This is my ULTIMATE list of favourite products carried at Sephora! The Sephora Holiday Savings Event is on NOW so i’m sharing everything I like in makeup, haircare, skincare, body products and fragrance!
The Sephora holiday savings event is on NOW FOR ROUGE! The dates are as follows:
ROUGE: 10/27-11/6
VIB and INSIDER: 10/31 – 11/6
Sephora Collection is all 30% off 10/27 – 11/6!
In this post you’ll find a comprehensive list of all my favourite products in every category! I’ve also included links to shop directly through this post!
jump to products:
*Please note, links included are affiliate links – which means when you shop my links you support me directly, and I couldn’t be more greatful! I get a small % of commission through sales made with my links, at no extra cost to you! we both win! <3*
A purchase A LOT of beauty products. I have always been a bit of a product wh*re my whole life! Even as a kid, going to the pharmacy and getting a new body wash was my kryptonite.
I was the kid always making potions, or mixing a bunch of skincare on my face trying to see what worked. I remember having “spa nights” where I would take a long ass shower (so long the hot water would often run out, and my final rinse was cold). I’d be mixing conditioners and soaps while my parents yelled about how long I’ve been in there and how much water I was using. Then, I would follow up my long ass shower with face masks, acne pads, and clean and clear scrubs – I cringe now because I was probably doing more harm than good. So needless to say, I have probably tried a good deal more products then many people have.
I’m not a true “expert “or dermatologist. What I’m sharing is just what works for me, but I do also have experience working in the skincare field, so feel free to message me on instagram if you have products you’re wondering about that I haven’t posted here. Even if it isn’t one that works for me, I may be able to help you figure out if it will work for you!
With that being said, I’ve broken down my ultimate list of picks into categories with links! I’ll also list the products by name and what I love about them so if you want to read more and see if you’d like it too the info is there!
I will also say my skin type is dry, acne prone, and I get hormonal breakouts as well. I love a huge range of products though, so even if your skin type is different a lot of these will probably work for you too! Also generally speaking, hydration is good for really anyone’s skin, even if you aren’t particularly dry! A lot of us are dehydrated at a baseline, if I dare say so myself! 💧
I have made a Sephora sale post the last few years – and there will be some overlap with products, but I’ve tried to include some newer products to me/ newer launches here! You can find my 2022 post here and my 2021 post here!
note – I still recommend the products in my old posts wholeheartedly! My routine has changed some since I have tried new products or found different things that work, but I still love the same things I did before!
MY ULTIMATE SEPHORA SALE PICKS:
MAKEUP
I’m not a HUGE makeup girlie, but I do LOVE makeup. I know that sounds contradicting, but what I mean is i’m not an MUA, i’m not amazing at makeup (specifically eye makeup – i’m a 1 shade all over the lid girl), but I know what works for me, and I have very specific things that I look for with makeup. A few words that describe what I generally look for in makeup are: dewy, hydrated, glowy, pretty, girlie. So that’s the vibe. Here’s what I find helps me get that look:
Here are the palettes and single shadows I love – I always gravitate towards more warm neutral shades or pinks!
And this is my everyday makeup look:
I will say, I don’t use any powder on my face really. I LOVE the way cream products blend seamlessly together, and I find powder sometimes makes my skin look more dry.Tthe charlotte tilbury pressed setting powder is a part of my everyday makeup though, because I use it just on spots that i’ve concealed acne – I find the powder helps keep the concealer ON the spot, and it adds a little bit more coverage. The Charlotte Tilbury setting powder is the most blurring powder i’ve ever seen! Even on the rare occasion I have used it on my full face, it looks so smooth and poreless!
My everyday makeup routine is very basic, I do the same thing every day, the only change is sometimes I’ll ad a shadow on my lid, or I use my pillowtalk mascara and eyeliner in the dreampop and pillowtalk shades for a burgundy-brown ish look on my eyes! I get SO many compliments on that combo every time I wear it.
The other MUST HAVE in my everyday makeup (let’s be real, they’re all “must haves” for me) is the Tower 28 facial spray. I SOAK my skin with this at the end of my makeup. Like i’m talking basically dripping wet, and then I let that dry in and don’t touch my face until it dries. Every time I do this I get a compliment on my skin – and I am not blessed with natually gorgeous smooth glowing skin. I have dry skin, acne and texture. But whenever I use this spray I have random people telling me I have gorgeous skin, i’ve been told on more than 1 occasion I looked like I had just gotten a facial! I attribute that 100% to this spray. It makes me look SO hydrated and smooth. It has hypochlorous acid in it which is anti-microbial, so it can help a little bit with clear skin as well! I would imagine that would help more if you use the spray on clean skin, but I just LOVE how it looks over makeup, or as a refresh throughout the day.
