What A Girl Wants (From Sephora)

My tried-and-true Sephora Sale favorites — plus, what I *don't* recommend and why.

All products courtesy of Sephora.

Ah, the Sephora sale. Not only a time for shoppers to restock their faves and branch out in the world of beauty, but also a time for influencers to recommend every product they’ve ever heard of in hopes of snagging some commission.

Despite working in the biz for years, I’ve never been a big “linking my faves!!!” girlie. And that’s no shade to said girlies, because that’s actually just me slacking at my job. I spent years as a beauty writer before pivoting to fashion editor life, and as someone navigating very imperfect skin and a haircare obsession, I know a thing or two worth recommending.

I’m constantly setting my friends up with beauty routines and answering their ingredient-based Qs, so today is the day I finally come to terms with the fact that linking out to my Sephora faves isn’t such a bad thing. It might actually be helpful and/or interesting. So folks, here we are!

The truth of the matter is, one’s beauty routine is deeply personal. The below are my current or longtime tried-and-true favorites, and they may or may not work for you. Still, I feel safest recommending my actual faves and not just products I know to be generally solid.

This is more of a look into my personal routine than a guide. But I really, really love this stuff!

Beauty lovers, to the front!

A bit about me and my beauty needs, for context. I have thick wavy hair that holds a curl but gets greasy somewhat quickly, and acne-prone combination skin that I used to take spironolactone for, but now treat mostly topically.

I’m a reformed cake face who once wanted the heaviest of foundations, but now I prefer an overall light base and spot-treating with heavy-duty concealers and building layers of cream products for contour and blush. I have next to no eyebrow hairs and very thin lashes, so I personally feel my recs there are the strongest.

There you have it. Read on or shop all these favorites via my ShopMy shelf here, if you don’t care for the wordy breakdown (Look at me, linking like a good influencer!!!).

Happy Sephora Sale, and may the odds be ever in your makeup bag’s favor.

Makeup In My Current Rotation

The hero product in my eye makeup routine has to be the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Palette. I use the top row daily for eyeshadow, and play with the rest of the shades when I want to deepen things up. I also fill in my brows with the dark brown, and line my eyes with the black.

Also for eyes, I love a cream base like the Merit Solo Shadow Cream-to-Powder Soft Matte Eyeshadow in Studio. On early mornings or late nights, I tend to apply the Benefit Cosmetics Cookie Highlighter as a brightening highlight on my inner corner.

As a tubing mascara connoisseur, I recommend the Tarte Cosmetics Tartlette Tubing Mascara, Too Faced Ribbon Wrapped Lash Extreme Length Tubing Mascara, and Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara. Pro Tip: I buy minis so I run out before the product has a chance to dry out, and I curl with the Shiseido Eyelash Curler. Worth every penny.

My favorite brow product is from the drugstore (shout out NYX) but I also rely on the Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Detailer Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil for drawing teeny tiny hair-like strokes. As for brow gel, the Patrick Ta Major Brow Lamination Gel wins in my book, but I also like the Makeup by Mario one.

I change up my lip combo on the daily, but my constant is the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in Wherever Walnut. The NARS Explicit Satin Lipstick wins my vote for best lipstick formula — so creamy but long-wearing — as does the Lawless Forget The Filler Lip Plumping Line Smoothing Gloss for best gloss. In terms of prep and off-duty days, I reach for the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment by day, and the Fenty Skin Plush Puddin’ Intensive Recovery Lip Mask by night. I like it more than the Laneige, which says a lot.

Let’s talk base products. I like coverage and layers, but I’d rather build it up where I need it than feel heavy all over. My favorite primers are the Refy Glow And Sculpt Face Serum Primer and the Milk Hydro Grip Primer, and if I’m looking for a tinted or glowy SPF layer, it’s the the Sarah Creal Brilliant Repair Shield SPF 50 or the Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Huez Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30. Right now, my foundation/concealer combo of choice is the Ilia Skin Rewind Blurring Complexion Stick and the Makeup By Mario Surrealskin Awakening Concealer.

A makeup splurge I highly recommend would be the Make Up For Ever HD Skin All-In-One Face Palette. I use this for concealer, contour, bronzer, and blush while traveling, and love experimenting with it on the daily as well — the It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush is my go-to for application, and I own 3-4 that I rotate between weekly. Otherwise, I reach for the Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick (get the mini, it’s expensive) and a new favorite, the Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Wave Bronzing Balm.

My ride-or-die setting powder is the One/Size Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder, and I often mix the translucent and pink shades for a custom blend. Then, I seal it all with the Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional: Super Setter Setting Spray. So underrated!

