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My 21 Must-Have Sephora Recommendations
Scroll below to shop my top picks organized by the categories of Skincare, Makeup, Hair, and Fragrance.
Skincare:
All skincare picks above are “clean” products and get the seal of Sephora Clean approval 👍 Also, *FYI* my skin type is sensitive, acne-prone, combo.
1. Drunk Elephant Rise + Glow Brightening Duo, $23 (a $30 value)
I think this little duo and the below night duo are two great starter sets for trying out Drunk Elephant to start. And they are so easy! For this set, I do 2 pumps of the hydration serum + 1 pump the vitamin C serum, and that’s it! I then follow with my BB cream and the rest of my makeup routine. I can already tell the vitamin C serum is really helping with skin texture and the b-hydra is a great alternative to a moisturizer, especially for oilier skin types.
2. Drunk Elephant NightBright Resurfacing Duo, $28 (a $43 value)
This night set contains my favorite Drunk Elephant product: their glycolic night serum! After washing and drying my face, I do 2 pumps of the night serum + 1 pump of the facial oil. It creates just perfect combo of acne-fighting, resurfacing action that also hydrates well. P.S. Don’t let the oil scare you – I have sensitive, acne-prone, very-easily-clogged-pores skin and this oil does not clog pores / cause acne for me at all (which is quite rare for ultra-hydrating products).
3. Drunk Elephant Shelf-Respect Day Kit, $88 (a $124 value)
When I saw this set, I was supes excited about the value. I was already going to buy the full size product included in this (which is their vitamin C serum that I use every morning) but that’s $80 so might as well pay $8 more for some great additional minis.
4. Drunk Elephant Shelf-Control Night Kit, $98 (a $155 value)
I also grabbed this kit because of its incredible value! The full size included (my favorite DE product) their glycolic night serum, is $90 – so again why not pay $8 more for some minis that I either already love or would be interested to try. I just tried the eye cream included in this set and WOW does it help dark circles!
5. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask, $24
This is my go-to product for winter/dry *sensitive* skin. If you are looking for something quick, simple, affordable, and one-time-use results – here’s your product! The formula feels a little funky since it has real oatmeal pieces in it, but it’s actually incredibly soothing on the face immediately after you put it on. It’s so gentle and works in only 10 minutes! Definitely snag it if your skin tends to suffer a bit in the winter.
6. Farmacy Hydrating Coconut Gel Sheet Mask, $6
If you’re more of a sheet mask gal, this is another great hydration quick-fix! I used this mask the second I got home from a cruise to the Bahamas that I took over the summer, and it really helped soothe and hydrate fast! I didn’t have a sunburn but my skin was definitely in need of mega hydration from all that time in the sun. I haven’t used it in the colder, dryer months yet, but definitely gonna snag one of these to have for any potential dry skin emergencies this winter! And at $6, why not give it a try?! Love the scent too, very calming.
Makeup:
7. Clinique Acne Solutions BB Cream SPF 40, $39.50
This is a great lightweight but medium-coverage foundation with SPF (not exactly sure why they call this a BB cream, maybe because it doesn’t feel/look heavy? But I personally consider it as just a fabulous foundation). It does not clog pores and has excellent, buildable coverage that I believe works for all skin types. It evens out your skin tone (but doesn’t hide my freckles!) and also provides a good starter coverage to any pimples, etc (if they’re not too prominent, I usually don’t need to add cover-up on top). I’ve been using it since high school (it’s true!) and my mom also loves and uses it daily. And I really love that I don’t have to deal with the extra step of SPF, too! #lazy 🙈The only downside to this product is the severe lack of shades – I wear the lightest shade “Light” and sometimes it’s too dark for me in the winter.
8. Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel, $22
My current daily brow routine is Beautycounter’s brow pencil + this amazinggg clear brow gel on top. This means business when it comes to keeping your brow hairs in place – seriously! If you have pesky brows or just want a product that really delivers, grab this gel STAT.
9. Dior Diorshow Brow Styler Ultra-Fine Precision Brow Pencil, $29
I used this brow pencil for several years until I switched to the Beautycounter one (simply because I just wanted to be using a cleaner option). What I miss the most is never having to sharpen it – man, is that the worst! It just twists up and it truly lives up to its name of “ultra-fine precision” – it keeps its tiny, precise shape through its entire life! The brow brush on the other end is a NEED, and TBH I don’t understand why all brow products don’t somehow incorporate one to make your brow routine more efficient.
10. Too Faced Damn Girl! 24-Hour Mascara, $25
This is my holy grail mascara. It provides SO much volume and length – truly unprecedented as far as I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a LOT). And it lasts the entire day but isn’t impossible to remove – so what else could ya need? They also make it in mini size (in regular packaging AND in an adorable ornament tree packaging, perf for gifting) if you want to just snag a little one to try! Mini size is $13.
