No matter how frustrated or angry I get with the whole “over-promise and under-deliver” experience I’ve had with Sephora, I admit, in the end, Sephora always wins. The recent Epic Rewards debacle, or Canadians being overcharged with taxes and not receiving the right amount of points per purchase (this was a big issue before we got our own Canadian site and warehouse) were few of the inconveniences of being Canadian Sephora consumers.
As a brand manager, I understand the complexity and details of managing such a large presence online (though I’m sure they have a very capable team and enough resources to manage such complexities), but I digress. Having recently been stunned by a 12% price increase on my favourite/holy grail products that I had planned on repurchasing in November with the 20% VIB sale, I was pretty turned off when it comes to shopping at Sephora for some time.
On a random trip to Sephora, I decided to pick up my birthday gift early (well technically I could since you definitely are allowed to pick up your gift 2 weeks before or after your birthday), and I have to say, Sephora has definitely upped their game and continues to deliver beautiful surprises for our birthdays!
I know what you’re thinking – I’m way late in the game and must be the only blogger to have never tried the fan-favourite NARS lip pencils. I wish they could move away from the “let me pick the lipstick colour for you” mindset and include interesting colours (I know it’s difficult to do that when they can’t really tier people based on skintones), but it would be nice to have an option beyond a red lip colour – I really don’t need any more!
As soon as I tried on the NARSSatin Lip Pencil in Rikugien, I was immediately obsessed. This is a colour that you want to have all year round, as it truly mimics the lip shade and gives it a very flattering my lip but better kind of finish. The Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella is a little more intimidating to work with though, and the colour is definitely one I would reserve for special occasions and comes in a very handy travel format – pencil! The eyeliner, though not the blackest black I own still holds up on its own with its effortless formula.
What blew me away though has been the formula itself, particularly on the lip pencils – it is absolutely weightless, scentless, and dries down quickly so it never feels sticky or like you have any lip product on your lips. I don’t find transferring to be an issue either. These qualities definitely made me realize why NARS lip pencils are such favourites among many, and has definitely resulted in my adding these to my wishlist.
Now it’s your turn! Have you tried the NARS lip pencils before? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Share with me comment section or through Twitter or Instagram!
Sephora has disappointed me so many times this year ???? The whole debacle recently about not sending the VIBRouge Holiday Bonus coupon until last (the BI and VIB’s got theres before the sale started, and VIB Rouges were getting there days after it started) really bothered me. I mean, why spend that much $$$ a year if I don’t even get the discount before the stock is out. Another thing that bothered me was the 20% off sale – VIBRouges only got a few days, and then VIB’s got a full week that was separate! When I went into store asking if I still got a discount during the VIB sale (which you think rightfully so since I’m at top tier membership) I was told no, and that I had my chance!?
Don’t even get me started on the price jacking and the taxing…. sigh.
I love their birthday gift this year. The lip pencils are so creamy and to my surprise, I like their eyeliner pencil. I use that for my waterline and they stay put. I have been disappointed in Sephora VIB sale last month. With their new warehouse and low stock inventory, 90% of the stuff I wanted were out of stock for the whole sale period. Good for my wallet as I save lots of $.
Hehe I just picked up my gift last week but I haven’t opened it, I am excited now! Sadly I won’t make it to rouge so I’ll miss the fancy shpancy stuff but Vancouver is kind of boring with its VIB Rouge events anyway. ????
Hahaha, glad to hear they redeemed themselves ???? Awesome gift, I agree.
I know your frustrations, my gosh. I’m just so used to purchasing all my stuff at Sephora that I almost forget about other places. I do hope to try and purchase more at SDM if I can.
I’m so pumped for the Marc Jacobs bday set this year! And it didn’t look like a red lipstick haha!
Happy belated birthday! And I think these birthday sets and rewards that Sephora has definitely makes me a loyal shopper. I love mini products so that’s a plus for me.
Perfect Shade of Mauve