Sephora Holiday Bonus Sale & Beauty Gift Guide
*This post is not sponsored and links are NOT affiliate. Happy Shopping! All opinions are my own.
The Sephora 2019 Holiday sale is live! The event runs from November 1st to the 11th. If you are Rouge you can start shopping with your 20% off discount on November 1st. VIB and Insiders get to use their discounts (15% for VIB and 10% for Insider) beginning November 7th.
Now is the time to stock up. Use code HOLIDAYSAVE at checkout. You can use it as many times as you want.
First let's start out with what is in my shopping cart. Then we will move on to items I have tried and love and totally recommend. Lastly, I'll include a beauty holiday gift guide broken down based on price points.
My Shopping Cart:
Ilia True Skin Serum Concealer: I already have one of these and it is my absolute favorite. This is my "holy grail" concealer.
Farmacy Very Cherry Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm: I'm excited to try this. I need a good makeup remover that doesn't require a lot of scrubbing. I've been really into cleaner beauty products that have more natural ingredients and this one looks promising.
Tarte SEA Elfing & Self Quench Lip Rescue Duo: I love the quench rescue balms and this set comes with two. One for me and one for a friend.
Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss: I've heard really good things about this gloss. I'm actually looking for a lip gloss to wear daily that brings together "my look." I've finally figured out my eye makeup. Now I just need a gloss to finish the look.
Olaplex Holiday Hair Gift Set: My hair is a mess. I think it has to do with my hormones while breastfeeding. I've heard amazing things about Olaplex and it has really great reviews. Plus these are travel sized and a little goes a long way.
Sephora Favorites Lash Lover Ornament: Recently I've been buying mascara minis. I feel like they dry out or get clumpy and the larger sizes are just wasteful. I have been meaning to buy the Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara and am excited that it is included in this set.
Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask Mini: Another clean skincare find. Everyone says this mask is amazing for traveling. I'm not sure how much traveling I am doing but I'm ready to try some masking. My skin needs the hydration and will probably need it more in the Winter.
Kosas Color & Light Pressed Powder Blush & Highlighter Duo: I actually have this in both the powder and creme formula but I want to get this in the bronzer. I'm still up in the air on weather I want the powdered or creme version of the bronzer/highlighter duo.
Kopari Coconut Face Cream: This is the face cream I use every morning and night. I mix it with my serums. I love that it is lightweight and super hydrating. I also have very sensitive skin and it is hard to find a moisturizer that doesn't cause some sort of reaction.
Items I Have and Love:
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer: I've tried the Brow Whiz and while I like it, I prefer the Brow Definer. It has an angled brush that works much better in my opinion. If your eyebrows are microbladed (mine are not) then you might like the Brow Whiz more.
Ilia True Skin Serum Foundation: My absolute favorite foundation. It feels weightless and the coverage is pretty buildable. I would say you can get a more sheer to medium coverage.
Ilia True Skin Serum Concealer: Not cakey. Really great coverage. This is my tried and true concealer.
Kosas: Color & Light: Crème Cream Blush & Highlighter Duo: This is super pigmented so you only need a little but the colors are gorgeous and very flattering. It will also last you a very long time because you only need a tiny bit.
Skinfix Barrier+ Foaming Oil Cleanser: Another clean skincare item. I've been using Skinfix for awhile now and this cleanser is my absolute favorite. It does a really good job cleaning your skin and washes away without leaving any sort of residue or film on the skin.
Drunk Elephant NightBright Resurfacing Duo: I cannot stress the importance of nighttime skincare. I neglected my skin way too much in college and am trying to fix it now. This set comes with TLC Framboos Glycolic Night Serum and Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil. They are mini sizes but honestly, you only need a tiny bit and I mix the Framboos with my moisturizer. For the Marula oil you only need 1 to 2 drops for your entire face.
Drunk Elephant The Littles: If you can only get one item this is it. This kit has everything and it will last you months. I think my first one lasted 6 months and that is only because I ran out of the eye cream. Everything else is still going strong. Saving any money on this kit is definitely ideal as it is pricey but it is worth the cost.
Cinema Secrets Makeup Brush Cleaner Travel Set: Clean your makeup brushes! This brush cleaner is amazing. It cuts drying time in half. I'm very impressed and definitely something I will be repurchasing.
Small Slipsilk Scrunchies: These keep your hair from creasing if you go to bed with it in a bun. They are definitely pricey but worth the investment if you style your hair and what to make it last days.
Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer Mini: If you need full coverage and have difficulty finding your shade I would definitely check this concealer out.
