Sephora Nail Patches

RRP: $5 for 20 patches
# of shades available: 5

--What does the promo say?--
"What it is:
Colorful, long-wearing stickers for the nails.

Sephora Brand Nail Patches make it easy to be glamorous. The colorful strips add shine and brilliance to nails, with zero drying time or smudging—so you can stop using brush applicators and worrying about polish that runs or spreads unevenly and takes a long time to dry."

--Packaging--
The patches are aligned on lines of sticky-backed paper and are easy to tear off. These are, in turn, encased in a shiny black plastic envelope which gives you all the essential product information on the front in silver, as well as a see-through window so that you can take a good look at the product before you buy it. You don't have to separate all the patches at once, and the envelope closes easily as well, to protect them until you want to use them again.

--Application--
"Just stick on the patches and go — it's that easy!" says the Sephora website. "Select the appropriate size for your nail, pull off the clear protective strip, and place the rounded side at the nail base. Smooth onto the nail surface, and remove the surplus by folding the nail sticker under the nail. The excess easily tears away. Remove the nail patch with traditional nail polish remover." Sadly it isn't quite as simple as they make out: it's VERY fiddly to a) get it perfectly aligned on the nail and b) to avoid creases and tears. Boooo. Orange sticks and a pair of nail scissors do help enormously though.

--Appearance--
Not great - creases and uneven edges, due to difficulty in applying and tearing respectively, are rife. However, the colours are brilliant, and compliments were received regarding the appearance of my nails.

--Texture/consistency--
None, since this isn't exactly a conventional nail polish, although with perseverance a smooth result can be achieved.

--Longevity--
The pack claims that the patches, once applied to your nails, will last for 10 days, which seems to be a valid claim. It's just a shame if you can't get it right in the first place, as all your mistakes will stay on your nails for ten days too, with no way of correcting them. It also does not/cannot adapt to your natural nail growth, meaning that gaps soon appear between the patch and the cuticle, and the patch and the top of the nail, which is probably the main reason why you need to re-apply the patches after 10 days. The colour does not suffer at all during this time.

--Removal--
Absolutely rubbish. You really have to scrub at them with your usual solvent/nail varnish remover in order to get this stuff off, and if you have one of those little dip-and-twist nail varnish remover pots, it actually won't work on this at all and you'll need to borrow some real remover off someone. Since I unfortunately have one of these stupid little pots (albeit quite an old one), I had to resort to just using the solvent to weaken the polish before scraping it off manually (and even then it took ages). Ugh. Simply not worth it.

--Value for money--
It's still a pretty expensive option for 2 applications of nail colour, even if you have small nails and can thus stretch the pack to cover 3 applications. It's also a fair amount to pay for something that's so far from perfect. If they can find a way to make it less fiddly to apply, less prone to creases, and easier to remove, then I'll be all ears.

perfect partners
Sephora Birchwood Sticks (set of 12), $2
Sephora Glass Nail File, $8
Sephora Cuticle Tool, $16

Sephora Nail Varnish

RRP: €4.50/$4

--What does the promo say?--
"Glaze your nails with brilliant, chip-proof shine. Our widest assortment of nail colours takes you from classic to cutting-edge with just a swipe of the brush. Each long-lasting shade is packaged in travel-ready 0.17 oz bottles, so you can tote several of your favorite shades for quick changes, on the go."

--Packaging--
Dinky and simple. The Sephora logo is carved into the clear glass, and the lid is basic screw-top black. All of the information is available on a discreet black label on the back of the bottle. Easy.

--Application--
Apply the polish to your nails in thin coats, waiting a little between coats. Three strokes per nail (centre/left/right) generally ensures an even finish. Finish with a separate top coat.

--Appearance--
This brand arguably has the world's widest nail polish range, with its staggering range of colours not only available in the standard finish but also available in metallic, shimmery and glittery finishes. Mine is a simple matte navy which wears very well on its own but even better as an alternative French manicure (white for the majority of the nail, blue for the tips). Colour appears even and is very definite: there's no confusion with black here.

--Texture/consistency--
The brush tends to pick up a little too much polish, making it difficult to handle. However, the polish itself is fine.

--Drying time--
Average.

--Staying power--
Again, average (although I tested this with no top or bottom coat).

--Value for money--
It is a sample size, and an own brand too, and the price reflects this. However, there are very few bad points, making this ideal for travel or for everyday use.

Sephora Colorful Duo

RRP: €10,90 or $16
# of shades available: 10

--What does the promo say?--
"Each of these pocket-sized duos contains a shimmering, sheer creme shadow that can be applied alone on the lids, cheeks, or lips, plus a complementary powder shadow for layering, highlighting, and contouring. Enriched with green tea to soothe the delicate eye area. Suggested use: apply cream shade over the entire lid as a base, then layer the powder shade over the cream for a multi-dimensional effect and longwearing color. Powder shades can also be used to contour the lid and crease. Cream shades can also be applied to cheeks and lips as a highlighter."

