Best of the Fabulous Sephora collection

If you haven’t looked at or tried the products in the Sephora Collection, you should. For the most part, these are top quality at a drugstore price point. The Sephora Collection has continued to amaze me in the last couple of years.  I cannot say this has always been the case.   Several years ago, I would have said, it was a haphazard situation. Some were terrible failures.   Now, I love them more than some other high-end brands.  

Drugstore vs High end

I still like trying out all sorts of beauty brands and different products.  Although, I am finding out, that some are remarkably similar to what is considered high-end for a better price point. Ultimately, I would say, that some brands are overpriced.  Yet, I am not a fan of a lot of drugstore brands either.   Which leads me to find superior quality products at a fair price.  The Sephora Collection has become one of my go-to brands for that reason.

Sephora Collection Price Point 

Should I start with my favorites or my recent loves?  This is a tough decision.  Let us start with my recent.  Who likes EM Cosmetics, Merit, or Rare Beauty?  Or who cannot afford these brands?  Prices are ridiculous out there.  Although, Rare Beauty is reasonably priced for quality pigmented products. Overall, the Sephora Collection is in line with drugstore products now. That would make it an affordable alternative. 

Sephora Collection Cream Contour Stick

Sephora Collection Cream Contour Stick for $14.00 is close to the EM Cosmetics Contour stick.  The color is a bit different, which is expected.  Rare Beauty and Merit are the same in the fact that their color choices are different as well.  Different tones, different shades, and different glow or luminosity.  These differences aren’t usually huge, they are subtle in most areas.

All these brands’ contour sticks are all creamy and glide on the skin.  All are easy to blend in making them seamless with your skin. Just like EM Cosmetics, you can blend the Sephora Collection bronzer too much and it will disappear into a barely visible shadow.  That is not the ideal application for me. So, I am careful not to overblend. It lasts 12 hours for me at least, but it will fade slightly.  The Rare Beauty one is a bit more pigmented but lasts about the same on me.  However, it doesn’t fade. Overall, I wouldn’t pay more for a slight bit of fading. It has 4.5 stars on Sephora. 89 people have rated it so far. But 22.2k love it. Hopefully, this shows the quality of this product. Don’t just take my word for it. This is good stuff. (color is no 2. Light/Medium

Packaging

The packaging is simple just like the other three.  This one has a tiny bit less quality in the packaging as compared to the Rare Beauty one.  That difference is slight.  It is plastic and feels quite light and thin. That being said, it is a great travel option, which I always like in a contour stick.

Comparison to Drugstore

Another great travel-friendly contour stick is Kiko Milano.  As I do love the Kiko Milano Contour Stick, for its tone (simply gorgeous) and blendibility. It is easy to blend but it is not as easy as the Sephora Collection Cream Contour Stick. Kiko also has more luminosity. The Sephora Contour stick has 5.5 grams compared to the Kiko Milano has 10 grams. Kiko is almost double for a dollar or 2 more. With these two, it boils down to if you value super easy blending above luminosity and price point. That is something you will need to decide. Both are great products.

Sephora Collection Matte Bronzer Powder

To be honest, I got a couple of small samples of this one, which is hard to tell with the sample alone. So, I went to the store to try it out there as well. It was the same there (except for lighting) and I wore it all day. While I like the formula and how it wears on my skin, I don’t like the 01 color for me. It has more of a red-ish tone which is not as flattering on my skin. It is a great Matte Bronzer Powder with again 4.5 stars from 108 people, but only 9.8k likes.

Overall, I would probably pick the color Sunkissed 00. That I would say is closer to other bronzers that I know and love in my collection. Like Benefit Hoola Matte Powder Bronzer Mini and Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Matte Bronzer.  Since I have these other two in my collection now, I will not be purchasing the Sephora Collection Matte Bronzer Power at this point. If, I was going to I would purchase the color 00 is gorgeous. Even though it states light and I don’t usually get this shade range, it is more about tone. The big advantage to this Bronzer is has the same staying power as my two high-end bronzers.

Tried and True on the Sephora Collection

Sephora Colorful® Powder Luminizer 

I am not going to go into a lot of detail on this one as I am going to post about a battle of the luminizers/highlighters in a future post. Needless to say, I have a few and I would say this one is right up there with the best of them. Although, it would be in this category of the more intense highlighters. If you are looking for a more subtle highlighter, these are not them. They do illuminate.

Best Skin Ever Liquid Foundation

Best Skin Ever Liquid Foundation is one of my favorites. If you have seen my makeup obsession post, you would know that is saying something. I have also posted about this beautiful foundation before and I know you are about sick of it. Then try it and see what you think. It has 4.2 stars on Sephora. Those reviews also state that quite a few people with dry skin aren’t fans. However, that may be skin prep with dry skin. Don’t come at me. I have combination skin with very dry skin that is not in the T zone. This hasn’t always been the case in my life, I had combination/oily before tretinoin.

Friends who are estheticians and makeup artists have told me on repeat that skin no matter the type needs prep. The skin also needs to prepare for how you want your skin to look after application. This foundation is a satin finish on my skin. I complete an extra moisturizing step on the dry portions of my face. In doing so, I have had no problems with it being drying at all on my skin and it looks natural.

As you have noticed from the pictures I have 3 currently of these foundations and I usually do have 3 of the Sephora Collection Best Skin Ever Foundations on hand. I mix and match to get the correct color match for my skin throughout the seasons. I also have Antasia Beverly Hill Foundation, Drugstore Foundation, Makeup Forever, MAC, etc. Sometimes I mix with those other foundations. Sometimes I mix two of these foundations for the perfect match. The one thing that has been consistent since I tried the Sephora one is that it is always in the mix for my foundation every time I wear makeup. Sometimes I wear a skintint and then it isn’t in that formulation.

