Provided for review
You guys, it's finally happened. Sephora has made its debut in New Zealand in the form of an online store! YESSSSSSSSS! Are you pumped? I'm as pumped as David Bowie doing the Magic Dance (*sobs quietly* RIP Bowie!).
If you've ever shopped with Luxola you'll be excited to hear that they have rebranded to Sephora NZ, continuing to stock many of the brands you already knew and loved and adding in a bevy of new ones, with more being added regularly. Suddenly we have amazing cult brands at our fingertips with fast shipping ($25, or free on orders over $75NZD) and the prices are actually pretty on par with the US and Aussie ones. For example, a Kat Von D Studded Kiss lipstick is $21USD, roughly $32.50NZD - so Sephora NZ is 50 cents cheaper! When most brands have huge mark ups here compared to our overseas counterparts (I'm looking at you MAC, L'Oreal, Revlon, Bobbi Brown... okay, well pretty much all of you), even keel pricing definitely catches my attention.
I was very fortunate to be asked by the Sephora NZ team to select some products for review and share my thoughts with you, so without further a do, let's take a peek at the haul!
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Kat Von D Monarch Eyeshadow Palette
First up we have the Kat Von D Monarch eyeshadow palette ($67NZD), which has been on my wishlist since it came out. I don't know why it took me so long but I'm so happy to have my hands on it now - it definitely doesn't disappoint! There are twelve shades in this palette broken up into three quads to make it easy to put together a cohesive look, though of course you can mix and match as you please. Across the board, the colour pay off is excellent and the eyeshadows are a pleasure to apply and blend. There are only three shades that I think could be improved: Summerfly and Tiny Death, which contain specks of glitter that don't really adhere to the skin and are very prone to fall out, and Wrath which feels drier in texture than the rest of the shades. That's not to say any of them are bad eyeshadows, it's just that compared to the buttery smooth texture of the remaining shades they fall a little flat.
For this look I used Tiny Death all over the lid, with Disintegration on the outer half of the lid/lower lashline and Vanish along the socket line. I blended Shadow Box into the crease and added just a touch of Deadhead to deepen, used Entomology to soften the edges, then highlighted the inner corner with Telepathy. The lashes are Ardell Demi Wispies and brows are Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Soft Brown, both also available at Sephora NZ.
For this look I used Entomology all over the lid and to blend out the other colours, Summerfly on the inner half of lid/inner half of lower lashline, Wrath on the outer half of the lid, Papilio on the outer V/outer half of lower lashline, Vanish on the socket line and Telepathy on the inner corner.
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Becca Afterglow Palette
Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfectors have been wildly popular over the past year or so and I've been eager to try them, so I couldn't look past the Becca Afterglow Palette ($72NZD), which pairs three Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfectors with a duo of Mineral Blushes. The packaging is pretty cool off the bat, with a holographic rainbow flakie effect on the box and a metallic bronze case that feels quite sturdy. Inside there's a large mirror and five pans which are just a smidge smaller in width than a standard dome top blush brush.
The Skin Perfectors included are Moonstone, an ivory-champagne with gold reflects, Rose Gold, which is exactly that, and Topaz, a warm bronzed gold. All of them share a creamy texture, strong finely milled shimmer and impressive pigmentation that can be built up for an intense highlight or worn in a more subtle fashion.
The blushes are lovely too and have a very soft (but not powdery) feeling to them that allows them to be diffused perfectly. The two shades are Wild Honey, a tawny brown with fine silver shimmer and Flowerchild, a classic gold shimmered coral pink. I wasn't sure I'd like Wild Honey but I actually really love it! The sun kissed look it gives is quite flattering.
This palette definitely has me interested in trying out more of Becca's range and I can see myself using this a lot, especially on trips or doing makeup for family members as the colour range will suit a variety of skintones. I averaged around eleven hours wear time across this palette.
For this look I wore Flowerchild on cheeks and Moonstone to highlight, paired with the Australis AC On Tour contour palette.
And for this one, I used Wild Honey on cheeks with Rose Gold as a highlight and a very small amount of Moonstone on the highest points of my cheeks and browbone. I also used a little bit of Topaz as a bronzer.
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Kat Von D Noble Studded Kiss Lipstick
Ohhhhhh Kat Von D, how I adore your Studded Kiss lipsticks ($32NZD)! I bought the 2014 holiday mini set and was rapidly hooked. The glossy black studded packaging and KVD logo engraved in the lipstick bullet are awesome enough on their own, but they also have incredible colour pay off and the creme brulee scent is heavenly. Noble, a soft peachy nude, is a shade I've had my eye on for a while now and it's just as lovely as I'd hoped! The matte finish keeps it soft and natural, not stark, although it can be somewhat unforgiving if your lips aren't in the best shape, as mine weren't when I shot these. The wear time certainly makes up for that, Noble lasted seven hours on me without being drying!
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Bite Beauty Pastille Rosebud Matte Creme Lipstick
Last but certainly not least we have Pastille Rosebud from the Matte Creme Lipstick range ($34NZD), a vibrant pinky red with a glossy finish. I've been completely enamoured with Bite Beauty's products since I first tried them so I was thrilled to see them available on Sephora NZ and if you're a lipstick lover you will be too! The packaging is rubberized, like NARS products but doesn't seem to pick up marks as readily and there's a B embossed in the lipstick bullet. Pastille Rosebud offers wonderfully rich colour pay off, a seven hour wear time and a non feathering, nourishing formula. Needless to say, I need one of every shade.
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Lani
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