Sephora Favorites "In The Glow" Blush, Bronzer & Illuminizer Sampler

Today, I am very excited to show you a new Sephora Favorite set that I purchased yesterday.  This is the Sephora Favorite "In The Glow" Blush, Bronzer & Luminizer Sampler.  It is available in some stores, and it looks like it will be in stock online in the next few weeks.  It retails for $45 for 9 deluxe samples.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I love blush.  It's my weakness, so I had to buy this set.  It's a great way to try out high-end products without paying the price for a full-size product.  Plus, the small packaging really is adorable.

This sampler includes 3 blushes, 3 bronzers and 3 highlighters. 

Let's take a look at the blush.

Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Flush - 0.17 oz - It looks really dark and scary, but the swatch shows that it is definitely wearable.  I think it looks almost like a gel, and it smells like gummy bears.  I can't wait to try this.

Stila Convertible Color in Peony - 0.07 oz - I love cream blush.  The color is beautiful, and it's very smooth.  I can't wait to compare this to my NYX cream blushes.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Spendor - 0.11oz - I love Tarte blush, and I love these smaller sized Tarte blushes.  If you haven't seen it yet, you should check out my post on the Tarte Fantastic Foursome 4 Piece Set that is also available at Sephora right now.  This blush does have glitter, but the color is really pretty.

 Here are swatches of the three blushes.

Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Flush, Stila Convertible Color in Peony, Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Spendor

Here are the three bronzers.

NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna - 0.08 oz - This is probably one of the most well-known bronzers.  I have never owned it before, and I think it may be too dark for me during the winter.  It does have shimmer in it, and it has a mirror.

Too Faced Chocolate Matte Bronzing Powder - 0.08 oz - This has been on my wish list for a long time.  If I had stopped to smell this bronzer in the store, I would have bought it a long time ago.  It smells like hot chocolate and it's AMAZING.  Maybe a bit dark for my pale skin, but I love the smell.   

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic - 0.14 oz - This is really nice packaging for a sample size.  This is a bronzer, but it would also make a pretty highlight on someone with darker skin.  I was also told that this works great as eyeshadow. 

 And the swatches...

NARS Bronzing Powder in Laguna, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder, Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic

Last but not least, here are the highlighters.

Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Lumanizing Powder in Spotlight - 0.106 oz - This is soft and GORGEOUS.  I can't wait to compare this to my Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter from theBalm. 

bareMinerals All Over Face Color in Pure Radiance - 0.02oz - I had this before when I wore bareMinerals foundation.  This has a lot of fine glitter in it.  I prefer pressed powders, but this is a nice summer highlighter. 

Benefit High Beam - 0.13 oz - I am surprised I haven't owned this, because it seems like this comes in every kit that Benefit or Sephora sells.  This is supposed to be comparable to the Boots No. 7 High Lights Illuminating Lotion. 

Here are the swatches.

Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight, bareMinerals All Over Face Color in Pure Radiance, Benefit High Beam

 Overall, I'm very happy with the set, and I can't wait to try all of the products!

Battle of the Shimmer Bronzers: Tarte Park Avenue Princess vs. theBalm Betty-Lou Manizer

Today in the Battle of the Shimmer Bronzers, I will be comparing Tarte's Park Avenue Princess and theBalm's Betty-Lou Manizer.

Just like in my Battle of the Matte Bronzers, one of these products is actually a deluxe sample.  I got the Tarte Park Avenue Princess in a Sephora 500 point Beauty Insider Reward set a while ago. 

Here is what the full size Tarte Park Avenue Princess looks like.  Park Avenue Princess also comes in a matte waterproof version.

Packaging:  The full size Tarte bronzer comes in a very sophisticated, faux snakeskin compact.  TheBalm's packaging is always adorable.  Betty-Lou Manizer a.k.a "The Bronzing Bandit" is shown on the front.  I prefer the Tarte packaging, based solely on looks. 


Size:  Tarte's Park Avenue Princess is .32 oz, while Betty-Lou Manizer is .3 oz.  Not much difference in size.

Product:  Next to each other, they look very similar.  Park Avenue Princess looks like it would be slightly darker than Betty-Lou Manizer.  Both are very soft, smooth powders.

Color:  Betty-Lou Manizer is more coppery golden.  Sephora's website describes Park Avenue Princess as "highly pearled light yellow gold."  With a heavy swatch, Park Avenue Princess looks more wearable at a bronzer, while Betty-Lou Manizer looks more like an eyeshadow. 

Availability:  I always have to mention this with theBalm products, because the availability is limited.  Betty-Lou Manizer is available on theBalm's website, and it is one of the few theBalm cosmetics products that is still available on Sephora's website. 


Cost:  The full size Park Avenue Princess is $29 at Sephora.  Betty-Lou Manizer is $24 on theBalm's website or on Sephora's website.  Betty-Lou Manizer is also included in Fake It Don't Bake It kit at Marshall's for $10, if you can still find it. 

Overall:  I wouldn't rebuy Betty-Lou Manizer, because it isn't very wearable for me.  Although I love the packaging, I don't think i would spend $29 on the Tarte shimmer bronzer, since I love my Milani Baked Bronzers so much.

tarte Fantastic Foursome 4-Piece Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Enthusiast Set

From the moment that I saw this blush set on Sephora's website, I knew I had to have it.  The tarte Fantastic Foursome 4-Piece Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush Enthusiast Set comes with 4 Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Angelic (shimmering champagne), Fantastic (soft fuchsia), Magic (pink coral) and Stellar (shimmering nude).  Each blush is 0.1 oz, which is half the size of the full sized blushes.  The set is $35 (a $60 value).  A full size 0.2 oz tarte blush is $25!

I already own one blush from tarte, and I really wanted to get my hands on a few more.  The high price of $25 each has been the only thing stopping me from trying a few more colors.  This limited edition holiday set is a great way to try a few shades without committing to the full retail price.  I don't mind that these blushes are a smaller size, because I have yet to use up a blush.

Here are some pictures and some quick swatches of this set.

 Top of the box -

 Back of the box -

 

Angelic, Fantastic, Magic, Stellar

Angelic

Fantastic

Magic

Stellar

tarte blush is soft, long-wearing and very blendable.  I'm surprised to say that I think Magic will be my favorite of the bunch, but I can't wait to try them all!  Angelic is definitely a beautiful highlight.

What are your thoughts? Will you be picking this set up?