I made a little Sephora haul online when Chris went to the USA on a business trip. I wanted to use everything here for at least a few weeks so I can make a more qualified review.

So here’s the dirt……

DDF ultra-light moisturizing dew – a lovely, simple moisturizer that works well in the summertime/humidity. I use it on my cheeks and neck and it works wonders. I like the ‘no frills’ approach, as it has minimal scent and just does it’s job. A great staple.

Bare Escentuals Pure Transformation Night Treatment – the concept of this was so ridiculous that I just had to get it! Surprisingly, I actually found myself liking it and frequently reaching for it. Here’s how it works: the tub comes with a short-haired brunch built into the lid, so some powder sticks onto it when you shake the whole thing (though I have to do it carefully or I get a powder-explosion when I unscrew the lid). Then, you just swirl and buff the brush on your face and then go to bed. I’m not sure if it truly made my skin any nicer, but what I like is that I look like I have really nice smooth skin (think of how your skin looks after you use foundation) when I go to bed, and more importantly, when I wake up. OK OK, I’m just being vain! But if I could, I would sleep in makeup so that I don’t look like a horrifying mess for Chris to look at in the morning.. so this is a good alternative. And nope, it doesn’t clog pores.

Dr Dennis Gross Extra Strength Alpha Beta Peel – just one word for this: PERFECTION. Cannot recommend it highly enough. After washing my face at night, I use a pad in Step 1 to swipe all over (bonus: I don’t need to use a toner since this also gets rid of every last bit of grime off my face). A few minutes later, I use the pad in Step 2 and swipe over again. I do feel my skintone is clearer and frankly, my skin just feels nicer when I use this regularly. However, I find this ridiculously pricey, so stingy me cuts the pads in half since I find I only need half a pad to cover a whole face anyway! So, instantly, I get double-use out of this 😛

Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain & Color Seal Balm – the concept is brilliant, the product works beautifully, but the delivery mechanism sucks like hell. The lip stain part imparts a lovely stain on my lips, but the ‘marker pen’ tip is useless and dries up within a week. So here I am whacking it to try and get more stain out, and sometimes a drop flies out (heaven forbid on one of my nice leather handbags!). The balm part is smooth and feels great on the lips, but doesn’t retract so easily smooshes against the side of the lid if you aren’t super slow and careful in putting it on. Boo. What a shame, as if they improved the design, this would be fab.

Tokidoki Gelato Lip Balm Stain – so cute and also pretty cheap, so I couldn’t resist. The packaging is nice and the stain is not as neon pink as it looks in the tube, though it is fairly bright. The problem with this is, it’s not moisturizing so my lips feel pretty dry after using this. D’oh.

Tokidoki Sugar Free Mints – I bought this specifically because of the most adorable tin it comes in. Love how there’s a mini mirror in there too. The mints, however, are useless – they taste like nothing and are not minty. I replace it with my own favourite mints. Problem solved!

Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation – The concept is so cute, it comes out white so it looks like a moisturizing cream, but then changes colour on the skin and becomes like a foundation. I think they sent me the Dark colour, even though I bought the Light/Medium one, because it turns so insanely dark-orange on me! What the hell. I’m trying to find a darker-skinned friend to pass this to now..

Josie Maran Argan Cleansing Oil – a fantastic makeup remover and cleanser. I use 3-4 pumps and smooth it over my (dry) skin and massage it in a little, then splash away with water. Smells mild and nice, and it works brilliantly. Only problem is that I’ve found the bottle warps with use, and the pump leaks so I have to put it on folded up tissues or it makes a mess.

Couture Colour Pequi Oil Treatment – they call this a ‘restorative hair treatment’ to use before or after shampooing, but to be completely honest it’s just like any other good serum to me. It’s nice, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to re-buy.

Aquolina Pink Sugar Natural Deodorant Spray – For a perfume, I use Hermes Jardin Sur de Nil, which has been my daily staple since I was 18 years old. However, on days when I’m not going out or just running out on an errand, I use this deodorant spray. I like it more than a regular roll-on deodorant because it doesn’t feel as pore-clogging, but it has a lovely scent that I’m rather addicted to. It’s cheap, lasts for ages, and works. Love it!

Urban Decay Afterglow Glide-On Cheek Tint – Really wanted to like this as I’m a UD addict, but for me, it had pathetic staying power. It is a very light (though buildable) tint that has good ‘slip’ when you apply, and I love the small compact it comes in as it has a mirror on the inside. However, it only lasts for a few hours and by lunchtime, it’s gone! Nowhere near a cheek stain which I much prefer.

Shu Uemura mousse foundation – Oh. My. Holy grail. My #1 foundation that is utter perfection for me. I’m super picky when it comes to foundation as I need them to withstand humidity, my oily t-zone but dry cheeks, they need to be long lasting etc etc. This one does it ALL. One pump is more than sufficient and the foundation comes out in a plump *poof* of aerated mousse. I spread it quickly over my face with fingers and blend in. It matches my skintone perfectly and isn’t too heavy but covers any uneven skintone splendidly. It doesn’t make my t-zone feel all oily by afternoon (almost all foundations do that on me) and my skin still feels natural. Love!!

Shu Uemura uv underbase mousse – Also fantastic. Same texture and concept as the foundation, but it’s a sunscreen so you use it under the foundation. I have the ‘beige’ version and it’s almost colourless but just fine if you’re not needing foundation for the day. Basically the only sunscreen that I will use because I hate sunscreens and refuse to use them 😉

Shu Uemura pro gel cealer – If you know me well, or have read my blog for awhile, you’ll know that I am obsessed  with concealer. Obsessed. Unfortunately, only one or two have met my sky-high requirements (most look natural, must cover dark circles, must STAY on the whole day), despite me having used a few hundred (!) in the past few years. This one by Shu Uemura is outstanding, and is the only concealer I now use. It comes in a small glass pot and I use the Shu Uemura concealer brush to apply. The concealer is thick yet spreads really easily with the brush, and has great opacity so it covers well. Plus, it lasts. Man, it lasts longer than almost every other foundation out there, hands down. Man it is insanely good. And considering I never recommend concealers (most of them just cannot last the way I want them to), it takes a lot for me to say this is tops. If you have a problem with dark eye circles or blemishes and want an opaque concealer that will last, yet doesn’t cake, this one is IT.

WHEW…. that’s it! This took freakin’ ages to write, so I hope you found at least some of it useful 🙂