2018 Sephora Sale: my skincare + makeup picks
Last updated on December 7th, 2018
Yes it’s that time of the year again when beauty enthusiasts drain their bank account and throw money at Sephora! While I don’t encourage mindless spending, I do think this is a good opportunity to stock up on staples and try out some new products.
Before we get started, here are some important dates to keep in mind:
→ 10/26 – 10/29: Rouge members get 20% off with code ROUGEBONUS
→ 11/09 – 11/12: Rouge and VIB members get 20% with code ROUGEBONUS and VIBBONUS respectively
→ 11/16 – 11/19: Beauty Insiders (the entry tier, free to sign up) get 15% off with code BIBONUS
Also the new rewards program now give Rouge members 1.5 points/dollar spent and VIB members 1.25 points/dollar spent!
- 1. SK-II Holiday Welcome Kit ($110/$156 value) – I’m a big fan of the SK-II First Treatment Essence and their RNA Power Face Cream, and this set allows you to try both before committing to full-sized products. There’s also a Pitera Bestseller Kit that swaps out the lotion for the mask, but I find the latter underwhelming.
- 2. Tatcha Bestsellers Set ($60/$70 value) – Their mist is one of the best I’ve tried to date, especially for dry skin. Their cleansing oil and water cream are also highly rated among the beauty community, and if that’s not enough, their packaging is absolutely luxurious.
- 3. Farmacy The Mighties Kit ($45) – If you have been dying to try Farmacy products (aka me!), this set is a great way to sample their bestsellers. If you’re not interested in Sleep Tight or Dew It All, the Cream of the Crop kit is slightly cheaper ($42) and has a full-sized Green Clean Cleansing Balm! The only product I wish they included is their Honeymoon Glow, which I’ll be buying separately.
- 4. Bite Beauty Agave Treat Trio Mini Agave Lip Mask Set ($18/$26 value) – I tried a sample of this and absolutely loved it, it’s rich without being oily or sticky, plus it smells and tastes amazing since they only use food-grade products. FYI the size of all 3 minis equals one full-sized lip mask, and you get to try 3 different flavors!
- 5. Glow Recipe Watermelon Jelly Tote Set ($40/$51 value) – If their Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask has been on your wishlist, pick up this set instead for the extra deluxe-sized products and the super cute clear tote!
- 6. NuFace Gold Mini Express Skin Toning Collection ($199/$284 value) – I swear by my NuFace Mini for toning and firming my skin, it’s one of the few skincare tools I would recommend anyone serious about anti-aging to invest in. There’s also the NuFace Trinity set for $292, which allows you to switch attachments, but I’ve been able to use the Mini around my eyes just fine. Plus how cute is the pink + gold design?
- 7. Fresh Sugar Carry-On ($24/$31 value) – I love my Dior Lip Glow for tinted lips, but for a better value, Fresh lip balms are wonderful alternatives. I have a few myself and keep one in each bag so I’m never on the go without a moisturizing lip balm. If you don’t need the lip mask and just want the tinted lip balms, check out the Jetsetter set instead!
- 8. Kiehl’s Bright Delights ($49/$74 value) – It’s rare when a set has all my tried-and-true favorites so I was super excited to see this one from Kiehl’s! I just raved about their Rare Earth Mud Mask and their Avocado eye cream a few years ago, and their Midnight Recovery Concentrate is still one of my favorite oils to date.
- 9. AMOREPACIFIC The Essential Icons ($72/$94 value) – Another set with several of my favorites from the brand: the enzyme peel is is gentle and leaves skin baby-butt soft, I already sang the essential creme fluid praises here, and their mist is super fine and refreshing. If you want to try more from AMOREPACIFIC at smaller sizes, there’s also the 12 Days of Essential Beauty kit!
Clearly I’m a fan of sets. If there are products you have your heart set on, you’ll probably be buying it regardless of what bloggers tell you. But if you’re looking for ideas of what to try, sets with minis are the way to go. Of course there’s always the Sephora sets which are great for trying out best sellers across different brands:
- Skin Wonderland Set ($64/$225 value) – I’m really tempted to get this one because it contains the Farmacy Green Clean, IT Cosmetics Cleanser, Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream, Sunday Riley C.E.O Vitamin C, and SK-II FTE which I always like to have a small size around for traveling with!
- Scouted By Sephora ($44/145 value) – Another great set which contains my favorite deep cleansing shampoo – the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub! Other great picks in this set include Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser, Sunday Riley Good Genes, Farmacy Honey Potion, and Herbivore Lapis Oil.
Other than what I’ve already recommended in my last favorites post, here are some other great picks with great value:
- 1. Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadows Mini Set ($25/$46 value) – I think this is a much better value than getting a full-sized product, because let’s be real, you’ll probably never finish an entire tube of glitter shadow. This one comes with silver, gold, and rose gold glitter, but there’s another similar set, and one more with bronzey shades.
