20% OFF AT SEPHORA?! 💋15 SEPHORA SALE MUST HAVES YOU NEED TO GET

SEPHORA SAVINGS EVENT MUST-HAVES APRIL 2020

Ahhhh!! Each spring Sephora does a MASSIVE promotion for their loyal shoppers [only done twice a year!] and I literally wait for it! Its THE time to stock up on your favourites from makeup to beauty to skincare to haircare, and try new things. Depending what level you are in their Beauty Insider Tier, you can get up to 20% off of your entire purchase during their Spring Savings Event.

Here’s how it works: Rouge members get 20% off 4/17-5/1, VIB Members get 15% off 4/21-4/29 and Insider Members get 10% off 4/23-4/27. Use code SPRINGSAVE to redeem online, and just a heads up that code can be used multiple times! It is FREE to join their Beauty Insider Club, and it gets you access to deluxe samples, birthday gifts, AND qualifies you for this promotion. If you aren’t a Beauty Insider, it is not too late. Join now! If you missed the sale time frame no worries, you can shop their Fall Savings Event. Its usually September or October!

Since we can’t go shopping in the physical store this year, all of the deals were available only only. In order to make this easier & a little less overwhelming I decided I’d share JUST 15 of my absolute faves, and as a bonus at the end I am sharing what is in my cart that I bought and waiting to receive! SOOO excited for new beauty, skincare, and hair care! For my FULL makeup holy grails breakdown, go to this post. It has allllll the details.

15 MUST-HAVES SEPHORA SAVINGS EVENT

#1. || IT Cosmetics CC+ with SPF ([Shade Neutral Medium, LOVE this for summer!]. It has a natural/satin finish, and can range from light to high coverage depending on your method of application. I like to mix with a bit of serum and apply in a patting motion with my fingers for a natural radiant finish. Bonus points for SPF coverage!

#2. || If you check out my current beauty routine post you’ll know I have 3 eye palette faves. This one is my # 1 right now because it is so versatile. The shades are great on the eyes, shimmer shades are perfect for highlight, the deeper shades are good for a subtle liner wing and filling brows in a pinch, and the pinky shades are good for blush. Perfect all around palette this spring/summer!

#3. || Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer and LOVE it. It is my new holy grail! Its powder-like luminous finish but so natural looking and not drying at all. I have dark circles and undereye texture and find both to be medium-high coverage and a natural finish without being drying or bunching in my creases.

#4. || I use the Fenty trio in shade Light, and I also have the Medium Shade which is great when I have more of a tan. I use the shade Amber to contour my cheekbones, nose, forehead, and jawline [Using the contour shader brush from THIS set to blend the contour]. The light shade in the trio is good for general light coverage blended out with a brush, and can also be dabbed onto a concealer brush and applied to the undereyes in a pinch! The highlighters are very pretty on the face, decolletage, and legs!

#5. || It lives up to the hype — I LOVE the Nars Orgasm Blush. Perfect amount of gold shimmer and it’s the most beautifully flushed shade. I love it in this duo set with the bronzer.

#6. || I am very FUSSY about brow products. ABH Brow pencil [shade Blonde] with the ABH Brow Gel[shade blonde] gets the job done quick so I can move on with my day!

#7. || When I want extra oomph I grab the Buxom mascara, and for waterproof [and on really humid days/climates] I love this Tarte mascara. I believe spending a bit more on quality waterproof mascara is worth it, otherwise stick to a good drugstore mascara like L’Oreal Voluminous or Lash Paradise. To add drama I like these magnetic accent lashes. I’ve used them a few times and like them so far! I struggle with lashes and glue no matter how much I try so these have been amazing.

#8. || My go to combo is a quick lip liner and gloss. To add some colour back to my lips I love the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lip liner. Its my lips but better and looks beautiful on. This gloss is universal and gorgeous. Its moisturizing and not sticky and I love using it over matte liquid lips to keep it from looking dried out.

#9. || The GLOW. The subtle, fresh, glitter-free creamy powder in this palette is everything for makeup and no makeup days. I’ve never seen a more gorgeous highlighter that is light but builds! For that extra glow over makeup or without– Lilah B. Aglow Face Setting Mist.

#10. || This lip balm is my holy grail. It is all the hype and more. I use it day and night and no other lip balm/salve is half as good for my super dry creasy lips!! The brand recently came out with a balm version of the classic mask for during the day that I just added to my cart, it comes in 4 different flavours!

#11. || This is my annual splurge. I have been buying it on discount for the past three years and LOVE it. A little goes a long way. I use this daily and my skin looks healthy, fresh, and have helped slow the signs of aging. When I wear it during the day (usually I apply at night!) Tyler always compliments how glowy I look, and usually men are kind of clueless! Fun fact: apparently Chrissy Teigen applies this ALL OVER to keep her model body in top shape, including all through her pregnancy to prevent stretch marks!

#12. || Anything and everything the Ordinary. I know its kind of cheating to list multiple products under one buuuut they’re so affordable and good quality. I got their Glycolic Acid Toner and Hyaluronic Acid serum (use it daily and sometimes mix with foundation for lighter coverage). Love the brand! Check out the end for more of their products that I have ordered!

#13. || Wave Spray. This one is one of my faves because it doesn’t have salt, which dries out your hair, or make your hair feel sticky or tacky. It also adds a great smell. Perfect for waking up and freshening up your hair on the fly.

