NOTD: Formula X for Sephora 'Brazen'

Formula X for Sephora continues to impress me, this time with today's nail of the day: a bright carnation pink called 'Brazen.' I call these shades of pink 'princess pink' and they are my favorite colors for the Spring time. I thought this color was really similar to Butter London's Fruit Machine, and indeed they are very similar but the Formula X formulation is wayyyyy better. This color lasted for days chip free on me and look at how smooth, creamy, and professional it looks?

Formula X polishes are $10.50 each and come in beautiful acrylic and white plastic packaging. The Formula X formula has been great in my experience with their colored line, though I can't speak for their glitters and effects lines. 

Check em out here: http://www.sephora.com/formula-x

xxSJ

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder

The Body Shop is a brand I've never shopped from before but have heard a ton about. I've heard particularly great things about their Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder so I decided to try it out. 

The packaging is a brown plastic compact with the logo in gold on top. The logo rubs off really fast and this packaging broke really quickly for me. More on that later...

The bronzing powder inside has a honeycomb pattern reflecting the honey used in the formula. The powder isn't particularly smooth or soft to the touch, but it does apply smoothly with out any chalkiness. One of the main selling points for this bronzer that many rave about and initially attracted me to it is how light it is. This bronzer is great for light skinned girls because of its soft color and muted tone. I find the color really pleasant on days I'm wearing minimal makeup. 

The lightness of this color makes it great for beginners. I gave this bronzer to my sister since she's never worn bronzer before and I find the formula to be quite fool-proof. 

This product is $20 and you can purchase it off the Body Shop website Here.

Now for the bad: this product's packaging broke within a month of me using it. The hinge of the compact completely broke off making the lid not stay on the bronzer reliably. This means that I could not take the bronzer anywhere with me in fear that it would open and crack the powder or get all over everything in my makeup bag or purse. I also found myself not wanting to grab for it over my other bronzers since I found the lid now very annoying to carefully line up and take on and off rather than simply flip the compact open. I contacted The Body Shop explaining my disappointment in their product outlining my issues with the broken packaging I listed above. I wholeheartedly believe that when a customer goes out of their way to contact a company about a legitimate issue with their product (in this case the flimsy packaging affecting my use of it), the company should do right by the customer. I think the Body Shop should have offered me a refund for the product, sent me a new one (as I did say I enjoyed the product), or given me a credit toward their store. Instead, the Body Shop simply responded with 'sorry, we'll tell our product team about your complaint so maybe they can improve the packaging.' Now, let it be clear that I'm not looking for hand outs. I'm someone that doesn't do a lot of returns or exchanges on makeup because I know how wasteful it can be and there are some people out there who take advantage of the system. However, I appreciate companies that take care of their customers and own up to faulty products. I take care of my makeup and there is no reason the compact should have broke. To make the powder usable and not at risk for breaking, I had to purchase a Z-palette and depot the bronzer to use it. I will not be purchasing products from the Body Shop again since I don't think they have the integrity to stand behind their product. 

The Body Shop has officially lost a customer for life. I think the bronzer itself is a fine product, however I can't give my money to a brand that doesn't respect me as a customer. 

xxSJ

Sephora Sale Details and My Personal Wishlist!

It's that time of year again! Sephora's first of their two big sales of the year is happening this week so here is the lowdown for all you makeup junkies out there:

4/12-4/21: VIB Rouges get 15% off with code ROUGELOVE

4/16-4/21: VIBs get 15% off with code VIBLOVE

4/17-4/20: BIs get 10% off

You can use your coupon code more than one time during the time span of the sale! If 15% off doesn't seem like that great of a deal you can wait for their big sale in November where the discounts usually are 20% off for VIBs and Rouge members. Sephora also has sent out generous $20 off your $50 purchase coupons in the late Fall for all your Christmas shopping needs. 

If you're not already a Beauty Insider with Sephora, what are you waiting for? It is a membership service that does not require an attached credit card or minimum purchase every year or anything like that. The perks include earning points for every dollar you spend which are redeemable for deluxe sample, a free gift on your birthday (this year is NARS!), and discounts twice a year. 

Head over to www.sephora.com to sign up for the Beauty Insider program and start shoppin!

Here is my wishlist for this sale if you're looking for some inspiration! I probably won't be making any purchases this week since my grad school budget doesn't include spending oodles on makeup, but here is what I might buy for myself if my wallet allowed for it:

Happy Shopping!!

xxSJ

ColourPop Supershock Eyeshadows: 'I Heart This' and 'La La'

Colour Pop is an LA based brand that has come out with a completely unique eyeshadow formula that I already reviewed right here! Not being able to stay away from this fuss free and super intriguing new shadow, I've managed to get my hands on 2 more colors.

'I <3 This' is a taupe leaning silver color that is full of shimmer and shine! 'LaLa' is a coppery bronze that is the most pigmented color of this collection I've seen so far.  The shadows are super soft because of their gel powder formulation and have no fall out despite being so sparkly. 

These shadows are best applied to your lids using your fingers since they don't transfer all that well using a brush. I think these shadows are best for low fuss days to add some sparkle and glam to your eyelid in a sec with out busting out a dozen colors and brushes. They can also be great for adding a touch of something special to a completed eyelook by simply popping some shadow to the center of the lid. Here is me wearing 'I <3 This' on my lid:

Colour Pop eyeshadows are $5 each with $5 flat rate shipping. You can buy some for yourself at  colourpop.com!