Gift Guides
Under $25:
Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips 2 Mini Lip Set: First of all I love Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks. Second. It's so great to buy any holiday kit with multiple pieces, take them apart and gift them to friends. You could take a lipstick from one kit, a mascara from another, and a face mask and make the perfect little kit.
Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream Trio: I actually have the hand cream and it is really moisturizing. My hands gets so dry in the Winter and I really like the Caudalie creams.
Laneige Kiss Me Day and Night: I use the lip sleeping mask at night and my lips are super hydrated in the morning. I haven't tried the one for during the day.
Origins Mask & Go Set: This looks like a great kit to separate and gift to friends. It comes with 5 masks.
Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer Mini: I've heard really great things about this primer. I'd recommend getting the mini to test out to see if you like it. Keep in mind that if you don't like a product, you can always return it.
Milk Makeup Triple The Kush Set: In this set you get the High Volume Mascara, Mini Kush Lip Balm, and Mini Kush Clear Brow Gel. It's a $41 value for $25!
Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara Big Volume Lash Trio Set: This actually used to be my favorite mascara. I still use it but I like to layer it with another mascara to add the lengthening effect to my eyelashes.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Mini: It is really hard to find powders that don't have talc in them. Hourglass is one of the few companies that makes amazing products with no talc.
Drunk Elephant Rise + Glow Brightening Duo: This is the morning set of the kit I shared above. Included you get the B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum and the C-Firma Day Serum. I actually only use the C-Firma Day Serum in the morning and add the B-Hydra to my nighttime routine if my skin is extra dry.
Under 50:
Charlotte Tilbury Gift of Pillow Talk Lips: Obsessed with this kit. I got a similar kit during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and it is one of my favorite lip colors. It's such a universally flattering shade.
Laneige Kiss Me at Midnight: This 3 piece set includes a large Lip Sleeping Mask in Berry and 2 smaller masks in Mint Chocolate and Sweet Candy. I actually got a kit similar to this last year (or maybe the year before) and gifted the smaller sizes to friends.
Drybar Party of Four: This kit is the perfect gift for a friend that travels. It includes shampoo, heat protectant mist, detangler, and finishing spray.
Drunk Elephant The Midi Committee: This kit contains some of the newer Drunk Elephant items like the Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser. It also contains 5 items and some of them are considered the Midi size versus the mini in The Littles kit.
Sephora Favorites Lashstash: This kit is full of all different mini mascaras and is a great gift to separate and gift to friends. It's also a fun way to try out different mascara combos for layering to see how they make your lashes look.
Playa Travel Essentials: This is a new find. I had never even heard of this company but really like this set. It's also a clean hair find.
Splurges:
Christophe Robin Boar Bristle Detangling Hairbrush: This is a very expensive hairbrush but I've heard that it is worth it. I feel like if you have very long hair that gets tangled easily and is tedious to brush, this may be worth trying.
NuFace Mini Shimmer All Night Collection: This is a microcurrant skincare kit that tones, lifts, and contours. Apparently these anti-aging devices are the way to youthful skin.
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer Gift Edition with Red Case: I feel like this will forever be on my wish list. I've read that it can dry your hair in less than 10 minutes. It is also less harmful on your hair in terms of heat.
Drunk Elephant The Trunk 3.0: This is the holy grail of skincare. This has everything. This is expensive but when you add up the cost of each individual skincare item in it you are saving a little more than $200.
La Mer Creme de La Mer: This product needs no explanation. Everyone has heard of La Mer and it is just as good as everyone raves. I've tried a sample.
GloPRO Microneedling Starter Set: I've heard amazing things about microneedling and the benefits for your skin. This kit is definitely a splurge but it is not the most expensive one Sephora has for sale. I'd definitely be interested in trying microneedling to see how it benefits my skin.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare SpectraLite Faceware Pro: This mask is sold out! It is that good. High tech tools for skincare seem to be where the world is headed these days.
Tata Harper Elixir Vitae Serum Wrinkle Solution: I've been looking at the ingredients in this product to try to figure out the secret. I'm pretty sure for $450 this better be the secret to stopping the aging process and to everyone having youthful skin.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Face Palette Ghost: I bought this last year (or maybe 2 years ago) and it is my go to palette. It has everything. Blush, highlighter, bronzer. It is clean beauty. No talc. It is definitely a splurge but you can use the colors as eyeshadow too. Definitely an investment that you will love for years.
Well that is it. I hope I didn't bombard you with too much. I hope you enjoy my gift guides. Happy Shopping!
