Sephora Sale (Fall 2024 Version)
Things I'm restocking, things I'm trying, things!
It’s one of two most wonderful days of the year! Which is to say that we’re heading towards the winter version of the bi-annual Sephora sale. Doing these beauty roundups twice a year admittedly brings me so much joy. I love chatting with friends in the direct lead up to the sale about what we’re building in our carts. It feels communal and joyful to compare/contrast and get ideas about what you might be missing for new products or an opportunity to regale friends with your Desert Island forever favourites (as I did in the Spring 2024 edition of this content).
And in case you didn’t know, the Sephora sale is officially on … now! Through to November 11, depending on how much of your money you threw down at a makeup counter in the last year, you are eligible for the below discount rate with the code SAVINGS:
Rouge: 20% off sitewide between November 1-11
VIB: 15% off sitewide between November 5-11
Insider: 10% off sitewide between November 5-11
In other past newsletters for the Sephora Sale, like Fall 2023, I’ve broken down my list into what I was ‘Restocking’ and what was ‘New To Me’. Splitting my cart into the boring staple rebuys that I may as well get a deal on and tentative experimental products I’ve been curious about and am willing to take the leap on because of the discount has typically been how I mentally approach the sale.
For this season, I’ve broken it down by product type of basically my top tier favourites you can discern from yourself! But if you’re interested in just the links, I’ve rounded them up conveniently for you here and noted what’s actually in my cart at the bottom of the page if you’d like to skip to the end.
📧 Email: This is likely going to get cut off in your inbox! This particular newsletter is best to view in app or in browser.
💸 Sale Shopping: A gentle reminder that it’s not a deal if you weren’t going to buy it anyway. Use this time wisely to purchase things you would either buy anyway at full price or have been wondering about for awhile and might meaningfully contribute to your routine.
Fragrance
One of my favourite categories to explore and I love using the Sephora sale for this because perfume is so expensive and lasts forever that it’s the perfect time to get a deal on a bottle. One of my niche “useless superpowers” is I’ve become very good at guessing what perfumes I’ll love without a smell test. The below are ones I’ve actually smelled IRL and that I love. My nose tends to gravitate towards scents one might consider unisex and that veer towards notes that are smoky, woodsy, and spicy with just a hint of sweet.
Apologies for the overly crowded category … this was my realtime realisation that I am clearly not a fragrance monogamist.
Brand / Product: Tom Ford in ‘Tobacco Vanille’ / ‘Ombré Leather’ / ‘Santal Blush’.
Personal Notes: On me, ‘Tobacco Vanille’ gets so spicy that it almost smells like chai. Which is to say absolutely delicious. ‘Ombré Leather’ often hits sweeter on me as the day goes on - it’s such a great unisex scent. And, of course, Taylor knows exactly what she’s talking about - ‘Santal Blush’ is a stunning warm, sparkly, woodsy scent. I curse her and her excellent taste.
Brand / Product: Maison Margiela in ‘By The Fireplace’ / ‘Coffee Break’ / ‘Afternoon Delight’.
Personal Notes: In order we have … My wedding scent that’s spicy and intoxicating, a creamy and subtly “that’s that me espresso”-tinged scent, and a warm vanilla gourmand. All your boxes! I love Replica fragrances - they are so good.
Brand / Product: Glossier in ‘You’ and ‘You Doux’
Personal Notes: I used to buy the original ‘You’ formulation religiously during Glossier’s annual Black Friday sale. When they announced they had released two new fragrances that expanded on the ‘You’ line, it reminded me just how good the original is. It still holds up! Between the two new fragrances, Doux and Rêve, I definitely prefer the former. I was originally very intrigued by the ‘Almond’ notes advertised on the Rêve formulation but in person, the scent just reads too cloyingly fruity and juvenile to my nose. Very akin to a sparkling fruity body spray from my teen years, imo. By contrast, Doux is (as its name implies in its original French) soft and sophisticated. The sandalwood note really comes out on my skin and the effect is ultimately just a beautiful, warm, woodsy scent. Lovely!
