Sephora Beauty Insider 500 Point Perk - Laura Mercier Flawless Best Sellers.

Laura Mercier Flawless Best Sellers Kit

In my five years of being a Sephora Beauty Insider, I've never cashed in on my 500 point perks. I guess I never find them to be that amazing, and usually wait around for some really awesome 100 point perks (such as fragrance minis!) Well, I thought the Laura Mercier Flawless Best Sellers Kit was a pretty sweet deal and decided to cash in on some of my points.

The Laura Mercier Flawless Best Sellers Kit contains:

• Foundation Primer (0.5 oz) $9 value
• Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Nude (0.5 oz) $14 value
• Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic (0.14 oz) $25 value
• Eye Basics in Wheat (0.1 oz) $13 value

I calculated the values based on the full-size products, and the total value for this kit adds up to $61! It sure as heck doesn't look like it, but Laura Mercier is a pricey brand. I think the 500 points was well worth it!

I have yet to try the products, but I've had samples of both the Laura Mercier Primer and Tinted Moisturizer and really liked them. You can see my past review for the Tinted Moisturizer here. Granted I haven't tried any other tinted moisturizers, I think it's quite good for some of my more "natural" days. I'm not sure how the shade Nude (light beige for fair/light skin) will work out, but if anything, I can most likely mix it with other foundations to sheer them out. 

From left to right: Golden Mosaic swatched individually and swirled together, Wheat Eye Basic, Nude Tinted Moisturizer and Primer. 

My November Favorites!

November Beauty Favorites

I know I rarely ever do monthly favorites, but I had to do a favorites list this month since there are several products I've been loving lately and have been getting most of my attention! The list can pretty much go on forever, but I'll try to keep it short!

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation - I've had a few samples of this and loved it, but have only finally purchased a tube this month. It's probably one of my favorite cream foundation as it's full coverage, yet it looks like skin. It's comfortable to wear and the color Bamboo Beige is perfect for me when I am in the MAC NC30 color range. My only gripe is that it's not budge-proof and starts to get a little shiny and fade around my mouth around 5-6 hours in wearing it. Despite that, I really do love this foundation.

MAC Bombshell Lipstick - This has been the only lipstick I've been wearing all month. It's such a pretty rosy pink with a hint of frost. It can look a little bright sometimes, so when I want something more subdued, I like mixing it with a lighter shade, such as MAC Creme D' Nude.

Revlon Bordeaux Lipgloss - Bordeaux has been my favorite pick for an easy berry lip this Fall. I love how pigmented and moisturizing it is, and that I don't have to bother with a lip liner. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a very wearable berry.

MAC Bamboo Eyeshadow - Bamboo is a fairly popular shade by MAC, but it's never one that I thought I needed. Well, I was wrong and this light beige-peach with a matte finish has found it's way into my MAC Everyday Palette, and has been a color I tend to reach for just about every day. Fabulous for warm skin tones, it's a great blending color and pairs well with copper, golds and browns. It leans slightly orange, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for cool skin.

MAC Mulch Eyeshadow - Mulch is another great shade by MAC that I surprisingly didn't own. Although it's pretty much a standard dark bronzy-brown with reddish undertones, it compliments my skin really well and I find myself using often.

Nars Friends and Family + Other Great Cyber Monday Deals!

NARS Friends & Family 2012

Starting at midnight last night, NARS began their Friends and Family sale! You get 20% your order + Free Shipping!! It's a great opportunity to pick up some of your favorties that Sephora doesn't carry, or for those of you that missed out on your Nars favorites during Sephora's F&F and VIB sales.
Use Code: NARSFF2012. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your purchase to save an extra 4%)

*Ebates is also doubling their cash back on many stores, so I've included the savings for each store listed.

Some other great sales:

Coastal Scents
Coastal Scents Black Friday is extended until Wednesday! Take 50% Off Everything!
No code necessary.

Express
40% Off Everything + Free Shipping! Ends 11/26.
No code necessary.

Forever21
Free Shipping with no minimum + up to 70% off on select items! Ends 11/26.
Use Code: CYBERMON.

