Beauty Splurge

Sephora Haul

It's been a while since I last visited Sephora because every time I bring the kids to the mall, I end up getting stuck at the toy's section and dash along the grocery aisle before heading back home. I really think Sephora should just open a stall on the same area as the Toy department for mommies like me!

It's been a while since I bought beauty stuff, the skincare products and makeups I've been using are still the stuff I bought from Seoul and sent to me by friends in Japan. When I was given a good reason to shop at Sephora, I grabbed the chance to buy my longtime wishlist: Clarisonic Mia, SK-II, Origins Intensive Overnight Mask and Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything.

I must say, this is the best beauty haul I've had! None of them will go to my beauty graveyard.

1. Clarisonic Mia - My pretty hair stylist/colorist told me a year ago that if I have to invest on only one thing on skincare, she strongly recommend the Clarisonic Mia. She swore it made a big difference on her skin. I've only used it 4 times but I already saw great improvement on my skin. It's smoother and clearer now, the small bumps and blackheads are getting less, my acne scars are becoming less visible too. I own a spa in Davao and I have the Ultrasonic facial machine that helped clear my acne-prone skin through sonic frequency the same way Clarisonic is working on our skin. The cheapest is $99 but with how it's working on my skin I don't think I will still need to spend $68/month on facials anymore. *to avoid over exfoliation, it's not recommended to pair this with other exfoliation system like Retinol, Glycolic peel cream, etc..
   
   
2. SK-II Facial Essence Set - It includes the Facial Essence Toner, Lotion and a facial mask. Well I don't need further explanation here, SK-II is SK-II. It's said that your moisturizer works better after you use the Clarisonic Mia and so I paired it with the best Japanese skincare. For mommies, I recommend you keep the bottle away from the kids, I tuck mine inside the bathroom cabinet after every use to secure the glass bottles and my heart from being broken! Que horror! 
   
   
3. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - I really didn't know about it until I googled for "overnight mask" and it came up with good reviews. I don't have time to do the facial mask process regularly (mask-wait-rinse) so I thought I needed something that can work while I sleep. The lovely fruity smell is a good bonus while you apply it but the best part is you wake up with that dewy, fresh look in the morning! No need to rinse it because it doesn't harden, it's like your skin just drink the moisture while you sleep! 

   

   Origins Drink Up Overnight Mask
4. Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything - YouTube beauty gurus rave about Benefit's the Pore fessional pore minimizer and I wanted to buy Benefit Hello Flawless Brightening Makeup too. Both are kinda pricey so I had to decide between the two fortunately, I stumbled upon this Sephora exclusive set. It has the sample size of both the Porefessional and Hello Flawless, with two shades of concealer and powder. I've tried many pore minimizers before but nothing worked for my large pores but this one from Benefit is an exception! True to its promise, my skin looked poreless (well I can't say flawless because nothing can be done with my acne scar pits anymore, but if you don't have deep scars like mine, it will surely make your skin look FLAWLESS!), I'm so glad I tried this one. I'm sure it would work better with a good foundation or concealer brush or the Beauty Blender but this is just how far my beauty budget could go. If you have extra moolah I highly recommend this set with the Beauty Blender! 
   
   

   

   Benefit Cosmetic: How To Look Best At Everything

I know I splurged this time but when I look at my beauty graveyard (that magic bin where you keep all your unused beauty products), I realized I was just wasting money on buying cheaper versions of what I really wanted. The key is to buy less frequently, and save up for the exact item you want. Make sure also that it's something you're going to use. In reality, I don't get to wear makeup at all, so even if it's tempting I just stay away from buying more eye shadows, blush-ons, and more face powder. As a result, I get more buck for the big purchases such as this and I'm happy.

Note: this is not a paid review.