Upcoming | NEW AT SEPHORA!

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Hey folks, a lot - and we're talking a lot - of new products have recently come out at Sephora and I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some of my top picks straight from my love list! What items are making their way into your cart next? Share them in the comments! :)


Make Up For Ever Artist Palette Volume 4 — $44 USD ($52 CAD) — Limited Edition

• (9 x 0.04 oz.) Eyeshadow in Black (M-100), Grey Brown (M-620), Chalk (M-126), Wine (M-842), Antique Pink (M-806), Dark Purple Taupe (M-546), Prussian Blue (M-240), Milk Tea (M-536) and Eggshell (M-530)

Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipsticks — $22 USD ($27 CAD) — Permanent

• (0.12 oz.) Available in over 45+ new shades!

Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation — $40 USD ($49 CAD) — Permanent

• (1.0 oz.) Available in 24 new, full coverage, waterproof shades!

Upcoming | NARS Survival Kits & Dual-Intensity Cheek Palette (Summer 2016)

[Disclaimer Policy]

NARS is releasing new palettes for Summer 2016!

Survival Kits and Cult Survival Kit will be exclusive to Nordstrom on July 1. Dual-Intensity Cheek Palette will release July 1 at NARS and August 1 at Sephora — See after the jump for more details.

SEPHORA FAVORITES Give Me Some Nude Lip

[Purchased]

Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Nude Lip  (0.29 oz) retails for $28 USD ($33 CAD) and contains four deluxe-sized and one full-sized lip product, in cream to matte finishes. It is said to be "a multi-brand lip set with five lip color must-haves for the perfect nude lip." Breaking the item prices down, this set is roughly a $86 USD ($103 CAD) value.

 

"Create a perfect nude lip look with the Give Me Some Nude Lip set. It features our favorite NARS Dolce Vita Lipstick and NUDESTIX's Lip + Cheek Crayon in full sizes--plus deluxe sizes of Marc Jacobs' Beauty Mini (P)Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil, Laura Mercier's Milky Way Crème Smooth Lipstick, and Tarte's Tarteist Lip Paint. Explore these formulas to discover your most flattering nude lip shade."

* Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lipstick (0.07 oz.) — reg. $27 USD / $32 CAD (0.14 oz.)

• Milky Way is described as a brown. [P]

Milky Way is a medium, muted brown beige with warm undertones and a satin finish. The packaging is a square, plastic tube with no noticeable scent or taste. This shade applied smoothly, mostly even and semi-opaque. I found that my natural lip pigmentation did show through in some areas due to the thinner consistency. Milky Way lasted +4 hours before fading. (4/5)

* MAC Kinda Sexy was more pink. MAC Velvet Teddy was darker, more pink. Too Faced Melted Chocolate Honey was lighter, more peach.

* Marc Jacobs (P)outliner Longwear Lip Pencil (0.01 oz.) — reg. $24 USD / $30 CAD (0.01 oz.)

• Prim(rose) is described as a cocoa spice. [P]

Prim(rose) is a medium plum rose with warm undertones and a matte finish. The packaging was a retractable style pencil with no apparent scent or taste. The texture was soft, smooth and lightly creamy which made it easy to apply without tugging, dragging or creating jagged edges. It had nice color payoff, felt drying when worn alone but did help with the performance of other products when layered. Prim(rose) wore well for +4.5 hours before fading. (4/5)

* Bite Beauty Pepper was similar, glossy. Kat Von D Lolita was darker, muted. Marc Jacobs Infamous was brighter, more pink. Sephora Collection Marvelous Mauve was darker, muted.

* NARS Lipstick (0.12 oz.) — reg. $27 USD / $34 CAD (0.12 oz.)

• Dolce Vita is described as a sheer dusty rose. [P]

Dolce Vita is a light, rose beige with warm undertones and a glossy finish. The packaging is a square, matte black tube with a silicone texture. The product itself has no scent or taste. This shade applied smoothly, mostly even and sheer. I felt it took several good passes of product to get a hint of color on the lips and even still, my natural lip pigmentation did show—keep in mind, the transparency of this shade will cause it to look different on everyone. Dolce Vita lasted +3.5 hours and felt slightly hydrating. (4/5)

* NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Crayon (0.088 oz.) — reg. $24 USD / $28 CAD (0.05 oz.)

