Sephora Sale Guide 2022

So sorry for the delay here guys! We still have three days to shop the Sephora sale. Even if you aren’t shopping, this can almost be a general guide of my Sephora favorites. So, I wanted to give my recommendations and share a few things I think you can skip and the products I feel are worth it. 

I’ve always been into beauty and skincare as much as the next gal, but I never really fell in love with it the way I am now, until around 2020. Sometime during that year, I really began to learn about and understand what products worked best for me and why. I used to get frustrated, feeling like my complexion didn’t carry products well, or that I couldn’t wear the glowy products because I already had oily-ish skin (disclaimer, that’s not true). But then I realized, after a lot of trial and error, that for me, it was all in the formula. Formula is more important to me than anything. When it comes to my complexion, I have acne-prone combo skin, my skin can be both oily and dehydrated and rough. My pores are enlarged on my cheeks and I have some scarring there, too. I also get clogged pores easily. My acne has definitely tapered off in the last year (I personally attribute it to cutting out alcohol aside from special occasions), but I still fight breakouts on the daily yet have grown more comfortable in my skin. So, when I make recommendations, they’re probably for the pore-conscious, combo-skin person who likes a natural glow and a modest amount of dew.

A few products I think you can skip that are really hyped right now: Rare beauty concealer and Rare beauty tinted moisturizer- I tried both of these recently and the formula is not the best for combination skin. I will say, Rare beauty blush, contour sticks and highlights are really good. I love Charlotte Tilbury flawless filter, but I think you can skip all the other Charlotte products. In my opinion, they’re a bit oily and on the warmer side always, so they don’t mesh well with my complexion. A controversial take, if you have combo skin you can skip the Kosas Revealer Foundation and the Nars Light Reflecting Foundation – I think both are better designed for dry skin types. But, I am a Kosas STAN. The foundation is pretty, just doesn’t mesh with me. Last but not least, I think the Brazilian bum bum cream is just okay.

A reminder you do NOT “need” any of this. There are amazing drugstore products and I use plenty of products found outside of Sephora, too. This is just a guide, so I decided to break it out by category with my 10/10 products for each. Everything on this list, I would wholeheartedly tell a friend to try. On that note, here we go!

MAKEUP 

I find myself gravitating towards minimalist and “clean” beauty brands, because I think, generally speaking, they just do such a good job in making things simple, and I always feel like I still look like myself. I used to be super insecure about my complexion and wore full coverage foundation, now I really opt more for a tinted moisturizer and a foundation stick or a light-medium foundation or skin tint. My favorite combination is tinted moisturizer with a foundation stick, because I get a nice even look to my skin and on areas like on either side of my nose on my cheeks where I have larger pores and some acne scars, I can add the foundation stick and blend it out for more coverage in that area. I finish with a little fine powder and it keeps oil overload at bay!

I’ll start by saying that my favorite makeup brands available at Sephora are Merit and Saie, followed by Tower28, Kosas, Ilia and a few others.

Face

Saie Slip Tinted Moisturizer, Tower28 Sunny Days Tinted SPF , Merit Foundation Stick , Milk Foundation Stick, Saie Superglow Gel, Kosas Revealer Concealer 10/10 , Kosas Cloud Set Powder, Ilia Bronzer, Saie Cream Bronzer, Milk HydroGrip Primer, Charlotte tilbury flawless filter

Cheeks & Lips

(you don’t need every shade, just one will do – I am simply a nut lol)

Tower28 Cream Blush , Tower28 Cream Bronzer, Saie Liquid Blushes , Saie Dew Balm Highligher , Merit Highlight Balm , Merit Lip Oil , Merit Lipstick, Tower28 Lip Jelly, Ilia Balmy Tint Lip

Eyes & Brows

For my brows, I use the clear gel first, then shape with the pencil, then fill in with the colored gel. On days where I don’t do all 3, I simply opt for the tinted gel.

Kosas Clear Brow Gel & Kosas Tinted Brow Gel (Taupe), Kosas Brow Pencil, Merit Mascara, Calliray Hell or High Water Mascara, Ilia Lash Lengthening Mascara

SKINCARE

I learned the key step in my skin routine was a hydrating serum, one that was smooth and not tacky, that kept my skin hydrated without extra moisturizer and keeps it from over producing oil. All the serums I use have a formula that’s not too tacky. I also really set out to find products that felt dreamy to apply without making my skin breakout, become congested or overly oily. I also do not mix my acid products, when I use them I use them one at a time! For my moisturizers, I’ve tried just about every one there is lol. The ones below are fantastic for combination skin and depending on what formula you like, one for everyone. The key for me in keeping my oil balanced and complexion in harmony is making sure its nicely hydrated so it’s not quenching for moisture and over producing oil.

Cleansers, Moisturizers & Toners

Tata harper AHA BHA powered cleanser, Caudalie Pore Purifying Cleanser, Tachta Deep Cleanse Exfoliating Cleanser, Farmacy Makeup Removing Balm, Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Moisturizer, Youth the People Superfood Moisturizer *If you want a water based moisturizer for oily skin I recommend the Tata Harper Water Lock Moisturizer, Paulas Choice Skin Exfoliating Toner, Farmacy Deep Sweep Toner

Serums, Masks, Treatments

Drunk Elephant B Hydra Serum (desert island product), Summer Fridays Hydrating Serum (like silk), Drunk elephant vitamin C serum (slightly sticky), Caudalie Pore Perfecting Minimizing Serum, Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask, Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment, Youth to the People Purify and Clear Mask , Drunk Elephant AHA Mask

HAIR AND BODY

I have fine hair but a lot of it, it also used to get oily so quickly! I’ve found the key is not too many products, but just the right ones. I recently started using Dae and I’m in love. I also love Amika and Crown products, you can’t go wrong.

Dae Shampoo & Conditioner , Dae Hair Oil , Ouai Hair Oil , Crown Affair Ritual Conditioner , Crown Renewal Mask , Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo , Amika Undone Volume Matte Spray , Amika Normcore Shampoo, Drybar Velcro Hightop Rollers, Necessaire Body Exfoliator , Necessaire Body Lotion , Ouai Body and Scalp Scrub