Hey y’all!
The time has come for the annual Sephora Holiday Sale- one of my favorite sales ever! Looking back at my history this year, I have shopped significantly less at Sephora. I’ve been spending the majority of my beauty budget at Ulta because their rewards program is SO much better. However, Ulta doesn’t carry all the same brands that Sephora does, so when I get the chance to buy Drunk Elephant and Dr. Jart skincare products on sale at Sephora, I try to stock up. I’ve broken up this post into two segments: products I plan to purchase, and products I’m not out of yet/have back-ups on but would still recommend. I’ve tried to focus specifically on products you can get at Sephora, but not at Ulta.
Sale info:
The sale opened up to Rouge members on November 1st, and VIB/Beauty Insider members on November 7th. The last day of the sale is November 11th. Rouge members will receive 20% off, while VIB members will receive 15% off discounts. Beauty Insider get 10% off. You can use the discount code (HOIDAYSAVE) to shop both online & in store as many times as you’d like during the sale.
What I’m stocking up on:
Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum – ($80 regular, $64 Rouge, $68 VIB) – This is one of my all-time favorite serums to date. I’m a big believer in regular use of vitamin C products to help brighten skin tone and boost collagen production. Unfortunately, a lot of skin care products don’t properly package their vitamin C products, causing them to lost their efficacy before you can actually finish them. This serum has great packaging and is wonderfully formulated! I’ll be purchasing the Shelf-Respect Kit, which contains a full size of the Vitamin C Serum, as well as four deluxe samples (for only $8 more than the serum alone- a great deal!).
Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream – ($64 regular, $51.20 Rouge, $54.40 VIB) – I’m almost out of my First Aid Beauty Retinol Eye cream (which I’ve enjoyed) but I have missed my Drunk Elephant eye cream soooo much. It’s my favorite eye cream to date- I can always try out something new, but I won’t miss the chance to stock up on my favorite while it is on sale!
Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum – This product is great on its own, but I LOVE mixing a pump of the C-Firma Day Serum with a pump of this stuff to give my skin an extra boost of moisture before going in with my regular moisturizer. For oilier folks, this might be enough hydration on its own. But for me personally, in the winter (when heat is running all day) my skin definitely needs a little extra something, and this stuff delivers!
Dr. Jart Ceramidin Sheet Mask – ($6 regular, $4.80 Rouge, $5.10 VIB) – Hands-down my (and Chris’s) favorite sheet mask EVER. We don’t mask all the time, but sometimes I can definitely feel my skin thirsting for a little extra moisture. I also love to use these in conjunction with any intense exfoliation treatment to show my skin a little extra love.
Other Recommendations (aka things that I LOVE that I have backups of/a lot still left and don’t need to purchase more of):
Skincare:
Drunk Elephant Slaii Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser – ($34 regular, $27.20 Rouge, $28.90 VIB) – I haven’t tried this yet, which is why it’s on my list. A recent rabbit-hole research dive of mine has caused me to re-evaluate a few ingredients that commonly appear in skincare. There is some mixed research on the long-term health effects of these chemicals, so I’ve decided to start avoiding them where I can. *You can expect a blog post on this in the near future, so sit tight for now!* The ingredient list on this cleansing balm is squeaky-clean (see what I did there?), so I’m going to purchase it to replace my Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil.
Algenist GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin C+ Serum -($118 regular, $94.40 Rouge, $100.30 VIB) – Another one of my all-time favorite serums! It’s definitely on the pricier side, but the formulation is fabulous, and I truly saw a difference in my skin after a single week of use. If budget was no consideration, I’d probably always buy this one- but 20% off makes it much more tempting!
Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment – ($105 regular, $84 Rouge, $89.25 VIB) – You can seriously find SO MUCH information out there on this product. After all, its a cult beauty favorite for a reason! I mention the multitude of benefits associated with regular use of an Alpha-hydroxy Acid in a recent blog post (here). I personally saw a noticeable improvement in my skin texture, as well as a plumping that seemed to reduce some of my fine lines. My husband absolutely swears by this product as well.