I’m Not A Fragrance Girlie, Except For…

A few notable scent standouts! Prada Paradoxe Virtual Flower Eau de Parfum is one of my top scents, and it also happens to be Pat’s favorite on me. When I want something sweet and fun, I opt for Phlur Heavy Cream. An unexpected favorite is the Clean Reserve Rain Eau De Parfum, which I buy in travel size and keep in my bag for post-gym. The freshness mixes well with/improves my sweaty workout scent, instead of attempting to mask it under a gourmand or floral.

The Skincare My Face Loves RN

I’m not as keen on recommending skincare as I once was — I do love to play, but I consult my dermatologist and facialist before making any big changes. Right now, my routine is pretty simple, but there are a few Sephora picks I love.

I cleanse with the Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel, nourish with the Elemis Pro Collagen Future Serum, spot treat heftier blemishes with the Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment, and replenish my barrier with the Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream.

I’m also a sucker for a good eye patch, and the Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Hydra-Gel Eye Patches are my favorites for every day. When I travel or want something a little more secure to the face, I reach for the ultra-cute Topicals Faded Under Eye Masks.

Hair Products I Buy On Repeat

There are three Sephora haircare brands that wow me consistently, and these are Briogeo, Bumble and bumble, and K18. Briogeo makes some of my favorites for daily use, including the Scalp Revival Charcoal + Coconut Oil Micro-Exfoliating Shampoo to remove build-up, and the Style + Treat Hair Styling Sleek Stick for taming flyaways without creating crunch.

An iconic classic, Bumble and bumble did their big one with their Seaweed range, and the Seaweed Air Dry Hair Styling Cream is pretty much all I use in the summer to encourage my natural wave.

Always innovating, K18’s funky formulas really stand out on the shelf and in the hair, and the Airwash Dry Shampoo is a unique wet-to-dry formula I can’t get enough of. It’s another of my gym bag go-tos.

Skip It! IMO, You Don’t Need These

And now, some hot takes! There’s not anything intrinsically bad about these products, they’re just things I tried and didn’t love for one reason or another. It feels unbalanced to recommend so many things above and not do my part to de-influence you on some others.

While I love the Milk Hydro Grip Primer, the Glow Illuminating version didn’t really make much of a difference, so it’s a skip in my book. I was also unimpressed by the NARS Afterglow Liquid Blush and Makeup by Mario Softsculpt Bronzing Serum, which both blended out to underwhelming results.

While beautiful, I’d also say the Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eye Illusion Eyeshadow Duo is simply not worth the price. Yes, sparkly slurry formulas are expensive, but they don’t need to be that expensive. And even though I personally love the Make Up For Ever Super Boost Moisturizing & Plumping Lip Glosses, I will warn you that they are very, very sticky, and potentially not for everyone. Think old school MAC vibes. Don’t apply if you’re wearing your hair down.

I’m an aromatherapy lover, but I was insanely disappointed in the Rare Beauty Find Comfort Stop & Soothe Aromatherapy Pen. I also wanted to get into the Soft Services Theraplush “Hold” Refillable Overnight Retinol Hand Repair Cream, but frankly, I didn’t love the way it applied enough to remind myself to use it nightly. Not bad, but not necessary.

The Dior Forever Skin Perfect 24H Multi-Use Foundation Stick broke me out instantly, so sensitive-skinned gals, beware. And what else? Hmm. The new Urban Decay 24/7 Glaze-On Shimmer Liquid Eyeshadow was a fun but ultimately unnecessary impulse-purchase on my end. It blended out into nothing but a few sparkles. I think that’s it!

(Maybe this is obvious, but I’m not linking them because I don’t think you should buy ‘em!)

FWIW — Here’s What I’ll Probably Order

There’s simply no need for me to buy makeup with the amount I already own and receive in PR, but the heart wants what it wants. Aside from restocking my aforementioned favorites, I’ve got my eye on the Natasha Denona I Need A Warm Eyeshadow Palette, as well as the Huda Beauty Mini Baby Blush Duo Set — mostly because I want the Strawberry Cream shade and I know I don’t need the full-size version.

TikTok has influenced me to want to try the VIOLETTE_FR Bisou Balm Sheer Matte Lipstick for French Girl lips, and my love for all things Lawless has me eyeing the Forget The Filler Skin-Plumping Line-Smoothing Foundation. Lastly, a few impulsively-popped pimples have left me searching for some dark spot erasers, and the Topicals Faded Brightening Clearing Serum could be just the thing. I really trust their formulations!

Anything else I should have in my cart? Let me know — and keep me posted on your own Sephora Sale buys.

x BG