High-end beauty products rarely go on sale. To be honest, I think it adds to the allure; they’re less attainable and expensive and beautiful and obviously, my favorite thing on this very earth. But when they do go on sale, it’s often hard to sift through what’s actually good and what should probably stay miles away from your shopping cart. You might wonder, “Well, there has to be a reason this is on sale, right?!” Often, I’d agree with you, but the one exception is Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale.You’ve likely heard about it a million times by now, but the Nordstrom sale is filled with incredible beauty products, from makeup to body care to gadgets to skincare and more, and they’re all on a pretty hefty discount. Most of my day (honestly, during work and during my free time) is spent looking at, testing, researching, sourcing, and pining after beauty products. I have a pretty good handle on what’s out there, what has positive reviews, and what is absolutely worth your money. So, I did what any good editor does, and I sifted through every beauty product in the Nordstrom sale to see what was actually worth it. If I had an endless amount of money (er, an incredibly high Nordstrom credit card limit), these are what I’d pick up. Some of them I love so much I’d even recommend them at full price, and some are just a deal you can’t beat.
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Brow Bae-sics Kit
If you’ve ever, IDK, been on the Internet, you’ll know that Anastasia Beverly Hills makes the best brow products. It’s what makeup artists and celebrities and everyone with good brows has in their arsenal. This deal is outrageous—at $45, you’re almost getting the brow gel totally free. If you’re a fan of these two products, this is a deal you can’t miss.
Jumbo Creme de Corps Bottle with Pump
Another deal you just cannot miss, this jumbo size moisturizer from Kiehl’s sells out every single year. It’s their best-selling body cream, known for being a lightweight, all-over body moisturizer that sinks in quickly and gives lasting hydration to the skin, in a jumbo size that will last you until next Anniversary Sale. If your skin is as dry as ever from the summer sun (and preparing to be even drier when the cold air comes in!), you’ll want a heavy-duty moisturizer like this in your collection.
Full-Size Gold Lust Dry Shampoo & Dry Texturizing Spray Set
I look at the Anniversary Sale as a time to invest in items at a lower price point than I would typically want to spend on something, and I love getting high-end beauty products on a major discount, like this set from Oribe. Quite possibly the sexiest dry shampoo and dry texture spray on the planet, these products have been at the top of my wishlist for years. With this set, you save over $30. If these have been on your wishlist too, now’s the time to try!
Set of 5 Travel Size Limited Edition Scented Candles
Nordstrom considers candles a beauty product, and so do I. Diptyque is not an inexpensive line, but your home looks 10x prettier when you have one of these candles in it (I don’t make the rules!). Instead of investing in one candle, this sampler lets you try all of their most popular scents (Feu de Bois will become your favorite fall scent!) for less than what you’d spend on one candle alone. This set is an Anniversary Sale exclusive, so don’t let this deal pass you by!
Charlotte Tilbury
Pillow Talk Lip Secrets Set
Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lipstick is the best-selling lipstick in the world for a reason, and if you’re going to splurge, why not snag the entire collection? I love this lip liner with my whole heart; it’s natural and easy, and it doesn’t rub off on the inside of my mask. And the lipstick and gloss, in the same gorgeous neutral-pink, are perfect to bring in your bag for when you need a pick-me-up (or you just have to touch-up after all that mask sweat).
Midnight Blue SinglePass Curl 1.25-Inch Professional Ceramic Curling Iron
If you’ve had your eye on a new hair tool, now’s the time to get it. T3’s products are expensive, but the quality is there. You’ll save over $50 picking this up in the sale, which is what ultimately put it on my personal wishlist! In one pass, you’ll have polished curls that last all day and never look frizzy—which is major if you’re like me and hate curling your hair and it falling in 30 minutes.
Bobbi Brown
Full Size Vitamin Enriched Face Base Duo
UM, HELLO. DEAL ALERT. Two of these face primers for the price of one??? Add to cart immediately. This primer is impeccable for those with dry skin. It’s a mix between a moisturizer and a primer, so it soothes and hydrates your skin while gripping onto makeup. Grab one for yourself, and give the other to your BFF for the holidays!
Living Proof
Jumbo Size Perfect hair Day Set
This is the set to beat all sets, everyone. Not only does it include our editors’ favorite dry shampoo of all time, but also two jumbo sizes of Living Proof’s best-selling shampoo and conditioner. You will never run out of this shampoo and conditioner, which is made for all hair types and adds weightless moisture to your hair without over-stripping. Our editors love this shampoo and conditioner to keep their hair fresh for as long as possible, and then topping it off with the dry shampoo for clean (looking!) hair for days and days.
Dr. Dennis Gross
Skincare Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel Set
If you know anything about the skincare universe, you’ll have heard of these. It’s a daily peel system that uses AHA, BHA, and mandelic acids to exfoliate and renew the skin, plus an extra pad that immediately hydrates and nourishes. These are a favorite amongst makeup artists because they exfoliate and hydrate your skin in two simple steps, prepping it for a smooth makeup application. While they’re known for being great, they’re not known for their price. This set comes in at a whopping $252, but you save over $90 picking them up in the sale. This set includes a full-size of the peel pads, a travel-size package, and a travel-size cleanser from Dr. Dennis Gross.
