REVIEW: Sephora Superstars 2014!

Aloha ladies! I am backk and super excited about my recent acquisition. The exclusive, 12 piece Limited Edition Sephora Favorites, Sephora Superstars Set! Can you feel my excitement? Let's just get right into whether I think this set is worth it or not!

The packaging is so festive! I love the box mechanism, although the printing on the box is a bit of a disappointment. Last years boxes were nice and simple rose gold so you could use them for storage, not that these can't be, but a plainer box is definitely much easier on the eye. I'd be happier if the products were printed onto a separate sleeve or a peel off sticker but they're not so I will probably cut off the red lid and use the empty gold box as a drawer liner.

This pops right out and the products are quite securely pushed into the plastic so even though they are sans usual cardboard packaging, they survived their trip from America to my arms! You get 6 fullsize products. Just the BB cream from Smashbox is a little over half the price of the set and the deluxe samples are pretty generous too!

Let's go by order of products I was MOST excited to try to the ones I was like 'meh' about and calculate their values as we go shall we? Full reviews will follow soon but for now these are just first impressions since I got this set just over a week ago!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (fullsize) retails for $21: Strange as it is, I was most excited for a brow product. All I can say is that Anastasia has me absolutely obsessed with the Dipbrow Pomade, so I've been meaning to try this and more from her brand since way too long. So glad that this color, Dark Brown (previously sold as Brunette) is a perfect match for me. It may be too light for dark/black haired ladies. I am really liking this so far!

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream (fullsize) retails $39: I had heard some good stuff about this ladies. This was included in last years Superstars set as well, which is good news for those who missed out on it then, but not so exciting for the ones who did manage to get it. But it just goes to show that this really is a great product. First impressions, I enjoy wearing this! Feels like nothing on the skin, it's a primer/BBcream/SPF/Moisturizer all in one! To top it off it claims to protect and condition your skin. Oh, and the shade Light couldn't be a more perfect match for my nc20-25 skin! This does come in 8 other shades separately although I think Sephora should've added an option to pick your shade since it would be useless otherwise!

NARS Blush in Orgasm (fullsize) $30: Holy moly. I have always been skeptical about this blush and how everyone raves about it. I was excited to try this out in hopes that I'd FINALLY get to see and experience what the deal is with this blush. Now I know. I wouldn't say this is my top favorite product in the set, at least not YET, I've only used it once but the feel, texture and appearance of this on the cheeks is truly impeccable.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil (Mini) retails for $16, fullsize $48: Another cult favorite, the all in one moisturizer/treatment for skin, hair and nails. I think we will be winter buds but first impressions, so lightweight! It gets absorbed pretty easily although I haven't tested it long enough to say whether it is the sensational product it is said to be.

Chloe Eau de Parfum (rollerball) retails $25: I love perfumes and I love rollerballs even more. They're a great way to try out a new fragrance too, see if you like it. Just the convenience of throwing one into your purse is genius. I've seen women carry around big bottles of expensive perfumes just thrown into their bags (not judging, but definitely cringing a little bit) and things happen, stuff breaks, it gets damaged and my heart is a little weak for that kind of stuff. So, I was excited to try this out since I had never taken a whiff of this before and I will just say that a full size is on it's way to my dresser. Soon. InshaAllah. Hahaha :P

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner (fullsize) $20: I wasn't totally excited I'll admit, but once I read a few reviews I was okay, this looks like a well loved product so why not? I've been using this religiously on myself and on mom, it is very easy to use, super precise and yeah, stays on ALL day but I wouldn't vouch for the waterproof claim. Not just yet, let's really test it out first.

Benefit They're Real Mascara (deluxe sample) approx $10: I am obsessed with They're Real by Benefit and am almost done with my previous full size tube which I LOVEEED to death. So glad I got another one in this set because I would've repurchased anyways!

Formula X Nail Color in Ignite (fullsize) retails $10.50 separately: Haven't gotten around to trying this out but it seems pretty promising. The color is right up my alley and generally perfect for the fall and winter season! Cannot wait to try this out!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Sin (fullsize) $18: Described as a champagne shimmer, this is featured in the original Naked palette if I'm not wrong. Haven't tried any UD eyeshadows yet, (I got the Naked 3 but haven't touched it yet, maybe I'm waiting for something special I don't know or I'm just crazy) so I am looking forward to using this! Packaging is gorgeous, you get a nice amount and who knows maybe it could double up as a champagne highlighter too?!

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray (travel sized) retails $15: I have mixed feeling about hair products, simply because I have crazy all over the place kind of hair and nothing, I repeat NOTHING can make it behave unless it wants to. Surf sprays are also generally not my thing but it's not something I wouldn't try. Just hair products generally, are not my thing. No. Perhaps this can make a difference. We shall see. For people interested, it smells DIVINE ladies. And the bottle is so classy, sturdy and uber chic. I do hope I end up loving this. Fingers crossed.

Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment (deluxe sample size) full size retails at $22.50 but according to the quantity you get these would be about $11.28: This is a great product, but since I already have two of these from other sets, I wasn't really jumping with joy to get another one. These last a long time even with the deluxe mini sizes so that's good value for money not to mention they are amazing. You can read a mini review on this here!

Benefit Porefessional (deluxe) approx $10: Least excited about this product. Mainly because I have a fullsize sitting in my drawer catching dust. I'm not particularly a huge fan of the Porefessional and I will explain why in a separate review, but for people who really want to try this out, it is a good size and you'd probably get about 5-6, maybe even more, uses out of it! I wish they'd added a classic lip color instead of this because not only is Porefessional in like every other Benefit set, it seems repetitive, when we've already got the Smashbox BB cream which primes, reduces pores and lines.

If you sum up the value of all the 12 products above, *whips out phone calculator* (I am no math whiz sorry) it all comes to $225.78! So ladies and gentlemen, all the skeptics, they do not lie and they do not kid when they say you get a $225 value for just $75. I think it is insane! I am in love with more than half the products so that seals the deal for me personally. Even with the BB cream, Brow Wiz and NARS Blush alone I have more than the $75 I spent and those 3 have been my wishlist products for months! I think I will get good use out of each of these, (with the exception of the Porefessional) and that definitely justifies the purchase for me! As for all of you beauties, if you are contemplating a purchase, you can get a further 20% off on this if you hurry with the ongoing Sephora FnF event that ends 10/29/14. Remember to use your codes ladies. If that's not an insane deal then I don't know what is! I say go get it. You go get them all girl!

My Rating:

5/5: In love!!!

The only drawback of this set is the limited shade range that you get with the BB cream and the Brow Wiz. If only it came with option to pick your perfect match, this set would be the bomb! The set is limited edition so once it's gone, it's gone but fortunately none of the products it includes are limited edition so if you miss out, you can surely get these separately too! Let me know which of these would you like me to review for you guys first and I will do exactly that! Have a great week ahead, I love you guys! Goodbye!