VIB Sale Picks at Sephora + Weekend Sale Links

Sephora's big VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) member sale begins today! This is one of my favorite sales of the year because I can stock up on all the beauty products I love at a rare 20% off with no exclusions at all. This year's holiday gifts sets have also debuted, so I'm also picking up a couple Christmas gifts early. This weekend, VIB Rouge members--those at Sephore's highest rewards level--get first dibs with code ROUGE20, and next week, all of the VIBs get access to the sale. I'll update this post with the VIB code for next week once I have it.

I've included a couple of my all-time favorite beauty products above. I've previously written a review about the NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer, which is oil-free, light, moisturizing, and fantastic at helping makeup stay put all day. I've also reviewed the Makeup Forever HD Microfinish Powder in a prior post.

Also in my collage above are my "Holy Grail" lip products: the Fresh Sugar tinted lip balms and the NARS lip crayons (in satin, matte, and gloss). I wear one or both of them on my lips every single day. I'm pretty thrilled that there's a value set of every color of the Fresh Sugar balms available since I'm almost out of most of the colors I own. (Note: the collage I've made above is clickable, so anything you click will take you right to that product on Sephora's site.)

There are a couple other great sales going on this weekend: Nordstrom has its Fall Clearance with up to 40% off, J.Crew has 30% of its sale items and 25% off many full-price styles, and Saks Off Fifth has tons of designer fall items discounted even more than usual (I'm swooning over this pair of Stuart Weitzman's coveted OTK boots). I'll try and post some picks from these sales over the weekend.

Happy Friday!

x, Tam

Beauty Bonus: Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder

This is the second post in my little extra series about my favorite products--the ones that fall into the failsafe, can't-live-without-it, worth-every-penny, Holy-Grail-of-Beauty-Products category. (See the previous one on NARS Pore-Refining Primer.)

My post on the NARS Primer focused on what you put under your foundation and concealer to make it stay put and stay flawless throughout the day. Today, I'm going up a couple layers to what I put on top of my primer, concealer, foundation, blush, highlighter, etc. for a finishing touch to mattify any shine and "set" my makeup.

Make Up For Ever came out with a "High Definition" line a couple years back, and while I haven't fallen in love with the foundation, I really like their translucent finishing powder, the HD Microfinish Powder ($34, Sephora). It's made of 100% pure silica, and it really does seem like it's geared toward people who are on high-definition camera as it gives the skin a really lovely, soft, matte finish without ever caking or looking too "done." It subtly softens fine lines and blemishes, too. While my makeup can look a little slippery once I get my moisturizer, primer, concealer, and foundation on, this powder seems to set the whole look nicely, all while looking reasonably natural.

I've been using this product for several years now and have gone through a couple full-size jars. The great thing they've recently added is packaging that's much more conducive to travel. Instead of the crazy tap-into-the-cap-and-hope-for-the-best design of yore, it has a fine mesh inside the middle of the package, and the lid closes tightly over the mesh to prevent spillage. In the several months I've been hauling the new package around--I touch up a few times each day because of my oily skin--I've had no spills or near-disasters with it, which was not really the case before.

Small note of caution: use this powder sparingly (you really don't need a whole lot), and especially so if you'll be in a lot of flash photos. I've noticed that flashes can sometimes pick up the silica particles and give the face a ghostlt-looking pallor if this stuff is loaded on. (Bonus: using sparingly means a $34 jar should last a nice, long time--always a plus in my book!)

Do you have any amazing products you think I should try? Let me know--I love experimenting!

Note: I was not compensated in any way for this product review.

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Beauty Bonus: NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer

I've had a few reader questions lately about my makeup routine, so I thought I'd start a little extra series about my favorite products--the ones that fall into the failsafe, can't-live-without-it, worth-every-penny, Holy-Grail-of-Beauty-Products category. (Bonus: seldom-seen close-ups of my face--who doesn't want that?)

First up is an unlikely superstar: foundation primer (specifically NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer). Although I'd read about it in magazines and noticed it as I browsed through the aisles at Sephora, I have to admit that I wasn't really into the idea of primer. I didn't like the concept of adding another layer of goo to my face, thinking I was just upping the potential for my oily, sensitive, breakout-prone skin to have a complete meltdown by the end of the day.

My first experience with primer wasn't a happy one, unfortunately. A sales associate convinced me I should give it a try, and I haplessly spread a thick layer of a the non-oil-free (oil-ful?) variety over my skin and caked a layer of foundation over it. By the end of the day, the predicted oily meltdown and subsequent breakout were a reality. I swore off primer forever.

Against my better judgment, I gave it another try when I got a big sample of the oil-free formula in a NARS gift bag. I use bareMinerals READY foundation (likely the subject of a future Beauty Bonus), and I noticed immediately that the powder went on much more easily and smoothly. It had the same effect as buffing extensively with a kabuki brush, leaving the powder evenly spread over my skin. The finished look was smoother and more dewy-looking, which I loved, but I wasn't sure it was going to last. When I looked in the mirror at lunchtime, I was pleasantly surprised that it looked about the same as it did when I left the house. Later that evening, I was thrilled to discover that, barring some excess oil, my makeup was still holding strong, blush and all.

I kept using the Pro-Prime over several days (the true test), and my skin seemed to tolerate it really well--no extra breakouts, redness, or sensitivity. I was hooked. At $34 a tube, this new addition was not an inexpensive addition to the repertoire, but it was a great one that has continued to perform really well (it's my Photoshop for real life).

Do you have any amazing products you think I should try? Let me know--I love experimenting!

P.S. Make sure you stop by here tomorrow--I have a very exciting collaboration and contest I can't wait to share with you!

Note: I was not compensated in any way for this product review--I just love this primer that much.

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