It’s that time of year for the girls to break out their wallets and drop big money on all things beauty. Our skincare, makeup, beauty shelfie Olympics — the Sephora sale! If you’ve been need of a product refresh or just want to know what’s worth spending your money on, keep reading for my beauty must haves for great skin, perfect glam, and smelling delicious this spring.
Obviously it’s no secret that Sephora and I go together real bad, because I’m a Rouge beauty insider and had my Sephora cart filled for weeks leading up the the big sale. The best part about being rouge means I get 20% off my entire purchase and have early access to the sale before it opens to the masses. I have to say the customer loyalty program is definitely one of the best out there. For this post I’m going to break down my beauty must have’s in categories — makeup, skincare, and body care/fragrance. That way you can make your picks and snag them up before they sell out. Let’s get to it!
MY BEAUTY MUST HAVES FOR MAKEUP:
As far as makeup is concerned my full glam is concealer based and always has to include blush. These days I’m not reaching for foundation because that full coverage isn’t something necessary for me. Here are the products that are a mainstay in my makeup drawer and my routine.
CONCEALERS:
Ami Cole: First things first, always bet on Black. Ami Cole is one of my favorite Black owned beauty brands and I think they do such a great job of being clean and highly pigmented I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, they truly are the glossier for Black women. I use the shade Deep 2.5 and Medium 1.5 for a full face.
Rare Beauty: Slowly Rare Beauty has taken over my makeup routine and I’m not mad about it. The formula is really great and I find that it doesn’t crease or melt off during the day. With each product a little goes a long way and it’s buildable. I use shades 410W and 510N to contour.
SETTING POWDERS:
Fenty Beauty: Like many makeup lovers there is a cult FB product I love and this is it. Fenty Beauty’s setting powder in the shade Honey is what use to keep my concealer in space. It reminds me of Ben Nye banana powder but not being as strong studio makeup.
Laura Mercier: Another standard in most MUA kits and makeup bags, Laura Mercier translucent powder is something that I always keep on hand. While I don’t think it’s something to use if you want to bake and really brighten up your under eyes it does a great job at keeping your face in place.
BLUSH:
Rare Beauty: Once again Rare Beauty is making an appearance. The cream blushes from RB are some of the best I’ve ever used. Highly, highly pigmented and a beautiful range of colors, there really is something for every mood. I love doubling these blushes up and am trying to collect them like infinity stones to round out my collection. I love these blushes so much I don’t even have another to recommend.
Other parts of my routine include mascara, brows, and primer but because I haven’t found one singular brand I love and keep returning to I can’t name anything a must have. Let’s move on to skincare.
MY BEAUTY MUST HAVES FOR SKIN:
In one of my recent YouTube uploads I took the HAUTIES through my entire skin routine from day to night. For me skin is a big deal because no matter how good your makeup looks, if your skin isn’t top notch, it’ll show. Treating your skin with care is important and it’s why I keep all of these products on hand, all the time.
CLEANSERS:
Kiehl’s: Most of my cleansers come from Kiehl’s. Ultra Face Cleanser is my tried and true face wash and I can’t imagine it being replaced any time soon. Any time I’ve tried something new, I inevitably come back to this because my face never feels cleaner or more refreshed than when I’m using it.
MOISTURIZERS:
Kiehl’s: Ultra Face Moisturizer is perfect. I use it daily and great for giving my skin the moisture it needs and does very well underneath my makeup. This product is so much a part of my routine that I also use when I travel too, because truly like my Visa — I can’t leave home without it.
As you can see Kiehl’s has a monopoly on my skincare for the most part I’ll make an honorable mention here for Drunk Elephant too whose makeup melt I love and Fenty Skin, whose makeup cleanser is also great for double cleansing. Now let’s move on to body care and perfumes.
MY BEAUTY MUST HAVES FOR BODY CARE:
As a rule smelling amazing starts in the shower. While everyone talks about the perfumes that make heads turn, I’m inclined to say I love hearing how great I smell as I step out of the steamy bathroom. That begins with body wash, exfoliating, settles in with lotion and oil and finishes with fragrance. Here’s how I get the compliments every time.
BODY WASH:
QUAI: I love everything about Ouai’s body care line. Whether I’m using the St. Bart’s scent or Melrose Place, I always leave my shower feeling refreshed, sexy, and smelling amazing. I certainly consider myself a connoisseur of body products so it’s very important to me how soap leaves my skin feeling post wash, the staying power of the fragrance, and the breadth of the product line. Ouai hits pretty much every mark. I would love to see them come out with a body oil to go with each of their scents but overall this is a tried and true brand for me.
BODY LOTION/CREME:
Again there are two brands that are constants in my rotation: Kiehl’s and Ouai. The creme de creme body butter has long found its was into my beauty cabinet and for good reason. It’s thick and moisturizing. The scent is also pleasant and mixes well with most perfumes too. I have to say I still miss the mango version of the creme and hope they bring it back one day but no matter what this is worth buying. As noted above Ouai’s lotion is also a great buy, though not as thick as Kiehl’s and not one I would use to combat ashiness, it is good for ensuring your scent is long lasting.
FRAGRANCE:
Sephora can always help you when it comes to getting your smell good on. I will say that I’ve found the selection limited at some stores and do wish they would change up a bit more on offerings but it standardly a good place to pick up travel rollers and try out something new because they provide samples. Some favorites? Phlur which has a wider selection online, Henry Rose, and Tom Ford.
Okay that’s a wrap on my Sephora sale post, I hope I’ve helped you discover some things and also gave you a little insight on what’s the best bang for your buck during this season’s sale. As always drop me a comment if you want to know more or have anything you’d love to share with me. To get everything I discussed in today’s post click the product below to shop!
be well,
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