Back from Vacation-Haul Pics & my first good experience at Sephora.

So I'm back a bit early from vacation..sorry no pictures since Fernwood Resorts was the worst place in the world to stay (and I hope the whole world knows it!).  That being said, the rest of my week off was great, and I truly enjoyed spending time with my family and inlaws.

Since Fernwood was sort of in the middle of nowhere, and the "shopping areas" were non existent, I didnt have the chance to haul too much.  Eventually my husband, daughter, brother in law, and cousin (who all came on the trip) made a trek out to the "local" Walmart (if u can call a 20min drive local).  I did however pick up two items, one of which is a new release.  (Disclaimer- I am not bashing the Poconos in anyway. Truth be told before this I enjoyed my time there..its just the resort itself, and its staff that I'm disgusted with).

The left is a new illuminator called Ray of Gold.  There was also a pink illuminator, and some bronzers , and a bouncy bronzer as well.  I havent had a chance to try out this, or the Matte Mousse foundation yet, but when I do, I will post.

After leaving the Poconos (after only 1 night), we stayed in a gorgeous hotel  in Greenwich, and then came home.  So, to make up for the (hileriously) bad memories made out west, I treated myself to some Sephora goodies!  

This was only my 2nd time at Sephora.  The fist was at the one in the Westchester (a local high end mall here in Westchester County) with my bestie Victoria.  That one is ALWAYS packed, dimly lit, and overwhelming.  I only picked up a NARS Orgasm blush, and high tailed it out of there.  This time I actually had a nice budget, and I had done some research, so I had in mind what I wanted (tip- go in with a few things in mind, and don't be afraid to ask the staff for help or recommendations..otherwise you can get overwhelmed..). I knew I wanted a foundation, blush and eyeshadow (one of the two Urban Decay Naked palettes).  

After talking with the makeup adviser Shannon (she was AWESOME btw), I decided on the original Naked Palette.  The 2nd was sold out, but I was more drawn the colors in the first.  She talked about how I could switch it up from neutral day looks to night..however as a mom of a young child, I don't get "nights out" super often.  What I did like (before I tried it) was how many combos I could make with just the ONE palette.   After using it for a week I'm hooked on  the staying power and the vibrancy of the colors.  A little goes a long  way, and the primer potion it came with definitely helps with the fallout (which is minor w/o out it).  With out  the primer my eyeshadow stayed for 7hrs with minimal fading or creasing.  I'm totally hooked and in love.  At first I was like "whoh..how will i know what colors to choose?" but its actually a lot of fun to pick out different combos.

The next thing I knew i wanted was a blush from NARS.  I let my consultant (?) know that I already had Orgasm, but it was a bit too much for me since I'm heavy handed with blush , and my cheeks are always flushed, so I cant find the right shade.  She recommended Deep Throat, or a lighter pink blush called Sex Appeal.  Some may be a bit turned off by the names, but I'm not.  I take everything with a grain of salt, and then had my giggle outside.  I settled on Sex Appeal, which is a pigmented light pink blush.  It actually warms up my face despite being so light .  It makes me look put together, but not overdone.  Its not for everyone though.

The last thing I picked up was a Bare Escuentals Bare Minerals foundation.  At first she recommended Smashbox's new BB cream, however that would have been too far above my budget to get it, so she recommended the Bare Minerals foundation. She color matched me, and I picked up fair in the Matte formula. 

I'm going to be doing a separate review on this so stay tuned:)

This is definitely the beginnings of a love affair:)  I liked the one on one service, and the fact that Shannon didnt try to sell me anything I didn't want.  I'm sure that's her job , but she did it well:) 

Does that mean the end of drugstore makeup reviews on Siren Makeup?  Of course not! There's enough makeup love to go around!