Sephora’s tiered sale opened up to all Beauty Insider members today — 20% off for VIB Rouge, 15% off for VIB, 10% off for Insiders with code TIMETOSAVE. Sharing a few of my favorite buys below.
01. Kosas Airbrow — Easily in my top two or three favorite beauty product discoveries this year. I wear this daily as a part of my five-minute, five-product beauty routine. It gels, fills, tints with an easy-to-wield-and-difficult-to-mess-up wand applicator. You’re two swipes from great daily brows. I’ve noticed such a difference in my daily look since wearing this daily — well-groomed eyebrows just “frame” the face! Another option: Westman Atelier’s brow pencil. My mom speaks (!) in (!) exclamation (!) points (!) about this product. She has thinner brows than I do and she loves the way these precisely fill the shape of the brow with a totally natural effect.
02. GoopGlow Exfoliator — I’m truly obsessed with this product. Will never forget when a reader wrote to say “I keep a back up for my back up of this product — it’s that necessary.” I wrote a full review here, but this is both a physical and chemical exfoliator that does wonders for your skin in two minutes flat. I’m linking the travel/trial size so you can test in a smaller format or toss in your travel bag!
03. All things Merit. As you know, I’ve become a huge fan girl of this clean beauty brand. Specifically urge you to buy this blending brush. I love it so much, I bought two. It blends everything so, so well — especially concealer/foundation and gel-based color, like blush and bronzer. The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick has also been a slow-burn favorite over the past year or so. I started out thinking “huh, this is cool – good for travel! It’s like a foundation and concealer in one.” Then I slowly started reaching for it every morning because it abridged two steps into one. Now it’s part of my daily five-minute makeup routine. I recently re-ordered. Love the consistency and natural finish. It is SO easy to apply — just draw directly onto face and blend with the brush. The best, the best I tell you! The lazy girl’s (or busy girl’s) approach to everyday complexion/coverage. Last but not least, their bronzing stick (!!), which yields the most beautiful, buildable sunkissed effect, and which I loved layering on top of blush during the summer months especially, and of course their flush balms. I love, love (!) the Stockholm and Cheeky colors. I’ve been reaching for my Goop ColorBlur a lot more recently because I love the darkest red color (Afterglow) for fall/winter, but the Merit is easier to apply. You just invert the little applicator and swipe onto cheek, then dab with your blending brush. Ugh, these products are all so dreamy.
04. Goop ColorBlur — In case it got lost in the previous paragraph, this is worth it’s own number. I’m totally in love with this in the Afterglow color. It gives a deep Winona-Ryder-just-ran-through-a-meadow flush. I’ve worn this daily for the past few weeks.
05. Mascaras: If you’re after a fabulous clean mascara, you’ve got to try Ilia. It is one of the best mascaras I’ve ever tried — great at length and separation. A perfect everyday mascara; not too dramatic. They also sell a mini size if you want to try that first before committing. Another clean option that I’m testing myself: this new Westman Atelier mascara. I’ve heard such fantastic things about it. Last but not least, my ride-or-die: Armani Eyes to Kill. I love mascara so I try them all, but I always come back to Armani. I like a slightly more dramatic lash, and this is inky but not clumpy. You get the fullest volume with this formula.
06. Ilia Liquid Powder Eye Tint — Totally hooked on this formula. It’s creamy, easy to apply with a finger, and they have great everyday, matte colors.
07. Shiseido Facial Cotton — Trust me, this upgrade is worth it. This is the softest, fluffiest cotton with the best weight for actually removing makeup without disintegrating the cotton pad. It’s thick enough, you can use both sides. It’s a non-negotiable for me. Every time I stray, I miss this part of my routine.
08. Saie Glowy SuperGel Duo — I ordered this “travel size duo” and they’ve been lasting an eternity! This is the set you need. It’s my favorite “last step” for a full face of makeup — I dab onto my cheeks, under my brow, on my cupid’s bow and the tip of my nose. The prettiest illuminating effect. If you want gloss/glow without any color, though, you’ve got to try Westman Atelier’s Lit Up Highlight Stick. This is such a fantastic product for swiping onto cheeks, down bridge of nose, etc to achieve an illuminated look without depositing any color.
09. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Liner — This is as good as everyone says. Makes lips look fuller and in such a flattering shade. LOVE this.
10. Clarins Double Serum — Could write a small suite of poetry to this product. (I sort of have, in this review.) It’s holy grail. I usually use this after Vitamin C and before moisturizer. Right now, I’ve been testing some other serums in its stead and I miss this consistent results of CDS.
11. Clarins Cryo-Flash Instant Lift Face Mask — Now’s the time if you want to test this cult-following mask. Love the way it shrinks pores and leaves a glassy-smooth skin surface. It also has this great cooling effect that gives the impression you’ve just dunked your face in a bowl of ice water.
12. Clarins V-Facial Instant Depuffing Face Mask — Couldn’t leave this mask off the list. It’s another beauty cabinet must-have. You need this for the morning after a big night out, or really, before any big night out. I didn’t even know my face was occasionally puffy before I used this. I don’t understand the dark magic it employs, but I swear your face and neck look sucked-in, chiseled after one use. It also leaves skin so incredibly soft and happy.
P.S. If you’re more of a visual shopper, you can shop all these picks via my ShopMy Sephora Sale “Shelf.”
P.P.S. What are y’all reading? Any thoughts on the books from my fall reading list?
P.P.P.S. Added some fun new finds to my Shopbop Hearts.
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