24 of my tried and true favorite products from Sephora

Technically it's 29 products from someone who has tried nearly every makeup product at Sephora for the past 15 years

I know everyone and their mother is talking about the Sephora sale, and while I think it’s frankly a pretty unremarkable sale among the beauty sale + discount landscape, I do consider the Sephora event the kickoff of holiday season and find it a really convenient time to round up my beauty favorites. 

While these days I’m shopping more and more from brands that aren’t at Sephora at all, I find that at least for makeup, Sephora still covers a huge chunk of brands that I use. Over the past 15 years I have tried a truly frightening amount of makeup products at Sephora and in the industry over all.

I remember the days when Hard Candy was at Sephora, to the days when Cargo, Surratt, Stila, Kevyn Aucoin and long before my official old school blogging days I would spend hours swatching and touching everything. I have my own makeup archives of products released 7-15 years ago that I touch only for comparison purposes, and I have encyclopedic knowledge of products released basically any time after 2005 up until now. 

All that is to say, I’ve tried my fair share of makeup, and the fact that this list contains 24 (ok, actually 29) products means that these are the best of the best at Sephora for me. 

Before I get into anything, I don’t think this sale is necessarily worth it unless you’re a Rouge  member at Sephora and get the full 20% off - and even then, so many brands available have their own sales around Black Friday/Cyber Monday that are upwards up 30% off.

I know it’s so tempting to get drawn into the hype of what everyone else is shopping, and I have certainly fallen victim to shopping for things I didn’t need or even really want but bought anyway because they were on sale, and I will always say that sales are skippable. The Sephora sale isn’t remarkable. There will be more sales coming around in weeks, and even if other financial responsibilities are too real to ignore right now -and let’s be real, I will NEVER advocate spending yourself into debt just so you can partake in shopping for makeup - there are sales all throughout the year. 

But if you are curious what some of my all time favorites and absolute essentials at Sephora are, this post is for you. I also have a blog - I know, it’s confusing, but Wordpress makes it much easier to cram in a load of photos of swatches in a more user friendly way that Substack - but twice a year over there, I round up every product I’ve tried and liked from Sephora into blog posts filled with swatches and mini reviews. For this year, here are my makeup and non-makeup posts (with older posts linked within those).

As usual, this post contains affiliate links which earn me a small commission if you make a purchase with one of the links. Thank you for the continued support!

MAKEUP ESSENTIALS

1. Westman Atelier Stick Foundation - my go to travel foundation and what I reach for when I’m in a rush. Radiant skinlike finish with a creamy and super blendable formula that just glides and melts into the skin. I also like the Basma Cream Foundation a lot, especially for the summer since it has a slightly less dewy finish but I find the Westman Atelier slightly easier to blend with my fingers in a pinch, which makes it a more convenient on the go product for me. I wear shade V in WA and shade 28 in Basma.

2. Westman Atelier Super Loaded Highlighter Peau de Peche - I’ve talked everyone’s ears off about this but for my light-medium, neutral to slightly warm skin with slight olive undertones, this is the perfect 3-in-1 bronzer, blush, and highlighter. I use this when I’m in a rush and need everything done in one step. Nothing compares to the glow and depth that this gives.

3. Prada Reveal Skin-Optimizing Soft Matte Foundation - one of my favorite foundation launches in recent years and it’s a true gem among a pool of very good foundations these days. It has a really elastic formula in that a little will go a long way, but it looks super skinlike and blurring, all while leaving a very natural finish that does have a soft matte perfected quality but still allows all my natural glow to shine through. Shade matching is not great with these so I definitely recommend looking at these in store if you can. I wear shade MN45 and it’s a perfect match. 

4. Fenty Beauty Eaze Drops - this is one of my favorite skin tints for combo/oily skin and it outperforms so many others because of how blurred and poreless it makes my skin while giving light coverage, plus the superb long wear. I will actually wear this on travel days when I want a tiny bit of makeup but need my makeup to last through flights and long days. I wear shade 07 or shade 10 (in the summer).

5. Tower 28 Swipe All-Over Concealer - this unassuming concealer has really become an everyday staple. It’s easy to blend, gives me just the right amount of medium coverage, and lasts all day without looking dry or settling into my lines. It also looks super skinlike so I can add a couple layers for when I need a little extra help with my dark circles.  I wear shade EP. 

6. Fenty We’re Even Hydrating Longwear Concealer - when I need something that will really wear all day and night, but is still easy to apply, build, and blend, this is what I reach for. It has a little more coverage than Tower 28, and a light as air formula. This is my favorite concealer launch of 2024. I wear shade 200C as a one and done concealer/corrector, or 190W over a corrector like this one.

7. Ciele Blush and Protect Liquid Blush in June - I absolutely love this creamy liquid blush formula that has enough weight to it that it isn’t like trying to blend a super watery pigment, and blends into a really natural finish on my skin. June is my favorite shade in particular because it has this really interesting burgundy-brown mix that makes it a great bronzer shade.

8. Dior Rosy Glow Blush - one of my favorite powder blush formulas because it’s so pigmented and longlasting, and each shade really does give this lit from within flushed glow without any shimmer or glitter. I have phases with each shade but I rotate through the original Rosy Glow, Coral, Mahogany, or Berry. Right now I can’t get enough of Mahogany.

