The Winning Korean Sheet Face Mask!

After landing in Atlanta the other weekend, my face was looking pretty rough.  I'm talking about dry skin with more apparent and sad looking wrinkles. :(((

During a trip to the ginormous Mall of Georgia (no seriously, its retail floor area is 1.786 million square feet), I stopped by Sephora to get a sheet mask so my poor skin could drink in some moisture. I asked a worker there what she recommended, and she couldn't gush enough about the Korean Farmacy brand masks.  Their masks are made of naturally derived ingredients and free of parabens, formaldehyde, and artificial coloring.  Bonus: They don't test on animals.  Meow.

Since I was looking for moisture, I went for the DEEP MOISTURE hydrating coconut gel mask with echinacea greenenvy. According to the box, this super echinacea ingredient "contains the highest known concentration of Cichoric Acid, a natural photo-essence that provides the plant restorative properties".  HELLO, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories! And the coconut gel is supposed to provide INTENSE hydration and restore your skin's balance. I was sold.

Beyond the beautiful packaging, the fresh cucumber smell was so delightful! It was light and relaxing.

The Amazing Sunday Riley Line Up: Luna Sleeping Night Oil and Good Genes Treatment

Beauty bloggers have been going gaga over Sunday Riley's skincare products.  I was super curious about Good Genes (major Instagram/YouTube love for this one) and the Luna Oil.  Good ol' Sephora provided me with some samples, and in just one night, I was convinced that I needed a full-size version of the oil! 

I saw immediate results. My skin texture was softer, my pores looked smaller, blackheads disappeared, and my skin tone evened out (less splotchy and faded hyperpigmentation). It was unbelievable. Usually, I have to use products for weeks before I see any results. With both of these Sunday Riley products, there was instant gratification.

Luna Sleeping Night Oil

Picking and Choosing Your Favorite Skincare Products at Sephora for $25

Who doesn't love those deluxe samples?

I just found out yesterday from @yourskinwithin that Sephora has a Customized Skincare Favorites Bag option where you can choose 5 deluxe skincare samples for $25. You just click on the link above and then add your goodies to your basket.  You can also get multiple ones of your favorite product by changing the quantity at check out!  The basket will show each item to be $20 until you get to your five products.  After that, you should see the discount applied to bring your total for these favorites (and a cute bag!) to $25!

Sephora Makeover: Colorful Eyes

I'm an idiot. I thought today was Sephora's VIB Rouge event, so I took a break from our Saturday morning Fargo viewing party to check it out.  The event was actually tomorrow. To make myself feel better, I decided to get a mini makeover.  I told Izzie the makeup artist: "Let's do something fun!" The results...

 Holding some of the makeup used

Ta-dah! Here is the mystery makeup!

Sephora's 20% off Sale for VIB and VIB Rouge

Sephora VIB and VIB Rouge members get 20% off on all purchases until Nov 10!  And you get to share the savings with a friend!  What are you looking to pick up during the sale?  It's a great opportunity to get some early Christmas shopping done...or a little retail therapy for yourself!

My picks below include some Sephora bestsellers and new brand limited products!

My Sephora Picks by echo73 featuring Clarisonic

Clarisonic face care
sephora.com

FOREO face cleanser
sephora.com

Hourglass Cosmetics beauty product
sephora.com

Sephora Collection beauty product
sephora.com

Beauty product
sephora.com

Stila liquid eyeliner
sephora.com

Urban decay makeup
sephora.com

Sultra The Bombshell 1 Inch
sephora.com

Makeup for My Most Recent Photo Shoot

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I had the pleasure of working with my photographer friend Laura Vogels on a photo shoot.  I did my own hair, but for makeup, I scooted my butt on over to my neighborhood Sephora.  If you didn't already know, you can get a complimentary makeover with a $50 purchase.  Amanda, the makeup artist, did such a great job.  The photo below was not retouched, and you can see how fabulous she made my skin look.  I don't know if you consider this shine, but I thought the makeup held up really well in the heat.

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Check out the goodies Amanda used!

Cuticle Tattoos

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Nail art has been a huge trend for a while now.  And now the art has been extended to cuticles- with temporary stick-on tattoos!

