To be honest, my beauty and skincare routines have taken a major backseat to more pressing matters, like feeding micro and moving in Manhattan and getting mini out the door dressed, brushed, and fed within an hour of her waking in the morning. Sometimes I arrive at mini’s school pick-up line at 3 p.m. and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and think — “Oh Jennie. Shoulda reapplied the blush before dashing out the door just now…”
Sephora’s 20% off promotion (if you are VIB Rouge level) reminded me to take a beat, refresh my beauty cabinet, and carve out a little extra time in the mornings to take care of myself. I am specifically picking up these items with the current discount:
OUAI WAVE SPRAY (THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE MESSY HAIR LOOK INTENTIONAL + I LOVE THE SCENT)
COCO MADEMOISELLE PERFUME (I RECENTLY RAN OUT OF PERFUME AND I’M RETURNING TO THIS CLASSIC, WHICH I WORE THROUGHOUT MY 20S + WHICH INSTANTLY MAKES ME FEEL PUT-TOGETHER)
NARS THE MULTIPLE (FOR ON-THE-GO TOUCH-UPS)
LAURA MERCIER ILLUMINATING MOISTURIZER (I HAVE BEEN WEARING CHANTECAILLE’S TINTED MOISTURIZER BUT I LIKE THIS STUFF RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT ADDS THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF SHEEN/HIGHLIGHTING, WHICH MY TIRED FACE NEEDS)
LAURA MERCIER EYE BASICS (FOR WHEN I’M TOO LAZY TO APPLY EYE SHADOW — I JUST SWIPE THIS ON AND GO; INSTANTLY BRIGHTENS/EVENS OUT TONE OF EYELID)
IT COSMETICS SUPERHERO MASCARA (THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST)
ARMANI MASCARA (A FRIEND RAVED ABOUT THIS RECENTLY — GOING TO GIVE IT A SHOT IN ADDITION TO MY TRIED & TRUE STUFF ABOVE)
I am also considering stocking up on my favorite go-to products that I never go without:
TATA HARPER EXFOLIATING CLEANSER
OUAI SMOOTH SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER
A few other beauty products I had to share as a part of this post (not all are from Sephora, though):
+Laura Mercier is retiring a bunch of products and they’re marked way down right now. I love (!) her caviar sticks for eye shadow, and many of the colors are currently heavily discounted. They’re super easy to apply and I’m all about anything that doesn’t require a brush. Ha! Also eyeing this illuminating concealer.
+Vintner’s Daughter’s Serum. I can’t say enough good things about this serum. It is pricey but it lasts a very, very long time. If this product is out of your price range, I also love Ole Henriksen’s Truth Serum.
+Tata Harper’s Volumizing Lip + Cheek Tint. I’m pretty sure this is the only blush I’ll ever wear for the rest of my life. I absolutely love the flushed effect it achieves — and it is perfectly pigmented. Sometimes I find liquid/cream blushes are too intensely colored and therefore difficult to apply (i.e., I look like a clown after I’ve swiped some on). This blends like a dream and is easy to build. I freaking love it and have gifted it to my mother and a girlfriend already! (That’s how you truly know I love something!) Sephora does carry this product but it keeps selling out. It’s that good. (Also — you can use this balm on your lips! Love a multitasking tool like this.)
+These DryBar hair clips continue to be used daily. They last forever. I think I’ve had the same pack of four for like eight years? I’m not sure, but I’ve had them forever and ever amen. I use them to clip back my hair when washing my face. I will say they aren’t ideal to use on just-blow-dried-hair as you’ll get a little crimp in your hair; for that purpose, I ordered a set of these to pull back the hair around my face when applying makeup.
+Still loving this shower caddy (so well-designed — does not rust, does not slip/slide around, and has little hooks for a loofah, a tray for a razor, etc, etc.) Just perfectly designed and slick-looking.
+I steered my Dad in the direction of one of these monogrammed Weezie robes for my mom, and she has been raving about it. I think I need one, too.
+I am kind of swooning over the velvet hairbow at the top of this post. You can get the look with this, this, or this (bargain!).
