Sephora Favorites Set For Summer 2011 Limited Edition Sampler

I saw this set on Sephora.com a few weeks ago and instantly had to have it. It has mini sizes of tons of things I wanted to try- Too Faced Peach Leopard bronzer, Fresh Rose tinted balm, a Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights (love those things) and that makeup primer with the little pieces of real gold in it. I figure I should review it for anyone else who's curious about it. Here's what's included:

- 0.07 oz full-size Sephora Collection Mono Eyeshadow in Choco Excess 19 (dark chocolate with silver glitter)
- 0.13 oz Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Dusk
- 0.08 oz Too Faced Mini Peach Leopard Brightening & Perfecting Bronzer
- 0.125 oz Sephora by OPI nail colour in I'm Wired (opaque electric coral red)
- 0.08 oz Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment (sheer berry rose in pink case)
- 0.18 oz Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold Make-Up Base
- 0.10 oz Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Mascara in Black
- 0.34 oz Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Make-Up Setting Spray
- 0.20 oz full-size Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pop (cool pink)
- Sephora signature makeup bag

This is what I really wanted from the set... Peach Leopard. Ooooooooooo pretty.....

This is the full size Sephora Collection Mono eyeshadow in Choco Excess 19. It's a warm brown with lots of flaky glitter and gold microglitter. I haven't used this yet.


Smashbox mini Fusion Soft Lights in Dusk. I tend to collect these. They're probably my favorite thing from Smashbox... well, that and the primer... And the brushes.



Full size Smashbox gloss in Pop and mini size Fresh Sugar Rosé tinted lip treatment.

And my quick opinion on the items:


- 0.07 oz full-size Sephora Collection Mono Eyeshadow in Choco Excess 19 (dark chocolate with silver glitter): Haven't tried to use this yet, but it sure is pretty to look at. I think they just included this inexpensive house brand shadow to be able to say the kit comes with two full-sized products.


- 0.13 oz Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights in Dusk: I used this as a bronzer/blush and it's great. It's bronze but not too warm or ruddy, and the small amount of shimmer in it makes it look smooth and blurry, not sparkly and bumpy.


- 0.08 oz Too Faced Mini Peach Leopard Brightening & Perfecting Bronzer: Looks gorgeous in the pan, but I'm beginning to think that the Too Faced bronzer minis are a lower quality than the full sizes. This was hard and not very pigmented, nothing like the formula of all my full-size Too Faced bronzers. It's cute, though.


- 0.125 oz Sephora by OPI nail colour in I'm Wired (opaque electric coral red): Haven't worn it yet but the tiny bottle is cute. This is not normally the type of color I wear- too safe and normal, not fun enough... But I could be wrong, it could be really fun and bright when it's on the nails.


- 0.08 oz Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment (sheer berry rose in pink case): Same formula and feel as the original Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment (melty, buttery, a little grainy, lemon scented), but this adds a red berry tint to my lips. Very sheer, subtle, doesn't stain. The sample is not secure in the tube- feels like it's going to break off whenever you use it. The packaging is really nice for a sample- it's a metal screw-cap tube like the full size.


- 0.18 oz Guerlain L'Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold Make-Up Base: I'm not even sure what this is supposed to do, but I had to have it. The best part of it is the gold suspended in the fluid. It's so cool to look at. Unfortunately, it does nothing. It stings and then makes my skin look oily. The gold doesn't add shimmer, it just dissolves and disappears. Can't figure this one out and I'd never pay $70+ for the full size (ONE OUNCE!) bottle.


- 0.10 oz Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Mascara in Black: This seemed old... It was too dried out to use. What a waste. I like the original formula Lights, Camera, Lashes though.


- 0.34 oz Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Make-Up Setting Spray: I've used this before and liked it, but I do have a complaint with the sample packaging. The sprayer on the mini sizes doesn't mist; it splatters. Instead of a fine, even application you get splotches and puddles, which still work, but it's uneven. I've used this for keeping glitter on my eyes but I haven't used it for setting my makeup.


- 0.20 oz full-size Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Pop (cool pink): Really pretty color- sheer milky slightly warm pink. Very flattering. Smashbox gloss has a nice formula that's smooth and non-drying, not sticky at all.


- Sephora signature makeup bag: This is what the set comes in. It's just an ugly zip-top plastic bag. Not pretty or glam like Sephora's other makeup bags. This would, however, make a good beach bag, maybe to carry your wet swimsuit back home in. I'd consider this more of a throwaway than a featured item...



This set costs $39. Is it worth $39? My opinion: no. Why? These are all samples. Sure, they may be deluxe samples, but they're still samples. Tiny. I know samples aren't free to manufacture or distribute, but I don't see how this set is a "$135 value". Did I buy it anyway? Yeah, because I wanted to try some of these things without committing to a full size. What I should have probably done is just buy the $28 full sized Peach Leopard bronzer and not this. I think this kit would be more fairly priced at around $25 and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it again at that price. The full sized products included don't really increase the value of the set; the gloss is one of those things that Smashbox is constantly giving away as Gift With Purchase or during Let's Do Lunch, and the house brand shadow isn't exactly a selling point, you know?

I'm making it sound like I don't like this set, aren't I? That's not the case. I do like this set, that's why I bought it. I just think that $40 is too much for a bag of samples and two cheapie/giveaway full sized items. Lower the price and I'd have nothing to criticize.

I do think it's a great set and I like (almost) everything that's in it. It is cheaper than buying all of the items in full size, after all. But I still really want that Peach Leopard bronzer in full size. Arg.

In case you wanted to see it for yourself, here's the link to it on Sephora: Sephora Favorites Set For Summer