Holiday Steals & Deals

As the holidays draw closer, I can't help but be pulled into my favorite store, Sephora, to take a peak at all the holiday sets they're releasing this year. I often find that the gift sets offer great deals: a lot of products for a reasonable price. After three Sephora trips, I've gathered a few great deals I can't wait to tell you about.

As I was browsing my mall, I first walked into the Sephora inside JCPenny. Inside, they had a little stand labeled "Sale" so I decided to take a look at those items first. To my surprise, they had a ton of Formula X nail polishes on sale. Ranging from $1.99-$2.99 I thought this was a steal for this product. Originally around $11.00, I couln't pass up a deal like that especially considering how loved these nail polishes are by a lot of people. I decided to pick up two polishes, one which was a true copper/ gold and one which had hints of green, gold, and purple in it. Both polishes appeared beautiful in the bottle and to my surprise, once applied, they went opaque in two coats and maintained their beautiful colors. These polishes are lasting very well on my nails and I don't see any chipping even though it has been four days. I am very impressed.

Kat Von D had recently released a new line of lipsticks and repackaged her liquid lipsticks. After asking several stores, I finally tracked down a Sephora in my area that had the discontinued lipsticks in their back stockroom. At a discounted price ($7.00 each, down from $21.00 each) I picked up two nude shades and the iconic orange "A Go-Go". Although they have an unpleasant crayon scent, they apply beautifully and last for a long time while being comfortable on the lips. I also noticed that the scent dissipates really quickly and that they have no taste to them once applied. If you can also get your hands on the discontinued liquid lipsticks I would jump on them.

I've been using the Soy Cleanser for a long time. It's my holy grail face wash. I'm also a huge fan of their lip balms but at $25.00 a tube, they are too expensive to keep repurchasing. This is why I was thrilled when I saw this set at Sephora. For $19.50 (the price you would pay just for the cleanser, you also get a travel sized Advanced Treatment balm. I really like how this lip balm doesn't have SPF because I've noticed that SPF makes my lips peel.

I love the Bare Minerals Lash Domination Mascara for natural days that don't require much fuss. Priced at $18.00 for one tube of this mascara, this holiday set is the same price, yet you get a generous sized travel mascara along with the full sized tube. It's a great deal and i'll be set for mascara for a while.

As I was paying at the register, I noticed this pretty pink box with Josie Maran's logo on it. When I opened the box I saw that inside, there was a trail sized Josie Maran Argan Oil Light inside. When I inquired about purchasing this, the sales associate said that this box was $5.00 and can be used as a stocking stuffer because there is a place to put a Sephora gift card. The good news is, she said most people don't buy a gift card, they just purchase the box for the product inside. Usually, the trail sized version of the Josie Maran Argan Oil is $15.00 so this was a definite steal. With the cold winter months ahead, this oil is a less greasy version of the original argan oil yet has the same moisturizing properties.

xx Yuliya