Pick-Ups & Deliveries: April 2014 — Sephora VIB Sale Haul

As any good beauty addict will know, Sephora had a 15% discount for all VIB members a few weeks ago. And after two online orders and three trips to actual stores, I may have gone a little overboard...
Too Faced Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush in Peach Beach, Something About Berry, and Candy Glow
Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Light/Medium Matte Bronzer and Candlelight Glow Highlighting Powder Duo
I've been curious about a lot of Too Faced face products recently and knew I had to take advantage of the discount and pick up some things I'd been eyeing. It all started with those damn Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blushes. I've been on a baked blush kick lately (as you may have noticed with my hoarding of Milani and Hard Candy blushes some weeks ago), so I didn't just pick up one of them, I picked up all three shades because they were just too damn cute to resist. They just give such a nice glowy, illuminating flush; so fresh-faced and perfect for Spring! And that packaging! Some might say it's cheap or gaudy, but I just think it's ridiculously adorable. They look like freakin' chocolate boxes. I needed them. And speaking of chocolate, I was on the hunt for a new bronzer for contouring and found the perfect one in Too Faced's Milk Chocolate Soleil Light/Medium Matte Bronzer. I wanted something more subtle for contouring, and this one fits the bill perfectly for my skintone right now (around NC30). I like that it doesn't lean too orange or too red; just a perfect golden caramel. Love the texture of this, too: smooth, silky, and finely-milled with excellent pigmentation. And they smell exactly like Cocoa Puffs, which I quite enjoy (except that it makes me hungry). I might grab the darker one later on when I get more tanned.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 15 (Jumbo Size)
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta, Diffused Heat, and Luminous Flush
I was nearing the end of my bottle of Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer from last November (it's now my HG face primer — yes, I've converted — thanks a lot, Liz) , and it is notoriously expensive, so I had to get a replacement one while I could get a discount. I noticed they had their jumbo size value tube still available (it's an online only special), so I snatched that baby up because it's $83 for 60 ml (the regular 30 ml size is $60!). And while I was perusing the Hourglass page, you know those damn blushes got me. You know the ones. The ones that everyone and their mothers are raving about. And as a good blush fiend, I decided to get the three shades that I'd been wanting most (which are, to absolutely no one's surprise, the three brighter ones of the range). These suckers retail for $41 each, which I think is really steep for a single blush that's not from a fashion house, so with a discount is the only way I'd be willing to splurge.

Dolce & Gabbana Monica Voluptuous Lipstick in Gentle Monica, Only Monica, and Chic Monica, and The Lipstick Shine Lipstick in Violet
I've been curious about Dolce & Gabbana's make-up line for years now, but they aren't widely available in Canada. Even as other big designer make-up lines made their way over the border (Burberry, Tom Ford, etc.), Dolce & Gabbana still remained out of reach. Now that they're being carried at Sephora (and can be shipped to Canada without a hefty cost plus duties — in fact, free for me, 'cause I'm a VIB Rouge member), I took the opportunity to get some of their lipsticks, which are what intrigued me the most about this brand. As they aren't carried in-store here, I couldn't test them out myself, so I relied on many swatches over many blog posts to finally decide which ones to get. In the end, I decided on three shades from the Monica Voluptuous Lipstick line (that were inspired by D&G's muse, Monica Bellucci), and one from The Lipstick Shine range. I haven't tested these in full yet, but how gorgeous is the packaging?

Urban Decay Electric Pressed Pigment Palette
No surprise here — I had to get the latest Urban Decay palette. As Urban Decay has to state that a few of these shades are "not intended for use in the immediate eye area," they have called this a "Pressed Pigment Palette" (similar to many of MAC's brighter or neon pigments, which are also not meant to be used on the eye area). They put this warning because many pigments haven't been tested or approved by the FDA or Health Canada for use on the eye. Some pigments (like carmine, for instance) have a higher probability of irritation or allergy, but I don't generally have problems with them, so I still consider these all eyeshadows. This particular palette hasn't received nearly as much hype as their other palettes, but I reckon it's mostly due to these being much bolder shades to work with (e.g. less wearable or "scary"). I think this is a spectacular palette, to be honest; a lot of brands don't come out with straight-up bright shades like this housed in a single palette so it's kind of refreshing to see Urban Decay, who re-invented itself with a neutral palette, release one. And one that is so well-executed, too.

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Finish and Cityswept Finish
I'm not typically one to get very fancy with hair. I generally wear it up in a messy bun or down and ironed straight. But it's when I wear it down that I feel my hair needs a little... oomph. I like the idea of having more voluminous hair especially since straight-ironing hair usually gives the opposite effect. Can't I have straight hair that doesn't fall flat? It's a struggle, since I have quite heavy hair that's coarse. After hearing so much about the Thickening Dryspun Finish (and watching videos on how to use it), I decided to give it a go, especially since I could get a discount on it — this stuff is straight-up expensive for what it is, and I wasn't prepared to pay full retail price for it. That's why I also decided to pick up the newer Cityswept Finish; I wash my hair everyday so my hair is often too "clean" to get good texture or separation, so I figured this would get me that "second day" texture with some sheen (straightened or constantly blow-dryed hair, as many of you know, can look really dull over time). And the fact that they're both sprays is totally up my alley.

Ole Henriksen 3 Little Wonders Kit: Invigorating Night Gel, Sheer Transformation, and Truth Serum Collagen Booster
I'm just winding down on the last of my Michael Todd True Organics stuff (works fairly well, but smells truly awful) and wanted to try out something new for my night-time routine. I want my skincare to help even out my skintone and texture while adding hydration and radiance without being too oily or heavy. I've been wanting to try Ole Henricksen's products for a while and had been specifically looking into three products: the Truth Serum (which is probably their most popular product), Invigorating Night Gel, and Sheer Transformation. And wasn't it just my luck that Ole Henricksen decided to put all three products in a value kit? It was meant to be!

Fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Face Exfoliant and Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens
Sephora 100 Point Perks: Philosophy Living Grace Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel (x2) and First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Polish (x2)
I had also finished up the last of my Origins Modern Friction scrub (yep, my products always finish up at the same time so it's extra expensive when I need to buy skincare), and while I love it and would say it's been my HG exfoliator for a few years now, I wanted to try something different. After some perusing, I decided on Fresh's new Umbrian Clay Mattifying Face Exfoliant. I have mixed feelings about Fresh's skincare as a whole, but when I actually tested this stuff out in store, I was sold. I like my face scrubs to be fairly gritty but have a finer particle and make my skin feel like a baby's butt. I've used this several times now, and I don't want to be disloyal to Origins, but... this might be my new favourite. Lastly, I picked up a couple of packs of my favourite Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens 'cause I had finished the last of my stash, and got a few 100 VIB Point Perks since I have so many points accumulated. I'm curious about First Aid Beauty and was eyeing their Facial Radiance Polish anyway (it was between this one and the Fresh one that I ended up buying), and I figured the Philosophy body washes would come in handy for travel (and I quite like the Living Grace scent).
Did you end up getting anything during Sephora's VIB Sale?