PRODUCT REVIEW: SEPHORA FAVORITES - In The Glow Sample Set

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the SEPHORA FAVORITES Sample Set that are usually offered around the holiday season. These are limited edition sets that sell out fairly quickly and are not always available throughout the year, however, Sephora does offer deluxe sample sets without as great a value is their SEPHORA FAVORITES Sample Sets. 

The SEPHORA FAVORITES Sample Sets that are currently available in store and online in order of price include:
- The Finest Shave Deluxe Sampler For Him
- Give Me Some Lip
- Draw The Line Eyeliner Sampler (Update: Sold Out Online)
- Deluxe Fragrance Sampler For Her
- Beauty & The Bride
- Lash Stash
- Glitz and Glam Part Sampler
- In The Glow
- Collector's Edition Fragrance Sampler For Her
- Super Stars Beauty Essentials

Today I'll be sharing my product review for the SEPHORA FAVORITES - In The Glow: Blush, Bronzer, and Luminizer Sample Set. This set sells for $54 Canadian or $45 American at Sephora, and has an overall retail value of $133 Canadian. The SEPHORA FAVORITES - In The Glow Sample Set contains 9 deluxe samples from various higher end brands which is very appealing to most makeup lovers as it offers the opportunity to try each product before committing to purchasing their full sizes.

Within this product review post, I'll be sharing swatches and reviews for each product within the In The Glow Sample Set, as well as my overall impression.

SEPHORA FAVORITES - In The Glow: Blush, Bronzer, and Luminizer Sample Set

Products offered within this set include:
- Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight (0.106 oz)
- Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic (0.14 oz)
- Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Splendor (0.11 oz)
- Benefit High Beam (0.13 oz)
- Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna (0.08 oz)
- Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Flush (0.17 oz)
- bareMinerals All Over Face Color in Pure Radiance (0.02 oz)
- Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder (0.08 oz)
- Stila Convertible Color in Peony (0.07 oz)

I had some pretty high expectations for the Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight as this has been one of the most highly recommended products that some of my friends have recommended to me. I have to admit that I instantly fell in love with this product after just one try. It has a great silky texture and sheerness that's perfect for highlighting  your cheekbones or using within the inner eye corners. This is definitely one of the products that once my sample is finished, I'll be investing in the full size!

Although the Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic is meant to be a highlighter, I have to say that I prefer using each shade as eye shadows. Each shade within this product has great pigmentation and my only complaint with this product would have to be that the two middle shades are identical when swatching (reason why I only swatched 3 out of the 4 shades) in the above photograph.

The Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Splendor is another product within this sample set that I absolutely adore. As most of you know, I'm a blush junkie and this product has been on my radar for a little while now. This product works well with all skin tones, has great pigmentation, and has long-lasting wear. I also really like that there is a little bit of a golden hue in different lighting. This shade is definitely an eye catcher!

Benefit High Beam was definitely a product that I was skeptical about trying as I never liked the idea of applying a liquid highlighting product with a wand then having to use a blush to blend it out. I gave this product several tries and wasn't able to master a good technique of applying just the right amount of this product as I either put too little or too much and I often found myself removing it completely and using something else. Overall, this shade is gorgeous when swatching, however, I just don't think that I'll be using it again unless I find a good use for it. I'd love for any of you to recommend a good technique for using this product in the comments below!

The Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna is one of my new favorite bronzing powders. Because of it's great pigmentation, just a little bit goes a long way! Because of my light skin tone, I'll mostly be using this product in the summer when I have more of a tan. If I had to buy any NARS product in its full size, it would be this!

Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Flush, was another product within the In The Glow Sample Set that I was very skeptical about. My skepticism stemmed from the product not being in powder form, so I was worried about it being too sticky or coming off way too pigmented on the skin. After trying out the product, I was glad that the sticky/wet sensation only lasted for a few seconds and it then dried into a powder looking effect. I also liked that it wasn't too pigmented and the product can be built up to look darker as you apply more. Overall, I'm still not completely sold on it but I'm definitely willing to try it out more.

The bareMinerals All Over Face Color in Pure Radiance is another new favorite of mine. There's a lot more shimmer and glitter in this product than the Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight. It can also definitely be doubled up as a mineral eye shadow for those with darker skin tones or in the summer. Because it's easy to get this product everywhere when you apply it onto your blush, I would recommend sprinkling a bit into the cap then dab your makeup brush into the cap and tap off the excess before applying.

The Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder is another great bronzer within this sample set. For those of you who don't like shimmer or glitter, you will enjoy this product. There isn't much pigmentation and it comes off more sheer, which is great if you'd rather build up the product and not fear getting too much on your skin when applying.

The Stila Convertible Color in Peony is my least favorite within the In The Glow Sample Set. A lot of the product got stuck on my brushes and I found it to be too sticky and dark when I applied it with my fingers. I don't think I'll be using this product again and I personally wouldn't recommend it.

My Overall Impressions:
One of my favorite aspects of the SEPHORA FAVORITES - In The Glow Sample Set, is that there is a great variety of higher end products within this set. Like I mentioned above, this is great for makeup lovers to try out all these different brands before committing to their full sizes which can be quite expensive. When purchasing a full-sized higher end product without having tested it out before, there is the added risk that you may not like the product even with its rave reviews, and the product will end up going to waste. As a total blush, bronzer, and highlighter junkie, this sample set was definitely on my radar the second it became available. I ended up really liking the most of the products within this sample set that have also become my new favorites that I would have otherwise not tried out had I not purchased this set. Any products that I didn't enjoy, I'll be giving away to friends who I know will enjoy them. Overall, I would definitely recommend makeup lovers to purchase the SEPHORA FAVORITES - In The Glow Sample Set while it's still available!

Please feel free to share your thoughts on these products, other blush, bronzer, and luminizor product recommendations, or link to your reviews of the SEPHORA FAVORITES - In The Glow Sample Set.