Sephora Shopping! bareMinerals

I went into Sephora the other day to use up a coupon I had for one full-sized BARE ESCENTUALS mineral foundation. I had purchased a gift set at Christmas time that came with bareMinerals primer, mineral veil, lip colour, mascara and an all-over face colour. I was pleased to find out it also came with a voucher for a foundation worth $35.00! The set itself was around fifty bucks, so it had great value. I love the bare escentuals brand because it is a natural line, and they tell you exactly what goes into their products. They make all sorts of makeup and skincare products, and they are definitely worth checking out if you would like to take care of your skin in a more natural way.
Before going into Sephora I did my research. I had already been using the pure radiance all over face colour ($19.00) as a blush for over a month. It is a soft peach colour with lots of lustre. I loved the way it made my skin look. However, I started developing acne around my cheek, forehead and eye area not long after I started to use it and I usually NEVER break out there (only on my chin usually, grrrr). After a quick web search I found out that one of the ingredients bareMinerals uses in its lustre makeup has been linked to breakouts amongst many women- it is called bismuth, or bismuth oxychloride. Assuming it was triggering my own break outs, I went back to my basic MAC blush and decided to only use this all-over colour as an eye shadow.
Luckily, bareMinerals offers a foundation line that does not contain bismuth- the matte line. So I got a colour match done at Sephora and ended up buying bareMinerals MATTE SPF 15 foundation in fairly medium ($35 in Canada). I have to give huge thanks to the staff at my local Sephora- they were amazingly helpful and kind to me on my recent visit :) They even gave a sample to my shopping partner although she wasn't buying anything.
I have used it and it isn't a direct match to my skin tone so I can't use it as a concealer. I usually don't wear all over foundation because the only area of my face that needs it is my chin. I will keep experimenting to see if I can bring myself to like it.

Mini Sephora Haul! 

I also picked up one of Sephora by OPI's nail colours, called mermaid to order ($12.00). It is a greeny-blue shiny colour and very funky. I didn't want to spend twelve dollars on a nail colour but it is worth the money. I painted them on Saturday and didn't bother using a top coat or bottom coat. It is now Monday and they're magically chip free! I wash my hands a lot at my job, so that is very unusual. I am impressed.

Sephora always throws in a few samples, so I got a hair treatment for curly hair which I gave to my mom since my hair is straight. I also got a decent sized sample of Betsey Johnson perfume. It isn't my personal taste, but it isn't offensive either! 

I am getting a new handbag on Wednesday from Fossil. I've decided it will be my Valentine's day gift to myself since I am single for the first Valentine's day in 6 years. I deserve it, right? ;)

--S