Oh Sephora, how I love you! And how I obviously love a good Sephora haul.
Even though we now have access to the majority of once US exclusive beauty brands and products here in the UK, hitting up at least five Sephora's whenever I visit the US is almost a mandatory requirement for me. And this year, I had two sprawling cities worth of Sephora's to check out and this was the result;
For a bit of context, I arrived on the final day of Sephora's Spring Bonus Sale, which would have meant 15% off any purchases that I'd made that day. A combination of being awake for over 20 hours and that overwhelming feeling that I normally get when I first step through the doors of a Sephora, meant that I didn't ultimately buy anything that day.
The Spring Sale also meant that a lot of the Sephora Favorites gift sets and value sets had completely vanished from every store. And I wasn't there long enough to place an online order this time. And as a result, I actually only picked up one thing from Sephora when I was in New York. The rest of my purchases were made at the fantastic Collins Ave. store in Miami.
So here's my Sephora haul from this particular trip to the US;
Sephora in JCPenney Favorites Summer Sun On The Fly ($25)
As I already mentioned, every single Sephora in Manhattan had pretty much been cleared of all Sephora Favorites sets, including the one that I featured in my US shopping wishlist blog post. I gave up hope of finding one on this trip until a chance encounter with JCPenney proved successful.
My Mum always likes to check out JCPenney as there are quite a few of them in Orlando. So when we found out that there was only one in Manhattan it was immediately added to our Google Maps. Somehow I completely forgot about the fact that most JCPenney stores have a Sephora in them. That and the fact that they have Sephora In JCPenney exclusives. So I couldn't believe my luck when I spied the Summer Sun On The Fly set near the till.
I had planned on buying a mini of the brilliant IGK First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo before I left. You'll find it at Space NK here in the UK. So I was over the moon to see it in this set. I've also had my eye on the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bod Buff for years now. That and I wanted to finally try the brand Supergoop!, as you'll see below, making this Sephora Favorites an absolute must-buy for me! As with the rest of the purchases in this blog post, I'll be sure to let you know how I get on with everything as I use it.
LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask ($20)
I'd heard so many good things about this lip mask. So I applied a little before leaving Sephora one day and a few hours later my lips still felt incredible. I simply had to return the following day to purchase it. What made it an even easier purchase to make was the fact that other than on Amazon, it doesn't appear to be available here in the UK yet.
If you ever find yourself in a Sephora or have a friend, family member or coworker willing to bring you something back from their travels, this is easily my biggest recommendation! It just leaves your lips feeling SO good!
LANEIGE Vanilla Lip Sleeping Mask ($20)
I couldn't resist picking up the vanilla version as well. Both smell equally incredible and now I have absolutely no excuse for not looking after my lips.
Supergoop! Sunscreen Mousse ($18)
I've long been intrigued by the Supergoop! range and finally decided to treat myself to the smaller version of the sunscreen mousse, especially as on that first morning in Miami it was hotter than what I imagine the surface of the sun feels like. I'm not kidding! The feel of it on the skin is lovely. And it being a mousse gives it the much needed novelty factor which actually has me looking forward to applying it.
I put this to the test in super sunny and humid Miami and had no complaints. The reason that I only grabbed the mini was because we would only be in Florida for a few days this year. If I'm lucky enough to go back to Orlando next year, I might just need to pick up the full size.
OUAI After Sun Body Soother ($25)
After seeing a few sneak peeks of this product on the OUAI Instagram feed before I left for the US, I made it my mission to seek it out if I could, especially as it's a limited edition product.
Even though it has probably been 10+ years since I actually got burnt either in Florida or in the UK (a Scottish heatwave can be even more dangerous for us fair, freckly redheads). I do get hot and bothered in warm weather and this sounded dreamy. It fizzes and crackles on the skin and leaves the skin feeling cool and refreshed. If you get a chance to try this out, definitely do! It's also currently available from Look Fantastic in the UK.
LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask ($25)
After spending quite a bit of time at the LANEIGE stand, I simply had to pop this cooling sleep mask in my basket. The sound and feel of it on the skin really intrigued me. And at just $25 it didn't feel too expensive a purchase to make.
Expect a full blog post on how I've been getting on with my LANEIGE buys very soon.
Sephora Beauty Insider Drunk Elephant Birthday Gift (Free)
Despite visiting the US almost every year, I never go in my birthday month (February). For that reason I always miss out on the Sephora birthday gift. And they tend to be pretty exciting little sets. I've asked a few times in Orlando if I could possibly get it. But as it's normally about 8 months after my actual birthday, they always say no.
This time I decided to ask as it was only about 3 months after my birthday, in the Times Square store of all places. You can imagine my excitement when they took me to the till to give me one, no questions asked! The two options were a Kat Von D set or one from Drunk Elephant, which made it a no brainer for me. I can't wait to try out the Protini Polypeptide Cream, particularly as I love the Lala Retro Whipped Cream (review here). And it's always handy to have a travel sized cleanser.
SHOP THE POST
Have you tried any of the products mentioned in today's blog post? If so, what were your thoughts? And do you get overwhelmed at Sephora too?
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