P.S. Many of the products above are already in my roundup of my all-time favorite beauty products, in case you want a full list of my favorite products. (And here is a list of my favorite beauty products under $50.)
P.P.S. Some musings on self-care after I fell and split my head open last winter (almost a year ago!). God willing, you will not endure a similar incident, but if you or someone you know does: I have to swear by this silicon gel and La Roche Posay fluid sunscreen, which I applied religiously every single day and I have to say that the scarring is minimal. My fall actually came up this past weekend with a friend we’d not seen since the accident, and he said he wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t pointed it out! I will claim that as a victory because I of course do.
P.P.P.S. What are your favorite go-to fall recipes?
I LOVE the Ouai Wave Spray — I have the large one at home and always keep the mini size in my travel toiletry bag. It’s perfect for creating a bit of texture — I have generally-straight but sometimes-has-random-waves hair. It makes it look much more intentional!
Also a big fan of the Laura Mercier caviar eyeshadow sticks. I’ve been wanting to try Amethyst for a while and may swing by Sephora this afternoon to grab it. Yay!
P.S. When I want to look a bit more shimmery, I mix Drunk Elephant’s D-Bronzi drops with my usual La Roche-Posay moisturizer & it makes me a bit more glowy. Love!
xx
Oo great tip on the LRP and D-bronzi mix! xx
I purchase 99% of my makeup and beauty products at Duane Reade but the one thing I always make a special trip to Sephora for is the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Volume Texture Spray. My hair is super straight, fine, and slippery, which makes it really difficult to get any kind of updo to hold (at least on clean hair). But a some sprays of this on clean and dry hair provides great invisible texture and hold when I’m trying to twist it up. Also, it smells terrific, and because I mostly use it for weddings and other big parties, I have such a happy and festive Pavlovian response to the smell! I use it and it’s like PARTY TIME!
That is SO fun! I have the same “scent memory” with some of my perfumes, which I reserve for evening occasions just because they feel dark and fancy. Love that. That texturizing spray is fantastic — have used that a lot. Ouai is similar to it! I’d put them neck and neck with one another.
xx
I swore I wasn’t going to purchase any new make-up or skincare until I’ve gone through what I have, but I’ve been wanting to try the Tata Harper products that you recommend! So, maybe I’ll break my rule 😉
I tried the Laura Mercier Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer and ended up returning it. I haven’t been a big fan of the brand’s tinted moisturizer in general, but I know they’re very popular. I guess it feels like it sits on top of my skin a bit? I’ve been using a couple of different tinted moisturizers/BB creams since I don’t really like foundation. In rotation at the moment is Beautycounter’s Dew Skin (I really like this), It Cosmetic’s Illuminating CC Cream (for a bit more coverage), and surprise winner – Maybelline’s Dream Fresh BB Cream!
Love the velvet hair accessory – I plan to finally wear last year’s J Crew style this holiday. I’ve been trying the headband thing but it doesn’t really feel…me? It’s so cute on everyone else, though! xo
I think you will LOVE the Tata Harper stuff, especially the cleanser and the blush! SUCH great products. And I haven’t necessarily loved all of her stuff, either – I tried her face cream and hated it. But those two items are FANTASTIC.
I know what you mean about trends that you really try to work into your wardrobe but that never quite stick…! I feel that way about sneakers with dresses. I try and try and try to make it work with my GGs but I feel super weird in that look. So I just stick with jeans when wearing sneaks 🙂 Haha!
xx
I think I will ask for a monogrammed robe for the holidays! What are your thoughts on deciding between the Weezie short or the Motouk waffle robe? I believe you have that one? I’m petite 4’11 and think it would be utilized more while getting make up on or drying hair, so, seems like the no collar on the Weezie is a splendid idea!
Hi! I agree with you – that’s exactly why I’m eyeing the collarless Weezie. I also like the short sleeves (so I’m not constantly pulling up/pushing up the sleeves of my robe, which is a constant struggle for me when I’m wearing my waffle robe and trying to wash my face or dry my hair! It’s actually very annoying!)
In short, if the primary use case is to wear the robe while getting ready, I vote Weezie. If you’re looking for something cozy to curl up in on the weekends and lounge in your bed while drying off from a shower, I’d advocate for the waffle!
xx