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream – ($68 regular, $54.40 Rouge, $57.80 VIB) – This is the second Drunk Elephant moisturizer I’ve ever tried, and easily one of my favorite moisturizers of all time. Its light enough to wear under make-up during the day without leaving a greasy finish, but also deeply hydrating. If you are insanely dry, you may want to add a drop or two of oil in the evenings, but you honestly might not even need it. As usual, Drunk Elephant nailed the formulation of this product! It’s packed with all kinds of good-for-your skin ingredients, and the packaging ensures that none of the good stuff is inactivated by exposure to light, air, or bacteria from dipping your hands into a jar to scoop out the product.
Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil – ($40 regular, $32 Rouge, $34 VIB) – To be honest, I thought this product was kind of gimmicky until I’d tried it a few times.. after all, the cosmetics industry spent so many years marketing “oil-free” products to us as teenagers growing up. Now, as the colder weather approaches, and the heating kicks on in the office and at home, I will be using this stuff religiously at night to help lock in moisture! You can definitely find less expensive Marula oil options out there, but its much harder to find ethically sourced ingredients with confirmation that the extraction process didn’t rob the oil of all its wonderful powers.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask – ($20 regular, $16 Rouge, $17 VIB) – Go ahead, roll your eyes. Yes, simply put, this is a $20 lip balm. But as a person who literally ALWAYS has chapped lips, its been a total game changer. I use it every night before bed, and then in the morning before I start doing my make-up so my lipstick goes on nice and smooth! It doesn’t leave any icky film, and its not super sticky either.
Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream – ($48 regular, $38.40 Rouge, $40.80 VIB) – This will probably be a product Chris & I keep in the house forever. It’s on the richer/creamier side of moisturizers, but its one of my absolute favorites, especially for the winter time when the heat is pumping indoors, and starts sucking the life out of my skin.
Clinique Pep-Start Daily UV Protector Broad Spectrum SPF 50 – ($19.50 regular, $15.60 Rouge, $16.58 VIB) – If you don’t use an SPF daily, this is the #1 piece of anti-aging advice I can give you- START NOW. There isn’t anything particularly special about this particular SPF, but I’ve been using it for over a year now, and I don’t have anything bad to say about it. It’s not too pricey, and its a peach color, so it doesn’t leave a white cast on your face.
Make-Up:
Estee Lauder Double-Wear Foundation – ($42 regular, $33.60 Rouge, $35.70 VIB) – My holy-grail foundation. And I’m SO PICKY about foundation. I’ve got more than a dozen other ones sitting in my make-up drawer right now, and this is the only one I’ve continued to repurchase over and over. It’s got great coverage, lasts all day, and has tons of colors, so you should be able to find your perfect shade easily.
Urban Decay All-nighter Make-up Setting Spray – ($32 regular, $25.60 Rouge, $27.20 VIB) – This is pretty much the only product (other than the Double Wear Foundation) that I use non-stop. I’ve tried some other setting sprays, but nothing else I’ve used has ever held a candle to this one. Bottom line- if you wear face make-up, you NEED this product, no matter your skin type or make-up preference.
BeautyBlender – ($20 regular, $16 Rouge, $17 VIB) – I know it sounds kind of boring, but sales are the best time to stock up on the essentials, as well as fun products you’ve been eyeing. Beautyblenders are such a classic staple for me. I use mine every single day to get the perfect natural finish on my foundation, and to apply concealer. I prefer to buy these in one of the holiday kits, where you get several blenders as well as their soaps to clean them. Combine the kits with the extra discount, and you get such a great deal! Click here for the value set I would recommend. Click here for a single blender/cleaner gift set (same price as the individual blender!).
Other:
Cinema Secrets Brush Cleansing Kit -($25 regular, $20 Rouge, $21.25 VIB) – If you aren’t cleaning you make-up brushes regularly, you are running the risk of unwanted breakouts. After all, you’re smearing old make-up and bacteria that has been building up on the brush all over your face. Plus, clean brushes work better.
WOW that was a lot. Hopefully, you found some helpful product information though!
What are you getting? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
Amanda Kennedy
Follow along on IG: @amandadev4
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Amanda Marie Kennedy 