Product Review: Sephora Superstars Limited Edition Gift Set

Hi everybody,


I wanted to bring you all a review about my new favorite purchase and product available on the market right now. It retails for $75 but the value of the products in this set is exactly $296.11 (you can see the calculations below) if purchased separately.

This is a 13 product set, of which 9 products are full sized and the others are very generous deluxe samples. These products are the best sellers of 2013 at Sephora, so you know they've got to be great.

So I took pictures of what all the products look like out of the box and I'll go through the efficacy of each one of them.





The packaging is absolutely delightful, when you pull off the laser-cut top-sheet, the inside box is a beautiful rose gold. As you can tell the produts range from lipstick to nailpolish to hair and perfume, this is a kit that basically gives you everything you need for a daily makeup routine (and even has 2 skincare products included).

The nail polish included in this set is Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer-Cleopatra In New York which is an absolute onyx black with gold hexagonal sparkles in various sizes that remind me of New Year's Eve. It is absolutely fantastic and the nail polish looks in real life exactly the way it looks in the advertisement below. This product if bought on its own retails for $19!!

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NARS actually has 2 of their products that made it into the favorites this year, and I was extremely excited because I've only ever owned 1 blush from NARS since they are so expensive I can never really justify purchasing their products! Both of these products are full sized. One is a Blush and Bronzer Duo in "Orgasm" and "Laguna" (their most popular shades) and the other is NARS Sheer Lipstick, Dolce Vita in the most wearable and universal shade "Dolce Vita" which looks great on all skin tones and anytime of day. The Blush duo retails for $41 and the lipstick goes for $26.

This set includes a rollerball of Viktor & Rolf's extremely popular floral scent Flowerbomb . I've always wanted to try this perfume and it was always too expensive, with even the rollerball selling for $29. I'm happy to report that I would purchase the full size, it's smells of oriental flowers (my absolute favorite), roses, freesia's and orchids! This is definitely a luxurious and delightful present to receive in this box.

Another product I was EXTREMELY excited to try out is the Too Faced lash system "Better Than False Lashes". This is actually two products, one is the "Nylon Lash Extension System" which applies nylon fibers to your eyelashes to add volume and length, and the other is the mascara itself which is used to wet your lashes before applying the nylon fiber and then for one final coat to color them black at the end. I'm happy to report that this is, in fact, a miraculous mascara. It makes my lashes look at least 3x fuller and longer than they really are. My lashes actually touch the backs of my eyelids when I wear this! Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Mascara retails for $35 if purchased outside of this set.





The Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray is probably the item I was least excited about so I'm not too upset that this is a travel size rather than a full sized product. 1.7 Fl. Oz are included of this product and this retails for $17.91. This is a good beach spray, if you want to style your hair in beachy waves. It's actually even useful to add volume and distress up your hair a little bit if you want to create a messy bun.

I definitely recommend trying this out in the Superstars collection, I personally would never pay full price for this item because I don't think it's necessarily better than other $8-$12 surf sprays. I was happy that I did get to try it out in the set and I probably never would have if it wasn't included. I also can't think of a different hair product I would be happier to see inside this set, either, so it's still a win-win.

I'm a huge fan of Urban Decay, I own most of their palettes and I can never get enough of their buttery, blendable eyeshadows. Eyeshadows are the one must-have product from Urban Decay, the rest is good too but their eyeshadows are exceptional. The colors "Sin" and "Mushroom" are included in this set, they are a two-in-one eyeshadow. This is limited edition and, as far as I know, only available in this limited edition set. Full sized UD eyeshadows retail for $18 (but these are just in one color). I think it's really great that they give you two universal colors that are for ideal for a perfect neutral look.

Another product I hadn't had the pleasure of trying is Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Cream and it was also included in the set! Now, the only caveat here is that this only comes in the shade "Light" in the set so it will not work for all skin types. However, it is super-blendable, I'm usually a beige or nude tone and it seems a little closer to those shades that a true porcelain or "light". This is the full sized product and retails for a whopping $39. I think it's safe to say that I never would have tried this product out if it wasn't in this set, it costs a pretty penny. However, I really do appreciate it, it's very full coverage and blendable, it really moisturizes your skin as well.

The next two products are both staples in my beauty routine. One is Anastasia Brow Gel, Clear (0.085 oz)  (travel size, $5 value) and the other is stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner ($20 value). If you've read this blog before, chances are that you know my absolute favorite daily eyeliner is the felt-tip pen one by Stila, this is a great way to test it out for a fraction of its cost. The brow gel is extremely useful for taming eyebrow hairs. 

Josie Maran Argan 100% Pure Argan Oil 0.5 oz has always been a beauty blogger favorite and is used for hydrating skin, cuticles, and dry hair. The retail value of the travel sized product is $15.20 and will last for months of usage, seeing as the applicator is an eye dropper so you can use this product in a very targeted way.

To finish off the set, last and maybe the best is the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream 0.5 oz to brighten and depuff (retail value $31). This is a small container that packs a big punch, it's packed to the brim, smooth and supple like whipped souffle batter, and smells of orchids and crushed pearls. I love this stuff, I've been using it nightly and I wake up with soft and rested eyes.