"They Don't Have Great Attention to Detail", or: How Sephora Failed Me Thrice

Remember how I wanted the crazy Dior tie-dye blush?

this guy!

Ebates* was having 16% back at Sephora for their anniversary (though it seems I somehow restarted my Ebates-Sephora session, as I never got the cash back notification; fortunately, as you'll soon see, it's a moot point), so I pulled the trigger and ordered it. A few days later, I gleefully opened it, only to discover they'd sent the wrong shade.
*affiliate link

poached from my Instagram; I don't know why sometimes
my phone decides photos should be the wrong direction.

So I called and got it resent and returned the original. The second one came several days later (damn you, holiday weekend), and guess what?

This time it decided to orient itself correctly, at least!

It was the wrong shade! I received it after a few very rough days, and it was just about enough to break me entirely. I called again, and the customer service rep said he made a note to be extra careful about sending the right color and reminded me to be sure to send back the wrong one so I wouldn't be charged twice (he also called me "hon", which annoyed me––I'm calling with an actual problem, dick!). He finished with, "Let's hope third time's the charm!" (This is what I might retroactively call foreshadowing.) I figured I would wait until I got the replacement so that I could keep the packing tissue from the original to use in a package I had to send, and because seriously, you screwed up twice, I'm in no hurry to get your package back to you. At this point, some friends (some of you!) said they should give me both shades for free. Whatever, I thought. They're a big company, their customer service isn't great, it's not worth the hassle.

Then the third one came. Guess what?

I now have 10 photos of 3 unique wrong Dior blushes taking up
space on my phone. #thanksobama

Yep, it was the SAME WRONG SHADE. At this point, of course, it crossed the line into farce, so all I could do was cackle. Hysterically, of course, because this was supposed to be a nice pretty (very, very expensive) present to myself, and it somehow became a tragedy in three parts. (My brother's response is the quote from the title; he is a master of understatement.)

I tweeted Sephora and tagged them on Insta, and got a response from their Twitter but nothing has been resolved. I may need to call again, but y'all, I fucking hate phones. Just, so much. I've already had to deal with them twice, and on top of all the upheavals in my personal/professional life (I'll probably do a full post on it, but the short version: looks like I'll have to take medical leave from grad school, because #mylifeisawesome #ohwaitthatmightnotbetherightword), I think if I call them now, I'll end up sobbing on the phone to some poor person with no power.

So now I've got two Sephora packages on my kitchen table, both containing the same wrong shade. In an ideal world, they'd let me keep one of them and send me the actual correct shade (though at this point, I'm not sure they're even capable of it) free of charge. Barring that, though, I'm going to return them all and wash my hands of it. And of Sephora, as much as possible. (Customer service, you're doing it wrong.) I guess Dior and I just aren't meant to happen, sigh.

ETA: They finally got back to me! "We are truly sorry for all the inconvenience [...] In reviewing the item, an error with the skus caused a mix up with the shades. We have placed the sku on hold to fix the issue. In the meantime, we have processed a refund [...] Please expect to see the refund posted to your account within the next 5-7 business days. And we have added an extra 500 points to your Beauty Bank. Please use the free merchandise label to send the incorrect products back to us at your convenience. Thank you again for your patience throughout this process." In other words: "We're terrible at our jobs, but here, have a bunch of points you can use when you surely shop with us in the future! PS Send our stuff back thanks." Hello, Nordstrom, let's be friends.

What's your worst customer service story? How do you feel about talking to people on the phone?

Currently Coveting: Dior Crazy Tie-Dye Blush

It's been a couple years since I've done a Currently Coveting, but I'm bringing it back for an encore for this most beautiful of beauties:

