What to Buy During the Sephora Sale (and a few products to stay away from)
Hello loves! The Sephora Spring Bonus event is upon us! Incase you aren’t aware, Sephora only has two sales a year (one in the fall, one in the spring). These sales are the only times during the year that you can purchase their products at a discounted rate. This event is the perfect time to stock up on all of your favorite products from Sephora, or try out a higher-priced product you’ve had your eye on, because it won’t go on sale again until the fall.
You have to have a Sephora account to have access to the sale, and the amount of money you spend at Sephora per year determines when you gain access to the sale and what percentage you can save. Below is a nifty graphic from the Trendmood Instagram explaining when the sale starts for each rewards level, and what the discount is at each level.
To help y’all out, I’m breaking down my top FAVORITE products that are available at Sephora that I think are worth investing in (especially when they’re on sale!). At the end of this post I’m also including a few products that are highly rated on the Sephora website, but unfortunately didn’t work out for me. Let’s start off with my favorites:
Drybar 3-Day Bender Curling Iron
This is the best curling iron I’ve ever owned … and I’ve owned multiple over the years. I have a whole blog post where I break down exactly how I use this iron HERE, but in summary, this curling iron heats up quickly, allows you to create the perfect tossed waves, smooths the hair, and automatically shuts off after 1 hour of not being used.
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
I have been using this setting spray for years, and have yet to find anything better. This spray locks in your makeup and prevents it from melting off throughout the day. It’s oil-free, so it’s also perfect for all my sensitive skin girlies out there. I don’t know what I was doing before this product, because now I can’t go a day without applying it (it’s THAT good).
For a detailed explanation of why I adore this little gadget, you can refer to my blog post HERE. Don’t even bother with other skin cleansing tools, this one takes the cake!
Kate Somerville EradiKate Daily Foaming Cleanser
This was the first product from Kate Somerville that I tried and consequently caused me to become her biggest fan. I started using this cleanser back in August and it TRANSFORMED my skin. The active ingredient is sulfur, which is what my skin has the most positive response to in terms of treating and preventing acne. If you’re struggling with acne and are in the market for a new daily face wash, you need to pick this up.
I’m not a huge fan of lip gloss, but this one is incredible. I own the shade Fenty Glow and it looks amazing over any nude or pink lipstick. It’s pigmented without being too much, has the right amount of sparkle, and is not sticky.
I just started using this after I received it as a gift this past Christmas, and I don’t think I will go back to another setting powder. It keeps my skin matte all day, doesn’t break me out, and doesn’t create a white flashback in photos (even though it’s translucent). This product is pricey, but a little goes a long way so I don’t see myself running out anytime soon.
Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter
I bought this highlighter duo a little over a year ago, and I still reach for it almost every single day. I love that it comes with two shades: one is more sheer and perfect for everyday use, and the other shade is extra shimmery and perfect for a night out. This duo is offered in 5 different combinations, but the one I own and love is Lightning Dust/Fire Crystal.
This has been my go-to bronzer for YEARS. It has a matte finish, and the original shade is not too warm or too cool. The pan size is also huge, so it’ll last forever even if you use it daily.
Kate Somerville Clarifying Treatment Toner
This toner does a great job at preventing future breakouts and evening out the skin’s texture. It doesn’t dry out my skin and the innovative packaging makes it easy to dispense and doesn’t create a mess.
Drybar Triple Sec 3-in-1 Spray
I use this spray every time I curl my hair to give my waves texture and volume. This product helps to achieve that tousled “I woke up with my hair wavy like this” look that everyone loves. And if you’re a fan of the Drybar salons like myself, you’ll love to hear that this spray smells exactly like the salons.
Drybar Blonde Ale Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner
Over the last couple of years, I have gone progressively blonder with my hair. Blonde hair does require more maintenance, but I have found that this shampoo and conditioner set is an easy way to prevent brassiness. Not only does this combo help to keep my hair color bright, but these products are nourishing and do a great job at canceling out the damage caused by the hair bleach.
Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment
This is a spot treatment that dries up pimples overnight. Like the cleanser above, the active ingredient in this product is sulfur, which is super effective in combatting acne. For $26 it works just as well (if not better) than prescription spot treatments I’ve gotten from my dermatologist in the past.
Stila Glitter and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow
I now own two of these (Diamond Dust and Kitten Karma), and I get compliments on my eye makeup anytime I wear either one. These are highly pigmented liquid eyeshadows packed with glitter. They’re easy to apply and perfect for any night out or party makeup look. I also don’t have a problem with these burning my eyes like other glitter eyeshadows I’ve tried in the past.
Just like fashion, beauty is an incredibly personal thing and just because one person likes something, it doesn’t mean it’s going to work out for you. Below are four products from Sephora that I tried and didn’t care for. If you have the same skin type as me and similar beauty preferences, I wouldn’t recommend these products. BUT you may hate the products that I love so no hard feelings if you love the products I hate!
Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream
Although this eye cream was hydrating (and budget friendly at only $18), unfortunately it caused me to breakout with small white bumps under my eyes. I ended up returning this product after about a week of using it twice daily.
I was so excited to receive a sample of this product beause 1. as you can see from above I’m a HUGE fan of Kate Somerville and 2. I had heard amazing things about this product. Fun little nugget of info: this was the first product that Kate Somerville formulated when she started her skincare line. I followed the directions on the bottle and after about 30 seconds or so of scrubbing my face started to BURN like no other. I quickly had to rinse the product off and I never used it again. This has incredible reviews online though, so maybe it’ll work for you if you’re not as sensitive as me.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream
Like the eye cream mentioned above, I enjoyed this product at first, until it resulted in breakouts. If it hadn’t caused me to breakout I would have continued to use it because I thought it was really hydrating.
Drybar Tress Press Straightener
If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember my rant on my stories when I purchased (and was eventually let down by) this straightener. For $150 I expected it to perform better than it did. Since the plates are a bit shorter, it took me longer to straighten my hair than I’m used to, and I also had to pass through sections of my hair multiple times to get all the pieces straight.
I hope you found this post informative! Let me know what products you will be purchasing during the Sephora spring VIB promotion.
Slap on some lipstick and smile
Channing
