I received the Minimalist bag (C$25) and the Universalist (C$53). The Minimalist is a good size bag to hold all the essentials and then some if you’re travelling. Sephora says it’s compact, however, I would say it’s a medium-sized bag, definitely larger than the one I use for work travel. I have so many makeup bags in this size already (especially ones that were free), so I wouldn’t say this is a must have. It’s good if you have a few items in your purse that you want to keep together and organized.

As for the Universalist, that one is very large and holds a ton of makeup. I actually already have one of these from a holiday collection and use it if I’m attending an event in another city, or for vacation (I brought it on my three-week trip to Asia last year). It packs a lot of punch and the top part actually opens up to reveal a pocket and some elastic holders for brushes. If you are a makeup artist, or need something heftier for your makeup, I highly recommend this bag since it’s so large and roomy.

Now since you have a brand-new makeup bag, you need some items to fill it with. The Give Me Some Glitter Hair and Body Glitter Set (C$18) includes three body glitters and a lightweight glitter adhesive to use on your skin or nails. The adhesive looks cream but dries nude and is designed to hold down the glitter that the set comes with.

The glitters included in this set are a little chunky, and to be honest, I personally wouldn’t really use this.  I tried using the pink one as a glitter accent nail but I found the adhesive didn’t really work that well on nails and even when i used a topcoat over the glitter, the glitter still came off easily. I’m not really one for applying glitter on my body, aside from my lids and even then I would use a glitter formulated for the eye area, so this would be a pass for me.

If you are into this set, I recommend picking up the Glitter Applicators (C$15), which include two applicators with a silicon tip, which makes it easier to pick up glitter so you can apply it. These work alright, I think the best way to apply glitter is by just using your fingers, but I do like the ideas of these.

If you are into brushes, then you’ll definitely have to pick up the Give Me Some Glitter Mini Brush Set (C$31), a set of four multitasking brushes in a glitter case. Now before you get too excited, these are quick small, basically the size of my hand for the whole set, but everything is so glittery that you’ll definitely want to display this one on your vanity.

Case aside, you get a face brush, which is a domed synthetic brush perfect for buffing and blending out product. It’s a universal brush, so you can use it for contour, blush, and highlight as well. There is also a Conceal and Blend brush that is good for applying concealer, as well as blending eyeshadow in your crease, the multifunction angled shadow brush, which is good for all-over application, as well as highlighting and in the crease, and finally, the smudge brush, which is great for blending out eyeliner products or creating a dramatic eye effect.

Facial hair, we all have it. And if you don’t, well, you’re super lucky. I used to wax my upper lip since I was a teenager, but for the past few years I’ve actually been using an electric razor specially designed for removing women’s facial hair. Now I know what you’re thinking, oh my gosh, you shave your face? Well here’s the thing. I have a couple at-home laser hair removal devices and for those you actually need to shave the hair, not wax it.  So thus, I started shaving my face.

Sephora has come out with their own razor, the Shave & Smooth Facial Razor (C$20), which is made from Japanese steel and designed to remove unwanted hair for a more flawless makeup application.  The idea with this is to remove the peach fuzz on your face so your product will look more perfect. I have started shaving my chin as well, as I get some dark hairs, but it’s mostly for peach fuzz. In addition to the rose gold razor (which is quite heavy, might I add), it also comes with three replacement razors.

I have used this a couple times, and I do have to say that I enjoy my electronic one a little more since this seems very sharp and I’m afraid I’m going to cut myself, but I love the idea of it and that Sephora is selling this. I also found that it took off dead skin as well, which makes for a more amazing finish on your makeup.

Speaking of makeup application, a good sponge goes a long way. Unfortunately, I’ve never been impressed with the Sephora Collection sponges, as they are also so stiff, but for spring they have come out with the Sephora Collection Tear Apart Makeup Sponge (C$9), which is a rectangular sponge that is designed to be ripped apart. The sponges feature both smooth and textured surfaces to stipple makeup onto your skin so you can minimize pores and create a more even skin texture.  Unlike the other sponges I’ve tried from Sephora, these aren’t designed to get wet like a Beauty Blender would, they are like the ones you would get at a makeup counter to apply foundation. Sephora says you can wet them though for a more dewy effect.

The one item I’m really loving is the Beauty Amplifier Eye Shadow Primer (C$12), which is a lightweight eye primer that goes on translucent. Lately I’ve been using a lot of cream eyeshadows as primers, so I was really excited to get this since it’s so universal. The product itself is quite small, but you only need a drop of it as a little goes a long way. You apply the primer via the doe-foot applicator so you don’t have to get your hands messy. I also like how compact it is, meaning it’s perfect for travel. For C$12, you can’t go wrong with this.

Finally, for the lips, Sephora has come out with some new shades of their Sephora Collection Rouge Gel Lip Liner (C$15 each), which is a retractable lip liner with a long-lasting, gel-cream texture to enhance the lip contour.

For the most part, I still apply lipstick without a liner, but using a liner definitely makes your lips look bigger and more defined. This liner is very soft and creamy, thanks to its gel-cream finish. I got the shades Highlight Champagne, Highlight Pearl, and Highlight Gold, which are all designed to accentuate your lips.  Since the shades are champagne, white, and gold, they are quite non-traditional for a liner, however, I really like using these along my cupid’s bow since I often will pop a highlighter on there anyways. This way is just more handy.  Although it’s a cool idea, it’s definitely not something you would absolutely need in your collection however, I really love that Sephora came up with an idea to do a lip liner in highlighting shades. I want to add that you could also use these on the eyes for highlighting as well.

Those are only a few items from Sephora Collection’s spring releases. I like the idea of a lot of these products, however, I did find that I didn’t have a use for them.  The bags are definitely worth the money (especially the Universalist), and the primer and brushes are always a good idea ($12 for an eyeshadow primer!?).  They also have out a new face palette, tons of lip products, and some new buffing brushes. Next time you’re in Sephora, definitely pop in to see what’s new… like I need to give you an excuse to go there anyways… ;).

Is there anything from Sephora Collection you’re dying to try out?

Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.

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