• Whisper is described as a nude. [P]

Whisper is a light, muted nude beige with warm undertones and a creamy, luminous finish. The packaging is a wooden crayon style pencil that does require sharpening—the stand alone crayons come with a sharpener, however, the set doesn't which was a downfall. The product itself has no noticeable scent or taste. This shade applied smoothly, evenly and had nice color payoff. Due to the lighter nature, I found the color did fall into lip lines on a closer inspection, but never looked uneven. It had a light, creamy consistency (similar to Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipsticks) that made it comfortable throughout wear. Whisper lasted +5 hours before fading. (5/5)

* ColourPop Choker (LE) was similar, less pink. Kat Von D Noble was lighter, more pink. Stila Caramello was muted, more grey toned.

* Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint (0.10 oz.) — reg. $20 USD / $24 CAD (0.20 oz.)

• Namaste is described as a nude. [P]

Namaste is a light, peach beige with warm undertones and a mostly matte finish. The packaging was a plastic tube with a long, slightly angled velvet applicator. The product itself has a strong minty scent, but no noticeable taste. The texture was much thicker and mousse like compared to other formulas. It was much drier and powdery on the lips, as well as being clumpy and slippery to apply, making it difficult to create clean edges. It had bold pigmentation but once dry, the color cracked and accentuated fine lines, dry areas and imperfections. Namaste lasted +3.5 hours and felt drying. (3/5)

* Clinique Beige Pop was darker, more pink, glossy. Kat Von D Noble was more pink.

Overall, while the colors may not compliment every skin tone, the set did feature a nice variety of products and finishes. The deluxe sizes make it very easy to test out new formulas without committing to a full sized tube—personally, I found the traditional lipsticks to be rather sheer and the matte "liquid" lipstick to be overly drying, but I was delighted to discover the Nudestix Crayon as it's not typically something I would have tried outside of the set, but it quickly became a favorite. So, if you've been wanting to try out any of these shades or formulas, than it's definitely worth checking this set out first!

Available now from Sephora & Sephora Canada for a limited time!

Sneak Peek | NARS Goulue Blush

[Purchased]

Available now at Sephora & Sephora Canada

NARS Goulue Blush (0.16 oz.) retails for $30 USD ($38 CAD) The shade was previously released in the NARS x Guy Boudin One Night Stand Blush Palette in 2013, but has recently made a return as a limited edition, stand alone blush. It is exclusive to Sephora and only available to VIB Rouge members.

* Goulue is described as a fleshy pink. [LE]

"NARS Blush offers a range of translucent, natural shades, each with a subtle pink for a natural-looking blush undertone to highlight the complexion. Designed to be worn alone or layered together for more depth, it provides a healthy glow that flatters any skintone."

Available now at Sephora & Sephora Canada

NARS Steven Klein Collaboration | One Shocking Moment Cheek Palette

[Purchased]

NARS Steven Klein One Shocking Moment Cheek Palette (1.01 oz.) retails for $69 USD ($92 CAD) and is said to be "a limited-edition cheek palette featuring four blushes, a contouring duo and a glowing bronzer to bring color in full force." Breaking it down the cost of the items, this palette is a $166 USD ($205 CAD) value.

* Paloma (I) is described as a pink beige. [P]

* Paloma (II) is described as a deep rose. [P]

* Laguna is described as a brown w/ golden shimmer. [P]

* Blasphemy is described as a x. [LE]

* Dolce Vita is described as a dusty rose. [P]

* Luster is described as a sheer gold apricot. [P]

* Robotic is described as a x. [LE]

"Created exclusively for the Steven Klein for NARS collection, this palette features seven shades for alluring cheeks. Featuring four blushes, a contouring duo, and a glowing Laguna bronzer, this palette is perfect for emphasizing makeup looks."

The packaging is a sleek, durable palette that opens to reveal a generously sized mirror—it's the size of the palette! Two of the blush shades included are new, limited-edition shades while the rest are part of the permanent line, so you may already have them in your collection, especially the Laguna Bronzer, since it releases in nearly every palette they release. (At least we were fortunate enough to not see see Orgasm Blush, am I right?!)

Breaking it down: the Contour Blushes regularly retail for $42 USD ($52 CAD) for 0.28 oz., the Bronzing Powders regularly retail for $39 USD ($48 CAD) for 0.28 oz., and the Blushes regularly retail for $30 USD ($37 CAD) for 0.16 oz., making this set a $166 USD ($205 CAD) value!

