrate & Glow Primer and Sephora Smooth & Blur Primer

In my makeup tutorial, I noted that I used a primer by Believe Beauty. I adore this primer and would use it forever if I could keep getting it but with supply dwindling, I new I needed some new options. When I went to Sephora, I was looking for a replacement—preferably one with hydration—to transition into my daily routine. Since these two were in smaller packages next to each other, I chose to try them both. Together, they equal about the size of my Believe Beauty primer so I figured it wasn’t a bad idea to see which one worked better. I haven’t tried the Smooth and Blur primer yet but I hated the Hydrate & Glow Primer when I used it. I really sort of did.

First off, I didn’t know that it was tinted because most primers that I’ve seen are clear once they soak into your skin unless it’s a specific color correcting primer. This one did not. Oh, I looked like I was having an allergic reaction to shellfish—my face was in full butterfly rash mode and it was not appreciated given that it can do that all on it’s own. To be fair, I think this would be really beautiful on someone with a different skin tone like my mother who has warm undertones or bronzer loving sun worshippers always looking for a summer glow. On little old ivory me, it was awful. I’ll be honest in saying that I don’t know whether I was biased after it changed my skin and started to oxidize but overall I didn’t think it was a great product. It definitely wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever used though so I may keep it around for occasional looks.

Sephora Stay & Spray Duo

I actually already have a good setting spray that I like which is the Dewy Coconut Setting Mist by E.l.f, however, I’m always open for new setting sprays. I have been using the coconut spray for over a year now and while I think it’s a great product and I have no intentions of dropping it from my routine, sometimes the spray is a bit harsh. Whether I ended up with a faulty bottle or not, it’s a not a gentle mist when I spray it over my makeup—more like a drizzle. This has made me want to broaden my horizons and open up to some new comparisons. Again, this is still a great product and it’s clean beauty.

I loved the Stay and Spray duo. I haven’t used the larger spray yet but the smaller one was the perfect finish to my look the other day. It’s a true mist and the bottle gives you a lot more control over how much product you actually get onto your face. It held my makeup in place for the day and did a fabulous job of setting everything that was underneath it into a cohesive layer. I like this and I would recommend this! I also think it was a good deal for them both!

Sephora Colorful Blushes

When I crawled through the doors of Sephora, I was in desperate need of a good blush. I have not had a good blush since I parted with my Milani Rose compact last year. I loved it but it just wasn’t a clean brand and I wanted to take charge of my health starting with my makeup so she had to go. Ever since, I have been cursed with terrible blush and had given up wearing it altogether because I was tired of being disappointed which is how you should feel about dating, not your blush!

When I got the chance, I got four new blushes from Sephora to try—two matte and two shimmery ones. The shades that I purchased are 01, 05, 01 matte mat, and 16 shimmer nacre. It’s also worth mentioning that along with these four Colorful Blushes, I got a lovely pearly Colorful Luminizer in the shade 05. While I have yet to try these blushes since I’ve been working my way through new products carefully, I think they’ll be great. Honestly, I will be really surprised if they’re terrible because they just look like they’re good quality and they swatched well in the store.

Farmacy Apple Lip Smoothie

I will admit that I was skeptical of this when my mother put it in the basket but as usual, she was right! With my autoimmune disease, my lips are prone to painful chapping and most lip moisturizers don’t give me what I need. I feel like I’ve just thoroughly glossed to prevent splitting and it’s already soaked into my skin. Given that she has the same problem, my mother pushed me to try this lip smoothie with her from the clean beauty brand, Farmacy. It’s worth noting that I had never tried this brand before and went in without any expectations.

This works. It is expensive but it works, sis. Not only does it smell like a beautiful autumn day at the orchard but it lasts for quite a while. I also found it to be easily layered with my cream lip stains and other chapsticks. A little goes a long way so even though it’s expensive, you can use it sparingly. The consistency is just the perfect balance between creamy and gel—like a balm and a gloss in one. If you are concerned about scents, don’t be because this one is light and dissipates gently the longer you wear it. There’s no artificial smells hitting you in the face whenever you go to use it. This was such a good find, thank you ma!

Sephora Lift & Firm Plumping Cream

Like every iconic mother-daughter duo, my mother and I enjoy bonding over running off father time. I’m a sucker for a great hydrating and plumping cream so when I saw this on sale, I decided to get a pair for us to try. Everyone has been trying to shove expensive creams in my mother’s hand just because she’s ageing but I’m a firm believer that more is less. Looking your best shouldn’t break the bank and there has to be affordable creams that can improve the appearance of those hard earned fine lines. This cream was around $20 and compared to the other tiny tube she got for $50, she has been very pleased.

I haven’t tried it yet myself because I’ve been watching for skin reactions to other products but she has been using it religiously and the results show. Visibly, you can tell how healthy and hydrated her skin looks. She already looks 10 years younger than she is but she really wants to hit 15, you know? This cream worked so well for her that when we went back, I insisted we get the eye cream to try as well. This is a great anti ageing product whether you’re 20 or 60. Remember that the earlier you start using creams like this to care for your skin in young adulthood, the farther away from a face lift you stay!

Dolce & Gabbana My Devotion

In all honesty and full transparency, I thought I would hate this perfume. Based on the terrible commercial and celebrity endorsement, I really didn’t think that I would like this fragrance at all. We all know that I’m a scent connoisseur—I just had to try it when I went in because there was a wall of samples yelling my name. They had everyone from my favorite Versace to Gucci. Admittedly, I was a little upset they didn’t have Oscar De La Renta since that was where I first discovered Bella Blanca but I let it go. Oh, I could’ve spent all day just by that wall sniffing. Sniffing and judging.

My Devotion was the first one that I blindly reached for without ever reading the notes. I guess that based on the ad campaigns, I figured it would smell almost sickeningly sweet? Like the worst parts of Valentine’s Day instead of the best parts? Cheap wax candy instead of Godiva? I love Dolce & Gabbana—always have—so I don’t know why I thought that except for just the pure cheesiness of the promotions. This is such a nice, light lovely feminine fragrance and I didn’t find it overwhelming at all. I hadn’t planned to get any perfume but I couldn’t leave it behind so I snatched. It’s also very layerable with a nice lotion or accompanying body mist. We love her. She’s fabulous.

Last Call

Turns out I didn’t hate Sephora and it wasn’t the den of evil I was convinced it was. I got some great products and it was so nice to test things before you purchased and look at all the powders up close to see their true color. The customer service was also fabulous and every question was answered with a genuine smile. Nothing makes you feel more pampered than pleasant little makeup magicians pulling things out drawers specially for you in just the right shade.

I’m pretty sure that most of what I purchased is clean beauty though I was a little bit confused by the supposed stickers that are supposed to differentiate them. When I came home, I google checked everything and found that there’s probably only a couple of lip liners that are questionable but only in certain colors that I didn’t get. I had gotten three eyeshadow palettes thinking they were clean because of the section they were in but it turned out they weren’t so I took them back and plan to get truly clean ones soon. As I slowly try the items that I snatched, I’ll update the blog accordingly. My beauty posts seem to be of particular interest so if you like this kind of content, let me know!

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