Top Picks for the Sephora Fall Beauty Insider Sale

It’s that time of year again… another Sephora Beauty Insider sale is just around the corner!

Trendmood announced on Thursday that Sephora would be hosting its Beauty Insider sale beginning on Nov. 1 for Rouge members. Rouge members will receive 20% off, while VIB members receive 15% off and Beauty Insiders receive 10% off (both beginning Nov. 7). Sephora’s sales, which have grown to be more frequent in the last year or so (perhaps to keep up with Ulta’s reward system), are my favorite time to pick up the items I’ve been eyeing but have yet to purchase, or to restock products I already love.

Here are my recommendations for this season’s sale!

Eyes:

Tarte Tartelette In Bloom Clay Eyeshadow Palette: This has been a go-to palette of mine since the fall of 2017. It’s a great basic palette offering nine neutral matte shades and three shimmer shades. It’s mostly a warm palette, but can definitely create cool looks as well. It has the perfect crease shades as well as deeper shades that I sometimes like to use as eyeliner. My sister wanted to buy it off of me, and given that I wouldn’t sell it to her, it’s definitely a staple in my collection!

 

Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner: I’ve recently gotten more into using these eyeliners, and they’re absolutely fantastic. I own three shades: (Luna)Tic, a metallic lavender, Deja Blue, a matte, powder blue, and a mini version of Blaquer, a matte black. Deja Blue is my current favorite to use in my waterline – it works similarly to how a nude or white eyeliner would to brighten and open up the eyes, but when looking closely, you can see the beautiful pale blue color. These also last forever on the waterline or for tightlining (which Blaquer is perfect for). Alternatively, the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil is an equally-amazing eyeliner with a similarly large selection of colors. I love Bourbon and Uzi.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow: Charlotte Tilbury’s Eyes To Memorize cream eyeshadow formula is by far the best I’ve tried. It really is creamy, and has almost a mousse formula. The color Jean is a beautiful champagne color that’s super easy to smooth over the lid to add a bit of shine and brightness to the eyes. It can also serve as a base for other eyeshadows. As with all of the Charlotte Tilbury line, it’s pricey, so the sale is the perfect time to scoop it up.

 

Surratt Relevee Lash Curler: When someone asks me about my eyelashes, I always recommend this lash curler to them. I know it’s expensive, trust me – prior to this, I had used Elf or Revlon curlers for years. I don’t know what it is, but this just works 100x better. My eyelashes stay curled all day and it does the best job out of any curlers I’ve tried to grab all of the lashes. Plus, lash curlers aren’t something that need replacing often, so think of it as an investment tool.

 

Yves Saint Laurent The Shock Volumizing Mascara: This mascara is a recent favorite of mine. I received a mini size with a purchase a few months ago and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. It’s one of few mascaras that really adds volume to my lashes without weighing them down and relaxing their curl. Sometimes I wear it on its own, and other times I layer it on top of my all-time favorite Glossier Lash Slick. The shade Asphalt Black is a deep black with no grey cast.

 

Velour Lashes Effortless Kit: Trust me when I say I am not a false lashes type of gal. I’ve never been able to apply them correctly, and I just feel kind of silly wearing them – even just when I’m trying them around the house. This kit changed my mind entirely. These lashes are shorter, and cover about 2/3 of the lash line. Because of their size, they’re a lot easier to apply and a lot more natural. I was able to get it right on the first try, which is nothing short of a miracle for me. The lashes come with brush-on glue and applicator tweezers (a godsend), meaning you don’t have to run to the store and buy those on their own. Perfect for first-time lash wearers.

 

Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream: This eye cream is a favorite of many, and for good reason. I first picked this up when I was studying abroad in London. Late nights out coupled with a month-long bout of bronchitis meant I was losing sleep and gaining puffy, dark undereyes. That one jar lasted me over two years, and I just recently picked up the mini version (which comes in a convenient squeezy tube for on-the-go application). This eye cream is perfect for morning use because of its pearlescent sheen. It really helps the undereyes to reflect light and mask darkness. While I use Glossier Bubblewrap at night, this is my go-to when I’m heading out the door in the a.m.

