sephora

The perfect perfume can be hard to find and it’s almost never cheap. With hefty price tags you may be forced to play it safe and only buy multi-functional perfumes for day to night is usage.

This isn’t a bad thing but sometimes you want a different scent for a different occasion. Another issue I have had with my scents over the years is a travel issue.

For those of you always on the go or if it feels like your living your life out of a bag sometimes, you may understand the frustration that I have faced with perfume travel. I have ruined a few bags and lost some good scents in my attempts to travel with perfume, that is until recently.

Thanks to roll on perfumes I can now travel the world with my perfume always on hand!! If you have yet to have purchased your favorite perfume in roller form you have to and the best part is…. most of your favorite scents now cost you around $20!

And because the price is so reasonable it’s also a smart way to test out a new perfume before you commit to a whole bottle. These smaller rollers sizes allow give me the ability to own multiple scents so I can play around with my perfume depending on the occassion!

This little roll on is a CheapChica’s dream! Check out the selection at Sephora for a ton of options!

Claudalie Beauty Elixir: $16.00

Click it/Skip it: Click it! So you know those nights when you should be in bed, but instead you’re out with the girls.. ala Sex and the City style? Well, it’s the next morning when your skin is pasty and dry that you’re regretting that last cosmo. But alas! No more do we have to look like we didn’t get enough beauty sleep the night before! I have found a solution!

Fit: Caudalie makes this amazing spray that claims to smooth the skin, tighten pores, and provide your face with an “instant burst of radiance, as it stimulates microcirculation.” And it does!! One or two sprays of this very fine mist will leave your skin feeling fresh and rehydrated. Plus, it doesn’t leave your skin feeling oily; it dries fast and makes your skin feel oh-so-smooth!

Shopper’s note: At $16 for a 1 oz. bottle, it’s a little on the pricey side, for what one may consider a frivolous beauty purchase, but a little goes a long way, and my bottle has lasted me months, even with fairly regular use! You can order online at Sephora.

You know you’re in for some fun when you’re makeup starts to resemble art supplies… but seriously, can we just deem this beauty deal of the century?

This amazing mega-kit from Sephora, aptly named Color Play 5-1, is an incredible deal, packing in (deep breath… ready now?):

Five “sub-palettes” or “looks” (see one example below) with names like Dinner in Paris and Coffee in New York (how can you not love this), each of which contain ten eye shadows, two lip colors, and one blush.

Ummm yeah, let’s do the math… in total, that makes fifty eye shadows, ten lip colors, and five blushes! Are you kidding me? And it only gets better, because the whole thing only costs $29.99. So amazing!

I can’t wait to start playing around with and mixing shades, trying new looks; because let’s face it… thirty bucks buys you all of a stick of lip gloss at most department store counters…!

Seriously… you can never complain about not having that perfect shade of shadow again!

Yay!! I’m soooo happy that it’s finally Spring outside which means its time to invest in some new makeup. I like to keep my make up really soft and simple in the Spring and when it comes to lips, I prefer using only a lip gloss instead of a flat shade of lipstick.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I found this AMAZING deal on lipglosses from Clinique at Sephora!

And check this out, it’s only $25 for 12 different shades! Not too mention they’re the perfect size for “on-the-go” and you can even get this Summer Floral Clutch for FREE! Just enter code FLORALBAG at checkout.

I first tried Anastasia brow highlighter (which comprises one half of this conveniently compact product) when I chose it as one of my courtesy free samples in placing an order with Sephora.com… love that feature, don’t you?

Well, let me tell you… this stuff is awesome. Eye contouring, no matter how subtle, does me a whole lot of good. It makes my eyes pop, look more sophisticated…and all out amazing!

Why is it that eye shadow never seems to be quiiteeee as cool as it does on all those smoked-out looks in the magazines??

Well, what I love about this product is that when you apply it above your eye shadow (which, yes, may be a bit less than perfect) right under your brow, it adds a perfect tint…

the color shows up as a subtle glow of a white-slightly-blush-color that instantly adds a bit of highlight and depth that will complement your eye shadow; or, it can also be worn alone with nude eyes to add contouring.  Either way it’ll open your face up and make your eyes glow just a bit more.

Bonus: this product not only includes this amazing highlighter (which, lasts forever: I am still working on the sample I received over a year ago and I wear the stuff everyday!), it also includes a brow pencil in a color compatible with pretty much any brow color.

Two products in one that will put you back a measly $21.00… now I’d call that a good deal. Certainly a beauty must-have!

Love them or loathe them but the Kardashians have some of the best make-up looks seen today. Their features are perfectly refined, feminine, and expertly finished.

The master behind their beautiful faces is Mario Dedivanovic; a living legend and star on the rise sure to join the ranks of make-up’s elite a la Kevyn Aucoin. His trademark palettes are fresh, fun, and sexy, and you can get the dish straight from the man himself on his blog.

Following is a taste of how to get one of his masterful looks all on your own like the one pictured here, and follow his blog and Twitter for more of his expert tips and tricks to keep you looking star worthy all season long…and for all of us CheapChicas, the good news is most of the products he uses are budget friendly (the ones that aren’t give you major bang for your buck)!