*If you want to get just one new lipstick to add to your collection, make it THIS one*
11. Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Set, $35 (a $45 value)
This is such a great color, I truly believe everyone (in the more light-medium skin tone range) should own this nude-pink hue. You’ve maybe heard of it? It’s definitely one of Charlotte Tilbury’s most famous products/colors. And this set is perf! The lipstick itself is $34 so might as well pay $1 more for the matching pencil. The pencil is great paired with the lipstick and on its own with a gloss on top 👍 See the color on me in this Instagram pic. Lipstick lasts pretty long and is a super chic matte finish.
12. Tarte Sea Color Splash Lipstick, $21
I love this formula but more importantly love that it’s a CLEAN-er formula than most! It’s long-lasting, has a great creamy-matte finish, and is pretty hydrating for a lipstick. I have it in several hues, but my two faves are Salt Lyfe, a gorgeous mauve, and Colada, a peachy brown nude.
Hair:
13. Slip Small Slipsilk Scrunchies, pack of 6 for $39 / pack of 3 for $20
I love these silk hair ties! Pretty much the minute I get home from work I want my hair up and outta my face, so I love these because they are so easy, soft, and won’t pull or damage hair. And they’re great for if you prefer sleeping with a hair tie in (which sometimes I do accidentally so I never feel as bad since these won’t pull or damage). I’m always losing them (where do they go?!) so during this sale is a great time to grab a few more. I keep these at my nightstand, by my front door, in my bathroom, in my bag, and at my desk.
14. Christophe Robin Shade Variation Care Nutritive Mask with Temporary Coloring – Baby Blonde, $53
My hair colorist recommended this product to me the last time I went in – and man does this stuff work SO well and without damaging! It’s for keeping my blonde from getting brassy and I love how you can kinda use as needed. You can leave it in for 5 minutes or up to 30 minutes depending on your desired look. It’s by far my favorite product like this because it doesn’t dry out my hair or seemingly cause any damage, it actually goes as far as make my hair super soft and feels like I used a deep conditioning mask – so that’s a big WIN for me! If you want to try it without the big price tag, snag one of the smaller packs of it for only $18. I really do think it’ll last me a good while though, and is well worth it!
15. T3 Whirl Trio Interchangeable Styling Wand Set, SALE $199.99 (orig. $300; a $355 value)
Normally I would recommend what I actually use (just simply buying the base + the 1 inch wand barrel), but with this on sale – this is literally the same price as those and therefore, a total STEAL! 🙌This is truly an incredible value to get 3 different wands + the base for less than $200. I’m honestly jealous of anyone who takes advantage of this deal. This is the best wand I’ve ever used, makes my waves/curls last longer than anything else I’ve ever used – and honestly it’s so gorgeous it’s hard not to covet! It’s a great holiday wishlist item, so email this to your (insert loved one here) STAT.
16. Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo Duo Set, $24 (a $38 value)
BEST. DRY. SHAMPOO. EVER. If you haven’t tried it yet… why not?! This actuallyyyyy cleans your hair and smells amazing (but the scent isn’t too strong, which is also key for me). Works really well overnight AND within 5 minutes – it’s worth the price! This is a must-try if dry shampoo is part of your weekly routine. I go through this stuff really quickly so I always stock up during sales like these. And this set is a fabulous value since the full size on its own is the exact same price as this set👌
17. Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Shampoo ($31) and Conditioner ($34)
This is my favorite lightweight shampoo and conditioner set that I’ve tried in a while! It’s great for thinner hair types (like myself) that gets oily quicker than most. It really helps my hair finish with a lighter weight so it’s easier to add additional products and style.
Fragrance:
18. PHLUR Hanami Eau de Parfum, $96
For those of you asking for fragrance recommendations, I’m not the best person to ask because I’m ridiculously sensitive and haven’t been a daily fragrance-wearer for most of my life – BUT maybe that makes me the best person to ask? 🤷♀️haha…. anyway, I recently picked up Sephora’s Clean Fragrance Sampler (which is featured next/below) because I knew I wanted it to be clean and it seemed like a really great way to try out some of the best ones on the market. It was a fabulous success and I absolutely love PHLUR’s Hanami scent. It’s light, creamy, fresh, and has notes of fig, white florals, and sandalwood; and is described as the ultimate minimalist scent, with which I totally agree!
Tip: To get it cheaper (AND to try it first!), buy the set below instead. Because the set below is only $65 and you get free samples/minis AND a voucher for a full size of any of the samples. So you save $31 if you get the PHLUR Hanami. The only loop you have to jump through is the voucher that comes with the set below is only redeemable in-store. So you really have to make sure the Sephora location(s) near you sell those fragrances.
19. Sephora Favorites Clean Fragrance Sampler, $65 (a $107 value)
I got this recently – read the description above for more details and the one I ended up choosing. These are GREAT gifts for yourself and for others! My aunt gave me one of these sets once or twice in high school and I honestly thought it was the coolest gift ever (and she would get me the deluxe sets like this one where the minis are actual miniatures of the full size and literally the cutest things ever and I adored displaying them all on my dresser).
