wit & whimsy

Sephora is back with one of their few sales of the year and it is a great time to stock up on your favorites at a discounted price or splurge on something you’ve been dying to try. If you’re a VIB member, the sale will score you 15% off your purchase starting this coming Tuesday, Rouge level gets 20% off and all members of the Insider program (free to sign up) will score 10% off. 

The sale runs through 11/9 and I’ve rounded up all my favorite beauty products sold at Sephora below – with a focus on clean products as that’s my new personal priority. Hope you get something you’re excited about! Use code HOLIDAYFUN at checkout.

CLEAN AT SEPHORA SALE PICKS:

• • Ilia makes some of my all-time favorite clean products so sharing those first. My favorites include this skin tint which is great for Zoom calls as it is light coverage with skincare benefits (I wear it this way and trust me when I say you will LOVE how your skin looks!), I also love this foundation (I wear shade Formentera), this setting powder (just as good as the Laura Mercier one but with no talc!), this multi-use lip/cheek color (Waking Up and Temptation are my favorite shades), this liquid light (mix a pump with your foundation for the prettiest glow), this concealer (in Chicory), this lipstick (in Wild Rose) and this priming serum that ensures makeup goes on smoothly and stays on. You can see a full review of all Ilia product I love here.
  • I use the Youth to the People the Superfood cleanser and the Superfood Cream (it has the best matte finish) daily and I also absolutely love this SuperBerry mask – especially in the winter. This is one of my favorite clean skincare lines. If you want to try the brand check out this great kit.
  • This Supergoop Zinc Screen is A) my go-to daily SPF for face and B) the only zinc SPF I’ve found that I like.
  • I always travel with the Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask as it does wonders for lackluster skin. I also have the brand’s new Lip Butter Balm and really like it.
  • The Drunk Elephant’s Baby Facial is holy grail for me. Leave it on for 20 minutes once a week and your face is renewed. Goodbye dead skin cells, hello GLOW. The product’s cult status is totally justified.
  • The very best matte concealer I have found is this one by Lilah B. I wear shade B.radiant. It is just as good as the NARS one everyone (myself included) loves. Trust me when I say this concealer is really, really good.
  • A clean highlighter I am absolutely in love with is this RMS one which I’ve been using daily.
  • If I was told I could only wear one lip color for the rest of my life it would probably be this Bite Beauty one in Brandy (honestly the most photogenic color I’ve ever experience – if I do so say myself – ha! I have this product in 4 shades and with 2,000 reviews clearly I’m not alone in loving it!). You can see me try on a bunch of the shades here.
  • I just wrote about my love for this Kosas mascara – mega fluffy languages!
  • Got maskne? Don’t miss my two favorite cures for it! This Caudalie Purifying Toner and this Acne Serum! Read more about them here. Also in the sale, my very favorite moisturizer for this time of year: this Caudalie SOS cream. You’ll notice an improvement in your dry skin in just one use. I use it nearly every single night. Other clean Caudalie products I love and use regularly include this brightening serum (it’s great for dark spots – I use it every morning!), this brightening moisturizer I use in the morning on no makeup days, this firming serum I’ve already gone through a bottle of this year – it’s great!, this eye balm that’s great for AM and PM, this Brightening Essence every morning, and this detox mask that always sells out and is a favorite for helping clogged pores. If you want to see some of the items in action – check out my Morning Skincare Routine.
  • Want a new face mask to try while in isolation? I recommend this amazingly soothing and hydrating Honey Potion mask or this Glow Recipe Avocado Retinol Sleeping Mask. I own and love both.
  • Indie Lee makes my favorite clean toner and this discovery set is a great + affordable way to get introduced to some of her fan favorite products.
  • This charcoal shampoo is one of my best beauty buys of the year. It healed my scalp issues, it smells amazing and makes my hair feel so good.
  • My favorite Necessaire body wash is now at Sephora! I am addicted to the Eucalyptus scent. 

ADDITIONAL SEPHORA SKINCARE PICKS:

• • I love the Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Eye Masks and think they make a great gift for your girlfriends.
  • I bought these Tan Luxe tanning drops last summer after seeing positive reviews on Instagram and I have to say it is a summer beauty favorite now. From the same brand, this is my go-to tanning body lotion. I couldn’t believe how well it worked on my fair skin. I had largely given up on tanning products (too streaky/too smelly/too bothersome!) but this one made me a believer again. I wrote about them more here.

