Sephora Therapy

Aah Sephora F&F, an occasion to get beautiful. Of COURSE I have to post about what I got (and would get if I had a money tree). Beauty has always been my first love; it’s how I first became introduced to higher end brands – first starting with MAC and then spilling over to other companies – and from there, growing into an awareness (or got suckered into, depends how you look at it) for quality products and pretty packaging.

I tried to hold myself to a higher standard of consumerism and buy what I really needed – as of now, this is skincare, since my epidermis has been freaking out on me for the past couple months, leaving me scarred, literally and figuratively. I’ve had to deal with breakouts at the age of 23! I thought teen acne sucked, well that was expected and pretty normal. Adult acne is so much worse, because everyone else seems to have grown out of that phase and into clear, supple skin. Sigh. When will it be my turn?? For now, I’ve been putting everything that promises clear skin into my shopping cart, so we’ll see how they go.

(Oh, and of course I didn’t just buy skincare. Try as I might, I couldn’t not have fun with this F&F discount, since it only comes once a year! I rationalized things with 1. my skin needs it and 2. I wouldn’t have bought it without 20% off. Most of the thigns I ended up with falls into this second basket)

Here we go!

Philosophy Purity Made Simple – gentle cleanser for my sensitive, easily irritated skin. Bought the 8oz to try. This got lots of rave reviews, and my Mario Badescu creamy cleanser is too filmy and doesn’t leave me with a bare-skin feeling,

DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew – forever in search of a new moisturizer. Currently using Olay Complete, which is fine, but hey, I like trying new things. This one is a gel and only has 3 ingredients, which I appreciate, since most lotions are packed with bad irritants ending in some variation of -ol (read: alcohol). It’s good so far, nothing bad about it.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment – love love love lip products. Lip and cheek stuff are my favorite makeup items (Michelle, I’m with you on that one!), and this is a much raved about cult favorite that I had to try. At $22.50, it wasn’t a lip balm I was willing to pay full price for, but I’m loving it! Super smooth and moisturizing, smells lemony also. I keep one next to my bed and one in my purse. yup, that means I got two – ordered the Rose version after I got the regular one!

Living Proof Straight Making No Frizz Styling Cream for Medium to Thick Hair – this is probably my favorite product of the bunch. Created by MIT researchers as an alternative to silicone, this cream was designed to tame frizz and smooth hair to be ultra touchable.  LOVE how it makes my hair feel! Seriously, it makes it so soft to the touch, I just love running my hair through it. With other anti-frizz products, I’m afraid to touch my hair throughout the day since it adds to the oilyness and drags it down, but Living Proof doesn’t make my hair greasy at all. Usually, I airdry so I haven’t tested this out against heat, but I’ve read that performance only improves with irons and curlers.

Clarisonic Replacement Brush Head in Delicate – havn’t been using my Clarisonic since I’ve been on this new oral antibiotic and Epiduo gel combo (told you I’m trying everything! Including this concoction my dermatologist prescribed… I’m not liking it though, it makes my skin burn and sting sometimes), but after I finish this month and am able to get back with my Clarisonic brush, hopefully this Delicate head will be gentle enough to still clean my skin.

Marc Jacobs Daisy – in my fantasy world, I have a zillion cute bottles of perfume sitting primly on a dresser, but in reality, I just don’t use enough scent to warrant buying all the pretty bottles out there.  That’s why perfume roller balls are the perfect solution for me, trial size versions that are portable so I can put it on whenever I remember! I chose Marc Jacobs Daisy. It’s light (i.e. appropriate for the office), with a dry flowery scent that has me sniffing my wrists even after 10 hours at work.

Shiseido The Skincare Hydro Nourishing Softener – I use so much drying products in an attempt to zap out all the oil in my skin that sometimes, a little moisture is necessary. This toner is supposed to refresh dried out skin and give back moisture. Shiseido is an outstanding skincare company, so I’m looking forward to good results!

 Sephora F&F ends November 2, 2009 so you still have some time to browse and decide on what to buy, but some items are already out of stock, so don’t wait too long!

Sephora Friends & Family 2009

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Moved

This page has moved to www.coastalpolitan.com.

Sephora’s Friend’s and Family started today and runs until November 2. I haven’t had much time to think of all the fun things I want to get, so all I have picked up so far are the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser and Soy Face Cream. After getting a facial at the Fresh Espace back in April, I’m in LOVE with their products and am excited about the chance to incorporate them into my daily skincare regime! I have read so many great reviews and the fact that they smell so fresh (I know, I know, but it’s so true!) is just an added bonus. If I can think of some great undereye or anti-aging treatments, I’m definitely in for another order before this ends…

Although the promo hasn’t been advertised nearly as much as in the past (what, no special flyer or email notification, Sephora?), you can enter FF2009 for 20% off your entire purchase. Remember you get 3 free samples of your choice and free shipping on orders over $50.

Cheers to the start of F&F savings for us all!

New Year, New Moisturizer

Like many, I have been on a constant search for the *perfect* moisturizer. Sadly, there are so many on the market that I have never really stuck with (or been too satisfied) with just one. When my Korres moisturizer ran out, I was definitely ready to try a new one.

While picking up gifts during the holidays at Sephora, I asked the service rep for some moisturizer suggestions. I’ve always wanted to try Ole Henriksen products but have never known where to even start. The brand approach of “less is more” is simple and practical and a saying we’ve all heard often in relation to beauty and make-up. I ended up picking the Herbal Day Creme. Loaded with antioxidants and SPF, the moisturizer was toted to me as having the ability to balance and brighten my skin.

I’ve been using the cream for 2 weeks now and I have to say that my feelings are mixed. My skin is definitely well hydrated and my make-up goes on smoothly–a plus for these winter days. The hydration factor comes with a definite downside though: I’ve noticed that my face becomes super oily by mid-day and my make-up starts to sit on top of it. Not a pretty sight. I might try using a primer with it, but why put in extra work? Thankfully, I haven’t noticed my skin getting better or worse yet. This is definitely a gentle product and the ingredients are much better than most of the products I’ve used, but I might have to enjoy its benefits through nightly use and days when I don’t wear make-up to save myself from showing up to work with a greasy face.