My Sephora haul & mini reviews

Although I was in Poland more than a month ago, I haven't posted more about my beauty haul than a tiny peek in my huge Inglot traincase post and Benefit The Pretty Committee kit review. Here's a short overview of my Sephora haul. Needless to say I'm also madly in love with Sephora as many girls from the countries that don't have Sephora stores :P

Sephora has been my main beauty Mecca since 2004, when I accidentaly stumbed upon one of their stores in Bologna and was instantly hooked. The bad thing is we don't have them in Estonia or Scandinavian countries. So I admit, I have chosen my travel destinations according to whether they have Sephora stores or not :) I believe I'm not the only one to do so.

So, what's the contents of this black Sephora bag? First and foremost, my best find from Sephora, Benefit The Pretty Committee kit, full review here. But some other stuff too. 

Two eye pencils, Flashy liner in flashy taupe and Jumbo liner 12H wear in beige. Since both are waterproof and stay on really well, they have been my most used eye pencils this summer. I use Jumbo liner all over the lid as a wash of colour or as a base for eyeshadows. It glides on really well and I don't even need a brush to blend it. The beige colour with a hint of pink and some shimmer is perfect for nearly-there summer makeup. I paid 39 PLN (9,6 euros) for it.

The swatches

What I like most about Flashy liner is the soft taupey-bronzy tone that is perfect for complementing green eyes and useful for many make-up looks. It also glides on really easily. The shimmer in it doesn't really show up on the lids. What I don't like about it is the fact that it is not pigmented enough for using on waterline. I paid 30 PLN (7,4 euros) for it. 

Also I grabbed two synthetic eye shadow brushes, number 26 small and number 25 large from Sephora main brush collection (Sephora Pro Collection is not sold in Europe). They are meant specially for the application of cream shadows, but can double as concealer brushes as well. The short and light handles make them suitable for travel and they seem very durable. I like them! I don't remember the exact price, but they were around 10 euros each. 

Sephora Express empty 50 ml pot. I'm going to use it for decanting some body creams for travelling or taking to the gym. I paid around 2 euros for it.

The green thing is exfoliating face disk. It has very soft and small silicone bristles and is meant for using with a facial wash. It's comfortable to use and is great for everyday light exfoliation. I paid 20 PLN (4.90 euros) for it. 

Waterproof eye make up remover from Sephora own line. I was out of make up remover and thought why not give it a try? They place these kinds of products seductively by the cashier, you know :P I'm not disappointed, it removes makeup well, does not sting and is not too greasy. Next time I'll get it in travel size too. It was 26 PLN (6.40 euros).

You can also see my Sephora White Card, I regret deply I haven't paid much attention to Sephora loyalty program before, could have saved a lot by now. 

Finally, some free samples I got with my purchase. I like the fact that you get almost always some samples with your Sephora purchases. It's a nice touch, I think.

All in all, I'm very happy about my Sephora haul :) It's not a very big haul, but since I got some stuff from other stores as well, it all adds up. I like to do bigger hauls sometimes and then stay away from the shops for a long time. I have been a very good girl since the trip: I've stepped to a beauty store only once in July and haven't bought anything from the web also (although I have had an occasional peek what's on offer once or twice :P).

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Väike ülevaade minu Sephora ostudest Poolast. Eestile lähimad Sephora poed asuvadki umbes pooleteistpäevase autotripi kaugusel Poolas. Sinna sattudes soovitan kindlasti sisse astuda ja muu kraami kõrval tähelepanu pöörata nende oma kaubamärgile.

Benefiti komplekti olen juba näidanud ja arvustanud, minu ülejäänud ostud ongi Sephora oma tootesarjast. Lühidalt öeldes olen kõigi ostudega väga rahul ja see ei jää kindlasti minu viimaseks Sephora visiidiks.

Kui Sephorast midagi ostate, võtke kindlasti ka tasuta kliendikaart, millega saab neljandalt ostult 10 % allahindlust ja poes kasutada spetsiaalseid kaardiomanike soodukaid. Mina kahetsen, et ma juba varem ei viitsinud endale kaarti teha :( Kaarti registreerida ja lojaalsusprogrammi tingimustega lähemalt tutvuda saab näiteks siin.

