Product Review -- Sephora PRO Cool Palette

I don't have a ton of experience with makeup from Sephora's own line, but I've usually had good luck with their eyeshadow palettes.

I absolutely love the Sephora + Pantone Universe Palette I got a few years back when Marsala was the color of the year and am still using the Ariel Storybook Palette from the Sephora Disney Collection that came out even before that.

More recently, I've really enjoyed the Mixology Eyeshadow Palette I purchased this spring (and is still available at the moment).

So when I saw the PRO Palettes that were coming out in the Sephora Collection line last month (maybe two at this point? I'm not sure), I was definitely intrigued.

When they were released, there were three options: Warm, Cool, and Editorial.

The Warm was totally calling my name, but I've purchased so many warm eye shadow palettes and shades lately that I decided the Cool would be a better fit for my collection.

Product Review -- Sephora Collection Mixology Eyeshadow Palette

It's been a long time since I last tried products from Sephora's own makeup line.

I've never had a really bad experience with any of the items I have tried -- which were mainly confined to single eyeshadows, eyeliners, and lipsticks -- but there are just so many other brands and products to try that I sometimes forget about the house brand.

During the recent VIB sale, though, a Sephora Collection item caught my eye and I figured that it was as good a time as any to give the range another try.

Everything about the shades in the Mixology Eyeshadow Palette screamed my name, so it was kind of a no-brainer.

Round Up: Sephora VIB Sale

I just finished placing my Sephora VIB sale order -- it's only been nearly 72 hours that I've been debating over what to purchase.

That's not totally crazy, right?

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to share what I finally decided to pick up, and then shamelessly beg for whoever has or will partake in the sale in the future to share what they bought or have their eye on.

I love hearing about other people's makeup and beauty purchases almost as much I like making my own.

So here's the damage I did:

Review -- Best of BECCA Kit from Sephora

(In my last review of the Tarte Amazonian Eye & Cheek Palette, I mentioned that I had come across a couple of items that I'd forgotten to review when I got them at the beginning of the year. This is the second of those items.)

I've always been curious about the BECCA brand.

Maybe it's because Lisa Eldridge is always using products from the line in her tutorials and she makes them all look amazing.

(Of course, she makes everything look amazing, right?)

That's probably the main reason, actually.

But when you've never tried a brand and don't know that much about, it can be difficult to figure out where to start.

Fortunately for me, my aunt gave me the fabulous Best of BECCA Kit from Sephora for my birthday so I got to try a bunch of products at once.

It's a terrific way to introduce yourself to any brand, I think.

Review -- Sephora Disney Collection Storybook Eyeshadow Palette Vol. 3 in Ariel

I wasn't sure if I should do this review because I know that at the time that I'm writing it, the Disney Collection Storybook Eyeshadow Palette Vol. 3 in Ariel is no longer available on the Sephora website.

However, the palette is also available in stores -- and inevitably at a jacked up price on eBay -- and I thought it might be helpful to share some photos, swatches and my opinions on the palette so you can decide if it's worth it for you to go hunting at all the Sephora locations in your area or pay an arm and a leg for it on eBay.

Now, before we get to the nitty gritty, I feel like I should put this review in proper context.

I'm not the biggest Disney fan in the world, so I wasn't all that tempted by the previous two Storybook Palettes despite how pretty they looked. Don't get me wrong -- I love "Cinderella" as much as the next girl (not so much with "Aladdin," if I'm being honest), but not enough that I really felt the need to purchase a collection of shadows in shades that I probably already have in my collection.

On the other hand, I absolutely, 100 percent, with all of my heart, adore "The Little Mermaid."

It may not be my favorite Disney movie ("Sleeping Beauty" holds that honor), but it is a close second and I dig Ariel like nobody's business. In fact, when I first decided to dye my hair red all those years ago, she was half of the inspiration for the change. (In case you're wondering, Scully/Gillian Anderson from the X-Files was the other half.)

Favorite Foundation Brushes

I couldn't do my foundation without these babies.

Finding the right foundation can seem like mission impossible sometimes what with all the options for coverage, formula and finish (Don't even get me started about picking a color...), but I really think that finding the right tool to apply it is just as important.

While there are some foundations that I like to use my fingers to apply and some days when my skin is so dry that a Beauty Blender sponge is the only thing that can make my foundation look halfway decent, I am totally a foundation brush kind of girl.

4 Great Blushes for Summer

A few good blushes for summer

The other day I mentioned that I typically like to go a little brighter with my blush in the summer months.

I also like warm, bronze-y blushes during the summer as well - because, well, I don't tan and bronze-y cheeks are usually the closest I can get without looking like Snooki. 

Here are four blushes that I'm loving for the warmer weather:

Sephora VIBs - Get a full-size LAVANILA Rollerball Free With Purchase

My favorite perfume is LAVANILA's Vanilla Coconut, which you can read all about here.

Not only is it the most deliciously warm and sensual scent, LAVANILA's fragrances are all-natural (but still long-lasting) so you can feel good about wearing them. Vanilla Coconut is the only LAVANILA perfume in my collection, but I have a sample of Pure Vanilla that I am trying to nurse until I can buy a full-size because it's amazing too.

Recently, I saw that they'd come out with a new limited edition scent, Vanilla Summer, which is described as on the LAVANILA website as "A burst of fresh mango, juicy pineapple, creamy coconut milk, and island sugar cane steeped in a sultry base of warm madagascar vanilla..."

Now, I don't know about you, but that sounds heavenly to me.

I'd been contemplating buying it myself (though trying to talk myself out of it...), so imagine my pleasant surprise when I got an email from Sephora today with a code for VIBs to get a free full-size rollerball of Vanilla Summer, a $19 value, with any $35 purchase.

I think that's a pretty great deal.

The code is VIBVANILLA - but it's only good while supplies last so if you're interested, I wouldn't wait too long.

Yeah, I made a purchase.

How could I not? ;)

Have you tried LAVANILA's fragrances?  Going to get the freebie?

Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit

Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit - Lots of goodies and for a good cause too!

Because I am ultra fair and suffered a few pretty bad sunburns as a kid, I am obsessed (Some might also say paranoid about...) with sunscreen.

In addition to whatever SPF my moisturizer, primer, and foundation may have, I religiously wear a dedicated sunscreen with SPF 50 every day - even if  I don't plan on spending any time outdoors.  It's the one thing in my skin care/beauty routine that I am never lazy about. It's that important to me.

So when I saw that Sephora had their Sun Safety Kit out again this year, I had to pick it up.