Long time no blog post! While I’m sure most people won’t be sprinting to Sephora’s website in this time of uncertainty, I did receive a few requests to share some of my favorite Sephora picks for the upcoming sale. Although I rarely leave my house and the only human interaction I have is with my boyfriend who can’t tell the difference between the 27 blushes I own, I’ve still been doing an extensive skincare routine as a means of self-care and frequently doing my makeup in an attempt to restore some normalcy to my daily routine. If you’re looking to do the same, or if you’re wanting to try a new product, I hope this is of help to you!
Sale Details
Use code SPRINGSAVE online + make sure you’re signed in to your account! Unlimited use.
Rouge – April 17-May 1 // 20% Discount
VIB – April 21-29 // 15% Discount
Insider – April 24-27 // 10% Discount
If you’re Rouge, this sale is almost too good to pass up if you need to replenish your beauty stash. If you’re VIB or an Insider, the discount isn’t *amazing* and you’re likely to find a similar discount directly from the retailer. In times like this, it’s crucial we support small businesses when we can. If you can or prefer to, I highly recommend purchasing directly through a brand’s website as opposed to Sephora, a large corporation who laid off thousands of employees via conference call in the middle of a global pandemic. I plan on picking up a few holy grail items I’m running extremely low on, but I’m going to do my best to support brands directly – especially since these brands are, more often than not, small teams with a lot of passion for what they do.
I’ll be completely honest and say I still plan on purchasing items from Sephora that I otherwise cannot obtain a discount for (and it’s my birthday month so I want to claim my birthday gift). Should you choose to not shop directly from Sephora, I included direct links to brand websites for each listed item if the brand is offering a discount code.
SKINCARE
Caudalie Vinosource SOS Intense Hydration Set – Let me start off by saying this set is a steal – $59 for a $91 value (and you get your discount on top of that)! I’ve fallen in love with this serum and moisturizer. I like to layer a hydrating serum on top of my exfoliating serum (no skin irritation over here!) or use it on its own – my skin drinks it up. The moisturizer is very rich and is the *perfect* night cream, or day cream during the dry winter! The baby Beauty Elixir is an added bonus. If you’re not into the set and would rather purchase one product instead, I highly recommend the serum!
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day Serum – This serum is pricey (as are most Drunk Elephant products), so I definitely recommend picking up anything you’ve been eyeing from DE with your discount. A vitamin C serum is a staple in my morning routine for evening skin tone and brightening dark spots – I’ve tried numerous serums and I always come back to this one.
Farmacy Beauty Green Clean Makeup Cleansing Balm – A cleaning balm is *crucial* in your routine. If you wear SPF and/or makeup, your normal water-based cleanser isn’t thorough enough to fully cleanse your skin of SPF/makeup. An oil-based cleanser (or cleansing balm) will help break down your makeup and SPF, leading to clearer skin. This is my holy grail cleansing balm. If you’re not Rouge or would like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 20% on your Farmacy order with my code RACHAEL20 on their website!
Farmacy Beauty Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum – My favorite exfoliating serum. I use this 3x a week to help resurface and clarify my skin. I’ve tried numerous exfoliating serums; this is my favorite and more affordable of the bunch. If you’re not Rouge or would like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 20% on your Farmacy order with my code RACHAEL20 on their website!
Supergoop Glow Screen Sunscreen SPF 40 – The newest sunscreen launch from Supergoop and one of my favorites. Like Unseen, it doubles as your daily SPF and makeup primer, but this one has a pearly pink tint to it that leaves your skin glowing. If going makeup-free, the glow this gives is a little *too* metallic-y, so I prefer to wear this underneath makeup. It wears like a DREAM under skin tints, concealer, foundation, etc. and still leaves my skin glowing underneath makeup. If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 10% on your first order when you sign up for their mailing list.
Tower 28 Beauty SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray – If you’ve been following my skincare routines for a while, you know I love a good mist. I read about this one in an ITG article and thought I would die if I went another day without it. Tower 28 kindly sent me the full size of this spray, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I will say I haven’t noticed a drastic change in my rosacea like the author of that ITG article, but this definitely helps to calm my skin. It smells like a chlorinated pool (I’m hella into it) and I’ve noticed my breakouts heal much faster when I use this as a toner. If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 10% on your first order when you sign up for their mailing list.
Youth To The People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream – I can’t explain exactly why, but this is probably my favorite moisturizer of all time. It’s incredibly moisturizing, nourishing, and calming – my skin absolutely loves it. I am very fortunate to receive endless moisturizers from various brands to test, but I always daydream about using this one instead. A literal dream in a jar. If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 15% on your first purchase when you subscribe to their mailing list.
Youth To The People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask – This sleeping mask is packed with nourishing and brightening ingredients and my skin LOVES this shit. The texture is like a whipped mousse; it feels like a lightweight, creamy moisturizer. I was thrown off by the texture at first, since most sleeping masks I’ve tried are watery and slimy, but this sleeping mask is THAT bitch. I use this as the last step of my nighttime skincare routine, especially after using acid treatments, and I know this will save my skin from irritation. This is the only product I will be purchasing from the Sephora sale. If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 15% on your first purchase when you subscribe to their mailing list.
More Skincare Favorites
MAKEUP
ILIA Beauty Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 – My absolute favorite foundation as of late. It’s lightweight and a little goes a long way; the coverage it provides is light and incredibly natural. It’s packed with SPF and a ton of nourishing skincare ingredients and I can’t shut up about it. Dewy skin for days. If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 15% on your ILIA order with my code RR15 on their website!