Siiralt teie,
Tolmu Rull

Benefit The Pretty Committee kit review & swatches

Benefit Cosmetics is a company that has been on and off of my radar for quite some time already. I kind of love the retro design of Benefit's packaging, the witty names of their products … and at the same time these things scare me off. They make me feel that the products inside might not live up to their promises and the whole lot might be badly overpriced. So if I happen to come by a Benefit counter (it's not sold in Estonia where I live, so it can only happen while travelling), I usually just walk by.

I have had a chance to try their famous BadGal mascara sample as a magazine freebie and was very disappointed. It just turned my quite long and luscious lashes into scary spider feet. I don't really understand the people who love it. Then, after reading so many good reviews of their Creaseless Creams eyeshadows I decided to give Benefit another chance. I love each and every one Creaseless Cream I've tried. Talk about the mixed impression!

A few weeks ago in Poland I came across a Benefit counter again in a Sephora store. I was already leaving the shop but just hanged around a bit, browsing around to see if there's anything interesting.

Then I got a sight of The Pretty Committee kit from Benefit.

The kit consists of 5 items: Bella Bamba blush, Star Don't Stray primer for concealers and eyeshadows, Eye Bright eye brightener pencil (all in full sizes), High Beam complexion enhancer in a sample size and a mesh pouch.

The star of this kit is naturally Bella Bamba blush and I immediately asked the shop assistant to try it to my cheeks. Wow! I was instantly sold! Or should I say the kit was sold to me in a minute :P

Let's take a closer look.

Bella Bamba, a "3D brightening pink face powder" by name, is a most gorgeous watermelon-coloured blush. I won't tell much about it now, because it truly deserves a post of it's own. Let's just say that it beats Nars blushes by far. 

Stay Don't Stray is a skin-coloured primer meant to unify the tone of eyelids and keep all eye area makeup at it's place for whole day. It is a good match for my skintone and I think I won't need any separate concealer around the eyes while using this. The only fault I can find now is that a huge amount comes out of the pump bottle at once, wasting the product. I keep my fingers crossed that the staying power will be good. 

Eye Bright is a jumbo sized light rosy-white eye pencil that is meant to be used in the inner & outer corners of the eyes, under the eyebrows and on lower waterlines to give a “wide awake” look. I've used this type of products before and while it's not an absolutely necessary product for me, it is a very nice add-up to my makeup routine. 

High Beam is another Benefit's iconic product, a luminescent highlighter for cheeks, brow bones, your Cupid's bow and so on. I'm not very fascinated by liquid highlighters, but I've been slightly curious about High Beam for quite long, because it's rather pearly, not that outright shiny. I hope it lives up to my expectations. This sample size, although it's much smaller than a lipstick, will last for a very long time I think.

The pouch is just an ordinary mesh pouch with Benefit's logo on it. But I like it's size and rosy gold colouring quite a lot.

Left to right: Eye Bright, High Beam and Stay Don't Stray, unblended.

Blended on my NC15/20 skin. 

One of the best things about this kit (besides the outright gorgeousness of Bella Bamba blush!) was that the whole kit together cost less than merely Bella Bamba and Eye Bright together. That means, I got Stay Don't Stray, High Beam and the pouch for free. I would never have bought all of these products separately, but I'm a very happy kitty the kit gave me an opportunity to discover and try new things. 

I paid around 50 euros for the whole kit & purchased it from Galeria Kazimiers in Krakow, Poland.

Have tried anything from Benefit? Would you like to try something?

Yours Truly,
Tolmu Rull

Instructions on the backside of cardboard packaging.

For my lovely Estonian ladies:

Benefit Cosmetics on meigifirma, mille tooteid Eestis muidugi müügil pole. Välismaal käies soovitan aga silmad lahti hoida: selle komplekti ostsin Krakovist Poolast. Esmapilgul veidi ülepingutatuna tunduvad papist pakendid võivad endas peita väärt sisu. Ilukomitee komplekt väärib oma nime :P

Siiralt teie,

Tolmu Rull