 

GrandeLASH MD Lash Enhancing Serum: While I may have stubbornly straight eyelashes, I have to say they are quite long. A lot of that is thanks to this lash serum. I frequently get asked if I get lash extensions, but I never have! When I use this every day, I see results in about a month. Once my lashes are long, I wait to start using it again when my eyelashes start shedding and I notice them looking a bit shorter. It’s pricey but worth it. I’d say I would go through about two bottles a year. They also recently released a holiday bundle that I may pick up – you get the serum and a mini mascara for the price of just the serum! I’m also dying to try their brow growth serum to fill out my brows more. If it works as well as the lash serum, it’s got to be amazing.

 

Lips:

Fenty Bomb Baby 2 Mini Lip Gloss and Highlighter Set: Let’s be frank. How many of us have actually used up an entire lip gloss? I know I haven’t. The Fenty Gloss Bomb formula is one of the favorites on the market today, so when I saw the opportunity to get a mini size I jumped at it. This color, $weet Mouth, is limited edition, and the highlighter in Sand Castle is a beautiful shimmering bronze that actually works on my fairer skin. This set would make a great gift as well! In addition to the highlighter/gloss set, Fenty released the Glossy Posse Mini Gloss Bomb Set with more limited-edition colors and cute mini sizes – another perfect gift for the beauty lover in your life.

 

Tower 28 ShineOn Jelly Lip Gloss: A newcomer brand to Sephora, Tower 28 beauty’s lip gloss is one of the smoothest and most comfortable glosses I’ve ever tried. I picked up the shade Fearless, a sheer berry that looks to be a stark purple color in the tube. On my naturally-red lips, it just looks clear. It has a verrrry mild sweet scent, and a skinny applicator that I love. If you’re looking for something with great shine and moisturization, this is the gloss for you.

 

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner: I now own two of these, so I can further confirm that this is my all-time favorite lip liner. I rarely wore lip liner before getting lip filler, but having filler sort of made me more interested and invested in defining my lips. I love the Pillowtalk shade as my perfect everyday color, but Bond Girl is a new favorite for fall and winter and for use with some of my darker lip shades. I love using Pillowtalk with the matching Matte Revolution lipstick and with my new Superstar Lips Lipstick in Princess Kiss for a more creamy, shiny color. I believe Princess Kiss is exclusive to the Charlotte Tilbury website, but it’s not far off from Pillowtalk – just a slightly cooler-toned pink.

 

Ciaté London Pump Plump Lip Gloss: Another new favorite, I’ve used this almost daily since purchasing. It was a complete blind buy – I got it before there were any reviews on it. I love the packaging that it comes in – it’s shaped like a lipstick, but you push down on the lipstick bullet to dispense the perfect drop of lip gloss. It has a minty smell and a cooling, mint effect on the lips after a minute or so of wear. It’s comfortable on the lips, and seems to keep them moisturized even after it wears off. I got the shade Blossom (the lightest shade and the shade pictured to the left), because I obviously don’t have enough light pink shades in my collection.

 

Face:

NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer: This concealer is my all-time favorite concealer for spot covering. I have a few areas of pigmentation left over from old acne spots and this is the only concealer that will cover it. I use the shade creme brûlée – the same shade I use in the Radiant Creamy Concealer, another favorite of mine. I’ve had this little jar for over six months and I’ve barely made a dent. I think it might last me forever.

 

MILK Makeup Matte Bronzer: This is my current everyday bronzer and contour. I even reach for this over my Chanel! It’s the perfect shade of brown – not too cool, and not too warm like the Chanel Soleil de Tan tends to be. It’s definitely matte, but since it’s a cream product it doesn’t suck the life out of your face like some matte powder bronzers seem to do. I wish I had gotten the mini version because the stick is huge. Not to worry, however – it’s easy enough to get into the hollows of your cheeks without making a mess of things. It blends out beautifully and looks oh so natural.

