May Sephora Play Unboxing

If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I subscribed to Sephora Play last month, but I never got around to posting an unboxing of my April Sephora Play, which I regret because it was a great box. There was the NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien, the Sephora Collection Colorful Cheek Ink Gel in Peony, and the Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream, among other things. Admittedly, I haven't actually tried any of the three products I mentioned, but they're the ones that I was most excited to see.

When I opened my May Sephora Play, I was immediately disappointed by the packaging. I was expecting the gorgeous box that my April Sephora Play came in, complete with confetti and booklet, but all I was greeted with are a folded sheet of paper in place of the fancy booklet and a flimsy linen bag in place of a sturdy box. I'm not sure if they only pull out all the stops for your first box, or if they're cutting down costs now that the service is open to everyone, but even if my April Sephora Play didn't raise my expectations, this packaging is still subpar compared to the other beauty subscription boxes out there. The Ipsy Glambag also favors flimsy bags, but at least they're cute and reusable, and Birchbox may just come in a cardboard box, but at least it's sturdy and pretty.

The products themselves, though, are not too bad. I'm especially excited about the fragrance, lipstick, and mask primer. I feel meh towards the mask and lip liner. As for the hair mask, I already have the exact same sample from a previous Birchbox, which I also haven't used, so that's that. Here's what everything is:

1. Korres Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial, $48 (1.35 fl oz) at Sephora.com

2. Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask, $36 (8 fl oz) at Briogeo

3. Atelier Cologne Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue Pure Perfume, $120 (3.3 fl oz) at Sephora.com

4. Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Kimchi, $26 (0.15 oz) at Sephora.com

5. Tarte Tarteist Lip Crayon in Latergram, $18 (0.01 oz) at Tarte Cosmetics

6. Origins Maskimizer Skin-Optimizing Mask Primer, $22 (3.2 fl oz) at Sephora.com

Have you tried any of these products?

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Are You Guilty of These Bad Skin Habits?

I admit that my face is a mess. I have blackheads, frequent breakouts, and scarring from habitually picking at said blackheads and breakouts. Because of that, I read up on and research ways to improve the condition of my skin. One topic that I constantly stumble upon is bad skin habits and how those seemingly small oversights wreak havoc on your skin.

Since I can't possibly be the only one who has these bad skin habits, I decided to share them here to hopefully start a discussion on how to break these annoying habits.

Overcleansing
It is a common misconception, having to cleanse your face twice daily. Especially for people with dry skin, cleansing two times per day only further dries out your skin. All you need to do is wash your face with only water in the morning, and at night, use a cream- or oil-based cleanser. Overcleansing, cleansing more often than necessary, strips your face of much-needed natural oils. You can read more about the effects of that in this post.

  Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil | $27

Overexfoliating

Too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and exfoliation is no different. The reason is similar to that of overcleansing: you'll strip away your skin's natural oils. You'll even unknowingly peel off protective layers of skin. Instead of using harsh exfoliants that hurt your skin, you can try mild exfoliants that use microbeads or even sugar.

Skinceuticals Micro-Exfoliating Scrub | $30

Underprotecting

On the flipside, you can do too little of a good thing for it to be effective. We know that it's always best to apply SPF on our face because the sun is damaging to skin. What we don't always do is apply sunscreen everywhere else, the spots that are easily overlooked like the hairline, jawline, and ears. Also, always opt for sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Anything less will be less effective.

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 | $36

Popping pimples
This is a big one for me like I mentioned earlier. I just can't help popping zits because I can't stand having them on my face, but then, it backfires like it always does, and I end up with ugly scars on my face. What I've learned and am trying to do more of is to use spot treatments on the zits. Benzoyl peroxide is a good treatment to use but only at lower concentrations. The ideal percentage is 2.5 because anything more can dry out the pimples too much.

Paula's Choice Daily Skin Clearing Treatment | $17 $12.75

Ignoring sweat
We tend to leave sweat on our faces for too long because, to be honest, it's very tedious to have to wash your face after the gym. Besides, it'll dry off in a little while, right? Wrong! Sweat means bacteria and dirt, and those make up a horrible combination. What I've recently started doing is bringing face wipes with me to the gym so that I can wipe the grime off my face once I'm in the car. Doing so gets rid of the bacteria and dirt until my usual skin care routine time when I can properly cleanse my face.

Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes | $7.49

Which of these habits do you have? How do you work towards breaking out of it?

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Are You Guilty of These Common Makeup Mistakes?

We have all been guilty of these common makeup mistakes at one point in our lives. I can confidently say that I used to do at least three items on this list. When I found out that I did them and learned how to fix them, it made my makeup look more natural and last longer. Hopefully this post can help you discover the same thing.

Do you skip skin prep?

It makes sense to want to skip skin prep. It shaves some time off your makeup routine. However this is an essential step. If you cleanse and tone your face, your makeup will go on easier and look better; a clean canvas is always easier to work with. Applying primer is also an important part of this step. Primers not only help your makeup stay on longer, they do other things too. There are primers that keep your makeup matte all day. There are primers that help with discoloration. There are primers that hydrate your skin. There are basically primers for everything.

My favorite primer is the Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer.

 Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer | $36

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How to Layer Makeup

My style philosophy has always been: simple pieces make sophisticated outfits. Instead of spending paycheck after paycheck on complete sets of outfits, buy simple, versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched into different outfits for different occasions. This mantra serves me well especially since Im still on a college budget, so I decided to apply that philosophy into makeup.

With so many beauty trends floating around, it can be very tempting to splurge on hauls to complete those looks. Let us apply the "simple pieces make sophisticated outfits" theory to a few beauty trends.

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Sephora Mini Haul

It was disheartening to find out that Bath and Body Works, Sephora, and Victorias Secret did not participate in the Black Friday festivities last week. Bath and Body Works and Victorias Secret only had their usual promotions, and Sephora only had Giftopia. I ended up spending too much.

I made sure to stop by these stores because I had specific items that I wanted to buy. Since I had time to burn, I browsed Express, Forever 21, and Wet Seal amongst others, and they had amazing Black Friday sales! I didnt buy anything, though.

This post will be about the products that I bought at Sephora.

Ciate Mini Mani Month Advent Calendar | $69

I had been lusting after this product ever since I found out about it. I just couldnt bring myself to spend all of that money on it. When I saw it in Sephora, I knew that I had to have it. Today is actually Day Four of the countdown. If you want to keep up to date with what I uncover every day, follow me on Instagram!

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer | $36

I always hear good things about this product, but I never really looked into it until I received a sample in my November Glam Bag. Then, I fell in love with it. When I was in Sephora, I was debating between this and the Color Correcting version. I ended up going with this because I wasnt sure if the other one works well, but I know for a fact that this does.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara | $19

I had to wait so long before I could get this product. When I tried it from the Sephora Lash Stash that I bought a while back, I knew I had to have it. The set comes with a coupon redeemable for a full-size of any of the samples so I was debating among this, the Buxom Buxom Mascara, and the Korres Volcanic Mineral Mascara. I decided to go with this one because its more buildable, and I love dramatic lashes.

Do you own any of these products? Have you ever tried them? What are your thoughts?

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