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Ciate has a popular cuticle tattoo kit at Sephora. It's so popular, in fact, that it's completely sold out online.

Review: LANCÔME Hypnôse Drama Mascara Set

image via sephora.com

For $33, this is a darn good deal available at Sephora. It's valued at $66 and includes a full size Art Liner in Noir (0.04 oz) and Hypnose Drama Mascara in Black (0.22 oz).  Though it is not a full size, a 1.7 oz Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover completes this limited edition gift set.

Review: Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser

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After seeing YouTube videos from beauty vloggers praising this face wash, I was curious if it was the real deal.  At $22 for an 8-oz. container at Sephora, Purity is a little pricey (there are several size options).  I'm used to paying $6.99 for a 5 oz. tube of L'Oreal's Advanced RevitaLift Radiant Smoothing Cream Cleanser or getting 16 ounces of Cetaphil for about $10.

Despite the high price tag, the benefits sound great.  It is called a one-step facial cleanser because it combines the power of a cleanser, toner, and makeup remover all in one product.  This cleanser supposedly dissolves makeup and dirt with a pH-balanced formula that is gentle to the most sensitive skin and even the eye area.  I feel that usually "gentle" equals "not-gonna-take-any-makeup-off-and-you'll-feel-like-your-face-has-a-layer-of-grease-still-on-it".  So I challenged the Purity cleanser to take on my made-up face.

Sephora Nail Polish Sale

My sister-in-law, niece, and I raided the local Sephora.  They are having a major sale on nail polish!

On my nails (clockwise starting with the thumb):  Dior in Lucky, Illamasqua in Creator, Nail Colour in Sugar Plum Fairies, Nails Inc. Feathers series in Brighton, and Dior in Riviera.

I'm not a big fan of spending a lot of money on nail polish so it is hard for me to admit this.  But I experienced a huge difference in the $24 bottle of Dior nail color.  It wasn't as watery as the other brands, and a quick coat of it resulted in a brilliantly shiny, smooth surface.  I could ALMOST see why people would pay that much for nail polish...almost.

My sister-in-law thought the Illamasqua formula was high quality.  She had used a regular polish.  The Illamasqua polish I used in Creator had glitter in it, and I thought it was a little runny.  I had to put on 3 coats to get an even look.  Similarly, the Nail Colour in Sugar Plum required 3 coats and a lot of manipulating of the glitter so that the sparkles would be evenly distributed.  In the end, I still had a couple of "bald" spots.

The most difficult polish to apply was the Nails Inc. Feather series polish.  It is like clear polish with confetti thrown in the mix.  The formula was so thick that I just had a blob sitting on my nail.  Like the glitter polishes, I had to physically move the confetti around to make it look decent.  When it dried, I looked like I had astroturf on my nail.  Not recommended.

Here are some of the Nails Inc. Leather Effect Polish options

I tried it in a light gray color named Old Compton Street.  I don't know if I'd say it resembles leather, but I appreciate the texture.  More the appearance than the feeling.  It's like you have a plastic nail that feels like an emery board, but less rough.  Despite the odd graininess, I dig it!

Product(s) Review! Neutrogena, ELF, Physicians Formula Happy Mood Booster Bronzer, Aveeno Lotion & More!

Review: Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara

image via coolspotters.com

I really, REALLY wanted to like the Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara. I loved the packaging and its squeezable tube. It gives me the similar satisfaction of getting every last bit of toothpaste out. The product got great reviews on Sephora (4.2 out of 5). I even tried it on at Sephora, approved of the dramatic difference I saw, and bought it on the spot! So why am I no longer a fan?

My Review on the Japonesque Go Curl Pocket Curler

I have really stubby, wimpy lashes.  I've accepted my lot in life.  But it doesn't mean I don't try to AMP up these babies in any way that I can!

I have a Shu Uemura eyelash curler that many people rave about (I think it's just ok.)  I heard that Shu Uemura curlers were discontinued in the States, and you can only get them here.  Anyway, I took the line being discontinued in the US and a desire for a more portable design as an excuse to hunt for another brand.

Through Amazon research and reviews, I came across the Japonesque brand and their cute little Go Curl Pocket Curler.

image via beautylish.com

$9.18 at amazon.com