What’s this? Am I hopping on the bandwagon and posting relevant information during a  trend-type event?
Why yes. Yes, I am!

Today is the start of Sephora’s Customer Appreciation Event. The first week is exclusively for Rouge Members followed by VIB and Beauty Insider members until September 3rd. The time discrepancy between Rouge’s kickoff and the other two is kind of lacking, but I guess corporate assumes that Rouge members have more money to spend, so they want to give them as long as possible.

…. aww, consumerism.

As you can see by the ad, each membership tier has their own level of discount. This event kickstarts extra benefits to VIB and Rouge tiers… but more on that on a later blog post. I’m just glad that Sephora is finally stepping up its game as far as its membership rewards go.

Sephora has a couple of events each year that offer discounts storewide – one around April and another in November. This sale was a touch unexpected, since in years past there have only been two appreciation events in years past… and this will make three if they hold true with another event in the Fall. The only downside to events like this is that Sephora chooses not to do Weekly Wow specials during the Appreciation Event weeks… because offering more discounts is not suitable for business.

I’ve heard through the grapevine that the only reason why they are doing this special “appreciation” event is to promote the future adjustments to their membership tiers. 

What kind of beauty blogger slash micro-influencer would I be if I didn’t jump on the bandwagon and share my favorite product choices for the sale?  Now, before I start I need to say that all of the products that I will be sharing are items that I purchased or repurchased myself, there will be zero affiliate links, and I am not being sponsored by Sephora or any brand for this post.

Storewide discounts are great, and I utilize these events to stock up on items that are exclusive to Sephora or are items that I am running low on.  I’ve also been known to use my 20% off discount to get skincare items that I’ve always wanted to get, but they’re on the expensive side… Also,  there are certain brands that I choose to shop with directly, like Milk Makeup since they have better discounts during other times of the year unless I am running low on their products. Most brands that sell their products online or in standalone stores will offer sales of 25%-40% off a couple of times a year as well.

Also, you don’t have to buy all the things just because everyone and their unicorns (myself included) are posting blog posts or videos sharing what we recommend.  I have been asked by a few dah’lings to share some of my favorite products, so that’s the only reason why I’m writing this little piece. You know what you have and don’t have in your collection AND you know how much money you have. It’s hard not to want all the things nowadays, and brands don’t make things any easier with a constant stream of new product releases and the hype that comes along with them. There is no need to spend more than you have just because it’s on sale. You can always try the products first – for free – before you decide to buy anything, which is one of the cool things about Sephora. You can get THREE free custom samples on most skincare, perfume, and liquid makeup products just by going in and asking for them in store.

…and now that I’ve said my little consumer-conscious schpeel, let’s talk about skincare and makeup.

—– TOP FIVE SKINCARE RECOMMENDATIONS —–

Skincare products are the first thing to come to mind when sales like this go up. Everyone has particular skincare concerns or skin types, so I recommend trying these before you buy them. For those who aren’t aware, I have dehydrated, sensitive skin with some hormonal or stress acne concerns. The following products are ones that I have fallen in love with and have found that they help me have pretty, plump skin. Also, several of these items are ones that I have mentioned before either in reviews or via “current favorites” videos.

1. REN Skincare Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA tonic | $35 USD

I love AHAs in my skincare, and this daily toner/tonic is gentle enough that it doesn’t irritate my skin. It has a lite citrus scent and leaves my skin feeling refreshed and looking overall even in both tone and texture.  You get a lot of product for the money, and a little goes a long way. I have already repurchased this product once since it first came out and I try to remember to use it every morning during my skincare regimen

2. Farmacy Honey Savior All-in-One Skin Repair Salve  |  $34 USD

I recently reviewed most of Farmacy’s Honey Collection skincare line and couldn’t help but not include this little gem in my top five picks. It’s a heavy duty salve that is great for all sorts of things – stubborn dry spots, healing acne spots, sunburns, etc… I like to keep one in my makeup kit that’s been repackaged in an airtight pump container and have another for personal use.  If you would like to read a more in-depth review of this product – just click here.

3. Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil  |  $55 USD

With my 30s quickly approaching, I have been trying to take extra good care of my skin and treat it well. This means retinol. Retinol can be overdone easily, which is why I like using something effective – yet gentle enough for my sensitive skin. The Luna Sleeping Oil is something I like to use when my face has been put through the ringer. I put just half a stopper’s full of oil on my face at night, and by morning my face is supple and ready for another day. Retinol can make your skin very sun sensitive so be sure to keep up with your sunscreen.

4. Sunday Riley Auto Correct Brightening and Depuffing Eye Contour Cream  |  $65 USD

This product comes with quite a name, but it is an excellent eye area hydrator. It contains caffeine, so it helps to depuff the undereye area and has some microfine pearls to help bounce light to “brighten” the area. I know it’s not intended to be used around other areas of the face but if you’re in a pinch – I love using this on dry patches of my face or around my smile lines. It kind of brightens my dark undereye circles, but it’s not noticeable enough for me to rave that it does in realistically brighten anything for longer than you wear it… if that makes sense.

5. Lancome Tonique Confort Re-Hydrating Comforting Toner  |  $26 USD

This toner is a recent favorite but a favorite nevertheless. I received a container of this via Influenster for reviewing purposes and have already gone out and repurchased it for when I run out. You can’t beat the price, either. If you would like to read up on this product – follow the link. 