Brand / Product: Commodity in ‘Velvet Bold+’
Personal Notes: This was easily my favourite from a discovery set that I purchased from this new-to-me brand this year. The almond notes are heavenly and I also love their branding / marketing and how they’ve approached their formulations to be approachable for the layperson. Let me explain. Perfumes are so named by the concentration of fragrance in them. The higher % of perfume oils, the longer the fragrance is likely to last and thus fetches a higher price tag. In a sliding scale we have eau de toilette (EDT) at 5-15% concentration, eau de parfum (EDP) at 15-20% concentration, and finally parfum at 20-40% concentration. In Commodity’s world, this translates to three ranges they call Personal[-] (their eau de toilette), Expressive (their eau de parfum), and Bold[+] (parfum). So named (and mathematically denoted -/+) by how wide the net of fragrance is cast around its wearer. In addition, Commodity also slightly augments the note profiles, intensities, and variety of notes in each formulation of the perfume to match the desired strength of the wearer and how ‘expressive’ they’d like to be with their scent. So fun!
Brand / Product: The 7 Virtues in ‘Vanilla Woods’ (Clean)
Personal Notes: This pick came about as I was specifically looking for ‘clean’ fragrances on Sephora and this brand came up as being formulated without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and mineral oils. If I am opting for a ‘gourmand’ fragrance, I like there to be a bit of spice to offset the sweet.
Eyes
Another category that’s sort of “buy once, don’t buy for a ridiculously long period of time.” Well, if you’re me anyway.
Brand / Product: Lancôme in ‘Monsieur Big Volumizing Mascara’
Personal Notes: I will forever mourn the loss of Bite Beauty - a brand that sadly went under and took with it one of my all time favourite mascaras (‘Upswing’). Since this brand went away, I’ve been a bit of a mascara slut. Never quite loyal to just one. I’ve done Glossier, Merit, YSL, and Lancôme. Of the two Lancôme mascaras I’ve tried (the other is Lash Idole), the Monsieur Big comes closest to replacing ‘Upswing’ in my heart. Although the YSL ‘Lash Clash’ is pretty good. In the time since losing ‘Upswing’, I’ve also discovered brown mascara for a “lighter” and more natural touch on days when I feel like being a little less makeup-forward.
Brand / Product: Makeup by Mario in ‘Master Mattes Palette’
Personal Notes: I barely understand how to hold an eyeshadow brush and what the different shapes are for let alone how to apply them artistically to my face. I’ve always believed there are people who are tactile creatives (draw, paint, crochet, sew, design, generally able to make things with their hands) and other people who are mental creatives (poems, essays, speeches, podcasts). And then there are people like Taylor who are both and also a secret third thing probably. I am very firmly not in the first camp of people. I also very firmly believe that there is a strong correlation between being able to draw and being able to do good makeup. Something about an artistic eye and vision in applying mediums to a canvas. All that to say is that this palette is even me-proof and I’ve been able to adequately put at least one of *checks* eight brown shadows in varying degrees and spots to my eyelids and not felt completely disturbed at the results. So yay for that.
Brand / Product: Armani Beauty ‘Eye Tint Liquid Eyeshadow in Bronze’
Personal Notes: As per the above notes regarding my blatant inability to draw anything on my face, I love the concept of a very pretty one-and-done shadow that brings just a hint of shimmer to the lid. Something that’s a little more elevated and “party” than the wide array of matte, neutral nudes in my palette. Either to stand on its own or perhaps as a sparkly topper to *tap tap tap* on top.
Brand / Product: Shiseido ‘Eyelash Curler’
Personal Notes: One of these days I will finally cave and get a lash tint/curl. But that day is not during this Sephora sale. If you do not have an eyelash curler and also like me suffer from pin straight lashes this is the one I recommend and have used for many years.
Face
I try to keep things as pared back and simple as possible here when it comes to complexion. I’ll often use a concealer as a ‘foundation’ and fill in the blanks with blush and a cream bronzer.
Brand / Product: Merit in ‘Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick’
Personal Notes: I finally caved on Merit after many recommendations from people, particularly for the concealer stick. This has been excellent for travel. So creamy and blends in easily!
Brand / Product: Huda Beauty in ‘GloWish Vegan Skin Tint Foundation’
Personal Notes: This is the type of foundation I would recommend actually pairing with a mattifying powder to kick back on shine in areas you might not want. When they say GloWish they mean GlowFull.
Brand / Product: Merit in ‘Flush Balm Fox’
Personal Notes: I finally took the time to swatch this particular blush on and I can confidently say it’s a yes on my skintone. It’s warm and lovely. Again, perhaps due to all the travel I have going on, but a product like this is really appealing to me right now.