Check out how he gets Kim K.looking picture perfect:

Start with Josie Maran Argan Primer Mist ($36) on the face, let dry and apply foundation.

Next, use DiorSkin Forever Extreme Wear Flawless Makeup SPF 25 ($45)-a little goes a long way and remember to blend well; set with Smashbox HALO Hydrating Perfecting Powder ($59 powder and brush set).

Brows filled with MAC’s Eye Brows Pencil in Lingering ($15), “sweep the pencil with light strokes in the direction the hair grows.  Brush through brows for a more blended, natural look.”

With brush apply Sweetheart eye shadow by Josie Maran ($20)on the eye lids, keeping it right below the crease.

Using ARTLINER – Precision Point EyeLiner ($29)by Lancome apply thin line above lash line, “feel free to extend the line out without overdoing it”

Lashes – use one coat of HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara ($24)by Lancome.  Add some individual long lashes by Ardell ($4) to the outer corners of eyes and follow with another coat of mascara on the top and bottom lashes as well.

To warm up and bronze the skin, use Laguna Bronzing Powder by NARS ($32).  Using a small shadow brush, apply a dab of the bronzer to the crease of eyes and along the lower lash lines.

To make cheeks pop and add a gorgeous glow, sweep Powder Blush by NYX Cosmetics in Peach ($6)on the apples of the cheeks. For that extra glow on the cheek bones apply N.Y.C. New York Color Sparkle Eye Dust in Opal Sparkle ($4)

Finish off with Sephora’s Nano Lip liner in Pinup Pink ($5) and follow with Pure Lipgloss in Petunia ($12), also by Sephora.

Getting my housewife on and watching DVR’d Oprah is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. In one episode entitled “The Science of Beauty,” Oprah’s own medical guru Dr. Oz spoke about what you should really be looking for in your beauty products as far as ingredients go and what really works.

He advised that using products containing glycolic acid on a regular basis is an ideal way to both exfoliate your skin and render fine lines less noticeable. Sounds good to me, I thought. But… now: what product to buy?

Well, let me tell you: I have fallen for DDF’s Glycolic Exfoliating Wash (and I’m not the only one, check out the reviews on Sephora).

This amazing cleanser is a combination of ultra pure glycolic acid and gentle foaming action, which at the same time reduces fine lines and softens your skin.

It’s true, after I use this minty wash I feel refreshed and my skin is super smooth. Love it.

The other thing I love is that you get so much of it: $35.00 will buy you 8oz (that’s a lot, girls!) and considering you only need about a dime-size amount for each use (if not less), the thing will last you months.

One very important thing to remember: when using any products containing glycolic acid, always use sunscreen as the acid makes your skin more susceptible to the sun and thus prone to sunburn (which would kind of defeat the whole anti-aging thing, right?).

Check out last week’s BMH post for the perfect compliment to your new, fabulous glycolic cleanser.

Sexy black dress, check ! Champagne, check ! New Year’s Eve kiss, check! Perfect hair…not quite there yet? No worries, I have just the product to make any hair-do, party perfect!

I recently came across Frederic Fekkai’s Golden Shimmer Gelee mist and I love the result. It is a very lightweight spray gel that doesn’t leave your hair crusty or “untouchable” but rather soft and shimmering.

I was a little hesitant at first to try this product because I didn’t want to come across as too flashy or have my hair covered in “glitter”. However, the micro particles in the spray leave a very subtle shimmer and shine that looks amazing in your hair.

You can try the mist a couple of different ways:

1. Spraying it all over your hair: this is great if you are going to be wearing your hair wavy or in an up-do.

2. Spraying it just on the top-half of your hair: this is great if you are going to be flat-ironing your hair or wearing it in a ponytail.

3. Spraying it just on the bottom half of your hair: this is great if you are going to be wearing your hair half-up.

You can find Frederic Fekkai’s shimmer mist at both Sephora and Nordstroms. You can also order it online at Fekkai’s website or even Amazon. But if you don’t want to pay the $20 price for Fekkai’s product, Sephora has their own glitter spray for only $10 and it comes in gold and silver!

Now that you have the perfect hair-do…go on and just dance the night away!

I’m a total lip gloss junkie…I love having an excess of lip gloss in my make up bag, in my car, in my purse, etc!  I usually don’t spend more than $5 at the drugstore for my gloss, but I can’t say that I’m not tempted.  Stores like Sephora make it really hard to not splurge, espeically when they carry some of the the prettiest shades in super-cute pacakging like these!

My BFF turned me on to these Stila lip glazes a while ago when I was living in New York and I totall stole hers (sorrry Melis!) but I could never bring myself to buy a new one becuase of the hefty price tag.  I loved the easy application along with the totally smooth (and not sticky) texture.  Well I guess Sephora heard my pleas because they now offer this incredible set of Stila Lip Glazes for only $22!  If you do the math, that comes to only $3.60 per gloss and you gotta love that!