Sephora VIB Sale What to Buy and What to Skip 2015

It’s almost here! Sephora’s biggest sale of the year (20% off all purchases) is the Sephora VIB sale and this year’s taking place Friday November 13-16, 2015 both online and in stores. Be sure to check out last year’s Sephora VIB Sale 2014 post with lot’s of reviews and recommendations of products that are still available. As a refresher in order to be VIB you must spend $500 in a calendar year. The good news is that if you spend more than that then it rolls over towards the next year. To find out your status you can log on to Sephora.com and click “(Your name)’s Account” in the top right corner. If it says “VIB Beauty Insider” you’re in! You can use VIB20 online during the sale and get 20% off your entire purchase. If you don’t have VIB you can ask one of your beauty obsessed friends to add a few things to their basket for you. If you don’t have VIB or even a Sephora account you’re not getting the discount, BUT they always offer the BEST gifts with purchase. This year you can pick 1 of 4, it includes 8 samples and a free clutch, and you only have to make a $25 purchase which is like half of 1 thing at Sephora. You can use the code “partypicks” to get in on that fine deal.

Let’s start off with updated reviews of last year’s purchases because liking a product an entire year later is a real testament to whether a product is truly worthy or not.

1. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Pore Minimizing Primer ($39)- SKIP
   • This stuff does nothing for me and it’s EXPENSIVE. NOT worth the money.
2. Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 07 Dark Berry ($13) – SKIP
   • While this formula may be decent, this color is only for people way cooler than me. 4/19/17 Update: I don’t think this color is available anymore, but I hear great things about this formula.
3. BECCA Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme in Buff ($44) – BUY!!
   • This one’s for my girls who like that FULL FULL coverage and to be a nice shade of emoji yellow (undertones). This is the foundation I use when I’m doing heavy makeup and want it to look great in pictures and just look flawless!
4. L’Occitane Voyage En Provence Set ($39) (Similar set here) – SKIP
   • Hated this in my last review and still hate that I wasted my money on it. The only time I like L’Occitane is when a hotel has it for free. I don’t get the hype to me it’s not worth the money!
5. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup in 2.0 ($39) – SKIP
   • I’m just not a “naked skin” foundation kind of girl and this stuff is way too dewy for my oily skin. It didn’t even look naked on my skin it did not look good at all. I haven’t pulled this out in a long time I would not recommend it.
6. Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush ($32) – SKIP
   • For a foundation brush I much prefer the Morphe G6 Flat Buffer  because it is way better at making liquid foundation look flawless and at $13.99 it’s a much better deal too!
7. Elizabeth and James Nirvana Mini Rollerball Set ($25) – BUY!!
   • When I first received these I was disappointed at how tiny they were, but I haven’t run out of either and being smaller means they take up less space in my purse! I love both of these scents I think they’re super sexy.

And now on to the more recently purchased products:

1. Tangle Teezer Compact Styler ($20) – BUY
   • This is great if you have fine hair like I do because it does feel super gentle on your head. I also like how compact it is I feel like it’s good for travel. 
2. Sephora Collection Eye Mask in Rose ($5) & Sephora Collection Face Mask in Lotus ($6) – BUY
   • Notice the lack of exclamation points? While these masks are a fun and cheap way to pamper yourself while looking like a serial killer, I don’t think they actually do a damn thing. I think my skin might have felt drier after I used it…
3. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel ($14.50 for 1.7oz) – BUY!!
   • I love this stuff I can’t believe I’m actually running out of a moisturizer. This is nice and light for us oily girls and works well under makeup. It also feels like it can double as an eye cream. I only wish this had SPF!
4. Supergoop! Defense Refresh Setting Mist SPF 50 ($12 for 1oz) – BUY!!
   • Ok so I thought I had found a miracle product- sunscreen (since the sun is trying to kill me) in an easy to apply form that plays nice with my makeup! I will warn you that my friend and fellow blogger over at Girl Get Glamorous Molly hated this and said she had a bad reaction. My trusted gurus at Beautypedia also were not big fans of this and suggested regular old Banana Boat aerosol spray, but that kind ALWAYS gets in my eyes and ruins my makeup and this Supergoop! did not. I liked how it misted too, but I think the pump clogged before I finished the product. So not perfect, but worth a try.
5. Smashbox Primer Water ($32) – SKIP
   • This stuff is straight up gypsy water. It does not make my makeup last longer or go on smoother or set it or anything. It feels luxurious because you spent $32 on it and it smells good, but beyond that it does NOTHING for me. I prefer MAC Fix+ when I reach for my favorite gypsy water.
6. philosophy Purity Made Simple ($11 for 3oz.) – BUY!!
   • I was surprised how much I liked this! It’s a facial cleanser that’s super gentle and it removes eye makeup well. I think I’m going to wait for a Black Friday Sale to purchase a jug of this.
7. Dr. Brandt Skincare pores no more pore refiner primer (100 point perk/$15 for 0.5oz) – BUY!!
   • A product that actually does what it says it will do?! This absolutely reduces the appearance of my pores. The only thing I don’t like about it (and the reason I haven’t run out yet) is it’s a tiny bit oily which I feel like wouldn’t make for great makeup-staying-power. Also if you get this make sure you buy the 0.5oz for $15 because the 1oz is $45.
8. Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder ($22.50 for travel size) – SKIP
   • Another internet beauty guru favorite that let me down! This stuff is nothing special and is PRICY. I much prefer Ben Nye Luxury Powder in Cameo and Coty Airspun powder (which I talked about here) and both of those are much cheaper.
9. Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Lovecraft (100 point perk/$21) – BUY!!
   • Sadly this perk is no longer available, but I’m so glad I snagged it because this color is a cult-favorite for a reason! It’s gorgeous and perfect for fall. I’m wearing it in this Jessie James Decker Hair Tutorial post.
10. Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Melancholia ($20) – BUY!!
    • This formula is great! Maybe not quite as long lasting as the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipsticks, but still great. It dries very quickly and feels comfortable on the lips. This is a fun bright Barbie shade. I would definitely purchase another KVD liquid lipstick.
11. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Compelte Coverage Concealer in Fair Neutral ($28) – SKIP
    • The YouTube girls love this stuff! My expectations were sky high, but this stuff did not deliver. Sadly it is not the end-all be-all for concealer. It’s an ok formula that won’t totally cover dark circles (unless you color correct first) and will settle into fine lines. I still use it occasionally to highlight.

Don’t forget to use the code VIB20 at checkout between 11/13/15-11/16/15 to get your 20% off. I also highly recommend using Ebates which is currently offering 4% cash back. I just received my Ebates payment straight to my PayPal account yesterday and even though $25.34 isn’t much, it’s still free money! Check out this other Sephora post to find out more about how Ebates works. For more reviews and recommendations check out:

Sephora VIB Sale Wish List (Spring 2015)

Sephora VIB Sale Spring 2015 – This includes 10 of my favorite/MUST try products from Sephora

Reviews of My Sephora VIB 2014 Purchases

What I Bought at the Sephora VIB Sale

Sephora VIB Sale What to Buy and What to Skip (Fall 2014)

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