   

9. Dior Diorshow 5 Couleurs Palette - These palettes are basically perfection, especially Soft Cashmere and Poncho. Soft Cashmere is cooler toned with taupe and brown that I love using during fall and winter and Poncho has more golden beiges and browns that I reach for all spring and summer. They’re silky, longlasting, and for a palette with 5 pans, come with a variety of finishes. There are entire weeks where I’ve only used these palettes and they are great travel palettes too. 

10. Natasha Denona I Need a Nude - as far as large form palettes go, this one is my ideal neutral palette. It’s not too cool and not too warm, and there’s a rosy rosewood tone to some of the shades instead of a warm undertone that is much more flattering for me. There’s also a range of matte, shimmer, and glitter shades which is perfect for my everyday looks. 

11. Natasha Denona Mini Dream Palette - This was totally under the radar for me, but it’s such a handy little palette. The mini collection of cool toned neutrals and taupe shimmers is a great alternative to the Dior palettes, but this one somehow is even more travel friendly. I also like that there are several matte options in this one while the Dior ones have more shimmers.

    

12. Merit Signature Lips Lipstick - if you haven’t heard me say a million times that this is one of my holy grail formulas, well - here you go. The balmy texture, buildable pigmentation, and satin finish that stays hydrating all day long make this a stellar formula as it is, but the shades are also perfection. There’s a range of neutral and bolder shades but nothing feels too out of my comfort zone. Definitely Signature Lip worthy. The new limited edition holiday set is also stunning. 

13. Eadem Le Chouchou Lip Balm - one of my holy grail lip formulas for how cushiony and moisturizing it is. It feels like a nice warm hug on the lips, and all 4 shades are essentials for me.

14. YSL Beauty Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick - they’ve had their viral moment but these are still very much essentials for me. I love the thick balmy texture and rich glossy shades that are exactly lipglosses in stick form. I love the clear shade as a balm, but basically rotate through every other shade regularly. (Swatches in this post)

15. Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm - one of my favorite tinted balm formulas and top 3 of all time (along with Eadem and Rhode). They feel nourishing, last a long time, and are moisturizing enough to work as an overnight balm, and the sheer tints in neutral shades are sheer perfection. Vanilla Beige has my heart but the newer shades like Iced Coffee and the limited edition Hot Cocoa are also beautiful. 

    

    Left: Merit Signature Lip, Right: Kulfi Heirloom Satin

16. Kulfi Heirloom Satin Lipstick - another beautiful satin lip formula that's hydrating and comfortable to wear. They give such a smoothing effect and the shades are beautifully muted and neutral and they also are perfect for olive skin tones. My favorite shade is Ma’s Misra.

17. Sephora 56 brush - My favorite brush for all cream and liquid blushes. It just applies and blends out all the products quickly and evenly. I use this every single day and it outperforms other cream blush brushes I own. I just bought a backup of it so I can rotate between them.

FRAGRANCE + BODY

18. Salt and Stone Bergamot and Hinoki Body Wash - one of my favorite body washes I’ve tried in recent years for having a good lather and a non-drying formula. The scent is also a wonderful balance of citrus floral and earthy. It's one of my favorite body wash scents I've tried and I also love the body mist.

19. Phlur Soft Spot- my favorite Phlur launch this year among many Phlur launches. It’s a beautiful floral musk that is warm and soft and mellow. It’s a crowd pleaser for good reason because it’s really easy to wear on days I want something with more brightness than my favorite Missing Person but still want to have a subtle scent.

20. Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume - the best everyday skin scent for me because it's so light and unassuming. It has only one note - cetalox, a synthetic ambergris, and on me it translates as slightly sweet and fresh and musky. It's hard to go overboard with this and it's the only scent I wear to the office or on a plane.

21. Caudalie Fig Body Oil Elixir - a beautifully juicy lip oil that smells like fresh figs and keeps my skin glowy and moisturizer. I also love the glass bottle and spray applicator. I've gone through a few of these and always have a backup of it.

22. Necessaire Body Lotion - my favorite everyday body lotion! It's lightweight and absorbs quickly while giving great hydration for most days. On dry winter days I layer with body oils but I can't get away with just this most of the year. 

SKINCARE

Frankly I don’t think Sephora is the best place to shop skincare, and most of my favorite skincare is not at Sephora. Here is a more comprehensive list of skincare that are essential to my routine.

23. The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow Serum - I've used this nearly every night for a year and I've noticed a huge difference in how healthy my lashes look. I wear waterproof mascara every day which takes a toll on my lashes, but this serum helps keep them from breaking and falling out. It's not a growth serum but this helps my lashes actually grow to their full length before they fall out, which makes my lashes look thicker and longer than they used to. One tube will last me 5-6 months so it's a great price for what it does. Also 23% off on The Ordinary website if you’re planning on buying multiple things from their sale since the free shipping threshold is $50.

24. Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA - absolute everyday essential to keep my pores clear and prevent my breakouts or help clear them up quicker. I always stay stocked on this because I start to notice some clogged pores if I go without for some time. 

All of these favorites and more products I enjoy are saved in Shop My Shelf. Click here for comprehensive recommendations for makeup, brushes and tools, fragrance and body, skincare, and hair care recommendations.

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