My favorite time to visit Sephora is definitely right around my birthday. I’m at that treat yoself mood, and there are free goodies. Yes, free. Give Sephora your email address, and get a free present. Simple as that. Last year’s NARS lip pencil present was really awesome, no denying that, but this year, I think that they’ve topped themselves.

Presenting the 2016 Sephora birthday gift from Marc Jacobs.

I was so excited to see that Marc Jacobs was the sponsor of this year’s gift. His beauty is fantastic, but more than a little pricey. I mean, it’s not a Tom Ford price point, but it’s one of the more luxe lines that Sephora carries.

I was so excited to try out the teeny little samples inside.

First is the Le Marc Lip Crème Lipstick in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I love this. I cannot possibly pay $30 for a lipstick. I have a hard time justifying that. Once the price tag creeps up to the $20, I start to pull back. However, if ever there was a lipstick that could break that rule, it’s this one. The color is very similar to the Make Up For Ever lipstick that Sephora gave out two (?) years ago. The color is very flattering on me, and one that I naturally gravitate towards normally, so that’s nice. The real winner here though is the formula. It is creamy and glides on so wonderfully, and it stays creamy with a smooth satin finish. Your lips are not going to dry out, but it feels like it hasn’t

set

. I never got that solidified feeling that many lipsticks have after they’ve dried down onto the lips.

But it

has

set. It’s set down and is not going to move. No joke. The first day that I wore this, I put it on at 7 in the morning, and didn’t feel like I needed to touch it up until I went to dinner at 5pm. Even then, I probably could have gotten away with not. When Marc says that it’s a long lasting finish, he’s not joking. It stayed through eating, drinking, four business meetings…everything. I tend to wear out my lipstick pretty quickly, but there is no such problem with this one.

The other item in the little package is the Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner. The first thing that I noticed about this is that it’s a twist up. I

haaaate

sharpening minis because I feel like I’m wasting a lot of product when I already have so little, so I appreciate not having to do that. The formula is the blackest of any pencil liner. It contains a new compound called Blacquer that makes it this way. It’s seriously waterproof. No worries about smudging or moving on even the oiliest eyelids. It’s easy to smudge if you do it right away, but once it sets, there’s no moving it except with a heavy duty makeup remover.

Between these two items, I feel like Sephora has really outdone itself as far as birthday gifts go. It’s also worth noting that if makeup isn’t your thing, there’s an option to get a sample from Fresh Skincare as your gift. I think the better bang for your buck will probably be found with Marc, but I did appreciate the choice.

Pick up your Sephora birthday within two weeks on either side of your birthday, online or in store!