#14. || Makeup Eraser! I’ve had this for YEARS and got another in my FabFitFun box in the fall. So worth it! Takes waterproof makeup off with ease and no tugging! Just wet and wipe!

#15. || A LUXE Hair Treatment. Or Value Set. I love this shampoo/conditioner set, and this deep conditioning mask!

BONUS!💋 WHATS IN MY CART

SO EXCITED to try these new products. I excluded the items I have listed above and repurchased. I have done a ton of research on these, watched youtube videos, and read alllll the reviews. Stay tuned for an updated!

Makeup

Primer: I got two to try! My justification is that I can wear these alone without foundation for a smoother skin look on my no-makeup/light makeup days. This is the new version of the cult fave Silk Canvas, and hopefully a less pricey dupe for my Dior fave.This tinted ‘primer’ is like a filter for your face to give a gorgeous glow… I can’t wait to test it out!

Setting Mist: I got this Glow Recipe Watermelon Ultra Fine Mist and I can smell the juicy scent already!

Skincare

The Ordinary: love their affordable skincare that doesn’t compromise on quality. Had to try more from them. I ordered this Vitamin B serum, their retinol emulsion (anti-aging on a budget, yes plz!), this multi-peptide serum that I have seen a ton of beauty gurus recommend, and this Vitamin C cream that was under $6! All of these new buys were so well rated and each was $6-$15! AH-mazing!

Splurges: This concentrated retinol cream, because this mama is turning 30 in a few weeks and taking my skin SUPER seriously now! I also ordered this essence from Tatcha (because if its good enough for Jeffrey Starr and Tati, its a YES from me). I also have their masks sitting in my cart, they’ve been compared to the quality of getting a facial, so when you think of it that way… its a deal! Bonus– you can scrape the excess serum into a jar and keep for up to a week! Bang for your buck, am I right?

Interesting Skin Tool: I have seen this uplift massaging beauty roller everywhere for years, and I am finally jumping on the bandwagon. Stay tuned for my updated anti-aging beauty routine after I use it for a while to see my thoughts on whether this little splurge was worth it!

More Skin Loves: I ordered another retinol from Drunk Elephant that has 1k+ reviews. I know, who needs this much retinol but I am stocking up until the next sale! #BeautyHoarder. I ordered this SPF daily moisturizer, which I also wear under my makeup! Instead of getting my usual cotton rounds, I am trying these facial cotton squares which are a bit more pricey but apparently make a huge difference! I saw a beauty hack where you apply serum or essence to them, pull apart, and lay on face for a DIY face mask!

For Ty: I ordered this oil-free moisturizer for men for Tyler. He doesn’t care about skincare or aging, but I force him to wash his face and he will be putting this on every day even if I have to do it myself, LOL. Men, right?

Hair Care

On top of my usual, I ordered this new Smoothing deep conditioning mask from Together Beauty that is part of Sephora’s clean beauty lineup. Reviewers say it tames frizz and adds shine, which I am all about rolling into these more hot and humid months. So excited to try it. I also ordered more of my fave little elastics, one in black and one in clear (wish they had brown). Great for braids, half ponytails, and more! Currently sitting in my cart is a silk pillow case, preventing hair tangles, matting, damage, and face wrinkling during sleep. Its a splurge, but when you spend 8 hrs of your day on it, its def an investment!

 

My Top Tips for Shopping the Sale

Whether you are seeing this while shopping a Sephora sales event OR have a gift card to blow… These are my top tips to spend SMART.

Focus on SKINCARE

I always use the sale to stock up on my skincare faves. Through my mid twenties I started to establish a stringent skincare routine and invest in skin products (some may call it high maintenance, I call it conscious and preventative!). A good rule of thumb is the ABC’s for anti-aging and acne prone skin– Vitamin A (Retinol), Vitamin B (Niacin), and Vitamin C! As you can see above, that’s what I stocked up on this time around. [A, B, C] PS- DON’T FORGET SUNSCREEN! I love this SPF Sunscreen/Setting spray, and I just ordered this SPF daily moisturizer.

INVEST In Tools

I got my Clarisonic cleansing brush a couple years ago in the sale. It also has an attachment for BLENDING. So cool! As I mentioned above, I also ordered the lifting facial roller (or try similar but less pricey jade roller). Other tools to invest in are a straightener (I’ve had this one for 4 years!), an interchangeable barrel curling wand, and a hairdryer. I have been dying to get this Dyson one!!

QUALITY Hair & Makeup Brushes will LAST

If it’s time to upgrade your hair and makeup brushes, a sale or gift card is the perfect time to do it. The brush set that is affordable that I recommend is this set.

You might think all hair brushes are made equal, but that is so so wrong! A good brush can help your hair drying time fly by faster, tame frizz and bring out shine, or give a fast and effective tease for killer volume for your hair styles. For hair drying, this can cut your drying time by up to half. For frizz and shine, a classic boar bristle brush. And a comb to dethrone all combs, this one.

Think About GIFTS

Birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day (they have Men’s stuff!), Christmas…. now is the time to pick up a sweet value set, replenish an old fave, or surprise with something new. Fragrance or Cologne is a safe bet [my fave perfume is ALWAYS Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue, I have been wearing it for 15 years!), along with candles, this super neat hair towel that cuts drying time by 50%, a luxe silk pillowcase, or a new beauty toy [like this Dyson hair styler that has a cult following!]