Sephora Shopping Spree: How I’d Spend $100

Gift cards make an enjoyable gift, and I think they come with double excitement value – the excitement of receiving the gift card, and a second round of excitement when you make your selections.  (Of course, if you order online, you get a third round of excitement when your delivery arrives!) 

That’s a whole lot of value out of a simple gift card purchase!

I love thinking about how I’d spend huge sums of money at all my favorite stores if I had a gift card worth thousands of dollars.  It’s a tougher decision, however, if the gift card is for less, say. . . $100.  That’s large enough to get something good, but you are still going to have to be careful how you spend it.

I thought I’d start a Sunday feature talking about how I would spend a $100 gift card at some of my favorite stores.  Today I’m starting with one of my very favorite stores – Sephora.

Here’s how I’d spend $100 at Sephora:

• Medium Cosmetic Case from the Moroccan Sunrise Fuchsia Bag Collection – I need a new cosmetic case, and this pretty pink and gold bag open up large enough to hold all my essentials.  It will fit into a large tote, my carry on bag when working. or just look pretty and home on the counter.  Also available in white & gold and tangerine & gold.  ($22)
• Phenomen ‘Eyes Mascara – A new product on the mascara front, the round sphere at the tip of the wand promises to perfectly curl and separate lashes (in photo above).  Wouldn’t we all pay just about anything to have sexy bedroom eyelashes?!  By Givenchy exclusively for Sephora.  ($28)
• Body Scrub and Body Butter from Sephora’s Tangerine Grapefruit Body Collection.  This light citrus fragrance is fresh and clean, and perfect for every day wear.  I’d probably pack it for my travels, so I could always exfoliate and moisturize away all the dry skin caused by frequent travel.  ($12 scrub, $16 body butter)
• Sephora Brand FACE 25 Makeup Removing Wipes – Good for removing makeup from your face, eyes, and lips, this wipes are saturated with FACE Fluid Makeup Remover.  I love these for wiping off all my makeup at night before giving my skin a good cleansing.  Sure saves on stained washcloths and towels!  Best of all, they’re travel friendly and don’t count as a liquid or gel – a real bonus for me.  ($10 for package of 25)

That would take me to exactly $100, but one of the great things about Sephora is that you get to choose three free samples with your order.  I always use this opportunity to try out new products – so here’s what my three free choices would be:

• Tarte Clean Slate – make up primer
• Caudalie Contour Cream Eyes & Lips – gel cream for eyes and lips to help reduce lines and wrinkles
• Ralph Lauren Notorious – a sample of this oriental fragrance from a fashion icon.

Not a bad haul for $100!  Although it took some prioritizing and careful shopping to get a good combination of what I need and what I want.

How about you?  What would be on your Sephora must-buy list?