I don’t mean to cause alarm, but there are mere days left to shop Sephora’s best and most-anticipated sale event of the year. As the Savings Event only happens biannually, I know people who wait to shop this sale for months and prep their shopping carts like it’s an Olympic event. The frenzy is currently heightened as we’re in the midst of pre-gaming for the hot and sun-soaked months of summer (new season, new beauty staples).
April 15 marks the official end of the event. As a refresher, Rouge members are saving 20% on their purchases, VIB members are saving 15%, and Insiders are saving 10%. (Use the code YAYSAVE at checkout.) It’s also worth mentioning that you’ll score 30% off on all Sephora Collection items, regardless of your tier. Below, I’m sharing 20 beauty staples I love, recommend, and would add to your cart if I were your personal shopper. Keep scrolling!
Sol de Janeiro
Delícia Drench Body Butter for Intense Moisture and Skin Barrier Repair
There’s so much to love about this rich body butter from Sol de Janeiro. First, there’s the scent (sandalwood and vanilla orchid), which has low-key become the only thing I want to smell like. Second, there’s the finish—it gives your skin a rich top-up of dewiness that almost makes you look glazed, but it doesn’t feel too heavy or like it’s “sitting” on top of your skin. It also makes my skin look more tighter and more even wherever I apply it, which is usually everywhere.
caliray
Hideaway Brightening + Hydrating Under Eye Color Corrector Concealer
I’m all for any product that does the heavy lifting so I can apply less makeup later on. Everyone I know in the beauty industry can’t stop ranting and raving about this new hydrating concealer/color-corrector hybrid from Caliray. For summer, it’s especially brilliant.
Merit
Flush Balm Cream Blush in Stockholm
I’ve said this so many times, so apologies if you’ve heard it before, but this is the cream blush that converted me to cream blush. And, truth be told, it’s the only one I’ll use. Currently, I have a hyper-fixation with the shade Stockholm, which gives your complexion a “your cheeks but better” flush of pink, especially if you’re on the fair side, like I am.
Haus Labs by Lady Gaga
Bio-Radiant Gel-Powder Highlighter With Fermented Arnica in Rose Quartz
“What do you use to make your skin look so glowy?!?” is the question I get over and over again whenever I’m wearing this highlighter from Haus Labs. The sky’s the limit when it comes to shade options and application, but my secret weapon is sweeping a little of the shade Rose Quartz on top of the above cream blush from Merit. I call it angel skin.
Grande Cosmetics
Grandelash-Md Lash Enhancing Serum Mini
I’m an absolute fiend for a great lash serum—my lashes simply can never be long enough. And as someone who has tried most of the formulas on the market (including prescriptions like Latisse), I can say this one from Grande Cosmetics grants the fastest and most noticeable results. That said, if you’re a first-timer, opt for the mini, as some people do report irritation when they try these types of products. I’ve found that minor redness and irritation is kind of par for the course, but as long as you don’t go overboard on product and follow the instructions, you should be fine. (But again, everyone has different levels of sensitivity.)
Glossier
Lash Slick Lift and Lengthening Mascara
My number one makeup tip for the summer? Brown mascara on just the very tips of your lashes. Because this formula from Glossier is so lightweight and lengthening, you won’t look like you’re wearing mascara, you’ll just look like you have extension-like lashes naturally.
Kérastase
Genesis Strengthening Hair Mask
I’ve really been loving the entire Genesis line from Kérastase, and I usually use this hair mask in lieu of conditioner and after I shampoo with the Genesis Strengthening Shampoo for Normal to Oily Hair. I like that it’s a balanced formula between both strength and moisture (you need both if you’re truly looking to improve the integrity of your hair), and I’ve also noticed significantly less hair fall and breakage (something that’s been imperative as I’ve transitioned from platinum blonde to copper).
Soft Services
Buffing Bar Exfoliating Body Bar for KP and Ingrown Hair (2 Pack)
As someone who rarely likes body scrubs, I’ve always been super partial to exfoliating bars. This top-rated one from Soft Services has set the bar so high I don’t think any other option I try can come close. I also just appreciate the utility of a two-pack since bar soap is probably one of the beauty staples I fly through the fastest.