Other makeup picks:
These are my other makeup picks! As you can see, there are a few brands I really gravitate towards: Charlotte Tilbury, Merit and Hourglass! As mentioned i’m not the biggest fan of powder products, but hourglass powders are like no other! Their ambient lighting powders are gorgeous and give the most beautiful subtle glow to the skin, and their blush and bronzers blend out seamlessly. I find their products are glowy without looking overly glittery on the skin.
SKINCARE
As much as I love makeup, skincare and haircare are my absolute favourites to buy and try! I am OBSESSED with skincare. Again to keep in mind – my skin type is dry, and acne prone. I tend to get hormonal breakouts around my chin and jawline. I like my skin to look super dewy and hydrated! Despite being acne prone, and acne being one of my biggest concerns, a lot of these products are not targeted “for” acne. Rather, they’re a bit more gentle (aside from some strong peels LOL) and I have found that helped my acne more than a lot of acne products have. I think it comes down to inflammation. I am NOT a dermatologist or doctor, so this is just my own opinion based on my experience with my face, but I felt like using strong acne products was just flaring up and irritating my skin more, and even sometimes spreading it more. The skin barrier is so important for skin health, and I think I was overdoing it with strong products and compromising my barrier more. Here’s an article about the skin barrier and how when it’s compromised it can cause more reactions in the skin.
ANYWAYS with all that out of the way, now I can list out my favourite skincare picks to buy in the Sephora Holiday Savings Event!
skincare picks
These are my favourite general skincare picks! A range of moisturizers, cleansers, serums and eye creams! My absolute favourite cleanser is the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser. It clears my skin like no other, but it’s so gentle and not stripping. It has the most gorgeous rich creamy texture as well!
I also need to have the Dermalogica Microfoliant on deck at all times – it’s such a great gentle exfoliant. It leaves my skin so soft and clean feeling, and it also helps to keep my skin more clear!
face masks:
These are my all time favourite face masks. If I could recommend just ONE that I constantly go back to it’s this Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin™ Cream-Infused Mask. I can’t even describe HOW hydrating it is. Its a cloth sheet mask, and it’s in 2 separate pieces which I love because I have a really hard time with sheet masks properly fitting my face with the shape of the holes, and a lot of the time it feels like they just slide around. This one fits so snug and securely! It’s also unlike any sheet mask i’ve used because instead of being a thin, watery serum it has a cream infused into it – and they don’t play around! There is a LOT of cream on the mask. The instructions say to leave it on for 20 minutes, but to get the most out of it I leave it on for like an hour. Once it starts to dry out and lift off my face on it’s own, that is when I remove the mask. Even leaving it on this long, when I take the sheet off there is still so much cream on the surface of my skin to rub in. I find even when I wake up the next day my skin still feels hydrated from the mask the night before!
HAIRCARE
Haircare is my other favourite product category (though who am I kidding, I really love them all). My hair is naturally wavy and frizzy, though I do style it with heat often because I like how it looks and feels better. My hair is also kind of dry, I have some damage (probably due to the heat styling) and it’s quite thick! The main thing I look for with haircare is that it’s hydrating, makes my hair feel soft, and it has to smell nice.
Here are my haircare picks!
I am an olapex girl. It works for me, and I love it. I have used it for years now (on and off, mostly on) and it just works so well for my hair! THAT SAID it doesn’t work for everyone. It is repairing, and if your hair doesn’t need any repairing it could be a bit drying. I’ve seen people complain of this on tiktok, and i’ve also seen people in the comments saying how they have to be “wrong” or “using it wrong” but truly, I don’t think anyone is wrong there, I just feel like there are no one-size-fits-all products. Not everything will work for everyone, no matter how good the product is.
A few products on this list I am OBSESSED with: the Kérastase hair oil. My personal favourite is the Chronologiste L’Huile de Parfum Fragrance Hair Oil – aka the black one, but I also LOVE the Elixir Ultime Hydrating Hair Oil Serum (the yellowy-gold one). They’re both GORGEOUS, so smoothing, hydrating, help with frizz. They both smell nice though the black one is a fragranced oil and I love the smell of it so much. Ingredient wise they’re similar but do differ just a little, the black one has hyaluronic acid and vitamin E, and the yellow has a few extra plant oils.
FRAGRANCE
Okay maybe I lied, skincare and haircare aren’t my only favourite product types. I am also IN LOVE with fragrance. In the last few years I’ve really taken a liking to perfumes. I feel like they can set the mood for your day, and scent is heavily tied to our memories and emotions. I also love that it’s a product that’s goal isn’t to change anything about the way we look. Now obviously I don’t see anything negative about makeup, or wanting your hair to look a certain way, but it’s really nice to me that the whole point of perfume is just to be enjoyed, without hoping it makes your skin clear, or your hair smooth, etc.
