Sephora Summerstash Review & Giveaway

I recently picked up all of Sephora’s exclusive sets for summer (they were so darling, I could not resist!), and I loved all three of them. Sephora’s Summerstash is $45 and has 9 deluxe samples of perfect for summer favorites. There is a slightly different set sold at Sephora @ JCP for $42, and I picked up one of those for a giveaway (see the differences and how to enter at the bottom)! As the Summerstash set has the absolutely irresistible Deborah Lippmann’s Mermaid’s Dream in the bag, well, I couldn’t not pick this bag up!

Sephora’s Summerstash Review

The Sephora Beauty Bags often have all sorts of terrible comments about the sample sizes. Having spent over a year reviewing beauty products and their values, I have to say, I just don’t entirely agree. The Sephora 2014 Sun Safety Kit had similar comments and I did not agree with the reviews about having low value overall, although certainly the value doesn’t match Sephora’s. My calculation for the Sephora Summer stash beauty kit is $87.34 plus the bag, I have no idea where they came up with $123 for the value, it’s quite a daramatic discrepancy and it left me puzzling whether I forgot an item.  Although I absolutely appreciate a full-size item, I also totally love a deluxe sample that’s just enough to use up in a season and move on to something else next season/next year! Not dropping $20 on a Deborah Lippmann glitter polish (seriously, one of my absolute favorites, but it’s super pricey and I don’t necessarily need a whole bottle) is great. Just my opinion!

But Sephora does need a reality check on the values of the samples. I do enjoy the Sephora Favorites collections a whole bunch and this is a new addiction for me this year (only $40 to go until I hit VIB status). I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase especially if I had a VIB coupon. BUT… Birchbox collections (like the newest Birchbox Mermaid box – about $110 in value for $44) do seem to have a higher value ratio. It just depends on what you like and what products you are interested in sampling.  Bottom line – I think the bag is a good value and Sephora needs to calculate their stuff like a normal person would! It’s not hard, I do it nearly every single day!

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in 12L ($8.55) I love this! I have a mild obsession with colorful eyeliner right  now and I didn’t realize this was so gorgeous in person. It’s swatched below but the colors are better IRL!

NARS Travel Size Laguna Bronzing Powder ($13.30) This is a brown with golden shimmer and is so versatile! I could see sweeping this on highlight points and eyes after my makeup is all gone for whatever reason (minus the waterproof mascara and eyeliner in the bag of course!). I think this bag was nicely curated to have some lasting makeup choices and reapplication on the go!

Buxom Divine Goddess Luminizer in Venus ($3.22) I have lots of luminizer but this one has a cooling sensation, which is neat. I’m a huge fan of Buxom, it’s one of my fave brands. This isa glowy non sparkly shimmer but I wish it was larger.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Mini Lash Lifter Mascara in Blacquer ($9.75) I am not the biggest fan of waterproof mascara but that means I don’t even have any right now, so this is perfect for me. I can wear it when I know I’m going to get hit with water. Or save it for the end of summer when I go to have the baby. HAH! This one is a pretty wet mascara.

Deborah Lippman Nail Lacquer in Mermaid’s Dream ($10.80) I have already gone on and on about this. It’s gorgeous. It’s DL. What more do you need to know? Not much.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray ($7) For some reason I ordered a full size of this plus this bag. Whatever, it’s fabulous, and now I have a travel size, which I totally need. It’s basically hairspray for your face and you need it.

Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow in Kitten ($18.75 oh so complicated, subtracted value of eye primer from this set to calculate)

Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee in Berry Bliss ($11.61) This was nice although a bit tough to get out because the jar is so small! If I had long nails I am not sure I could do it. I had some silicone based foundation primer on my hand when I swatched them and I don’t recommend using one with this product (have you ever notice that some of those primers gum up your makeup or other products??).

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Stained Gloss in New Wave with Lip Brush ($4.36) I believe the full size of this actually comes with the brush. This one is a very bright color, and SUPER pigmented. It’s not going to stay on forever but it’s a fun look. I had really wanted to sample the Lip Tars and I actually didn’t realize this was a different product at all!

Swatches! I have on from left to right: Lip Tar, the Stila shadow, the eye liner, Nars bronzer, and the Cheek Gelee.

I loved how this was a cohesive set of products that I could just put right in the bag and use as a complete (weather & summer activity resistant) look if I wanted!

If you’d like to get your own Sephora Favorites Summerstash you can either visit Sephora online or in store, pick one up at Sephora inside JCP (slightly different, see photo below), or enter the giveaway to win a Sephora Summerstash set (as pictured below – the giveaway is for the JCP version!!!).

The JCP Sephora version sells for $42 and is slightly different! It is without the Josie Maran, Buxom, and Marc Jacobs, but adds a sample of Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara ($7.14) and Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal ($8.20). I calculate the value of the JCP Sephora Summerstash bag at $78.10, again, lower than the retail value of $107, but still a good value compared to the price of the bag. (Seriously, did I miss something in my calculations?)  Speaking of “the bag” the Summerstash bag is my fave because it doesn’t have the porthole. It’s an absolutely gorgeous pouch and my daughter (she’s 5) had better keep her grubby little paws off of it.

But seriously, it was the first time I had ever allowed myself to step into the JCP Sephora, because it’s just too convenient. And my kids go wild when there’s makeup to be swatched. We left with blue shadowed hands and little acetate swatches of nail polish. Also…. my son totally stole a blue eyelash curler! I found it while I was in Costco underneath the diaper bag and had to drop it back off. #momlife

Enter the giveaway below! The comment this time is to tell me what’s in your stash of summer beauty faves. I want to know! Obviously if I’m super intrigued I’ll have to pick it up! As usual, please be sure that my newsletter isn’t showing up in your spam (because I use the same email address to email prize notifications!). xoxox