OleHenriksen
Pout Preserve Hydrating Peptide Lip Treatment in Cocoa Crème
This lip treatment has recently garnered a lot of attention thanks to its slew of new shades (this pretty rose-brown called Cocoa Crème is my fave), but it’s always been a fantastic formula, even before there were addictive color options. Apply it, wait a few minutes, and notice how any fine lines or wrinkles in your lips are either A) gone altogether or B) significantly reduced. Swiping it on your lips is like activating a subtle inflation mechanism for your lips. Plus, it delivers the prettiest glassy finish.
Makeup by Mario
Perfecting Lip Scrub
If you’re always dealing with cracks, chap, and flakes, you need this lip scrub in your life. To be honest, I usually only remember to use it once a week or so, but whenever I do, my lips look 10 times softer, smoother, and more pillowy. Plus, any lip products that you apply afterward will look better and last longer.
Make Up For Ever
Artist Color Pencil Brow, Eye & Lip Liner in Wherever Walnut
I have so many of these I’ve lost count. I compulsively use the shade Wherever Walnut to line and plump up my lips (even if the rest of my face is makeup-free), and using the shade Limitless Brown on the waterline of the inner corners of my eyes is my best hack for a Jenner- or Camila Morrone–inspired gaze.
Belif
Moisturizing Eye Bomb With Peptide and Ceramide
Once you try this lightweight yet moisturizing eye cream from Belif, you will never feel the need to try any other formula. (Seriously, all other eye creams are dead to me.)
Sephora Collection
Triple Action Cleansing Water – Cleanse + Purify
If you want your micellar water to not only sweep away leftover makeup and a day’s buildup of grime but *also* improve the look and feel of your skin, this is the only one to buy. Use it as the first step in your skincare routine before you go in with your normal cleanser, and I promise you your skin will transform.
DedCool
Dedtergent 01 Taunt
I’d buy this laundry detergent for the scent alone (Taunt—a creamy, skin-like mix of vanilla, amber, and bergamot—is a DedCool best seller), but I also love that it’s gentle enough for intimates, 100% biodegradable, and consciously formulated to be environmentally safe.
Hourglass
Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm
You know a product is good when every other makeup brand starts to launch dupes and wannabes. (Sorry, guys, nothing can compete with the OG!) Unless I have to try something new for testing purposes, this is all I want to wear when I put on makeup thanks to it’s multitasking abilities. You’re basically getting a treatment, gloss, and lip-enhancing pigment in one. I’ve become absolutely compulsive about collecting every last shade.
InnBeauty Project
Extreme Cream Anti-Aging, Firming, & Lifting Refillable Moisturizer
The majority of buzzy, gotta-have-it face creams clock in at at least $100, which is why editors really can’t stop talking about this anti-aging (non-pore-clogging!) formula from InnBeauty Project. Brimming with peptides (lift!), bio-retinol (bye, wrinkles!), and ceramides (barrier health!), it feels like something that should cost at least $300. Snag it during the Savings Event, and it almost feels like getting away with money-saving murder.
Dyson
Limited Edition Airwrap Multi Styler in Pink and Rose Gold
There are two types of people in the world. Those who already own and love Dyson’s iconic Airwrap, and those who still have it on their wish list. It’s one of the splurgiest and most-wanted beauty items on the market, and now’s the best time to go for it.
I don’t know what to say about this candle other than that it is the best-smelling candle I’ve ever encountered. Oh, and I’m not the only one who think so—anyone who comes to my apartment is immediately obsessed, and now I can’t go to a friend’s house without picking up on this candle’s perfect combination of crystalized ginger, rose, tuberose, vanilla, white, woods, and musk.
Fable & Mane
Holiroots Pre-Wash Hair Treatment Oil
If you’re sleeping on pre-shampoo hair treatments, you’re doing your hair’s health and shine factor a serious injustice. Not only is this holistic blend of active plant roots from Fable & Mane a cult-favorite TikTok darling, but it also offers a triple threat of benefits. Think overall damage repair; nonnegotiable scalp hydration; and stronger, more resilient roots and strands. Use it to style your favorite slicked-back style in the morning for a full day of marination, or drench your strands with it before a workout.
Dr. Idriss
The Depuffer Redness Reducing + Depuffing Roll-On Serum
Between sweat, sun, and summery cocktails, the upcoming months are typically synonymous with unwanted redness and puff (for me, at least!). The solve? This complexion-calming roller, which smoothly deposits key ingredients like arnica, niacinamide, and Centella asiatica. It’s the bottled equivalent to hosing down a fire, and it also happens to be designed by world-renowned, board-certified dermatologist Shereene Idriss.