I would describe my taste in fragrance as eclectic, a little bit niche, feminine but also sometimes androgynous. I will say, when I say feminine I mean traditionally “feminine” (girlie, sweet, warm) but I don’t personally think fragrances have any need to be gendered. Scent is so personal, and the way fragrances pull on different people will vary so much! I also don’t think I have the most niche unique preference for fragrance – I LOVE vanilla scents, which is probably as basic as it get’s. BUT I also love kind of different smelling, sometimes kind of weird or interesting scents as well! Hence – eclectic! I like so much when it comes to fragrance. I blind buy fragrance sometimes if I like the description, but I definitely recommend trying a perfume before you buy especially if you aren’t sure what notes you tend to like.
Here are my favourite fragrances:
Now as mentioned, I don’t typically recommend blind buying fragrance if you are unsure, but a few from this list that I feel are quite safe would be YSL Libre – I have never found anyone who didn’t like this scent. It’s sweet, kind of floral but not in a heavy or powdery way, and it’s quite warm. It comes in a few versions but my favourites are the original or the intense.
I also find Replica Bubble Bath to be pretty safe – if you’re looking for a soft, soapy and clean scent then you’ll probably like it! It’s still sweet, but very very clean and soft smelling.
A few favourites of mine that I would say aren’t a good blind buy but I still love them so much are Juliette Has a Gun MMM… and Tom Ford Metalique – I actually find these scents kind of similar, though MMM… is a little more fruity, and Metalique is a little more floral, but both weirdly smell a bit like play doh, and I actually LOVE it.
home scents:
Sephora doesn’t just carry personal scents, they also carry some beautiful home scents like candles and diffusers. I love the Voluspa ones because I feel like for the price, the candle is such a good size and a gorgeous display piece as well.
BODYCARE
I’ll be honest, I’m less passionate about bodycare. I don’t know what it is, but as much as I still love the products, body care is definitely the area I slack in the most. Like obviously I shower everyday, but I don’t find really much difference between a more expensive shower gel vs a cheaper one. I also have to admit I often slack on exfoliating regularly, or using body cream after every shower. That being said, these body products are ones that actually make me feel strongly about products i’m generally more “whatever” about! The main thing I look for with body products is that they smell good, and I like nice textures especially with exfoliants and lotion.
Here are my favourite body care products that *actually* make a difference and are worth the hype.
The biggest difference I noticed was from products that are more ingredient focused – because like I mentioned, a good smell is the biggest draw for me with body products but really anyone can make a nice smelling body wash. If i’m going just based on scent, I’ll be hitting up bath and body works during the holidays and grabbing some twisted peppermint and vanilla bean noel. SO what justifies a bigger price tag? Ingredients – for example, the Sol De Janeiro Bom Dia Bright Clarifying AHA BHA Body Wash (long a$$ name) has AHA’s and BHA’s which are chemical exfoliating acids. Those can help clear up congestion and texture on the skin, and it smells SO good!
Also the First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Scrub – similar to that body wash, has AHA’s in it which help a ton with texture, congestion, and I find it helps a bit with my strawberry skin that I get from shaving!
Then there are products like the Ouai Melrose Place body cleanser and body cream, where the smell is just unlike anything i’ve ever smelled. It smells seriously SO good. It’s clean, floral, sweet and just gorgeous. And, especially when layered with all the products in that scent, the smell LASTS.
$$$ SPLURGES
OKAY these are the big ticket items I recommend/ want for myself. These are expensive, big “treat yourself” items. My top 2 picks are definitely a Shark FlexStyle (basically a shark version of dyson airwrap) which I want SO bad. I’ve only seen good reviews on it, and while still a heafty price tag, it is about 1/2 the cost of the airwrap! I really want the new arctic teal colour, I think it’s so pretty!
I also REALLY want a NuFACE after hearing about it from a few friends. It’s a micro-current toning device. Here is a link to the NuFACE website that explains micro-current in more detail, but essentially it tones and sculpts the face!
GIFT SETS!
Gift sets are like the best, most exciting part about the holidays at Sephora. They make perfect gifts (duh) but they’re also a great way to get more bang for your buck or try out a few products from a brand at a better cost!
I love getting gift sets that contain a full size of a product I love, and then extras of products I also love or ones that are new so I can try them! A great example is the Belif DIVE IN! Hydration Set which contains a full size of my favourite gel cream – the aquabomb gel cream – which sells for $51.50 on it’s own, but for $54 you get the full size cream, as well as a cleanser, toner and eye cream to try out!
I also love the Benefit Fluffin’ Festive Brows set because it comes with the products I already use in FULL SIZE! It’s $48, and each product retails individually for about $30-$35, so it’s a huge steal!
And that concludes my Sephora Holiday Savings Event picks!
I feel like I shared a good range of everything I like, but you can always message me on instagram if you want to talk products, or ask if I’ve tried something you’re interested in!
Also come join me on TikTok here because I’ve been posting a lot more over there! If you want to see more of my life, fashion, products, home decor finds that’s the place to check out 🤍
xx
Kyla
