BEAUTY: Sephora Birthday Gift 2015

Ahhhhh, the new year. Rebirth, fresh starts, lofty goals...and the new Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift! In case you've been living under a beauty rock (sounds glamorous btw), each year Sephora gives out a free (uh huh, free) birthday gift to Beauty Insiders during their birthday month. Every year there's a new item and, while there have been some dream gifts in the past (my Benefit Watt's Up mini is a treasured friend), I think this year tops them ALL. Allow me to introduce the...

NARS Mini Lip Pencil Duo!

Okay, I know, I know, but we need to keep it together so that we can learn more. Ready?

 In this duo, you will receive:

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

 Cruella is .06 oz, compared to the full size version of .086 oz.

Rikugien is .05 oz, compared to the full size version of .07 oz.

 Cruella is a deep blue-based scarlet red with a perfectly matte finish.

Rikugien is a dusty rose pink with a somewhat shimmery satin finish.

With flash, so you can really see the shimmer on Rikugien

 These are not twist-up, so you'll need a wide sharpener when they dull down. NARS sells one for $6 which I might pick up because I don't want to ruin my nice pencils with a cheap-o sharpener.

Swatches: NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien (top) and NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella (bottom)

 These pencils are incredibly easy to apply. They glide on SMOOTHLY and give full opaque color in one swipe. The staying power is impressive and they never feel heavy or drying on the lips. Since they give you a neutral nude shade and a bright red, you can get a ton of use out of this duo.

On my lips: NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien (top) and NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella (bottom)

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

It maybe goes without saying, but these products are impeccable. NARS doesn't play around with quality, which is probably why the full size of these pencils go for $26 apiece (excuse me while I cry into my Maybelline coupons). Scoring these for free is a victory, and it's super easy to do so:

• If you're not already, sign up to be a Sephora Beauty Insider. It's free, and just means they'll give you a card that will track what you buy and how much you spend, so you can earn points to get other free stuff throughout the year.
• During your birthday month, either go to a Sephora store and ask for your free birthday gift (you DON'T need to buy anything) or make an online purchase from their website and ask that they send the birthday gift too (you DO need to buy something).
  
  
  Here's some more info about this whole Beauty Insider business in case you need it.

Do you usually get the free Sephora birthday gifts? Have you ever tried a NARS lip pencil? Do you have a December birthday and are now crying that you have to wait almost a year to get these? (p.s. sorry from all January babies)