makeup madness- sephora VIB sale

as an official card carrying member of sephora's VIB program I finally get to take part in the fun that is their annual shopping event (i.e. 20% off of items that are never on sale!) I've been poking around the interweb, and the super snazzy holiday catalogue that arrived in my mailbox, for the past few days and have narrowed my must haves down from just about everything to a select few. now for those of us that are more forward thinking/less selfish, this would be a great time to start your holiday shopping (starting early and getting things on sale = win, win) and pick up some pretty things for your makeup obsessed bestie, you newbie little sister, or your 'never indulges herself' mom.

the holiday sets are always my go-tos this time of the year. they offer you opportunities to try a bunch of different products a single line (like this option) or a variety of products from a mix of different brands (like this one). last year I opted to try the Tarte holiday gift set and was turned on to an amazing eyeshadow formulation (with an entire pallet of everyday to smoky colors to choose from), and test out a few of their other best selling products that had been on my list. this year the Too Faced Le Grand Palais definitely caught my attention (with its mix of products for eyes/cheek/face and minis of its most popular mascara, primer, and lipgloss) and the Le Grand Chateu would make a great gift for a few girlfriends since the mini pallets can be split up and shared! the packaging is seriously the cutest- tie on a pretty bow and you're good to go (I'm picking this up for my younger cousins and splitting the three pallets out amongst them!) if you're more in the market for a set that will let you sample a little bit of this and a little bit of that from a bunch of sephora heavy hitters, the Sephora Favorites Superstars is the MVP. every year they compile the best selling products throughout the store to offer a mix of full size and deluxe sample sizes to try out. it hits every note- from mascara to primer, and contour to highlight, from many of your favorite brands (like nars, tarte, smashbox, benefit, and laura mercier), in shades that you actually want to try. we see you monthly subscription companies and "gift sets" that are dumping grounds for all the colors that were flops- no one wants a bunch of those, kthanks. sephora offers a gift set for every type of beauty junkie; slave to skincare, eyeliner officianado, mascara fiend, lip product lover, or hair goddess. do you self a favor and take a peek at the sets from sephora- check, check, check on that shopping list.

there are also those products that you find yourself always repurchasing- the perfect liquid eyeliner (I'll be picking up a backup of my holy grail since I know I'll be needing a new one eventually), your go-to foundation (either in the color you're currently wearing or shade/two down to prepare for the coming months and impending paleness), a rollerball of your signature scent (I try and keep this one from Elizabeth and James always in my purse), or the first step for any look (primers for face, lips or eyes- I'll be picking up this one from Too Faced to try). these are the products that you know you'll be buying in the new future, pick them up now for 20% off and it will be like shopping your stash when you finally need them.

the VIB sale is also a great time to invest in the more expensive beauty products you use/have been meaning to try- quality skin care (I'll be picking up the moisturizer from my like it, love it, gotta have it post about sensitive skin moisturizers), fragrance (you know you'll be going through a perfume within the year. use this as the time to stock up on your signature scent, or explore and try something new. layering scents is always fun, or picking a special occasion/nighttime scent), or beauty tools (beauty blenders, clarisonic/brush heads, or new brushes) and save some pretty pennies.

have you ever shopped the VIB sale? what's on your list for beauty goodies this year?

xx, marissa

like it, love it, gotta have it: winged liner

when it comes to makeup, everyone has their signature look. for some it's a super fresh face, for other's a bold lip, or a fun colorful eye look. my go-to is definitely a neutral lid, usually in a taupe or bronze shadow, with a winged cat-eye. i've tried my fair share of eyeliners (pencil, gel, liquid, etc.) and always come back to a pen form of a liquid liner. these are a few of my favorites, at a variety of different price points that make creating that perfect flick of a wing super simple.

Like it- Lancome Artliner this liner has a foam tip, and pen-shaped applicator that make it a breeze to apply. the color is super pigmented, and with a eyeshadow primer stays put all day. the bendable foam tip makes the perfect flick at the end, but also gives you control to make your line thick or thin. the price ($30.50- eek!) is what puts it in the Like it spot.

Love it- L'Oreal Lineur Intense this liner is almost an exact dupe for the Lancome liner. same foam tip, same pen-shaped applicator (except this one has curves on the handle that I think only help), and same deep pigmented coloring. the only differences that I've found are the price ($8.99), and that it's available in the drug store, which puts it in the Love it spot. I have found that it sometimes does this weird thing where it can start to peel off your lids if it's super humid, or you have really oily lids, so make sure to wear it over an eyeshadow primer.

Gotta Have it- Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner this is my hands down favorite eyeliner ever; it's one of those products that as soon as it starts to dry out, I'm heading to Sephora to replace it. I received a set for Christmas from my bosses (they know that makeup is the key to my heart) which included black, dark brown, moss, and midnight- and have been hooked ever since. I originally was obsessed with the black, but one day decided to try the dark brown and instantly fell in love. the brown is super dark, almost black, but doesn't have the wet/metallic look that black liquid can sometimes have. the pen applicator is super easy to hold, gives you a perfect flick, allows you to control how thick or thin your line is, and does not budge. i'm taking heavy duty staying power that needs waterproof makeup remover to get off. it comes in a ton of different colors (I've been meaning to pick up the turquoise to use for a double lined liner look), and is just amazing through and through.

what's your go-to look when it comes to makeup? do you love a colorful eye, a bold lip, or a contoured face?

xx, marissa