Paloma (I) is a pale, off-white beige with warm undertones and a matte finish. The texture was incredibly silky, soft and blended across the skin smoothly. It had good color payoff, but appeared ever-so-lightly powdery on the tops of my cheeks on closer inspection. Paloma (I) lasted +8 hours before fading. (5/5)

Paloma (II) is a medium, muted brown with hints of rose, warm undertones and a matte finish. The texture was again soft and blended out evenly. It seemed drier both in the pan and on the skin than the highlight, but it still had buildable pigmentation. Paloma (II) lasted +8 hours before fading. (4/5)

Laguna is a medium-dark brown with warm undertones, gold shimmer and a satin sheen. The texture was soft, smooth but a touch powdery in the pan. It had good pigmentation that was buildable and blended nicely across the skin. Laguna lasted +8 hours before fading. (5/5)

Blasphemy is a medium, muted pink rose with warm undertones and a satin finish. The texture was smooth and rather dry which caused a lot of kicked up powder in the pan, but never looked powdery once applied on the skin. It had good pigmentation that was only really buildable to a mostly opaque color. Blasphemy lasted +8 hours before fading. (4/5) 

Dolce Vita is a medium-dark, muted rose plum with cool undertones, gold shimmer and a satin finish. The texture was soft, smooth and finely-milled. It had great, buildable pigmentation that blended out evenly across the skin. Dolce Vita lasted +8.5 hours before fading. (5/5)

Luster is a medium-dark, muted orange brown with warm undertones, gold shimmer and a satin finish. The texture was soft, finely-milled but a tad powdery in the pan. While it had nice pigmentation, it was more on the sheer side but was very easy to blend. Luster lasted +8 hours before fading. (5/5)

Robotic is a light-medium pink with cool undertones, fine silver shimmer and a satin-matte finish. The texture was soft, smooth but again, lightly powdery in the pan. It had great pigmentation, applied evenly and blended out easily on the skin. Robotic lasted +8 hours before fading. (5/5)

Overall, this palette is a great value and contains a nice variety of pink to peach shades. It was nice to see the brand include other face products in the palette—although, while they may not suit every skin tone for their intended purpose, they can be used as blushes or even eye shadows!

So whether you're planning to gift this palette, indulge in the brand for the first time, or you're a long-time fan interested in getting your hands on the limited edition shades, than it's definitely worth checking out!

Available from exclusively from Sephora.com & Sephora.ca for a limited time!

SEPHORA FAVORITES Give Me More Lip Set | 2015

[Purchased]

Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip Set (2015)  retails for $59 USD ($70 CAD) and is said to be "a multi-brand mega lip set with 15 lipsticks to lip glosses to lip creams—including four full-size products and 11 lip colors in deluxe sizes." Breaking the item prices down, this set is a $197 USD ($232 CAD) value.

"This covetable multibranded mega lip set with features lip colors in bold shades that range from berries to red and soft nudes and mauves. Get the ultimate texture with a full-size, Ciate Liquid Velvet in Risque or a full-size of Smashbox’s Be Legendary in Matte in Magenta Matte. Nourish lips with the deluxe size of the Fresh Sugar Tulip Tinted Lip Treatment and get alluring lips with the deluxe-size, Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Peony. From clear to bold hues, this lip kit is perfect for gifting or adding to your beauty wardrobe."

* Bite Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon (0.03 oz.) — reg. $24 USD / $28 CAD (0.05 oz.)

• Cognoc is described as a dark brown. [P]

Cognoc is a medium-dark, red brown with warm undertones and a satin finish. The packaging is a twist-up retractable, pen-style tube with a silicone texture.This shade applied smoothly, evenly and mostly opaque. While it had great pigmentation, I felt it appeared more sheer in some areas, but not bad enough to look uneven or darker in areas. Cognoc lasted +6 hours and left behind a stain. (5/5)

* Kat Von D Vampira was darker, warmer, more red.  MAC Antique Velvet was darker, more brown, muted.

* Buxom Full-On Lip Cream (0.07 oz.) — reg. $19 USD / $23 CAD (0.14 oz.)

• Berry Blast is described as a vivid fuchsia. [P]

Berry Blast is a medium, fuchsia pink with cool undertones and a creamy finish. The packaging was a deluxe sized lip gloss tube with a doe-foot applicator. The product itself has a subtle, minty scent that feels cooling/plumping on the lips. This shade applied semi-opaque, had a tacky texture and lightly settled into the fine lines of my lips due to the creamier consistency. Berry Blast lasted +3.5 hours before fading. (4/5)

* Buxom Full-On Lip Polish (0.07 oz.) — reg. $19 USD / $23 CAD (0.15 oz.)