Josie Maran
For those of you who are running low on your Josie Maran Argan Oil, now is the chance to buy! Take 25% Off Josie Maran's Featured Products + Free Shipping on orders over $25! Ends at 11/26 11:59PM.
Use Code: ARGAN25.

Lancome
Take 20% off your order at Lancome now through 11/30 11:59PM EST. Also, enjoy Free Shipping on orders of $49+.
Use Code: HEARTS. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your Lancome purchase to save an extra 14%!!)

NYX
20% off all items + Free Shipping on orders over $40! Also, 30% off all eye and lip sets!
No code necessary.

Origins
It's the final day to make your purchases at Origins for $10 off your orders of $25 + Free Shipping!
Use Code: TENOFF. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your Origins purchase to save an extra 12%!)

Sephora
Free Mystery Sample bag with $25 purchase! Ends 11/26.
Use Code: UNDERWRAPS. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your Sephora purchase to save 8% on your purchase!)

Shu Uemura
Stop by Shu Uemura and take 20% off your order of $50 or more + enjoy Free Shipping! Ends at 11/27 11:59PM EST.
Use Code: WISH2012. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your order to save an extra 10%!)

Smashbox
It's the final day to make your purchases at Smashbox and receive 25% off your order of $50 or more + Free Shipping and Free Samples!
Use Code: FRIENDS2012. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your Smashbox order to save 12%!)

Tarte
Take 25% off your order + Free Shipping on orders of $40 and more! Ends 11/26 11:59PM EST.
Use Code: CYBER. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your Tarte order to save an extra 4%!)

The Body Shop
50% off the entire store + Free Shipping on orders of $30! Ends 11/26.
No code necessary. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your order for an extra 10% savings! 6% for Canada.)

Too Faced
Take an additional 50% off Vintage Items! Ends 11/26.
Use Code: BLACK2012. (Don't forget to use Ebates on your order for an extra 4%)

Topshop
Free Shipping on all orders worldwide! Ends 11/26 23:59 PST.
No code necessary.

Ulta

Shop Cyber Monday Deals + $10 off $50 and $20 off $100. Ends 11/26. Also, free beauty bag containing 15 samples with any $35 purchase! Ends Tuesday.

Use Codes: 85224 for $10 off $50 and 85118 for $20 off $100.

Let me know in the comments if you know of any great Cyber Monday deals!

I will be updating the list shortly with more deals.

Step by Step Autumn Smokey Eyes Tutorial!

Autumn Smokey Eyes Tutorial

I wanted to show you an eye look that I've really been loving lately, and have been recreating on most days I've been going out. The star of this look is MAC Club Eyeshadow, which is a really beautiful soft brown with reddish undertones and a metallic green duochrome. What I love about it is that it can transform with whatever base you use. In this look I've layered Club over a black base, and it makes the green tone really stand out and appear as a beautiful, rich emerald green. On the rest of the lid where the black wasn't applied, it appears as a reddish-brown. So before I even picked up any other eyeshadows, it looked like I've already used more than one. 

For a cheaper alternative to MAC Club ($15), Wet n Wild has a great dupe in their Comfort Zone Color Icon Palette ($4.99). You'd actually be able to re-create most of this look with the Comfort Zone palette.
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Products Used:

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Bobbi Brown Black Ink Long-wear Gel Eyeliner 
MAC Club Eyeshadow (red-brown with greeen pearl)
MAC Bamboo Eyeshadow (light peach-beige, matte)
MAC Jest Eyeshadow (soft peach with icy shimmer)
MAC Mulch Eyeshadow (red-brown with bronze pearl)
MAC Woodwinked Eyeshadow (warm antique gold)
Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara
False Lashes (cut in half)
L'Oreal Gold Charge HIP Chrome Eyeliner 

*For this tutorial I used the site Beauty Sets to quickly and easily create a collage of images. Please let me know if you find this method of tutorial confusing. It's much easier and less time consuming for me, but if they aren't helpful, I'll continue doing them the way I did before. Thanks!!

Autumn Smokey Eyes in 10 Steps

Step 1: Prime your eyelids. (Photo #1)

Step 2: Apply black cream/gel liner to the top lash-line. It doesn't have to be perfect, because in the next step we are going to smudge it. (Photo #2)