Sephora Collection – going, going, gone, or just reformulated/repackaged?

Sephora’s Lip Mask

Sephora’s Lip Mask is the same as it was before, just new packaging. The packaging is the same color theme as the old one, so not that much updated. If you like it then you have another shot at keeping it in your collection. If you didn’t like it, you won’t like this one either. To me, it was a disappointment. It wasn’t bad, it was great. It was a good lip moisturizer. Not what I want in a lip mask. I want a thick inclusive lip product that when I wake up my lips are still hydrated. That was not this product. It is only $7.00 but still not worth it to me.

The now-discontinued Bite Brand was one of my favorites along with the Langiece Sleep Mask, but this is certainly not close to either one of those beauties. Unfortunately, this is not one of the good ones in the collection.

Sephora Colorful Eyeshadows

This is number 318 and the new Sephora Colorful® Eyeshadow number 318 is the same just repackaged. I can’t see when I swatched in the store that anything is different. Now as I didn’t find anything different with the shimmers, I did with the glitters. They seem to not be as smooth as they were before and I have heard that they are patchy. They don’t last a long time. As far as the matte’s go, they are not as pigmented as the previous formulation. If you like pigmented eyeshadows. I am afraid that is not the way things are going in the beauty industry. Customers are calling for less pigmentation so they can build up the product if they want as far as the matte(s) go. We may see more of this trend.

If you liked these shimmers in the past, you are in luck they appear to be the same as before.

This is that eyeshadow swatches. They all look slightly different, do they? The 1st and 3rd pictures are in low light with different angles. The one in the middle is in a brighter light, however, that one is trier to color. It is so funny how lighting can change how things look.

The Sephora Colorful Eyeshadows are only $8.00 which is a great price point for some good eyeshadows. Whether they are less pigmented than before or not, they beat out quite a few Drugstore Eyeshadows.

Sephora Kohl Liner

It appears to me that either the Sephora Collection Long Lasting Kohl Pencil may be on its way out or maybe just repackaged. It very well might be reformulated as I enjoyed this pencil for smudging out the top lid line. I didn’t use it on the water line or below my lower lashes. It didn’t receive great reviews in those areas. This pencil is only $10.00 which is a great price point. But it doesn’t matter what it costs if it doesn’t do what you want.

I did purchase a new one while it was on “last call” for $5.00. You can’t beat that price even if it is only to smudge out a topliner for a smokey eye. We will see if they come out with a new eyeliner that compares to Urban Decay. Okay, that is my dream as those puppies are wonderful pencils but $23.00 each. Wow!

I will be on the lookout for the new Sephora Eyeliners to emerge. Hopefully, on the new formulation.

Old hydrating concealer to the New Best Skin Ever Full Coverage Multi-Use Hydrating Concealer

Now the old Sephora Concealers were great right up there with Nars Creamy Concealers, almost. They were not quite as long-wearing but nearly there. They were also on the same numbering system as Nars. So it made it very easy to find 03- custard. Now it is in the same number system as their Best Skin Ever Foundations. You would think that would make it easier to find your color. It wasn’t for me. I don’t want the same under my eyes. I have a bit more pink in my cheeks and I still want my under eyes to look brighter than my foundation. Not raccoon eyes but a shade maybe 2 lighter. I picked up 24N and it is too dark under my eyes. It looks like having a darker undereye coloring than I do. That one is going back.

I do think that the formula is longer lasting than the previous one but still hydrating. This concealer is only $16.00 which is a great price. However, I think it has gone up in price. What hasn’t, right?

Sephora Lip Products that appear to be gone forever

These Sephora Lip Products seem to be gone forever. Not that they were the best lip products ever. The price of them wasn’t bad. They weren’t long-wearing or lip-nourishing. The only thing that I liked about them was that this one had a copper sun-kissed look on the lips. I love that look in the summer. Just a tan, glistening look on the lips. As you can see I will be using this one shortly. If Sephora doesn’t come out with something similar, I am not sure if I will purchase it. It depends on the lip nourishing part. And if Beauty Pie brings back its summer colors of lip oils. Those are so damn good. I can’t pass them up.

Sephora other New Lip products

I haven’t tried them, but I have some high hopes for their new lip products. Sephora Collection About That Shine Sheer Shine Lipstick is only $16.00. They are getting some great reviews right now. I don’t think the colors are what I want for summer lips. So for now, I will be waiting. How about you?

Sephora Collection About That Shine Lacquer Shine Lipstick is starting to get quite a few good reviews as well. This is promising because I have my eye on the number 13 Atomic Boost. The price point isn’t bad compared to say YSL Candy Glow Tinted Butter Balm for $40.00. This is only $16.00. I believe the formula of the YSL is closer to the Sheer Lipstick offered by the Sephora Collection. I am comparing the color choice, which I know I shouldn’t do because I will be disappointed.

Knowing that the Sephora Collection one is going to be more pigmented and not a lip balm. I am still willing to chance it and get it. Just for the color option. I can put on a lip mask, or CeraVe Healing gel underneath, if I want a balm. Then on the days I want lipstick I can just put it on by itself.

What did you think of the Best of the Sephora Collection? I didn’t touch on their brush, as I don’t owe any. I have a little of their skincare, so I could go over that in a future post. To me, the Sephora Collection shines in the quality of the makeup for a good price point.