• Sophia is described as a sweetheart pink. [P]

Sophia is a light-medium, pink mauve with warm undertones and a fine shimmer. Again, this gloss had a doe-foot applicator with a subtle minty scent that felt cooling/plumping on the lips. This shade applied sheer, tacky and had a light, creamy consistency that settled into fine lines and caused the shimmer to be less noticeable. Sophia lasted +3 hours before fading. (4/5)

* Ciate Liquid Velvet (0.22 oz.) — reg. $19 USD / N/A CAD (0.22 oz.)

• Risque is described as a tomato red. [P]

Risque is a medium-dark, vivid tomato red with warm undertones and a matte finish. The packaging is a lipgloss style tube with a wedge shape velvet applicator. The product itself had no detectable scent or taste. This shade applied smoothly, evenly and had rich, opaque pigmentation. It started off with a creamy consistency that went on easily and dried to a matte finish. I felt the color transferred lightly for the first hour or so of wear. Risque lasted +7.5 hours and left behind a stain. (5/5)

* Bite Beauty Candied Maple (LE) was darker, more red.  Kat Von D Gold Blooded (LE) was darker, more red.  Kat Von D Halo brighter, more orange.

* Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm (0.04 oz.) — reg. $17 USD / $20 CAD (0.10 oz.)

• Super Strawberry is described as a super berry pink. [P]

Super Strawberry is a light-medium, strawberry red with warm-to-neutral undertones and a glossy finish. The packaging is a color-coded retractable, crayon pencil and the product itself has a faint, waxy scent. This shade applied smoothly, mostly even and had sheer color payoff. While it was hydrating throughout wear, I felt the color liked to settle into fine lines and grab onto any dry areas or imperfections on the lips. Super Strawberry lasted +4 hours before fading. (4/5)

* Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment (0.07 oz.) — reg. $22.50 USD / $26 CAD (0.15 oz.)

• Tulip is described as a sheer hot pink tint. [P]

Tulip is a medium, berry pink with cool undertones and a glossy finish. The packaging is a sleek, metal tube with a screw on cap. The product itself has a subtle, citrus scent. The texture was soft, smooth and buttery. While the color was sheer, it did provide a nice hint of pink to the lips—of course, the shade will vary depending on your natural lip pigmentation. Tulip wore well for +3.5 hours and was very hydrating, even after the product had worn off. (5/5)

* Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick (0.04 oz.) — reg. $21 USD / $26 CAD (0.10 oz.)

• Homegirl is described as a matte black berry. [P]

Homegirl is a darkened, burgundy red with cool undertones and a matte finish. The packaging is a round plastic tube with a square stud design. The product itself has a creme brulee, vanilla type scent. This shade had a drier consistency that dragged and tugged at lips during application. It had opaque color payoff but applied unevenly due to the texture—it would benefit being paired over a lip liner. Homegirl lasted +7.5 hours, felt drying and left behind a stain. (3/5)

* Kat Von D Exorcism was cooler, more plum, muted.  MAC Dark Side was brighter. Marc Jacobs Blow was brighter, warmer, more red.  Sephora Collection Blackberry Sorbet was lighter, warmer, muted.

* Lancome Lip Lover (0.10 oz.) — reg. $23.50 USD / $30 CAD (0.14 oz.)

• 355 Framboise Etoile is described as a berry pink. [P]

Framboise Etoile is a medium-dark, berry red with cool undertones and a glossy finish. The packaging is a chrome, lip gloss style tube with a pointed, velvet applicator. The product itself had no detectable scent or taste. This shade applied smoothly, mostly even and sheer. While it left a nice tint of color to the lips, I found the product appeared darker towards lip lines. It had a thin gloss consistency that never felt overly sticky or tacky. Framboise Etoile wore well for +3.5 hours before fading. (4/5)

* Laura Mercier Creme Smooth Lip Color (0.07 oz.) — reg. $27 USD / $32 CAD (0.14 oz.)

• Milky Way is described as a brown. [P]

Milky Way is a medium, muted brown beige with warm undertones and a satin finish. The packaging is a square, plastic tube with no noticeable scent or taste. This shade applied smoothly, mostly even and semi-opaque. I found that my natural lip pigmentation did show through in some areas due to the thinner consistency. Milky Way lasted +4 hours before fading. (4/5)

* MAC Kinda Sexy was more pink.  MAC Velvet Teddy was darker, more pink.  Too Faced Melted Chihuahua was lighter, more pink.

