Sephora Birthday Haul!

10:30 AM

Calling this a birthday haul is a little misleading. I did buy myself these items for my birthday, but it was with a gift card I was given at Christmas. "Wait," I can hear you saying. "You're telling me you went eight months without buying from Sephora?" Exactly. It sounds like a scary thought, but drugstores have been coming out with such amazing (and affordable) products lately that I spent all of my time buying those up and trying them out.

But there were a couple of things I had my eye on for months and I finally decided to go and pick them up... And, of course, Sephora threw a little treat in my bag for my birthday.

A few months ago, I noticed Nic and Sam from Pixiwoo were using this setting powder quite often and it always made their models look so flawless. I had to try it out for myself and I am so glad I did! The powder is soft and finely-milled. According to the description on the Sephora website, it is "infused with the finest French cashmere-talc," and I totally believe that.

I have very combination skin at the moment-- the outside parts of my face are extremely dry while the center section of my face can get very oily. I can use this powder all over, however, and have no issues. It keeps my face looking matte but still luminous and doesn't cake up on the dry parts of my face.

The Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder retails for $35 on the Sephora website.

The second item I purchased was the Anastasia Brow Wiz pencil in Medium Ash. I won't say that this pencil is amazing-- you could get many similar products for cheaper-- but the color range is wonderful and the pencil is nice and skinny which helps create a more natural brow. If you are on a budget, I would say just go for a Rimmel brow pencil. If you can afford to, however, I would go for this. Like I said, it's not amazing but it is pretty darn good.

Anastasia Brow Wiz retails for $21 on the Sephora website.

Last but not least was Sephora's wonderful little birthday present to me-- a mini They're Real! mascara and Watt's Up highlight. I am a longtime lover of They're Real! and was happy to receive a mini to travel with, but I had never tried Watt's Up. I had heard mixed reviews and so I stuck with products I knew and loved. But, boy, do I wish I had bought it sooner. It gives a subtle, candle-lit type of glow that looks quite natural. In my swatch above you can see some sparkle, but when it is blended out on your cheek it is only noticeable from very close up. If you haven't already, sign up and become a Beauty Insider because you get awesome treats like these on your birthday.

And for a little bit of reference, here is an Instagram picture of me wearing the first two products (Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder and Anastasia Brow Wiz):