So if you caught my post featuring the Sephora free Birthday gift for Beauty Insiders last year which I’ve linked here then you know I love this program. I happen to spend an obscene amount at Sephora which is why I have the VIB Rouge set which features the eyeliner as well. Last year the gift was from Benefit & this year they teamed up with Make Up For Ever. Keep reading to see what was inside!

This year the free gift contains a Make Up For Ever deluxe sample of their Smoky Extravagant Mascara in Black, Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N9 Copper Pink, & because I’m a VIB Rouge a very mini Aqua Eyes Eyeliner Crayon in 0L Matte Black.

So the gift last year contained a mini size of the Benefit They’re Real! Mascara & an adorable little Benefit Watt’s Up! Highlighter. I loved that duo so much & it confirmed that They’re Real! doesn’t play well with my allergies which saved me some cash. Watt’s Up is awesome- still working on that mini!

So for me I feel like this was a nice into to Make Up For Ever because although I have multiple products from them I don’t consider any of the holy grail. I don’t think any of these 3 are either unfortunately (or not since they’re really pricey) but now I know what isn’t a great match for me! My favorite from this set is easily the lipstick- love the color & the formula. It isn’t heavy & feels comfortable on the lips. I won’t be sprinting out to buy more because of the scent though. It kind of reminds me of a mix of Lancome & Covergirl but I don’t have emotional/memory ties to MUFE so I was having trouble getting past it for the price. The texture reminds me of some of my Laura Mercier lipsticks which I prefer. The eyeliner, to put it bluntly, isn’t black enough for the price. It is waterproof but the color isn’t a love match. The mascara I still can’t decide on- I find the brush hard to maneuver into my corners without getting clumpy but sometimes that changes when a mascara dries out a bit. I’ll keep using it.

I’ll never knock these gifts because they’re both free & helpful so don’t think I’m bashing- this just wasn’t as stellar as last year’s for me personally. Have you picked yours up yet? Do you have any holy grail Make Up For Ever products I need to check out?