via

That's the Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder Tye Dye Edition 001 Pink Sunrise. (Also, Dior, WHAT THE FUCK WITH THE NAMES.) The 002 Coral Sunset is equally stunning, but I would get much more wear out of this pink. It was released a few weeks ago, but not at Sephora, so I didn't pick it up during the sale, but now I see that it's on the Sephora website (I buy stuff from there when I can because if I'm gonna spend the money, it might as well go towards my points [not that there's often anything I actually want to use my points on, but you know, just in case there ever is]) and you guys, I NEED IT. (I also need to learn how to have sentences that don't consist of 8 separate clauses, but one thing at a time, folks.) I come from Eugene, for God's sake. I grew up surrounded by tie-dye, though my mother is no fan of the look, so the only tie-dye I ever owned was stuff I made at friends' birthday parties. I feel like it's ridiculous to even consider spending $57 on a blush––the hippies that actually wear tie-dye would be appalled at the price (and likely, the entire concept of cosmetics)––but YOU GUYS. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I won't buy it, because I do not have that kind of money right now, but ... maybe someone will give it to me for my birthday. Or someones, since $57 for a gift is a lot. Of course, it might not still be available by the end of July. Have I mentioned it's $57? I'm hoping the madness will pass if I remind myself of that enough. But then I look at it, and...le sigh. DAMNIT, DIOR.

The crazy tie-dye blush beauties are available from Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy's, Saks, and Dior at $57.00 ($57!!) for 0.35 oz. Give me strength, my friends.

What have you been lusting after lately?

For the Lazy and/or Layerer: Eyeshadow Sticks

The "My Collection" page on the blog is about half unreviewed products, so I'm going to make a concerted effort to try and talk about some pretty things! I've culled my stash several times over the past year, getting rid of things that no longer work or that don't get the love they deserve, and at this point, I'm pretty happy. I think I've still got a couple purging cycles left (and don't even get me started on my closet), but the effort of trying to decide what to discard is more than I feel like putting forth right now!

I have a zillion "new" lippies (some of which I've had more than a year, hence the scare quotes) and I don't really know where to start, so instead, I'm going to talk about cream eyeshadow! Yay! Eyeshadow!

Clockwise from top left: Laura Mercier Sugar Frost*, Mally Champagne,
Rimmel Bulletproof Beige*, Laura Mercier Rose Gold*, Laura Mercier Khaki,
Laura Mercier Pink Opal*, Boots No7 Cool Mink, BECCA Romanticism*,
Sephora+Pantone Tuscany

I've found that I really adore eyeshadow sticks (it's like drawing on yourself!), and between the generosity of friends and some fortuitous sales, my stash has grown considerably. I now own 7, plus two liquid eyeshadows, which, while slightly less convenient, serve a similar purpose: they work great as quick washes or as bases underneath powder (the "lazy" and "layerer" from the title, respectively).

ModelCo Eye Shadow Trio in Smokey Eye Review and Swatches

Another eyeshadow palette! This one was a gift from Larie, and fills the black-smoky-eye hole in my collection.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta Review and Swatches

I am not a blush person. I mean, I wear it every day, because otherwise I look like a sickly ghost, but it doesn't excite me like lippies do. Still, every once in awhile, something comes along to catch my eye. The Hourglass Ambient Lights Blush line was one such thing. Upon swatching, I liked Diffused Heat and Radiant Magenta, but decided that the latter was more unique in my stash and picked it up during the Sephora spring sale (since $35 for a blush is, like, a lot).

It is pretty, though.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Khaki Review and Swatches

I am almost always late in the morning, because I always want that extra few minutes of sleep and tell myself I'll be speedy enough to make up for it. It's rarely true. In an effort to remedy this (while still getting those precious snoozes, of course), I've been trying to streamline my beauty routine. 

If I were extraordinarily efficient, I could do my whole beauty routine in 15 minutes, but I am not, so it usually takes about 25-30. Eye makeup is often a time eater, since applying/blending eyeshadow can be a challenge when tired and mostly blind, so I decided to cave and finally try one of the Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in the hopes it could be a swipe-and-go kind of product.* I chose Khaki, wanting a versatile but not boring neutral, and owning too many (purpley) taupes to justify Amethyst.

a rather uninspiring picture of the unused product

Dior Addict Lip Maximizer High Volume Lip Plumper Review and Pictures

I'm not really sure what inspired me to purchase this. I don't tend to have need for lip plumpers (a decent lippie formula provides enough moisture to even out any lines), and I'm not really a gloss girl. But still, upon returning my Chanel and Armani lip glosses to Nordstrom (last July, as in 2013. Because I am super behind.) and being asked if I wanted to pick up something else instead, I asked for this, the Dior Addict Lip Maximizer High Volume Lip Plumper. Which is an utterly absurd name, and shall henceforth be referred to as "it" or "this".

