Sephora A/W 2018 Beauty Sale Recommendations

Despite the surprise Beauty Insider Sale Sephora had in August, it looks like they've still decided to bring back the Autumn/Winter one (that's so well timed for the holidays)! I rarely have the gumption to put together my own recommendations post, even though I love reading other people's, but this time around there are a few surprising products that have landed on my "Love" list, and it inspired me. To start, here are the details of the sale itself:

Sale Dates: 

Rouge Only (20% off with code ROUGEBONUS)

Friday, October 26 - Monday, October 29
Bonus Weekend! 
Friday, November 2 - Monday, November 5th

VIB (20% off with code VIBBONUS)

Friday, November 2 - Monday, November 5th

Insider (15% off with code BIBONUS)
Friday, November 16 - Monday, November 19th 

And of course, my personal recommendations!

1) Fresh Rose Face Mask ($25/1 oz, $62/3.3 oz | 20% Off Sale Price: $20/1 oz, $49.60/3.3 oz) 2) Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil ($72/1 oz | 20% Off Sale Price: $57.60/1 oz) 3) Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base ($60/1.7 oz | 20% Off Sale Price: $48/1.7 oz)

I haven't gotten around to writing the full post comparing Fresh's Rose Mask to The Body Shop dupe, but in my opinion Fresh's is just better. It's unscented and seems to do that whole "brightening/moisturizing" thing better, which I can't explain, but it's true enough that I plan to give in and get the full size this time around. And that "it's just better" feeling also extends to the Biossance Squalane + Rose Oil, which I found myself using the most when I took my makeup off before working out - I could press this into my skin as a kind of "one and done" before yoga, and the wonderful smell made the already great experience, better. It's stupid expensive but I love it, so I can't give you a more logical reason for why you should try it yourself, lol. To round out my skincare picks, I've loved the BB Face Base since I got a mini as a 100 pt perk at least a year ago. But despite it's initially matte dry down, I often felt like that on my oily skin it was still a bit too much moisture - until I found the perfect foundation to pair it with. Plus, I use so little of this everyday that it's going to last FOREVER, which at this price point makes me very happy.

1) Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Aqua Nude Foundation ($49/1 oz | 20% Off Sale Price: $39.20/1 oz) 2) Charlotte Tilbury Airbush Flawless Finish Face Powder ($45/0.28 oz | 20% Off Sale Price: $36/0.28 oz) 3) YSL The Shock Volumizing Mascara ($29/0.28 oz | 20% Off Sale Price: $23.20/0.28 oz)

Let me start off by saying I recognize the truly stupid color range of Guerlain foundations. Their undertones tend to run very strongly pink or orange, and the Lingerie de Peau Aqua Nude seems to oxidize while still being slightly too light, but when mixed with Clinique's bronzing gel it has quickly become my holy grail foundation. Why? BECAUSE ITS MARKETING IS A BIG FAT LIE. This foundation is not moisturizing or hydrating or anything else that would imply good for dry skins. It's super light in coverage, fragranced, and clings to dry patches like a motherf*cker. But on my super oily skin (& with the Face Base) it gives me the perfect level of "there but not there" coverage (in the words of one Blue Mercury employee, my skin looked airbrushed), and resists moving around all day - even after blotting off oil! If you can find a color that works for you, and have oily or super well hydrated skin, then I recommend it. 

The next two makeup recommendations are some long term loves. The Charlotte Tilbury Powder (I comfortably wear shade #2) is just beautiful - BEAUTIFUL. It sets makeup but doesn't look like *powder*, you know? The only reason I'm not repurchasing is because I'm trying make my way through two other loose powders, and if I buy this I won't use either of them. And the mascara is one that I'm finally satisfied to say is another holy grail: I get volume, length, and super dramatic lashes without edging over into clumpy (you can check out a detailed review here). Now the downside is that The Shock dries out about as fast as any other YSL mascara I've tried, which while may be hygienic, makes my wallet cry. 

1) DevaCurl Light Defining Gel ($10/3 oz, $22/12 oz, $44/32 oz | 20% Off Sale Price: $8/3 oz, $17.60/12 oz, $35.20/32 oz)  2) Alterna Replenishing Moisture CC Cream ($29/3.4 oz | 20% Off Sale Price: $23.20/3.4 oz)

My hair favorites are short and sweet (which thank goodness something is at this point). The DevaCurl Gel has been on my autobuy list for a while, and lately I've been mixing it with different curl creams to get the best cast and end results for my hair. It doesn't go super crunchy, but it does tone down the frizz and encourage uniformity in my curls. And the Alterna CC Cream is a sleeper hit - I bought it originally as a leave-in to use during the winter when I more regularly heat style my hair, but what it does best is act as an overnight refresher for my curls. At night - not too long before I go to bed - I scrunch water through my hair to dampen the curls, and then scrunch in this CC cream. The next day I wake up with these touchable soft, super voluminous curls, and it is AMAZING. I'm still working on extending this into the third and fourth days, but for for now this is such a vast improvement that I highly recommend my fellow wavy/curly headed friends to try it.

Ok, and to close this mammoth (sorry) post out, I wanted to list just a few gift sets that you might be interested in keeping an eye on:

1) Sephora Favorites - Glow For It ($28 | 20% Off Sale Price: $22.40) , Best Hair Ever ($25 | 20% Off Sale Price: $20) , & Party Hair Styling Spray Collection  ($35 | 20% Off Sale Price: $28); The Sephora Favorite kits are some of my favorite, and are a great way to introduce friends (or yourself) to a bunch of different products at one time. Plus, they're always perfect traveling size, so sometimes I'll leave a product at work and throw it in my travel bag so I'm not always decanting stuff.

2) Tatcha Skincare For Makeup Lovers Obento Box ($64 | 20% Off Sale Price: $51.20); I'm not actually sharing this one because I'm a huge Tatcha fan (I actually find their products very hit-or-miss), but because so many other people swear by them, and this is a really great kit. You're getting very good sized minis of some of their most popular products (& their new Silk Canvas primer), without a huge investment.

3) Drunk Elephant Out of Office ($25 | 20% Off Sale Price: $20); I actually love this little set (& will probably be getting it for myself) because all three products are ones I've been interested in trying! This is another brand that I find slightly hit-or-miss, not because anything's particularly bad, just that I sometimes feel like it should do more at the price point.

4) ALTERNA Haircare CAVIAR Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Jumbo Kit ($99 | 20% Off Sale Price: $79.20); I'm only including this because of how much I love the CC Cream - it has me intrigued about the rest of the line, especially because the Davines curl specific conditioner is poop and I'm annoyed I spent any money on it.


WAIT. Ok, I know I said I was done, but I have one more recommendation for the Sephora sale - MAKE SURE TO USE EBATES. Sephora hovers regularly between 4-8% cash back, and that is no small discount when combined with the Beauty Sale (& feel free to use my link if you haven't already signed up - spend $25 and immediately get an extra $25 for you and for me).

Also, also, despite how exciting this deal feels, it might not actually be the way to save the most money on your favorite brands. Goals to Get Glowing has put together an amazing database that shoppers can use to find which online retailers carry which brands, and sometimes the discounts those other providers offer top this 20% off. I'd say get excited about this sale, but be smart about what discounts are actually worth taking advantage of right now.