ADDITIONAL SEPHORA MAKEUP PICKS:

• • My beloved Erborian BB Creme. This is one of my most DM’d about products – I always get the nicest rave reviews from you guys after purchase and try. My shade of Clair has been out of stock for the past few weeks but is finally back! I can’t quit this stuff and love it so much I dedicated a whole blog post about it. Also a little goes a long way – I wear this nearly every day and I still haven’t finished my tube I got last Spring! The brand’s Glow Cream and Color Correcting Cream are also great. I’ve seriously liked everything I’ve tried from this under the radar brand.
  • When it comes to more coverage though, I always opt to wear the Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. It has a cult following for good reason. Your skin instantly looks better and more radiant. I just bought my third bottle of it. I wear shade 4.5. This is the foundation I always wear when I shoot.
  • Despite all my efforts, I just can’t quit the Stila HUGE mascara. It’s been my favorite for over five years.
  • I hoard highlighters (it is a problem!) but I always come back to (and travel with the mini size) of this Becca one in Champagne Pop. I also have Opal which is equally as pretty.
  • You guys have heard me rave about the beauty of a makeup setting spray before and if you don’t yet use one, you won’t regret buying this one. I’ve been using my last bottle for the past two years regularly and am only just finishing it – it is worth the price and is a game changer during summer when things get hot and humid.
  • No other eyeliner has ever come close to replacing my Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner. It is full proof when applied with this brush and it stays on forever. No smudging or smearing like other eyeliners. Believe me when I say this stuff is long-wear.
  • This NARS concealer is the best I’ve tried and you’ll also often spot it being raved about by makeup artists and YouTuber pros. It’s that good. It’s super easy to apply and incredibly matte which is why I think I love it so much. No greasy finish like other more-oil based concealers I’ve tried. I use the shade Creme Brulee.
  • This Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo is the brow product I use to fill in my brows and make them look more full.
  • If you love having WOW looking eyelashes like me, I highly recommend this Givenchy eyelash primer. I don’t remember to use it that often but every time I do I am like “I really need to use this more!”
  • This Bobbi Brown corrector is god’s gift to blemishes and dark circles. It does wonders. My shade is Porcelain Bisque. I’ve gone through at least 2 or 3 of these and have been using this product for more than 5 years.
  • This Blemish setting powder is amazing. It truly blurs imperfections and because it has blemish fighting properties in the formula you’re concealing and treating all at once.
  • When I remember to, I wear this Clinique Brown mascara on my lower lashes to avoid the dreaded black smudge and have a softer eye look. I learned this trick from a lot of makeup artists and YouTube videos.

ADDITIONAL SEPHORA HAIR PICKS:

• • • I use this Amika anti-humidity setting spray on my curls instead of hairspray. There’s no crunch or residue and it keeps my curls intact and perfectly beach-y.
    • Want your shower to resemble a spa experience? Buy this Christophe Robin scalp salt scrub and I promise your life will forever be changed. I’m obsessed with this stuff. (See here, here.)
    • This hair towel. This towel is a game changer and was one of the best things I bought in 2018. If you hate blow drying your hair, do yourself and invest in this so your time spent blow drying. (Also key to improve the health of your hair and minimize heat damage!)
    • These Drybar Hair Clips are the best. I sleep with my hair affixed with one in a high bun every night to maintain my curls and also use them when heat styling my hair.

What I’m Buying from the Sale:

On my personal beauty wish list right now from Sephora? This Dr. Barbara Sturm cream I’ve used before in a sample size and loved, these Glow Drops also by Dr. Barbara Sturm, these CBD bath salts and this Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask that is an old favorite of mine that I no longer have. 

. . .

Don’t forget to also check out all the new Gifts from Sephora! They have so many amazing sets you can grab on sale early to give to loved ones or treat yourself. And I just saw my favorite candle brand is now at Sephora!! Cardamom Milk is my all time favorite so don’t miss that one but this holiday one is also great!

Curious to see some of my makeup picks in action? Check out this video!

What did you end up buying from the sale? I’d love to hear! 

[Carter Fish Photography]