Cura Professional Digital Ionic Hair Dryer
I recently got a T3 hair dryer, and it was the biggest upgrade from a drugstore one I picked up on a whim years and years ago. I noticed an immediate difference after using it just once. My hair dried faster and with less frizz, and the biggest difference was how healthy my hair felt afterward. I hated blowdrying my hair for years because I despised the fried, crunchy texture it left on my hair. Turns out, I was just using a dryer that wasn’t right for my hair type. You’ll save 80 bucks snagging this in the sale, and I promise you won’t regret it!
Mario Badescu
The Essentials Set
This essentials set from Mario Badescu includes all of our editors’ favorite products from the line. It’s already a great price, so why not pick it up at a discount too!? We all love the facial spray to set makeup and refresh our face throughout the day. Plus, the Drying Lotion is a must-have if you get cystic or hormonal acne (read: period breakouts).
White Trinity Facial Toning Kit
NuFace is one of the best beauty gadgets I’ve ever tried because it *actually* works. It uses microcurrents to target the muscles in the face to keep working and produce more collagen, as well as tightens and sculpts the face. Whether you’re worried about fine lines and wrinkles or just want to tighten up your face a bit, this product works both immediately and over time, meaning you’ll notice a difference right away and bigger changes over time. I am really self-conscious about the contours of my face, and using this once a day really helped boost my confidence. This system comes with everything you need, such as the Gel Primer (tip: don’t try to NuFace without this because it will feel like you’re being electrocuted!) and the charging stand.
This is currently sold out (it’s such a great deal, guys), but keep checking because things might come back in stock!
All-Star Hair Heroes Set
Say hello to my favorite hair product of all time but now, at a discount! Briogeo is one of my favorite hair brands because all of the products are clean, effective, and not-cheap-but-not-outrageously-priced-either, ya know? I bought a tub of the Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioner almost two years ago, and I still have about five uses left. It lasts truly forever on my short-to-medium length, fine hair, but I’m sure thick and curly/coily hair would get plenty of uses out of it too. This set also includes their Scalp Scrub (another favorite of mine—it smells like peppermint, makes your scalp tingle in the most satisfying way, and lifts build-up from dry shampoo and other hair products) and a full-size of their leave-in conditioning spray. I’ll be picking this up to replenish my deep conditioner (I will never be without this, y’all) and get a few extras at a discount!
Veil Mineral Primer & Translucent Setting Powder Duo
Hello, meet another favorite product of mine! My favorite face powder on earth is Hourglass’s Veil Translucent Setting Powder. If you have dry skin that gets cakey and dehydrated when you put powder on it, this is the powder-saving-grace for you. This set includes the travel size (which is normally $18), but don’t let that fool you: it lasted me over a year of daily use before I ran out! This set also includes the Veil Primer, an oil-free weightless primer that reduces the look of pores and smoothes the skin before foundation. It’s one of Hourglass’s best-selling products that I’ve never tried, so I’m intrigued to pick it up in this sale!
Pure Silk Queen Pillowcases
This set of two pillows is an Anniversary Sale exclusive, meaning you can’t get it anywhere else! We love these pillows (and their hair ties, their headbands, their face masks—literally drape me in Slip everything) to keep our hair in place and damage-free while we’re sleeping, reading in bed, lounging, or whatever else you like to do in bed. They’ve kept my fine hair from breaking in the back (does anyone else deal with this? my stylist scolds me for ponytails every time), but our long-haired editors love that it doesn’t snag and pull out their hair while sleeping. Not to mention, they just look chic AF. White not your speed? They have this absolutely gorgeous caramel shade too!
Kate Somerville
ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment
I got a sample of this exfoliator years ago, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. It combines a gentle physical exfoliant with lactic acid to exfoliate chemically too. Your face will feel baby’s butt smooth after using this, making it a great primer for a hydrating or brightening mask. This is certainly a splurge, but you’re saving almost $200 by getting it in the sale. Consider this your fix while you can’t make your spa appointments, and the price actually doesn’t seem so bad. (It’s all about tricking your brain, people.)
Yves Saint Laurent
Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick Set
To unbox this gorgeous set of YSL lipsticks would be the little treat I need to get through the next months of social distancing. Honestly, that’s all it really is. The products have fantastic reviews, and these two shades would work on a variety of skin tones. The gifting potential is high—imagine your mom’s face when she opens this up on her birthday. Best daughter award, and she doesn’t even have to know you bought it on sale.
Beauty Blender
Electric Feels Set
Surprise, surprise: Beauty Blenders go bad. But the trick is to always have extras on hand so you’re never without it, and this set makes it really easy. It includes two of their original famous sponges and their solid cleanser, for less than the price of two sponges on their own. My favorite way to use a beauty sponge like this is to pat it across my entire face when my makeup is done to take away any of the powder finishes and leave my skin looking hydrated and airbrushed.
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