 

Kosas Cosmetics Color & Light Crème Cream Blush & Highlighter Duo: Hands down my favorite find of the season – perhaps even the year! I’ve only had this duo for two or three weeks and I’ve used it almost every day since. I own the shade 8th Muse, a beautiful soft pink blush and pinky-champagne highlight. It’s absolutely flawless on my light skin. The blush blends seamlessly onto the cheeks with fingers or a stippling brush (I like to use my little Colourpop duo fiber face brush) for the perfect amount of flush. The highlight is absolutely STUNNING. It’s the best highlighter I’ve ever used. It makes my skin look dewy without feeling tacky, and it looks amazing everywhere on the face – brow bone, inner corner, cheekbones, nose, cupids bow – you name it. If there’s one thing on this list you need, this is it. The ONLY gripe I have about it is that the packaging is impossible to open. Is this just me?? I have to wedge my tweezers between the two sides to wedge it open so that I don’t break a nail!

I don’t splurge on brushes, but two of my favorite face brushes are from Sephora: the Sephora PRO Small Blush and Contour Brush and the Anastasia Beverly Hills A23 Pro Brush for highlighter. I used to steal the blush brush from my sister all the time before I got my own. It’s great for placing blush on the cheeks or for contouring the cheekbones. The Anastasia brush is my favorite brush for applying highlighter, but I’d love to try the Sephora PRO Fan Highlight Brush too.

 

Skincare:

The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution: A great dupe for the Glossier Solution (and tbh, better than that) is this toner from The Ordinary. The Ordinary offers no-frills skincare with great ingredients for a fraction of the price of other brands. This helps with dullness, uneven texture, and pores. It’s as easy as swiping it all over the face with a cotton pad and going to bed. I like to use this on nights when I’m too lazy to use an exfoliating mask or treatment – my skin doesn’t react negatively when I use it nightly, either.

 

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial: If I could only own one Drunk Elephant product for the rest of my life, this would be it. I like to use this mask once a week for 20 minutes to keep my skin clear and bright, and it leaves my skin baby soft. I was hesitant to try it at first, so I picked up samples from Sephora. I finally took the plunge after getting a $100 Rouge reward. Drunk Elephant also offers a mini size too, but act fast if you want that – I’ve found they go in and out of selling the mini size for some reason. One thing I will note is that it comes with a mini tube of the marula oil, which has caused me to break out before. Use with caution if you have acne-prone skin! I’m also really interested in trying the Ole Henricksen PHAT Glow Facial mask – it seems to be a good dupe and is about half the price.

 

Dr. Jart Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment: This stuff is a miracle in a jar! I don’t struggle with redness on an everyday basis, but this cream really helps to color correct my face when I break out. Cystic acne spots are impossible to cover up with concealer, and this helps minimize the redness from those spots prior to applying makeup. A little goes a long way and I’ve barely used up any of the jar. If you struggle with redness or acne, give this a try. I’ve also been trying a sample of the Cicapair Tiger Grass Calming Gel Cream and really loving it. I have plenty of moisturizers right now, but if I were in need of a new one I would 100% pick that up during the sale.

 

Tan-Luxe The Face Illuminating Self-Tan Drops: Sephora offers a lot of tanning options, but these are by far the best color-boosting drops I’ve tried. I’m a big self-tanner girl (check out my post from a while back about my favorite self tanners!), but after college I stopped using tanning mousses on my face because I realized how much they were clogging my pores. It wasn’t causing me to breakout necessarily, but I could literally squeeze out brown tanning residue from my pores. It was that squeezing that was wreaking havoc on my skin. These drops are great because just three or four drops mixed into moisturizer in the morning or at night gives you great color. I’ve heard great things about The Gradual, Tan-Luxe’s gradual tanner for the body, and while I love my St. Tropez watermelon gradual tanning lotion, I’m debating trying out the Tan Luxe one too.