Also, special shout out to Courtney for gifting me 'I <3 This.' So sweet!

xxSJ

NOTD: Formula X for Sephora 'Alive'

    Formula X for Sephora has done it... they've given me the color I've been searching for for years. I've always loved peachy coral colored things and have been searching for the perfect peach for my nails. I've thought I'd come close before with Butter London's Trout Pout, or Essie's A Crewed Interest. Both of those colors were a little too orange for my taste and in certain indoor looking just looked... not cute.
   When I saw Formula X's 'Alive' in Sephora, I knew I'd found the one, and when I applied it to my nails, my thoughts were further confirmed. First of all, the formula of these polishes is PERFECT. Completely opaque with a creamy finish in two thin coats with a perfectly sized brush for easy application.  The color lasts a couple days chip free. I notice this polish tends to lift up on the corners and come off in large chips, not staining the nail underneath.
    I love this color so much and I think it will be a staple for Spring and Summer. I've been wearing it non-stop since I bought it and am so happy that I found my perfect Peach!

Formula X polishes are exclusive to Sephora and cost $10.50 a bottle. I think the acryclic and white plastic packaging is modern and beautiful and the formula is well worth the cost.

xxSJ

Steph Reads: Bossy Pants by Tina Fey

   Tina Fey is one kick-ass lady, but I never realized exactly how kick-ass she was until I read her book, Bossypants.  This autobiographical novel tells the story of how Tina Fey came to be the woman she is today: a powerhouse writer, producer, comedian, actress, award winner, wife, and mother. And she's so damn humble about it too!
   What I liked about this novel was that Tina Fey took the time to pull out excerpts of her life which she found meaningful and telling of herself. Whether or not they were all the most hilarious of stories (which, lets get real, all of the stories had an element of humor to them due to Fey's incredible storytelling!), the short selections gave us some insight into her life and backstory. I also appreciated that all the stories are told chronologically, beginning with childhood all the way through SNL, 30 Rock, and pirate birthday parties for her toddler. I prefer this style of autobiography so we can follow a timeline nicely rather than random stories being thrown about in no order whatsoever.
    I do feel that some of the humor was a bit lost on me at times, and **gasp** I've never seen 30 Rock meaning that I feel I didn't appreciate those parts of her story quite as much as a die hard fan might. However, overall I found this book to be quite refreshing. Tina Fey never really tries hard to impress us as readers and instead simply tells it like it is. She is so humble about all her accomplishments and has such a downplayed 'who, me?' attitude that makes me somehow see her as relatable.  I think this book was overall a good read and I recommend it to everyone out there looking for some humor in their lives.  We can all take away this little message from her book:

"Do your thing and don't care if they like it."

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

The Husband's Secret by Lianne Moriarty

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

Splintered by AG Howard

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler

xxSJ

Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar in 'Juicy Strawberry'

Isn't this little guy so cute! I received this Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar in a goodie bag at a Sephora event and I thought I'd share my thoughts since Tony Moly is a newer and growing brand at Sephora! The brand launched from Korea and the name translates to 'nice and trendy.' I feel like Asian beauty brands have the sweetest packaging and are always ahead of the game as far as trends.

This little bunny houses a tinted glossy balm on the inside. Pull the plastic cap off (no twisting, it just pulls right off!) and the stick is revealed inside:

I have the color #1 which is 'juicy strawberry.' It is a light pink with a super glossy feel.  

These little glossy balms are quite sheer but still provide a wash of color on the lips. They're very moisturizing and comfortable to wear.

This color isn't my favorite on me but I don't have any issues with wearing this around my apartment when my lips need some extra moisture. I also love having the adorable bunny on my vanity! It's so cute! If you're interested in this bunny gloss they actually aren't being sold at Sephora quite yet, but you can find them on Amazon.  You can buy one at a time for about $5 each or the entire set HERE!

Check em out if you're interested in adding some cuteness to you lip routine!

xxSJ

Milani 'Luminoso' Blush: A review and possible dupe for NARS Orgasm?

Milani Baked Blush in the color 'Luminoso' is  a gorgeous pure peach that I've been wanting for a couple years. My reason for lusting for so long but never taking the plunge is that whenever I saw it in CVS I always thought that $9.99 seemed steep for a drugstore blush. I waited until I had some extrabucks (CVS's drugstore reward system where you can treat their extrabucks like cash!) to make the splurge on this item and **spoiler alert** I'm SO happy I did! 

The blush comes packaged in a gold reflective plastic container. The blush flips up to reveal a small brush underneath. I definitely prefer my own brushes for application but the mini brush can be helpful in a pinch if you stick this in your purse or forget a blush brush while traveling! 

The color is a pure peach with some reflective gold shimmer in it. It is so beautiful and I think would work on all skin types from cool to warm and light to dark! The powder itself is really soft and has the perfect amount of pigmentation--just enough to show up with a tap of a brush but still sheer enough that it is buildable with out being clowny. A lot of people claim that this is a drug store dupe for NARS' famous Orgasm blush... let me just lay to rest all those claims right now:

No. Just, no.

I'm sorry to upset everyone out there who thought they might get an Orgasm dupe for a third of the cost but here's the thing: Luminoso has SO much more to offer than just being a dupe for NARS Orgasm! I think there's reason to buy it with out that tantalizing claim and, in fact, since I've purchased this blush I've worn it every single day to achieve a perfect glow as we enter into Spring.

This blush is a no-brainer: it has perfect pigmentation, is a gorgeous color, and will surely look great on you.  At $9.99 this blush also shouldn't be too hard on your pocketbook and Milani often has buy one get one half off sales!

xxSJ