--Packaging--
A small, round, circular black plastic box with a little window so that you can see the shades of the pressed-powder eyeshadow, and the brand name and the name of the product written on the window in black. Simple but effective. Though I'll be honest, it's a flip top lid, and while this is great from the point of view that it won't fall open in your handbag and wreck your stuff, it has no grip on the front of the lid whatsoever for you to grab hold of when you're trying to open it. It's not impossible to open, but occasionally it's been a bit of a challenge. You have been warned.

--Application--
You just treat it like any other eyeshadow - apply to the eyelid using your finger, or a brush (wet or dry). However, for reasons stated under 'texture', I wouldn't second their recommendation of using the creme on the cheeks and lips.

--Appearance--
I have Coral Harmony 04, the pink/gold combination. The pink looks nice in the box, but on the eyelid it's practically invisible, whether it's worn with or without its gold companion - all you can see is the glitter rather than the colour itself. This is OK with me as I like glitter, but I thought it was worth mentioning. It's still very pretty but if you were after a little more pinkness you might be disappointed. It is quite glittery, so go easy with it.

--Texture--
Honestly? Until I'd read the promo I did not realise that one was meant to be a creme and one was meant to be a powder. So I went to the bathroom just now to have another look, and after poking at the shadow a couple of times (before thinking I'd better stop before I wasted the shadow), I can confirm I am not totally dense. I could see/feel absolutely no difference whatsoever. They both feel very powdery rather than creme-like, but not brittle and not heavy. I like the texture of the powder, but I think that if they advertise it as creme and powder then they should make more of an effort for it to be so, or change their advertising.

--Longevity--
Doesn't crease, but this could be because it's mostly glitter.

--Value for money--
Despite the failings in the product's packaging and general advertising, I do still like this eyeshadow very much. You're getting two very nice colours for under £10, and the glitter is very flattering (boyfriend complimented me on it, and he doesn't normally notice differences in the makeup I use). Plus, it's far far cheaper than buying the two exact same colours from Nars in two separate mono shadows (which is what I was going to do before I saw this in the shop, and which would have set me back an eye-watering 46 euros/approx £35-£38). So I believe that puts us up to:
designer brands (Benefit and Nars): 0 Sephora's own brand: 2

On the whole, I think you pay a very good price for what you get in this eyeshadow (if you don't mind glitter, that is!) and I would definitely buy it again.

Sephora Luminiser

RRP: $22 or 9 euros 90
# of shades available: 4 (white, light rose, apricot, golden bronze)

Available at any Sephora branch in: France, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, Poland, Spain and USA. This is the bad news. You won't be able to get this in the UK, not even online (well, perhaps on ebay...), so you may be best to save hunting for this until you're on holiday somewhere nice.



--What is it?--
This is basically Benefit High Beam at half the price. As well as being just as effective, Sephora's product also has a greater range than Benefit's equivalent - in the Benefit range, you only have white (Moon Beam) or pink (High Beam) available, whereas the Sephora luminiser provides you with a slightly yellower shade and with a bronzer in addition to the pink and the white.


--Packaging--
Comes in a small opaque glass bottle c. 7-8cm high including pump. The Sephora logo and name of the product appear on the front of the bottle in a black, no-frills font, with product information on the back. The pump is black and is covered by a clear lid.


--What does the promo say?--
"Go for the glow with these versatile luminizing liquids that can be mixed into your foundation or moisturizer for a sheer luminescence ranging from subtle to sun kissed. For a more intense shimmer, dab directly onto clean, moisturized skin."


--Application--
Pull off the lid and push down the pump until the liquid appears. Apply either to cheeks or all over your face using your fingers or a brush, over makeup or on bare face. The one thing I really don't like about applying this is the fact that the pump seems quite stiff - you can't just push it down a little bit for a small amount of liquid, you have to push it down the whole way, which I find produces a slight excess of liquid. Luckily this is not an over-excess and any leftover liquid can easily be got rid of by spreading it on your décolletage.



--Texture--
Slightly runny but still stable (i.e. it's not going to drip off your fingers before you have a chance to apply it to your face).



--Appearance--
While in the bottle it appears quite matte, the luminiser is in fact quite subtle on the face. Even though it contains small particles of glitter, you don't end up looking like an Abba reject.



--Longevity--
Excellent.



--Value for money--
Beyond compare. I was considering buying High Beam before I spotted this, and then I contented myself with quiet laughter that I hasn't spend double the money on what is essentially exactly the same product - just without the in-your-face packaging. Plus, a little seems to go quite a long way, so I can anticipate that my bottle will last the distance. Just watch yourself when using the pump.