What Our Editors Are Buying From Sephora’s Summer Bonus Event

This has been my hero product this summer. I add it to the perimeters of the face to add a little bronze and glow to the skin. It seriously blends into my skin like nothing, and it never takes the foundation or other products away. I’ve even been wearing it on days I don’t wear foundation to make myself look a little better, and this might actually be my favorite way to wear it. I’m obsessed with everything Milk makes (especially their Kush mascara!), but this might take the cake.

Every time I wear these out in public, someone compliments my eyeshadow. I’ve had strangers run up to me on the street to ask what’s on my eyes. So, I wouldn’t recommend these if you’re not trying to be a showstopper because these certainly put all eyes on you, baby. I have two of them (in Rosewater and Toasted Caramel), and I add a little bit of at least one shade to every look. They’re already a pretty inexpensive for three eyeshadows, so I’m planning to pick up the rest of the shades with the discount!

Alright, I have to be honest that I already bought this. I JUST COULDN’T WAIT. I’m never joking when I say Rihanna can do no wrong in my eyes, and I’ve been waiting for this foundation to release basically since the line was released in 2017. I’ve never been into matte foundations with my dry skin, but I also like a good amount of coverage day to day. Wow, now I really can’t wait. Should I have gotten priority shipping? AH, REGRETS.

My sweet aunt got me this for Christmas a few years ago along with the popular Advanced Night Repair serum. I’ve never been one to splurge on skincare because, well, eyeshadow palettes and fancy brushes and expensive foundations exist. This made a difference in my skin after one use (I wish I was kidding, why is it so expensive, ugh). When I use it at night, I wake up with baby-soft skin that looks plump and revitalized (as the name suggests!). It’s a very thick cream with a beautiful (expensive, if I do say so myself) scent that immediately sinks into the skin. Because I only had a small amount, I only allowed myself to use it on special occasions. I’m about to buy the full-size, and I’m not looking back.

Just like a structured trench coat or George Clooney, berry lips for fall never go out of style. I am a fan of this matte formula for peak blotting use. My strategy is: line lips with subtle liner (Pillow Talk by Charlotte Tilbury is very good for this purpose) then use the lipstick direct from the bullet to fill in your lips. Grab a tissue and blot a least four times to get the perfect lip stain that will last literally all day. I highly recommend the shade “Bond Girl” both because what a badass name and also it’s the perfect, universally flattering color.

This is going to sound dramatic, but if I could take one thing to a desert island (excluding like sunscreen or a flare gun, because obviously), it would be this eyelash curler. You just cannot replicate the effects with anything else. Blush? Pinch your cheeks, bite into a raspberry and rub the juice on your face, think about Taron Egerton. Done. Foundation? You’ll be so tanned/sunburnt it won’t really matter. Highlighter? That’s what the sweat is for! Anyways back to the point: curling your eyelashes instantly opens your face and helps you look more awake while drawing attention to your sparkling eyes. Are you sold yet?

I like to watch Youtube makeup tutorials while I get ready for work in the mornings and I recently stumbled across this one and immediately needed to buy the Nudestix Blush & Bronze. It is SO GOOD. Perfect color and so buttery/blendable. I do not consider myself a contour connoisseur, but even I had no trouble dabbing this across my face and blend, blend, blending for a really natural glow.

I am deeply influenced by product names and this one got me — hook, line, and sinker. I tested a sample recently and now I MUST OWN THIS. The sale is the perfect time to snag it because it falls outside my what-the-hell-I’m-going-to-treat-myself impulse purchase limit. It also passed my have-I-wanted-this-for-over-four-months limit. Win, win.

Sometimes when a product is super hyped, once you finally take the plunge, you’re inevitably disappointed — but this is not one of those times. This is the concealer to end all concealers. It brightens up my under eyes without the slightest sign of creasing or dryness, covers any blemishes I have seamlessly, and does it all while remaining undetectable. This would make it onto my list of desert-island products, no questions asked. I’ve owned countless tubes of this in my life, and won’t be stopping any time soon.

When people say they don’t like blush, I’m always completely dumbfounded. The point in my day I finally feel alive is when I get that swipe of color on the apples of my cheeks — and this blush is my favorite of the year. It has a matte and luminous side, which makes it completely customizable depending on what I want that day (and whether or not I have texture I don’t want to emphasize with a shimmery product). The formula is beautiful, and the color is the perfect rosey shade that’s usable in all seasons.

Ever since the launch of this bad boy, I’ve been seeing an endless stream of people saying it’s the best primer they’ve ever used. I’m always looking for primers that will help foundation look better on my dry skin, and this one’s tacky texture also is supposed to help makeup last throughout the day. This sale has finally given me the opportunity to pull the trigger — give me the dewy skin of my dreams!

