...And the sephora box comes in!

I had to do some Sephora shopping because I was running low on moisturizer.  I've already raved about the NARSskin Aqua Gel Luminous Oil-Free Moisturizer in my past video (here).  It's an incredibly light weight moisturizer that fulfills its purpose : moisturizing.  The texture is gel-like and it isn't sticky at all - which makes it a dream-like moisturizer.  It applies smoothly and absorbs quickly, leaving no residue behind.


I've used every bit of it for the past couple months and recently ran out of the bottle.  I've taken a liking of the Aqua Gel so much, I bought the Luminous Moisture cream for my boyfriend since he has dry skin.  I've had a chance to use the Luminous Moisture cream a couple of times at his place, and I liked how it was thicker yet not greasy or oily. The non-stick feature of these products just suck me in so much!



This time, I decided to get the Luminous Moisture cream, which is thicker in consistency and heavier than its Aqua Gel cousin. It's more like a paste than gel and I think it's definitely better for the dry winter days ahead.



I've very excited about this bottle, since I've been feeling my skin go dry easily under the dusty Santa Ana winds here in SoCal. :p My only hope is that it doesn't build up and break me out.  *crosses fingers*


The next purchase was my third Make Up For Ever HD foundation bottle.

Until now, I've always used #117, which is for fairly pale skin tones.  I go out of my way to avoid as much sun as possible, but living in Los Angeles has changed the circumstances.. I still try my best to duck the sun, but even just driving back and forth to work everyday makes me darker than I was in New York. I hate how my face, neck, hands and feet are pretty dark. Compared to my thighs or belly area (where there's no sun exposure whatsoever haha), I'm probably 4-5 tones darker on the exposed sites..

So this time, I had to up the tone to #120. When compared bottle to bottle, 120 barely looks different compared to 117, but when swatched, you can definitely tell that it has a more skin-like tone to it.


#117 has a bit of a white cast to it, while the #120 is more yellow-y. #120 is the next shade up from #117 that has a yellow undertone to it.  I don't usually use just one foundation and mix at least two together.  I like how #120 mixes well with my Chanel Vitalumierr Aqua 12 Beige Rose to create just the right shade that matches my current skin tone.


The rest are just goodies I got using my Beauty Insider points (I never collect them! I love using them up ASAP) and promotion code of the week.

I got a BareMinerals set using the promotion code for the samples set (I believe it's sold out now..)

 It has sample sized brush, original mineral powder foundation and Stroke of Light illuminator.  I'm really excited about this sample set, as to be honest, I've never used mineral foundation before.

There were two options - Matte or Original Light. I am in no interest of going super theatrical, so my choice was original light in a heartbeat. I like looking natural and fresh at work, so we'll see how this works! I might go cray cray over mineral foundation after the craze has calmed down 3 years ago. :p (jk)


Some other notable products are (1) REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal mask (2) Living proof Hair Primer (3) Clarins Beauty Flash Balm.
 I'm equally excited about these three products (all from beauty insider points) and can't wait to review them!!

Anyway, I feel like I've somewhat settled with brands/products I like. I'm not as adventurous as I was a couple years ago.  I'm more of a repeat purchaser of couple of brands I really trust.

What about you guys? Do you guys keep purchasing the same products, or do you experiment with new brands/products within the category when needed?

I've never really talked about why I took out my extensions, but I think this picture will tell a long story.