Hey everyone!
On a previous post, I talked about a few things I was planning to purchase in the Sephora Spring Bonus Rouge Event. I thought it would be fun to also chat about things that I love and highly recommend to check out. All products mentioned today are things I feel very familiar with and have been using consistently for months/years!
All of the products mentioned are holy grail, zero-regret items!
I’ll try to list out products from the order I use them in my application process. For the purposes of keeping this post concise, I won’t list out a recommendation for every category of makeup. That being said, please feel free to comment below or message me for a specific recommendation on the category you are looking for (e.g.: I won’t post an eyeliner or brow product, but I’m happy to share my thoughts on good options!)
With no further ado…..
My Sephora Sale Recommendations:
Facial Cleanser/Makeup Remover:
Drunk Elephant — Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser: $34.00 USD
I did a review on this in a previous post HERE, so I’ll try to avoid sounding like a broken record: In short, this cleanser is next-level good. It literally takes off all makeup without a trace and leaves my dry skin feeling hydrated and SO super clean. I love it, I recommend it, and I don’t want to live without it. SO SO GOOD!!
Primer:
Ole Henriksen — Banana Bright Face Primer: $36.00
My goodness this primer is so pretty. Once again, this is a product I’ve posted a rave review on you can find HERE. It just has a beautiful look on the skin without makeup, you can see that it has the most gorgeous subtle sheen. It feels nourishing and I can tell it just softens and smooths my complexion. I’ve found it does help the wear of my makeup throughout the day, and I’ve used it with several foundations with no piling or other texture issues. It honestly feels like a lightweight skincare product that brightens and gives an immediate boost of radiancy. You can also get it on the Ole Henriksen wesbite, they run really great sale promotions from time to time!
Foundation:
There’s just no way I can only list one, y’all. I’ve got about 2-4 foundations that could be considered my HGs. To only pick one would be like admitting which child is your favorite! I’ll just quickly list ones that I love and I’ve used for years. I’m happy to give additional comparisons on these if y’all would want to see that in another post!
- MUFE – Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation: $43.00 USD
- I couldn’t love this foundation more. If you have dry skin, this *MIGHT* change your life. It sits on the skin like a dream and makes you look straight-up airbrushed.
- For more info, check out my Favorite Stick Foundations Post here!
- Too Faced- Born This Way Foundation: $39.00
- This was one of the first high-end foundations I ever purchased. It makes your skin look SO SO good, builds up to provide natural-looking full coverage, and it lasts ALL day on me. I think if used with the correct primers/setting powders, this foundation will work for any skin type. It’s just a go-to for a good makeup day for me.
- 3. NARS– Sheer Glow Foundation: $47.00 USD
- Do you ever have makeup products you literally want to hug? Is this weird? If I wanted to hug any of my makeup, I’d have to love on this one. It’s just GORGEOUS and somehow completely perfects and smooths my skin with medium coverage. I’m a fan of the NARS All Day Weightless Foundation as well, but this one holds a special place in my heart. It’s a dream come true for dry or normal skin and I just can’t live without it. ❤
Setting Powder:
I could write a novel about the different nuances in my collection of setting powders. I’ve got so many powders I love and could sit here and rave about endlessly. Because my under-eyes are the only area that I always set 100% of the time, I’ll just recommend my favorite one for this purpose.
**I talk about my dark circle products in detail HERE if you’re interested.
Laura Mercier — Secret Brightening Powder for Under Eyes: $28.00
I can’t quite describe the magic sorcery that is this setting powder, and it is something you have to feel to understand the uniqueness it has. It is ultra-lightweight, and it brightens my under eyes unlike anything else I’ve tried. I do have lines around my eyes that will get extremely emphasized if I use the wrong powder. While I do still love it, I find that sometimes the Regular LM Setting Powder can get a little heavy on me. This sits on my eye area beautifully and creates a blurring effect that isn’t overly matte or drying. Beautiful stuff!