Drunk Elephant products are an investment, but I have truly yet to be disappointed by one. This product was my first dive into Retinol, and everyone and their mother warned me that it was going to make my super-sensitive skin dry and flakey at first — and they were (thankfully) completely wrong. This retinol is unique in that it’s suspended in hydrating ingredients, so it helps the retinol improve your skin even further while dodging its drying effects. I was in a bit of a skin slump, feeling like my skin was looking dull and lifeless day in an day out, no matter what I did. I RARELY feel like a skin product has changed my life, but this one absolutely has. I noticed an insane difference in how my skin looked in a matter of weeks, and it is absolutely something I’ll be splurging on from here on out — I cannot sing its praises enough.

Known as a ‘liquid complexion booster’ this IRL instagram filter can be used on a bare face as a tinted moisturizer/highlighter, as a primer, or mixed with your foundation for an all-over dewy glow. The latter is my preference and I’ve found it extended my bottle of foundation (I use significantly less when I have this on). Think of it as a natural ‘glow up’ making everyone think you finally splurged on an ultra-expensive Jennifer Aniston facial.

This one doubles as a beauty and relationship secret. From the smell to the results, I love everything about my Living Proof Shampoo. It’s worth every penny, especially since I only wash my hair two times a week. What I don’t love is when I started to notice my shampoo draining faster than anticipated only to find my husband had abandoned his $4 bodywash/shampoo combo and also fallen in love with my favorite splurge. Rather than hiding it (which I strongly considered), I invested in the 24 oz. pump version and agreed to split it. The bigger size is a better value and now there’s plenty of shampoo to go around. This week I’ll be stocking up because even though I love to pretend I’m bougie — ya girl loves a promo code.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I almost tackled Beth to the ground when I saw the glow on her face at Atlanta. Low and behold it’s the highlighter she’s been raving about in her beauty articles for months. It arrived this week and has already become a holy grail product. It’s natural enough that you just think ‘wow’ (as opposed to ‘hello high-beams’) so I really have to practice self control and not cover my entire face.

Let me preface this by saying: I don’t blowdry my hair often thanks to wet drying and the strength that is my T3 curling iron. However, I have used a Dyson hair dryer on multiple occasions (shoutout to my mom) and I recommend this to everyone as a #1 purchase during one of Sephora’s special events. It dries your hair faster without having to rely on excessive heat and their patented technology makes drying your hair with a Dyson less damaging. Plus, because of the funnel you get less sweaty during the actual process. I personally can’t justify the spend because I know I won’t use it in my daily routine, but if you blow dry your hair regularly this will change your life.

After trying Jet Lag Mask when it first hit Sephora’s shelves, I don’t know how I ever lived without it… seriously. True to the name, I take this chic little tube on every flight, and it absolutely saves my skin from airplane breakouts and dryness that typically lasts for days. I also use it as an overnight mask because it’s gentle enough to layer with other serums and treatments, but moisturizing enough to wake up with a serious glow.

Full disclosure: I have been addicted to lip balm since I was probably 10 years old. And I don’t mean “addicted” jokingly, I mean more-likely-to-leave-the-house-without-my-phone-than-without-lip-balm kinda thing. So if you can imagine, discovering this lip mask is probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It’s hydrating without being sticky, and stays on so long that I put it on before bed and will wake up with soft, subtle lips – mask still intact. Plus, it’s just tinted enough to wear over a lip stain or pencil for the most hydrated lips ever. Lip balm who?

I’m not usually the biggest makeup fanatic, but something about the end of summer makes me want to up my glow game. I’ve been on the hunt for one perfect eye shadow palette (I don’t like to clutter my makeup bag!) that is fully stocked with the prettiest colors for both day and night. This palette from Tarte is specifically designed for a warm glow and the colors are stunning. Plus, for a skincare obsessive like me, the formula is enriched with amazonian clay – good for your skin, and good for your glow!

I’m going to be honest – this is probably the most I’ve spent on a beauty item like, ever. But let me tell you it was worth every 24k gold penny. 20 minutes with these luxurious, relaxing patches and my under eye bags are completely gone, small fine lines I have (and I’m only 24!) are instantly filled, and my whole face seems illuminated. It’s the one product I’ve ever used that has actually allowed me to leave the house without feeling like I need under-eye concealer. Plus, it’s 24k gold, so why even question it? I wait for epic sales like this one to save money on splurge items that will transform my beauty routine, and maybe this is your time to try it too. Trust me, your under eye bags will thank you.