Midweek Beauty Haul

Happy, peppy purchases from Sephora. (Follow @nyminutenow on Instagram.)

On this super rainy day in NYC, I decided to drop by Sephora after work; there’s one right across from my office. For someone who works in beauty, I don’t get to go as often as one would expect. But, when I duck in there, nine times out of ten, I come out with a beauty treat. Or two. 🙂 Here’s the lowdown on this evening’s haul:

1) NARS Orgasm™ Illuminator I’ve been eyeing this liquid highlighter for quite some time now. NARS is known for its silky blushers, including the ever-popular shade in the same name. Probably why they launched a liquid version of it. I remember back in the day when I used to interview celebs for a section called “In Her Bag” in the magazine that I worked for, at some point, items got predictable as all of them mentioned practically the same stuff every time: e.g. NARS Blush in Orgasm, T. LeClerc Pressed Powder in Banane (this was in the early 2000s, people!), and M.A.C. Lipglass in whatever shade. Anyhow, I’m excited to try this on. It’s the same peachy-pink shade with a touch of shimmer as the powder blush version. I plan on applying it over the tops of my cheekbones, apples of my cheeks, and a dot over my nose, like Jennifer Lopez does!

2) Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Flush Here’s the description from the Tarte website:

“A long-wearing, supremely soft blush infused with Amazonian clay harvested from the banks of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun. This 12-hour blush universally benefits all skin types for a fade-free, flawless finish in shades ranging from soft to vivid and matte to shimmer to suit a wide variety of skin tones.”

Flush is a cool—almost lilac—marshmallow-y pink, reminiscent of my favorite blushes of yesteryear: L’Oréal Blush Delice (I don’t recall the name of the shade; my search on Google shows Strawberry Tart) and Smashbox Tokidoki Soft Lights Blush in Dolce Vita.

3) Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetic Colour Pencil in Hoochie (I sense a theme here.) OCC is a “100% vegan and cruelty-free” makeup line that has actually been around since 2004. It gained popularity in the past year or two, thanks to the richly pigmented Lip Tar™. I find the formula a bit drying (I own both Matte and Stained Gloss versions), but it’s amazing in that you only need a dot to paint on a full lip. Cosmetic Colour Pencils are multi-use liners and Hoochie is a vibrant plum/extreme magenta which is practically the same shade as Pantone® Color of the Year 2014, Radiant Orchid. I plan on layering this over my M.A.C. Lip Conditioner for a custom soft finish.

4) Benefit Instant Brow Pencil in Medium My go-to brow pencil had always been Lancôme Le Crayon Poudre in Taupe; one pencil would last me almost two years. But I haven’t been applying eyebrow products in the past year as I’d noticed that the skin underneath has become sensitive and prone to comedones a.k.a. whiteheads that take a while to cycle through (and tend to leave dark spots after healing). I’m hoping this one will fill in that bald spot on my right brow and groom my arches back to photogenic perfection, minus the aforementioned bumps. Stay tuned.

5) Sephora Collection Classic Mini Mineral Brush #45.5 Whew! I didn’t think it would take this long to get to item #5, haha! There is a brush-themed post that I plan on writing after this. My love for brushes was recently re-ignited thanks to two beauty bloggers and two brush brands that they mentioned. I’ll reserve the backstory for that post. How cute is this brush?! I couldn’t resist snapping it up. It feels soft and plush on the face. It’s designed for mineral powder but I’d like to use it to apply BB cream. According to the Product Q & A on Sephora, it should work just fine with liquid foundation so I can’t wait to road-test it!

Images courtesy of NARS Cosmetics UK, Tarte, Sephora (OCC, Brush), and Benefit Cosmetics.