If you’ve noticed, there is a theme of hydration in all of my skincare picks. Such is the life of someone with chronically dry skin. This toner truly hydrates my skin and keeps it hydrated throughout the day – even under my makeup. It also has honey in it, so I’ve noticed that my healing time on acne has decreased, which is awesome!

—– TOP FIVE Makeup RECOMMENDATIONS —–

Makeup, like skincare, is a very personal thing, so I’ve tried to pick out a few products that I’ve used on different skin types… all with beautiful results. I tend to use a lot of creams/liquid on my face since they work best with my skin concerns. All of these products have been favorites for at least 4+ months so let’s get into it…

1. Bite Beauty Multisticks  |  $24 USD

I have been a fan of the Multistick creme to powder formula for a good long while now and have rekindled my love for them over this summer… especially the shade Blondie – which is perfect as a bronzer/sunkissed color for fairer skin tones. If you’ve seen my latest Instagram makeup looks, then it’s a good bet that I’ve been rocking Blondie.

These little sticks are multipurpose and can be used all over the face, lips, eyes, and body. They go on like a cream but dry down to a powder-like finish. They are packaged in such a way that makes them perfect to merely throw in your bag and go. I reviewed them right around the time when they first came out if you’d like to read up about it and see a demo or two of the four original colors I purchased – follow the link, here.

2. Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencils  |  $18 USD

Earlier this year I was sent a few of these lovely little pencils to try via MUFE’s PR Team… and boy oh’ boy did I fall in love with them fast. So much so that I have about 20 of them and am still pining for the rest to complete my collection… Pokemon style.

These pencils are formulated so that they can be applied all over the face, including most that are eye safe. They are the creamy cousin to MUFE’s Aqua XL Pencils, so be sure to set these pencils with eyeshadow or translucent setting powder after you apply them. I have done my ENTIRE complexion/eye look (minus mascara) with these pencils – that’s how versatile they are. I like to use these to create very smoked out eyeliner looks or soft, gradient lid looks. The MUFE Artist Color Pencils are very travel-friendly.

3. Becca Cosmetics Hydra Mist Set & Refresh Powder  |  $38 USD

I’ve been using this powder all summer to selectively set my makeup in the places where I need it. It does have an exciting cooling, almost wet, sensation when you first apply it which is refreshing. It also has an inner lid to keep the moisture in the product (which is how you get the whole wet sensation… because it contains a lot of water), and the powder is kept in an area underneath a mesh liner. The mesh helps limit the amount of product you pick up via brush that way you don’t waste product. It has little to no flashback and will work for most skin tones except for very, very deep complexions. 

The only downside is that after about two months, the cooling sensation is no longer there… however, this product still is an excellent setting powder. I’m not mad that it’s not “cooling” anymore – that just means that the water in the formula has evaporated… which is okay – especially since I use it A LOT!

4. KEVYN AUCOIN PRISMAGIC HIGHLIGHTING TRIO PALETTE  |  $48 USD

I wanted to add one of my favorite splurge-worthy items to this list… and boy oh’ boy this is it. This is the only product I own from Kevyn Aucoin and while it’s only three 0.07 oz highlighting pans – they are magical. I have a few highlighters in my collection, and these are entirely a different formula to others that I own or tried. These highlighters are extremely light-catching and are flakey particles rather than micro pearls or micro glitter.  I use these highlighters predominantly on my inner corner or eyelids on top of darker colors. Every time I use these transformative shades, I get tons of compliments… so in my mind, this product is awesome and unique.

5. FOUNDATION |  TBD

Alright, so let me start by saying that I JUST realized that Dermablend is no longer sold at Sephora. Apparently, it hasn’t been there since Early July or something like that which is a total bummer but you can still buy it at Ulta, Macy’s, and a few other suppliers.

Anyway… foundation (and concealer) can be one of the most pricey everyday items you have to buy (and go through faster than other products) if you do your makeup on a semi-daily basis. I like to stock up on my favorite foundations during sales like this and will be grabbing a few – including Milk Makeup’s Sunshine Skin Tint and Blurr Foundation. If you are wanting to try a new formula, I recommend grabbing a sample and try it out for a few days before going out and getting the full-sized version of it.

As far as concealers go, I recommend Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Concealer, Milk Makeup’s Flex Concealer, and if you want uber coverage – Tarte Shape Tape.

Anywho… these are my top ten recommendations for skincare and makeup for Sephora’s Customer Appreciation Event. I could list about 10 more but I wanted to keep everything brief and tried to pick mostly Sephora exclusive brands. If you have any further questions about any of the products that I’ve listed, drop into the comments and let’s chat.

Are you picking up anything during the Appreciation Event? If so, what are you going to splurge for – curious minds (aka mine) are dying to know!

Want a spoiler for next week’s posts? I’ll be reviewing Nudestix Rock’n’Roller Liners on Monday, Wednesday’s post is TBD, and I  will have a special Hogwarts-inspired 4 looks – 1 palette post/review/tutorial extravaganza next Friday. If you haven’t already, go ahead and subscribe to my blog or follow me on Bloglovin / WordPress reader.

… as always, don’t forget to stay positive and be awesome.