* NARS Lipstick (0.12 oz.) — reg. $27 USD / $34 CAD (0.12 oz.)

• Scarlet Empress is described as a semi matte blue red. [P]

Scarlet Empress is a medium-dark, brightened plum red with warm undertones and a creamy, satin finish. The packaging is a square, matte black tube with a silicone texture. The product itself has no scent or taste. This shade applied smoothly, evenly and  mostly opaque. I found that no matter how much you built the color, there was always a transparency to it. Scarlet Empress lasted +4 hours and left behind a faint stain. (4/5)

* Bite Beauty Aubergine was deeper, brighter, more purple.  MAC D For Danger was brighter, warmer, more red. Marc Jacobs Boy Gorgeous was cooler, more pink and opaque.

* Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick (0.10 oz.) — reg. $20 USD / $23 CAD (0.10 oz.)

• Magenta Matte is described as a neon purple pink. [P]

Magenta Matte is a medium, neon magenta pink with cool undertones and a satin finish. The packaging is a square metal tube and the product itself has a subtle, sweet vanilla candy type scent. This shade applied smoothly, evenly and had excellent color payoff. It had a creamy consistency that was easy to apply, but never feathered or bled over time. Magenta Matte wore well for +6 hours and left behind a stain. (5/5)

* Bite Beauty Violet was darker, more pink. MAC Candy Yum Yum was warmer, less blue.  Too Faced Melted Violet was lighter, more purple.

* Tarte Lipsurgence Skintuitive Lip Gloss (0.05 oz.) — reg. $19 USD / $23 CAD (0.27 oz.)

• Energy [P]

Energy claims to have pH-adjusting technology for your own unique shade of pink—meaning it will look different on everyone. The packaging is a lipgloss style tube with a flexible, flat velvet applicator. The product itself has a sweet vanilla scent. The consistency was thin, smooth and never felt tacky or sticky on the lips. It's a difficult product to review, since it will vary person to person! Energy lasted +2.5 hours before wearing away. (3/5)

* Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick (0.16 oz.) — reg. $21 USD / $25 CAD (0.40 oz.)

• Melted Peony is described as a dusty rose. [P]

Melted Peony is a light-medium, natural pink with warm undertones and a cream finish. The packaging is a simple color tube with a screw on cap and feature an angled velvet applicator. This shade applied smoothly, evenly and fully opaque. It had rich color payoff that didn't feather or bleed during wear. Melted Peony lasted +5.5 hours before fading. (5/5)

* MAC Pink Plaid was lighter, cooler.

* Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick (0.09 oz.) — reg. $22 USD / $26 CAD (0.09 oz.)

• Streak is described as a coral pink. [P]

Streak is a light-medium, coral pink with warm undertones and a luminous finish. The packaging is a round, gun metal lipstick tube with no noticeable scent or taste. This shade applied smoothly, evenly and semi-opaque. It had nice pigmentation with a slight translucency. I found the color liked to settle into fine lines, but this never caused it to look uneven on the lips. Streak lasted +4.5 hours before fading. (4/5)

* Bite Beauty Rosewood was darker, cooler, more plum.  Sephora Collection Pink Suffle was darker, cooler, more pink.

* Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick (0.03 oz.) — reg. $36 USD / $39 CAD (0.13 oz.)

• 1 Le Rouge is described as a blood red. [P]

Le Rouge is a medium-dark, brightened cherry red with warm undertones and a glossy finish. The packaging is a square, plastic metallic gold tube and the product itself has a melon, fruity type scent. This shade applied smoothly, mostly even and nicely pigmented—although my natural lip pigmentation did show through in some areas. I didn't experience any feathering or bleeding and the color glided-on very easily without tugging or dragging. Le Rouge lasted +5 hours and left behind a stain. (5/5)

* Kat Von D Gold Blooded (LE) was more orange.  Kat Von D Underage Red was cooler, matte.

Overall, while the color selection seemed very focused on reds and pinks, the set featured a lot of popular lip formulas from mid-range to high-end brands. Not to mention what an exceptional value it is—to sum it up, you're basically getting to try fifteen products for the price of two or three full sized items.

Whether you're planning to gift this set or try out some products for yourself, it's definitely worth checking out. It's easily the best Give Me More Lip Set that's been released so far throughout the years!

Available now exclusively from Sephora.com & Sephora.ca for a limited time!