Finished It!!! Volume 6

It's that time again. I want to throw a bunch of stuff out, so I have to blog about it first. Hooray for getting rid of things!

Nature's Gate Tea Tree Shampoo and Henna and Pomegranate Sunflower Conditioners - The Tea Tree Shampoo and Pomegranate Sunflower Conditioner are staples for me. I have bought multiple bottles of each and will continue to do so. The Henna Conditioner wasn't bad, but it didn't work as well as the Pomegranate Sunflower one, so I don't plan on repurchasing it.

Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Body Wash - This was my Sephora birthday gift from 2011, and I finally got around to using it. I like the Philosophy body washes, but they are, in my opinion, over-priced for what they are. I might buy more at some point if there is a really good deal, but it's not going to become a staple product for me.

John Frieda Precision Foam Colour Conditioner - This is the conditioner that comes with the John Frieda hair dye, and they always stick around forever because I forget to use them. I liked the hair dye and just bought another box yesterday because it's that time again. I'm trying a new color this time, which makes me nervous. I'm going a bit darker because my town doesn't carry the color that I used before, and I want to try a darker shade for the winter.

Skindinavia 10 Years Younger Makeup Finish Spray - I do believe that this spray helped my makeup stay on longer. Another benefit was helping get rid of the powdery look after I've finished my makeup. I bought the XL bottle of Urban Decay's All-Nighter Spray when this one started running low since Skindinavia makes that as well. I will continue to purchase whichever brand has a better deal at the time I need to purchase more finishing spray.

Benefit The POREfessional Deluxe Sample - I think I got this in a set from last Christmas. I liked it. It did seem to help hide my large pores. I've got several other primers to get through before I buy any more, and I don't think I loved this enough to repurchase it when I do need more primer.

EOS Travel Lotion in Cucumber - Another lotion bites the dust. Yes! I sound like a broken record when I finish lotions, but I'm going to say it again. I have a ton of lotions to use up before I buy any more.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream - The was a decent, no-frills moisturizer. It didn't have SPF, so I used it at night. I might actually pick this up again after I go through my current moisturizer since I'm using a retinol cream at night, so I don't need a nighttime moisturizer with a lot of frills.

Bobbi Brown Correctioner in Porcelain Bisque - I'm still on the hunt for a Holy Grail corrector for under my eyes. This one wasn't it. Having a different shade might have helped (I purchased blind off Sephora.com because I don't have access to a Bobbi Brown anywhere nearby), but I didn't like the formula enough to repurchase it in another color.


Chloe Perfume Sample - This is a nice floral scent. I'm not big on floral scents, but I like this one. I have a mini bottle that I got in a Sephora value set and a rollerball of this from the Superstars Beauty Essentials set that I picked up. I will continue to use and enjoy those.

Napoleon Perdis Mesmer-Eyes Mascara - I got this over the summer in a Meg's Makeup package, and I really enjoyed using it. I loved the comb wand, and the formula didn't make my lashes feel stiff or flake on me. The only reason this is going away is because I used it for three months, and I'm trying to be good about switching my mascaras in that amount of time. I'm normally hesitant about purchasing high-end mascaras, but I've had so much bad luck with drugstore mascaras that I've purchased to try that I might break down when I'm through my current stash and buy a high end one that I know I like.

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Powder Foundation in Translucent Light - I had one of these in my last post of finished products. I think I went through this one much quicker than my last one because I wasn't wearing makeup as often over the summer. I have one more of these left, but I won't be opening it up just yet because I'm now officially too pale for it. The last remnants of this one got mixed in with my regular super pale powder to use it up.

Philosophy Full of Promise Samples - These samples were so small that I used both of them for one application. I've been tempted to purchase high end skincare, but I haven't actually done it yet. Philosophy is at the top of my  list to try if I do go the high end route.

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturizer Sample - This came with a $2 coupon off a Simple moisturizer, which I ended up using on their Vital Vitamin Night Cream. It's a nice basic moisturizer, which is what I was looking for since I'm using a homemade serum and a retinal cream; I don't need bells and whistles in my moisturizer too.

Urban Decay Primer Potion - I think this has officially become my favorite primer. I've tried a few other primers recently that other people say work just like UDPP or Too Faced Shadow Insurance, and they crease on me. I like TFSI, but I get annoyed with the fact that it separates.

Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potion Samples - These are okay. I didn't notice anything special about them. I have a bunch of other primers right now.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 3.5 and 2.0 - I am loving this foundation. I'm now too pale for both of these shades. I picked up a sample of 0.5 yesterday at Sephora. I'm dying to get a full size of it, but I want to try out this shade first, and I need to work through at least one of the foundations I currently have before I buy another one.

Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum - This was okay. It wasn't a big enough sample to notice the effect of this over time. I'm sure a full size is much more than I'm currently willing to pay on hair care.

Pond's Original All Day Clean Towelettes and Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes - I've mentioned before that I primarily use these when I'm swatching products or occasionally when I want to remove my makeup before doing a face mask, so I'm not overly particular about them. Both of these worked well enough for my purposes. I tend to buy whatever I can get for a good price.

That's it for finished products for now. I'm pleased with what I've been able to finish off even though it always feels like I'm fighting a losing battle. I need to start working my way through mineral eye shadow and blush samples because I have a million of them, and they barely get touched. That however, it a project for another day and another post.

Have you made any progress finishing up items recently?

Sephora Favorites Superstars Beauty Essentials - Superstar Value!

I was lucky enough to get a 20% off coupon code through their employee appreciation sale. One of the things I picked up was their Superstars Beauty Essentials kit because it came with ten products (FIVE of them are full size) for $75 before the discount. It has a nice mixture of products, and they most of them stand out to me a cult classics that beauty fanatics rave about.

The set comes packaged in a nice cardboard box tied with a glittery red ribbon. The outside of the box is a shiny red that I couldn't get a good picture of because I kept getting glare like you see in the picture above. Once the products and insert are removed, this will be a nice storage box.

The Products

*Note* I only did detailed pictures of the colored makeup products in this set.


Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil - .5 fl oz - $14 value -   I have another smaller sample of this oil, but I've only used it once or twice. I just ordered some essential oils to add to this and make it more of a skin treatment for acne-prone skin with acne scars.

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate - .5 fl oz - $19 value - I have another one of these that is almost gone. I LOVE this product, so I'm glad to have another one waiting in the wings. It is a scrub that also has enzymes in it, so it exfoliates two ways. It smells like clove to me, which isn't my favorite smell, but I don't mind it.

 Makeup Forever HD Powder - .035 oz - $3.20 value - I'm  not overly excited about this one. It's just 100% silica powder, and I already have silica powder from TKB Trading, where you can get a full ounce of product for $4.95. I'll use it, and I'll try and compare it with the TKB silica, but I can't see it being that much different.

 Chloe Perfume Rollerball - .2 fl oz - $25 value - This is a nice floral perfume that I will enjoy using.

 Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer - .33 fl oz - $18 value - This claims to be a water-resistant primer with SPF 15. Like most primers it says it with minimize the look of fine lines and pores and make your makeup stay on longer. I've only tried this once so far.

Benefit They're Real Mascara - .3 oz - $23 value (full size) - This mascara hasn't been on the market for very long, but it was an instant success. The feature that stands out with this mascara is the brush, which has bristles around the tip of the brush. I didn't take a picture of it because I'm not ready to use this mascara yet, and I don't want to open it until I do. You can see the brush here.

Sephora Microsmooth Baked Eyeshadow Trio in Sunset - 1.8 g - $17 value? (full size) - This is a nice trio that seems like it would work for most skintones.

Nars Orgasm Blush - 4.8 g - $28 value (full size) - This product is just about the epitome of cult classic products. I have heard of some people who don't care for it, but they are few and far between. It's a pretty peachy-pink blush with gold shimmer.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner - .016 fl oz - $20 value (full size) - I have very limited experience with liquid liners. This will be fun for me to play with. I like that it has a fine, felt tip.

Buxom Big & Healthy Lipgloss in Dolly - .15 fl oz - $19 value (full size) - From the limited amount of time that I've had with this set, this gloss is my surprise favorite. It's a pretty plummy colored gloss with gold shimmer. It isn't sticky and gives a slight tingling sensation on the lips. My only minor complaint is that the tube itself is really bulky.

 

Total Value: $186.20 - The box claims that it is $189 value. I'm guessing the difference comes from the HD powder (I had to calculate the price based on a full size, and mini sizes tend to cost more) and maybe the Sephora eye shadow (I couldn't find this exact product listed online).

 Final Thoughts

This is a great set! It would be great for someone who wants to try out a bunch of new things for a great price or for someone who already loves these cult favorites and wants to get a great deal on them. Sephora is supposed to be having a VIB/BI sale soon, so that would be a great time to pick this set up!

I also picked up the In the Glow Sephora Favorites set, and I'll try and get up pictures/first impressions of that one by the beginning of next week.

What do you think? Is this set going on your wishlist? Do you have a favorite product from this set?