In ten short days, Sephora will host its biannual Savings Event. This means that starting 10/31-11/10, Rouge members can get 20% off their purchase, and from 11/4-11/10, VIB and Beauty Insiders can get 15% and 10% off, respectively.
As someone who’s been a Rouge member for almost 10 years straight and regularly redeems the $100 Rouge Reward, you can definitely say that Sephora is one of my favorite stores and I can surely make some recommendations for the upcoming sale.
The first item I would recommend is the Sephora Collection Best Skin Ever 16 Hour Natural Finish Liquid Foundation ($22).
When I read that they reformulated this foundation, I was reluctant to try it because I liked the old formula a lot and the reviews for the new formula weren’t that great. But the shade match for the new formula is so much better for me (I’m 03Y if you’re curious) and at $22, this foundation performs at the same level as, or better than a lot of luxury counterparts.
Since the entirety of the Sephora Collection brand is 30% off during the sale, I would suggest trying out this foundation along with any other products you had been thinking about from this brand, particularly the brushes. I have the PRO Powder Brush #50, PRO Blush Brush #96, and the PRO Concealer Brush #45 and can attest that they are high-quality brushes that perform well and last a long time.
Another foundation I would recommend during the sale is the Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Foundation Hydrating & Blurring Luminous Longwear Serum Foundation ($52):
I received this foundation to review from BzzAgent and was very pleasantly surprised. It’s very hydrating and imparts a smooth, glowy finish. If you’re looking for a full coverage, matte foundation, this isn’t for you. But it’s perfect for people like me who prefer a lighter, radiant look. The only downside is that the staying power isn’t quite there. This can be helped with a good setting powder/spray.
Now, on to concealers. I have very dark undereye circles and need heavy duty concealers. I have two recommendations. The first is the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Lift & Flex Hydrating Concealer With Hyaluronic Acid & Caffeine ($33):
The description for this concealer says it’s medium coverage, but it can be built up to full. What I like about this concealer is that once it’s applied, it’s set and does not oxidize, fade, flake, or do anything else. That’s what I do not like about the popular Natasha Denona concealer: the color changes/fades. The only thing I don’t like about this concealer is that the bottle is so small.
Another concealer that I can wholeheartedly recommend is the Makeup by Mario SurrealSkin® Awakening Concealer ($29):
Like the Danessa Myricks concealer, the description for this concealer says it’s medium coverage, but I build it up to full with no problem. This concealer is a lot creamier than the previous concealer and so easier to use. Again, like Danessa Myricks, once it’s set, it does not oxidize or fade or flake.
Now, I would recommend a face primer but in lieu of a primer I use a sunscreen that works just as well as a primer and it’s one I’ve been recommending for years. And it’s the Saint Jane Luxury Sun Ritual Pore Smoothing Face Sunscreen SPF 30 ($38):
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: because I’m indoors most of the time, I don’t need SPF 50+. SPF 30 is enough for me; the difference between the two is only 1% anyway. This sunscreen is so cosmetically elegant and such a pleasure to use that I don’t need to turn to the superior Asian sun filters. Although I probably won’t be buying everything on this list for myself this Sephora Saving Event, I will definitely be picking up an extra bottle of this sunscreen since I use it every day.
The next item I will be recommending is the NARS Light Reflecting™ Hydrating Makeup Setting Mist ($38):
I know there are a few setting mists that get recommended over and over again: the Charlotte Tilbury. The Urban Decay. The ONE/SIZE. I’ve even tried the Makeup by Mario and the newer ONE/SIZE (the Powder Melt one). But they all posed one small problem: they all ever so slightly changed the color of my makeup after application, whether by desaturation, or some other chemical process. This NARS setting spray is the only one that does not do this, AND does a fantastic job of setting my makeup and helping it last longer.
I started using a new mascara last month and I have to say that I love it. It is the Tower 28 MakeWaves Lengthening + Volumizing Mascara ($20):
I don’t know why it took me so long to try this mascara but when Sephora was having a 20% off mascara sale, I decided to give it a go. The skinny brush is perfect for my short lashes and the formula does not flake or leave dark smudges under my eyes. It separates and lengthens my lashes just the way I like them. And it is easy to remove at the end of the day with eye makeup remover. No fuss, no muss.
I use a combination of two products for my brows, and the first is the Kosas Brow Pop Nano Ultra-Fine Detailing + Feathering Eyebrow Pencil ($22):
This eyebrow pencil has such a skinny tip that you can really draw the individual hairs for your brows. I like to use this for the edges of my brows. And to fill them in, I use the Kosas Air Brow Tinted Clean Volumizing Eyebrow Gel ($25):
This brow gel allows me to have the full, fluffy brows that I want. My brows have definitely thinned with age and while brow trends are cyclical and thin brows may be trending again, I prefer my brows to be thicker and these two brow products help me achieve that.
As for other makeup products like eyeliner, eyeshadow, lip products, highlighter, and contour, I purchase them from stores other than Sephora so I won’t mention them here. My skincare recommendations were all mentioned in my previous post so I won’t mention them here either. But I hope you found this post helpful and happy shopping!
(Some of the linked products are affiliate links, meaning I get commission for purchases or clicks made through those links in this post.)