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I look forward to my birthday month every year so that I can pick up my free birthday gift from Sephora as a Beauty Insider. This year, we were given a small box that resembled a mini makeup case from Make Up For Ever containing a mini Smoky Extravagant Mascara and a mini Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N9 Copper Rose.

The first item I tested was the lipstick, which is the size of my thumb, because I wanted to see if the ‘universally flattering colour’ would suit my lips. It immediately reminded me of Bobbi Brown Lip Colour in Rose – my perfect lip shade – because it adds a rosier tint to my natural lip colour and is just as creamy. The only difference is that it has a soft shimmer (not glittery, which I detest) and has just a little more reddish tint in the rose. It’s great for any occasion and I personally prefer it to BB’s Rose. The colour is so popular that is already out of stock online.

When I saw the wand of Smoky Extravagant Mascara, I immediately thought of Rimmel‘s Scandaleyes Lycra Flex Mascara. The brush is cone shaped with very wide, rounded bristles at the base. I was afraid my lashes would be to short for the brush but it managed to volumnise, lengthen, and even curl (if I twirled the wand) my straight lashes. I liked how dark the black pigment was and how lashes appeared defined without any clumps. Although the tip of the wand is meant for precision, I found it too caked with the mascara formula – even after trying to scrape it off – so I avoided using that part. As with most mascaras, it does come with an Aqua version, but I was disappointed to learn that it’s only water-resistant. Am I the only one who thinks all mascaras need to be waterproof, sweat-proof, and smudge-proof?

Overall, I am very happy with the free present. I’ve been applying the lipstick everyday and using Smoky Extravagant with Dior Diorshow Maximiser (for thicker lashes) and L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Waterproof mascara (the latter is for waterproofing my lashes).

Have you picked up your birthday present from Sephora yet? What did you think of it? 🙂