Sephora Sale Picks

Well, the Sephora VIB sale is finally here, but uh, it’s off to kind of a rocky start. I hopped on this morning to browse, and was met with a very aesthetically pleasing ‘whoops, we’re broken’ page. Apparently everyone was a little more excited about the sale than their technical team expected. It’s bound to come back up sometime though, so I thought I’d still go ahead and talk about some things that are totally worth thinking about when you finally do get to start shopping.

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Guerlain Meteorites ($60) – I was obsessed with the new packaging on these when it first came out, but I skipped them because I thought they’d be too sparkly. Then I got a deluxe sample in a Sephora order and as it turns out – they’re my most-used finishing powder right now, especially when I wear matte foundations. They give just a tiny bit of a glow, even out my skin texture and don’t look pale or chalky. Even though I’ve been using them since April I’m still not anywhere close to finishing the sample – but that’s not going to stop me from taking advantage of the sale to get the full size.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette ($58) – As you already know, I’m a big fan of these blushes. I was thrilled when I heard they were releasing a palette, but ultimately I ended up skipping it. I had already purchased two of the shades in it, and the palette-exclusive one, Incandescent Electra, is too light to do much for my skin. Still, if you don’t already have these it’s a great buy.

YSL Couture Palette ($60) – I bought #4 Saharienne when these first came out, and it’s still one of my go-to’s when I’m on makeup autopilot. The pigmentation is great, and the color combos don’t require any thought at all. It’s a little pricey for an eyeshadow palette, admittedly, but that’s why we’re sale shopping.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick ($19) – This was totally off my radar until literally yesterday. I got a deluxe sample of the color Bachelorette with the VIBSEASON code (unfortunately can’t be combined with the 20% off code), and it’s pretty amazing. For one thing I love the color, because it’s bright pink and that’s what I do, but it’s also incredibly comfortable and seems to wear really well. Very little transfer onto my coffee cup, no bleeding or feathering, and still looks freshly applied hours later. A full review will be coming, don’t worry.

Bite Beauty Mix ‘n Mingle ($98) – The ultimate Bite splurge. It comes with three mini Matte Crayons, two gloss minis and five mini duos of their Luminous Creme Lipstick (for a total of 10 lipstick shades – I mathed that for you). If you’re like me and have never, ever finished a full-size lip product, this is for you.

Christian Louboutin Nail Polish ($50) – Another definite buy for me! I really can’t justify it in any way except treat yo’ self, but again, sale time is the perfect time to finally break down and get it. I’ve been on a quest for the perfect nude shade, so I’ve got my eye on one of those. Unfortunately swatches of the whole line are in short supply, so I’ll be sure to post up whichever one I end up getting.

Sephora Collection Retractable Brow Pencil ($13) – I’ve heard great things about this as a dupe for the Anastasia Brow Wiz. I actually picked one up at the Rouge event last night because my color isn’t in stock online. Based on my swatches the color and texture seem very similar to Ebony, but I haven’t actually used it yet. I love fine-tipped pencils in the spots that need some more precision and I’ve only got a tiny little nub of my Brow Wiz left, so I’m looking forward to testing this one out.

NARS Audacious Lipstick ($32) – These weren’t released too terribly long ago, and they seem really nice based on the times I’ve tested them in the store. The creamy semi-matte formula is definitely my jam, but I’ve been waffling because I don’t think I honestly need more lipstick (and I’d be in danger of getting a duplicate color for sure). But I might buy one. Or maybe not. We’ll see.

YSL Fusion Ink Foundation ($60) – I grabbed a sample of this to try out, because I’ve been eyeing it for ages. I’m going to test it out for a few days and see how it wears – I’m nearly out of my Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet, so this is the obvious replacement, right? The texture seems nice, and I’ve heard only good things about it.

What’s on your shopping list, assuming you actually get the chance to shop?