Bronzer:
This is another hard category for me to narrow down to one product! Finding a good bronzer is SO personal. What can be a beautiful shade on me, might be too cool or overly warm on you. To further complicate this issue, some people prefer different finishes of bronzer (some like shimmer, others only wear matte finishes). I do not contour in the most traditional sense–I use my bronzers to give my face a little bit of warmth and definition, I’m not really doing any sculpting per se.
I’ve got 2 products to recommend: a fantastic bronzer for the matte lovers out there, and more of an illuminating one for those on team glowy.
- Matte Bronzer: Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder- $42.00 USD
- If I had to live with just one bronzer forever, this would be it! It does have a matte finish, but it also has a really sneaky look of radiance to it as well. I have texture on my cheeks/jaw area that can look super emphasized if I use something over-illuminating with shimmer/sparkle. This bronzer works beautifully for me, it blends like a dream and doesn’t ever look streaky or “choppy” to apply. It sits on the skin so beautifully and it is a no-fail product in my collection.
- Illuminating Bronzer: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer- $52.00
- I promise I’m not contradicting myself by saying illuminating bronzers look horrible on my texture. They typically do! However, Hourglass obviously has some kind of magic fairy dust they put in with all of their powder products. It gives the MOST GORGEOUS glow to the skin, and I find that it just glides over and blurs my textured areas seamlessly. I really think this bronzer might be the “exception” for people who prefer matte finishes. It’s JUST.SO.PRETTY!
Swatches: I have shades “02” and “03” of the LM & Hourglass is “Luminous Bronze Light”
*My hands are much lighter than the rest of my body from self-tan*
Blush:
I could (and might) write a rather lengthy post on all of my favorite blush formulas/shades. To avoid overwhelming you right now, I’ll just talk about the beauty of that is the Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush in “Love Glow”.
I think this is THE blush for blush lovers.
It’s fun to use and when actually applied on your cheeks, it is draw-droppingly stunning. It has some subtle glow to it, but not in a way that emphasizes pores/texture. This blush just creates the most stunning “lit from within” glow, and I always get questions on what blush I have on when I wear it. You can’t put it on and not feel instantly happy and beautiful. The “Love Glow” shade has so much complexity in the tone; some days it looks like a true warm-toned pink on me, and sometimes it takes on the most gorgeous peachy-coral color. CT is a luxury brand with a luxury price tag to match, so I think that a sale event is the perfect time to pick this up!
Swatches of “Love Glow”
[Now I’m SO tempted to pick up another shade :-/]
Lip Products:
To be honest, most of my current favorite lip products can be found at the drugstore. I’ve found so many great formulas with awesome price-points lately that it’s hard for me to justify spending 3-4x the price at Sephora. That being said, I do have 2 higher-end recommendations if you are looking to pick up some new lippies during the sale.
The formula on these glosses have quickly become a collection-favorite. They are high-shine and plumping, without being sticky or greasy feeling. I love the lightweight feel these have, and they also wear really great and hydrate throughout the day! Not to mention, they have the most delicious, fruit-like smell that I’m obsessed with. Definitely give these a try if you haven’t already!!
NARS Velvet Lip Glides — $26.00
I own so many shades in this line, and I just absolutely LOVE them all. This is such an ideal formula for me when I want the pigmentation of a liquid lip and the shiny finish/comfort of a gloss. The shade range is beautiful and I just love the unique consistency in this line. I highly recommend checking these out!
I really enjoyed putting this list together –It’s so fun to share products you LOVE!
Makeup is expensive and it can be really stressful to find something worthy of your hard-earned dollars. I try not to put so much pressure on myself to buy everything and anything during a sale. That’s why I love reading what others’ recommend and try to do some research on what I truly feel MOST excited about purchasing. I also set a budget for myself this year to help prioritize products that would be of the most value to my collection.
Now I’m super curious to hear y’all’s thoughts: What do you plan to pick up on sale? Also, do you set a budget or make a list for yourself beforehand?
COMMENT BELOW AND HAPPY SHOPPING! 😉
Thanks so much for reading!
xo
Jena
FTC: This post is NOT sponsored, all opinions are honest and my own. All products mentioned were purchased by myself. Some links are affiliate.
Jena J Beauty 