Pretty! That brown in the background is the ruins of the Acropolis
at Pergamon, where I discovered that it is a very bad idea to
wear lip gloss in a dusty place on a windy day.

Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in Wild Bouquet Review and Swatches

Keeping on my "hey self, let's remember that you're a beauty blogger and should maybe, like, blog about beauty or something" kick, here's a lovely nude blush! Liz had suggested it, and I bow to her in all things blushy. She did not lead me astray!

untouched pan porn! It's very wee, and the compact is correspondingly small,
which makes it excellent for travel. You can also pop it out and stick it into a palette
(LM makes some, but I'm sure a Z palette or something similar would work, too).

Hakuhodo Brushes: My Fledgling Collection (J5523, J004G, G5512BkSL, Retractable BkA Flat PBT Lip)

Hi! Remember me? I used to write things sometimes. Then research and end of term stress happened (if it seems like I use that excuse a lot, it's because the UO operates on the quarter system and just as I've gotten over the stress of one finals season, another is upon me) and I kind of fell off the world. You may not hear from me again for another week or so, but it's a long post, so feel free to drag it out over a few days.

A couple months ago, I decided I was ready to upgrade my eye brushes. My brush collection is entirely affordable brushes, but I wanted something fancier for playing with my eyeshadow. MAC brushes are easily accessible, but they're not very cheap, and from what I've read, the quality isn't the best. Hakuhodo brushes, at least for the eyes, are relatively reasonably priced, and of very high quality, but they have to be ordered online. Fortunately, there's a number of very thorough guides online, and after I measured the brushes I already own, I was able to have an idea of what dimensions would work best for me (and will be adding size info to my complete makeup brush post once the term is over and I have more time).

Left to right: J5523, J004G, G5520BkSL, G5512BkSL, Retractable Push-up Lip Brush BkA Flat PBT

I ordered 5 brushes, four for eyes and one for lips. I wanted things I could use every day, so I opted for a variety of types: one base/laydown (J004G, second from left), one crease (G5520BkSL, center), one blender (J5523, far left), and one liner (G5512BkSL, second from right). I'll discuss them in the order I use them on a normal day.

Le Métier de Beauté Radiance Powder Rouge in Echo Review and Swatches

Larie gifted this to me, queen of generosity that she is! I was thrilled, since I love LMdB and had no peachy-pink-gold blush, having given away the palette containing theBalm Hot Mama.

I want to eat it.

Lancôme Lip Lover in 333 Rose des Nymphes Review and Swatches

This is Lancôme's take on the all-in-one lip color trend. After reading numerous favorable reviews of the formula, I decided to pick one up during the Sephora sale. I chose Rose des Nymphes, a pink, as I have no glosses of that shade (lots of lipsticks, though, ha), and doesn't warm weather warrant pink? 

Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in RD711 Pink Sands Review and Swatches

HSN sent me a $10 off coupon for no reason at all, but I'm not one to ignore free money, so I used it to pick up a Shiseido eyeshadow trio after having heard nothing but raves. (Oddly, though, now all the Shiseido stuff is gone from their website! How peculiar.) I chose Pink Sands, because I don't have enough neutralish palettes, I guess? I wanted something I would get a lot of wear out of, anyways.

Beautiful untouched pans!

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine 02 Pourpre Intouchable Review and Swatches

I've been wanting to pick up one of the Rouge Volupté Shines ever since I tried some samples from Sephora. The formula is semi-sheer, lightweight, balmy, but not slippery, so when I had my $20 off $50 last year I decided to pick up a tube in Pourpre Intouchable, which I'd determined could be a high-end replacement for Revlon Sugar Plum, my HG MLBB shade.

Ooh, shiny.