 

Hair:

Small Slipsilk Silk Scrunchies: I know scrunchies are all the rage (#VSCOGirl), but I look stupid walking around with a giant piece of fabric on my wrist. Of course, the Sephora checkout line is what got me to buy these. These little guys are perfect because they combine the comfort and cuteness of a scrunchy without being too bulky. They tend to hold my medium-thickness hair well and don’t stretch out too much on me. I bought the mini pack. I haven’t used regular elastics in years because of how much hair they’d pull out of my head. I also really love the Invisibobble hair ties – the regular width is fine, but the skinnier ones hold my hair just as well and are more dainty on the wrist.

 

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo: This was the first high-end dry shampoo I tried, and afterwards I threw out all my drugstore cans. It works so well whether your hair is moderately greasy or you haven’t washed it in days. I don’t need dry shampoo often (showering and washing my hair has become a part of my morning routine), but I’ve gone through multiple bottles of this over the last two or three years. It does have a white cast when you first spray it on, but after massaging it in and brushing out your hair it blends seamlessly. I find the Amika Perk Up dry shampoo (also available at Sephora) to work just as well. After using dry shampoo I like to deep clean my hair and scalp using a clarifying shampoo like the Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo.

 

 

VERB Ghost Dry Oil: I was sent this by the brand and it’s a new everyday product for me. I had gone through a bottle of Bumble and Bumble’s Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Dry Oil Finishing Spray while studying abroad in London and loved the effect of dry oil on my often dry and frizzy hair. It’s easier and less messy to apply than a normal oil, which I love. The Bumble and Bumble oil is equally as good, but I’m loving testing out this new brand. Plus, it’s almost $20 cheaper. Verb is definitely a more affordable haircare line at Sephora. I’ve used Verb’s regular Ghost Oil before too and it’s great for even more frizz control and weight.

 

Body:

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream: Pronounced “boom boom,” for the record. I used this every night out in college for its delectable scent and slightly shimmering effect on the legs and I can’t tell you how many people complimented me on how good I smelled. Now, I purchase the mini sizes because I don’t use it as much. I have three mini sizes at home, and I always travel with one when I go on vacation. It smells amazing (and is quite strong – can replace perfume) and really moisturizes the skin.

 

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian 4 Play Moisturizing Shower Cream-Gel: I received this for review purposes from Octoly and absolutely loved it. I’m not usually one to splurge on body wash (Olay makes great ones that I typically use), but this may be the only exception. It smells just like the aforementioned cream and comes in the same punchy yellow packaging. It lathers like a dream and doesn’t leave my skin feeling stripped of moisture. I wish it came in a larger bottle! Sephora also sells a mini size for those of you traveling soon.

 

First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub: With 10% AHA, this body scrub combines physical and chemical exfoliants to reveal brighter, smoother skin. I sometimes get Keratosis Pilaris (KP) on the backs of my thighs and this greatly improves that. Rough in texture, it really seems to slough away the buildup of skin cells on my body. It’s amazing! First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream is also a great body cream if you’re looking for something with minimal scent. It works on even the driest winter skin.

 

Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Nectar Perfume: I’ve received samples of this in my last two orders and it smells amazing. As someone who’s gone through an entire bottle of Flowerbomb, I can’t believe I’d never tried this before! I find this to be a more wearable version of Flowerbomb. It isn’t quite as strong, and has a slightly sweeter smell. It’s a gourmand scent, and, while it doesn’t smell like Viva La Juicy, it reminds me of Viva La Juicy but for adults. The girl I babysit said I smelled like cotton candy, but I definitely think it’s a more mature scent than that. Try it out if you get the chance!

For more of my Sephora product recommendations and favorites, read this post on my fall makeup look, this post on my top fall and winter fragrances, this post from the summer Sephora sale, this post about summer makeup, this post from the spring Sephora sale, this post about Drunk Elephant, this post about self tanners, this post about some of the most popular lip balms at Sephora, and lastly, my 2018 favorites!

What are you going to purchase during the Sephora sale? Let me know in the comments below!

Xo,

Meg