ILIA Beauty Limitless Lash Mascara – My holy grail mascara. I have straight, Asian lashes that don’t hold a curl, and oily eyelids on top of that (every mascara smudges on me)! I was using waterproof mascaras for a while, but they eventually damaged my lashes and led to fallout. This mascara isn’t waterproof, but it holds a curl well and doesn’t smudge on my lids/undereyes at all. If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 15% on your ILIA order with my code RR15 on their website!
ILIA Beauty True Skin Serum Concealer – Hi, ILIA again! This is my favorite concealer for undereyes and brightening – it’s lightweight and doesn’t crease as much as the go-to concealers of my past do (Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion and NARS Radiant Creamy). It has a radiant finish and even contains vitamin C to brighten skin over time! If you’d like to shop directly from the brand inside, you can save 15% on your ILIA order with my code RR15 on their website!
KOSAS Revealer Concealer – I’m torn on this, but I’m sharing it anyway. This medium coverage is SO creamy; I wore it as a foundation the other day and my skin looked bomb as hell. It concealed my redness very well, but didn’t make my skin look cakey. It works well as an undereye concealer. Here’s my issue – the shades lean yellow as shit. I grabbed shade 02, which is described as “porcelain with neutral undertones.” When this initially launched, I went to Sephora on four different occasions to swatch these on the back of my hand to find my match – according to the shade match tool on Sephora’s website, I was either a 3 or 3.5. I left with 02 and even considered 01 – 01, which is described as “porcelain with cool undertones,” also leans yellow. I’m rambling, but you get the point. It’s not a huge deal if I wear it all over my face as a foundation (although after a few hours, my whole face leaned yellow). If I’m only wearing it as an undereye concealer, on top of my normal foundation that *actually* runs cool or neutral (I fluctuate between the two), my undereyes are very obviously yellow, to the point where I kinda look sick. I do hope they revisit the shades, because if I had a perfect shade match, this would be a holy grail for me. If you can find a shade match for yourself, this concealer will be your new best friend.
KOSAS Wet Lip Oil Gloss – I don’t own this product, but I’ve been seeing it all over Instagram and have read nothing but rave reviews. V tempted to purchase Dip, a neutral pearly nude!
Nudestix Nudies Matte Blush & Bronze – I am OBSESSED with these cream blushes and bronzers. They don’t break me out (v important!) and are super easy to blend into the skin. Have you ever used a cream brush/bronzer in stick form but it’s dried up like an old glue stick and tugs at your skin, royally fucking up your foundation? That shit is not cute! These are SO creamy, even if I haven’t used them in a while, and glide on my skin like butter on hot pancakes. Bondi Bae is my go-to bronzer, and Sunkissed is my favorite blush shade for that faux sunburnt look. I want every shade. If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 10% on your first order by signing up for their mailing list.
Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Tinted Lip + Cheek Balm – One of my favorite cream blush textures – seriously, so creamy and it doesn’t dry out in the pan. They blend out nicely and are filled with a ton of nourishing ingredients for such a natural, creamy application. They unfortunately break me out (avocado oil), but I still risk the breakouts every once in a while because they’re stunning! If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 10% on your first order when you sign up for their mailing list.
Tower 28 Beauty ShineOn Jelly Lip Gloss – I’ve never been a lip gloss person, but this made me a convert. They don’t feel heavy on the lips and they’re not sticky whatsoever. I love layering the shade Magic (clear) over lipsticks or using the shade Fire (sheer orange) on its own! If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 10% on your first order when you sign up for their mailing list.
More Makeup Favorites
HAIR
AMIKA Soulfood Nourishing Mask – Big fan of this deep conditioning hair mask. It always leaves my hair feeling super nourished and soft. I try to use a hair mask 1-2x a week to help my hair grow longer and stronger, and I can always count on this one! If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 15% on your first order when you sign up for their mailing list.
Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-exfoliating Shampoo – I wish I found this sooner. I have a dry scalp that’s prone to a shit ton of product buildup, and it doesn’t help that I’m lazy with my hair and often go 3-4 days without washing it (and I have dark hair so dry flakes on my scalp are always super visible)! I was struggling with very noticeable dry flakes down the part in my hair all winter – after using this once, the dry flakes disappeared and my scalp has been under control ever since. I like to use this 1-2x a week and I can’t go without it. I even let my boyfriend use it, as a treat. If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 10% on your first order when you sign up for their mailing list.
OUAI Super Dry Shampoo – One of my favorite dry shampoos because it absorbs quickly, works well, and smells amazing – it’s super perfume-y, but I’m into it. It’s like a dry shampoo and hair perfume in one!
Playa Healing Hair Masque – My favorite hair mask as of late. It contains kaolin clay to detox and balance the scalp, and Amla oil to strengthen the hair. I use it once a week, when I don’t shampoo with the Briogeo scrub, to help balance my scalp. Bonus: it smells amazing! If you’d like to shop directly from the brand instead, you can save 15% on your first order when you sign up for their mailing list and they’re donating 25 meals for every order placed.
More Hair Favorites
Happy shopping + thanks for reading! Xx
DISCLAIMER
Some of the links and discount codes provided are affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission if you make a purchase through my link and/or discount code. The support is always endlessly appreciated, and purchasing through my affiliate links/codes helps me invest more time into testing + reviewing products to share with you all! Some of the products I mentioned were gifted to me by the brand for testing purposes, but all thoughts/opinions are my own.
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Thank you for spending so much time getting this list together. I love your picks and suggestions! I will have to revisit this blog post for next time when the Sephora sale is over. I also love your Instagram! Stay safe and well! Thank you!