Bite Lush Lip Tint in Juice

Larie recently had a blog sale, and I picked up a couple of Bite lippies I'd been wanting to try (and, because she's amazing, she included a pile of other wonderful goodies!). I figured I'd start the reviews with this Lush Lip Tint. I like sheer lipsticks for low-maintenance days, or when I'm wearing bold eyes, and I don't have a lot of lippies in this particular color family (being warm/nude pinks).

Le Métier de Beauté Framboise Crème Lip Crème Review and Swatches

I love the LMdB lip crèmes. Like, if I could own them all, I would. Even the brown ones. As it is, they're $36 apiece, so I've managed to resist most temptation. However, when I had a coupon and gift card for Birchbox, I decided to pick up Framboise Crème (the other choices being Chocolate Crème and Toffee, and as much as I would love to own the full range, I figured I'd get more use out of a red, because the 8 reds I already owned weren't enough? My logic can sometimes be faulty, I admit).

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft and Sexy Eye Shadow Collection Review and Swatches

Look! I'm reviewing something that's not a lippie! *pats self on back* I picked this up during Sephora's F&F because I wanted a cool-toned palette of "neutrals", since I gravitate towards those shades during winter and felt a lack in my collection.

Givenchy Le Rouge Sensuously Matte in Violine Précieux Review and Swatches

Ever since its release, Givenchy's Le Rouge lipsticks have been heaped with praise. I have coveted, so very much, so when Sephora's VIB sale rolled around, I picked one up, the LE holiday Violine Précieux, described as a "berry rose".

The packaging is, indeed, beautiful. The holiday editions have a gold-and-black leather case, and it is supremely classy, albeit rather ridiculously large. It took me a bit of time to figure out how to open it––you have to hold the little squares on the front and back and pull the lid up, which is harder than it sounds; on the upside, it's not going to come apart in your bag!

Dior Addict Gloss in 783 Atout Coeur Review and Swatches

OH HI GUYS. I'm not even going to try and give excuses for my long absence––at this point, y'all are probably used to it, eh? Suffice it to say, it involved stomach problems and a conference in San Diego (where I got to see my girl V!). I originally wrote this post as a back-to-school thing, as that was why I purchased this gloss, but since it's been 7 weeks since school started, I probably should change it. But I'm not gonna, because I have grant essays to finish, and, well, whatever. BJB, bringing you timely posts since 2011! Ha. haha. ha.

Some people buy a nice new pair of shoes or a coat at the beginning of a new school year; I buy a new lippie. Before starting my first year of grad school, I bought Clinique High Impact in After Party (which is a beautiful color, but the shimmer is a bit much for my taste, and I've become too lazy to apply it sheerly over balm, as I did back in the day), and last year I picked up Rouge Dior in Rouge Favori, a combo wedding/back-to-school present to myself. This year, I wanted to try the new Dior gloss formula after Larie raved about it, and since it's $29.50 a tube, I decided to get something that I could see myself wearing all the time. For me, that means something pinky-plum without glitter. Fortunately, Dior had just such a shade in 783 Atout Coeur.

Hello, beautiful.

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited in PK 375 Quick Review and Swatches

This is the other Shu Uemura Rouge Perfect I picked up back when they were half price and I had a coupon. I already reviewed BG 935, which I liked in spite of the short wear time, because the color is so easy to wear and flattering. I had hoped that PK 375 would be a good fuchsia (apparently forgetting that I already have a fuchsia, and picked up another when I was abroad, but that's another issue entirely).

Left to right: MAC Hot Tahiti, MAC Candy Apple, Lipstick Queen Cosmos,
Lipstick Queen Thriller, Shu Uemura PK 375

Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 06 Les Fumés Review and Swatches

I bought this from Tracy during her blog sale for $44 including shipping, which is more than 25% off the full price. It's still rather more than I would normally spend, but I wanted something compact and pretty for the conference. (Ironically, it was so hot that I only did my eye makeup one day out of the 4, but hey, best to be prepared?) Now that I have it, I see myself getting a lot of use out of it for school––between my new hair and the classy eyes this palette creates, I'm gonna get mad respect from my students.

Which is clearly warranted.