Brand / Product: Milk in ‘Sculpt Cream Contour Stick’
Personal Notes: As per the above travel thing going on, I love how just itty bitty teeny tiny this cream contour / bronzing stick appears. You would never be ripped from my carry on makeup bag no would you.
Brand / Product: Glossier in ‘Storm’
Personal Notes: This is a sneaky addition to the ‘complexion’ category because of the blush which is my favourite shade of all the Cloud Paints that Glossier offers. The exciting news is that they now have a matching Ultralip to go with it! A formula I also really love and find supple on the lips from Glossier.
Skincare
I do love skincare, perhaps more than anything else. Except maybe fragrance. Which is ironic given the paragraphs about unscented products that are about to follow. But I digress. I do believe in a simple routine. In the morning a cleanse, max 2 serums, moisturiser, sunscreen. In the evening a double cleanse, max 2 serums, rich moisturiser. So while I *love* skincare, this section is admittedly not that bloated. Although, I am currently looking for a good eye cream - something I know I don’t need, but do want. Any recs?
Brand / Product: Dieux in ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Instant Angel’
Personal Notes: Including this to save the life of anyone who can access them via Sephora as they are now available on the U.S. Sephora website. I can’t tell you the thrill that it is from being a fan of this brand for so long to now seeing one of your holy grail small, indie little brand is now on Sephora shelves. Deliverance is my holy grail, will-never-go-without serum. Does everything I want a serum to do from a brand and people I trust to make something that works and is no-nonsense. If I had access to U.S. Sephora, I would be stocking. up.
Brand / Product: Sunday Riley in ‘Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment’
Personal Notes: This one is new-to-me but have heard many friends recommend it. Given that its purported targeting issues are *exactly* the things I am most concerned about (I’m in my 30s and have incredibly dry skin) this seems like it could be an all around exfoliating serum win. Anything that has “hyperpigmentation and dark spots” plus “fine lines and wrinkles” targeting is something I’m willing to look into.
Brand / Product: Drunk Elephant in ‘C-Firma Fresh Vitamin C Day Serum’
Personal Notes: Want to know my personal hack for assessing new beauty products to bring into my routine? A pro tip between just us, if you will. Yes, I of course have a list of influencers who I defer to for their trusted opinions on topics but I also like to know for sure exactly what I’m getting in a product. I really love the Paula’s Choice Ingredient Checker and how they map ingredients out super clearly and provide science-based data to assess the efficacy of a product. What are all of those ingredients *actually* supposed to do and why were they put into the formula? It’s incredibly helpful to me.
A note that PC has some science-based biases when it comes to vetting product that have also informed a lot of my approach to adding new beauty to my routine. First, they are very anti-jar packaging. Their take is that the constant exposure to sunlight and the grabby hand and dirty finger dipping process of the jar product application means the product degrades and destabilizes faster than an enclosed bottle (especially an opaque one that won’t let in light). Second, they are anti-fragrance. In skincare products, especially for those with sensitive skin, any kind of fragrant oil typically is not in there as a clinical ingredient but rather a superfluous one to make the product smell nice when applied. I don’t necessarily mind this in a body butter but as a chronic eczema sufferer, products that don’t boast unnecessary and potentially aggravating oils in products I am applying directly to my face.
Now with all. of. that. my ingredient checker noted that of this item’s 33 products, 19 are the ‘best’ at what they are supposed to do and 12 are ‘good’. With zero products listed as problematic. Given that I am a longtime sufferer of trying to mitigate the damage that 19-20 year old me did to her skin by not wearing sunscreen ever via the smattering of sun spots across my upper cheeks, I’m excited to try something supposedly *v* effective at “firm[ing], brighten[ing], and improv[ing] the signs of photoaging.” Sold!
Brand / Product: Tower 28 in ‘SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray’
Personal Notes: For someone who has been spending as much time on planes as I have lately, this is an absolute necessity. In particular, the mini version. I throw it into my tiny cosmetic clutch that holds all my airplane beauty items (a silly and luxurious thing to do skincare for a flight).
Brand / Product: Paula’s Choice in ‘1% Retinol Treatment’
Personal Notes: Speaking of PC and how thoroughly they vet their products. This is the retinol that I like most! I’ve built up a tolerance to where I can safely use it every day.
And now, a look at what’s actually knocking around in my cart that I’m restocking up on or trying out!
What are you grabbing (if anything) from the Sephora sale?