Lip samples I’ve accumulated over the months.
The thing with these samples is that I rarely remember to use them. And there’s always one or two colors I’d never use in this lifetime. But they’re so cute with their mini lip brushes and teensy pockets! So I hoard them.
Until months later when I realize I want to declutter.
And declutter I did. Messy, but compact.
I started mixing everything in an “Elf shadow quad pan” (that I sanitized) and heated the bottom with a hair dryer.
Created one sheer lipstick, one lipgloss, one matte-ish lipstick.
From top to bottom:
- Dior lipstick (Be Dior, Wonderful, Tribale, Smile)
- Honest Beauty Lip Gloss (Creative Kiss, Dreamy Kiss, Inspired Kiss) + YSL Glossy Stain (Rouge Splash, Onde Rose, Plump Lip)
- Clinique lipstick (nude pop, punch pop, love pop, cherry pop) + a dab of NARS matte lip pencil (Let’s Go Crazy)
Pretty happy with the outcome. All three are shades I’d use in a heartbeat.
Here’s what I used:
- Lip card samples
- Tiny spatula (used the pointy end of a sanitized angle toothbrush)
- Hairdryer (it will get hot, so do use oven gloves!)
- ELF empty palette (I got them for less than $1 during their sale)
Have fun mixing & melting.
I wanted a lip magnet for ages but could never decide on a shade.
As always, ingredient list.
To be honest, I was never wowed by this design. It reminds me of those seal stamps we use in Korea (called 인감도장), which brings up the imagery of banks and house loans and life that’s too painfully HD realistic.
But that color… that sumptuous color. And the way it feels when the applicator touches your skin… erased all my doubts about the design.
The pointed doe-foot applicator is sharp enough for detailed work.
Well. Here’s another miserable fail. These aren’t dupes, but … similar color groups. They go well together. Let’s leave it at that.
Comparison with another favorite shade: “YSL Vinyl Cream Lip Stain in 412 Rose Mix.”
Perfect daily color.
Sephora’s known to send out little gifts to its BeautyTalk users. As someone who used to be an avid user, I really appreciated the surprise gifts. T’was one of the many perks of being a Beauty Insider.
As a farewell, Sephora decided to surprise the “HOF” Beauty Insiders with a gift.
(why I adore Sephora)
This cute pouch…
Held the contents:
I’d call this a hot pink + fuchsia mix. (A royal-fuchsia?)
Buttery smooth. It spreads evenly into a shock of fuchsia goodness.
Thank you Sephora 😀
This gorgeous fukubukuro-themed paper. I like how starting from 2016, Beautylish started investing in their wrapping paper.
Everything came individually wrapped in plenty of black paper (so nothing gets banged around), but for the sake of this review, I unwrapped everything before I got busy snapping pics.
Here’s the list of what I received, and its total value:
Immediately got busy with my old UD Ammo Palette. (Gauged two shadows in the process, me clumsy hands did) Much less cluttering.
The 2017 Lucky Bag is sold out, but you can always get on the list for the 2018.
With a $25 purchase, you receive 8 deluxe samples along with a cute bag for free. Use code “VERYMERRY”! (this is exclusive to beauty insiders; all you have to do is sign up.)
The contents of bag#2.
The Erno Laszlo sample I recieved (in “sensitive”) was a bit leaky.
Should I be happy it cleanses so well?
This is the 2016 Rouge renewal gift in its customary red box.
2016’s gift is a mini version of 
You receive “
That gorgeous shade though.
Swatch in natural light. As all NARS blushes go, “
On my cheeks.
Do go light-handed with this blush!
2015’s Rouge Renewal gift (my very first) was Marc Jacob’s lipstick in “240 So Rouge,” another VIB Rouge exclusive shade in a LE package.
A true blood-red, super pigmented, creamy. Glides on like a dream.
Trying to find a dupe, I played the crazy-lipstick-lady game… and I really suck at this don’t I. Swatches in different natural lighting. Far left is “So Rouge.”
The closest dupe I could find color-wise was MAC’s Ruby Woo, but MAC doesn’t compare to MJ’s consistency and wear. MJ’s Le Marc formula was much more forgiving on my dry lips than MAC’s matte formula.
I received this as part of a belated birthday gift, my first ever Meteorites.
Ingredient list.
Japanese (and a tad bit of French) ingredient list
Guerlain does packaging right. Always. Everything I’ve seen from them so far was drop dead gorgeous.
This is the permanent edition Meteorites in “Clair 02.”
Swoon. They’ve gotten a bit thrown about during transit, but this is so pretty. (Dippin’ Dots anyone?)
Swatches in different natural lights: 
How it wears throughout the day: (7am -> 11am -> 8pm)
October, my month for finishing off DS samples.
October FS/DS Loves! 
October FS/DS Likes! 
Foils I used up. I only enjoyed:
My November Box.
November’s theme is “The Finishing Touch,” which is fitting as I’m probably not going to renew BB in 2017.
Although I’ve loved BB for nearly two years now, I will probably cancel my subscription after my December box, and here’s why:
The reason I swore by Birchbox was because of the points. The tiny samples in itself didn’t justify the $10 price tag for me, even with free shipping. The extra 100 points you used to get for every two box equaled to $10, a nice sum that could be used towards purchasing tried-and-true samples.
That being said, I will miss the old system where I used to wait for every box, mulling over what samples to purchase. That notion of the unknown was a part of what made this fun for me. But as of now, I can’t justify its price tag. That’s $10 more that could’ve been spent on something I definitely know I’ll enjoy.
What I got.
Comparison with my other tiny lip samples. You’ve got to admit they’re adorable.
PS: They changed up the packaging! The tabs make it much easier to take apart. Nice touch.
sokobaby.com 