- 2. Marc Jacobs Anything Go-Gos Mini Mascara & Lips Set ($20/$26 value) – The MJ Velvet Noir Mascara is my holy grail, and if this set is a great way to sample the awesome mascara without committing, plus get a great lipstick on the side (I’m a fan of their lip creme formula). If you want to try their highliners (another HG of mine), check out the this set instead.
- 3. Sephora Favorites Glow For It ($28/$55 value) – I really want to add some cream/liquid highlighters to my collection, and without really having any specific product in mind, this set is perfect for figuring out what’ll work.
- 4. Becca Glow Essentials Kit ($39/$68 value) – I really like Becca’s highlighters and primers, and this set has both. Or if you just want to try their highlighters, I recommend the Glow on the Go set with minis of the powder and liquid formula, or if you just want the primers, go with the Jet, Set, Glow kit instead, which also contains the Under Eye Brightening Corrector – my go-to under eye concealer.
- 5. Bite Beauty Four Little Bites Amuse Bouche Lipstick Set ($25/45 value) – Can you tell that I’m a big fan of Bite Beauty? I love how clean their formula is, which I particularly care about when it comes to lipsticks since there’s a good chance we might ingest some! Plus their formulas are super creamy and hydrating! If you’re looking for their classic Fig shade, get this set with their lip primer, which has helped my lipsticks last longer!
- 6. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder ($45) – Hands down the best powder I’ve tried to date. Pressed means it’s mess-free and travel friendly, plus it helps minimize shine while giving a soft focus finish. I’ve hit pan on this, which never happens, so you know this is the real deal. If you’re looking for a powder that imparts a slightly dewier finish, I heard the Giorgio Armani Neo Nude Fusion Powder is just as incredible.
- 7. Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Disco Dust ($88) – If you want to splurge on Tom Ford, now is the time to do it for 20% off, and this Disco Dust palette is worth every penny. It’s my most used palette and beautiful for day and night looks. For me this blows Honeymoon out of the water.
- 8. Sephora Give Me More Lip ($68/$212 value) – Because we can never have enough lipsticks, amirite? This set has some gorgeous and wearable shades, especially that Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Bond Girl which is a lovely fall color.
So there you go, my picks for the already-happening Sephora sale that haven’t already been mentioned in previous posts – I didn’t think it’d make sense listing all my favorites again, but if do check out these posts for specific product recommendations:
- Warm and sultry – my top 7 lipstick picks for fall
- Face serums 101: What, when, and how to use them
- The non-sheet mask roundup: 10 masks for every skin situation
- 2017 makeup favorites: YSL, Marc Jacobs, and more
What goodies will you be picking up during the sale?
If I was there I would throw my money at the Pitera set and NuFace. I’m dubious of face firming gadgets but Lisa Eldridge did such a good video mentioning it. I also have this love/hate relationship with SKII – I adore the brand, but I haven’t had so much luck with their FTE. I’d love to give it another go though…
xx Laura / Laura Loukola Beauty Blog
NuFace is amazing, though I get lazy and forget to use it quite often 😅 FTE can be a hit or miss, i waited 2 years before my skin finally decided it liked it!
Beautiful selections, Jenny and you like Disco Dust more than Honeymoon? Now I’ll have to pick it up.
For some reason Honeymoon just doesn’t look as good on me as it does in the quad, the beautiful berry shade just looks brown on my lids :( Disco Dust is the opposite where the shades look nice in the quad but even better in person!
There is no similar sale in Germany, but I do love the skincare sets to get new products to try!
Anne|Linda, Libra, Loca
I’m surprised that their sales aren’t a global thing! But there was the Cult Beauty gwp deal a while back, I think I would’ve done that if Sephora didn’t have a sale!
Excellent roundup Jenny! I love value sets so I’m pretty excited to see of them featured here <3 I've not tried many of the skincare brands you mentioned but here's to trying them out through the sale!
Stephanie | theFantasia.com
Thanks Stephanie! Sephora does a great job with these sets, they’re wonderful for sampling the brands’ bestsellers!
Great recommendations here, Jenny! I think Sephora is now much more generous in terms of sales heh, isn’t this like their second/third sale since summer? Can’t complain anyway! I actually bought that little Stila trio last year and it was an amazing deal! Same with Bite Beauty. Their products are amazing xx
Naya
http://www.partyparrotblog.com
Yes, I was surprised at the number of sales they had this year, but I’m all for it (my wallet isn’t though, lol). The minis are such a great way to sample products, and most of the time it’s enough to really last us a while!
Wow, my goodness–so much to buy! Thanks for the suggestions. I am visiting a friend soon and had already planned to go to a Sephora store. I can’t wait, it will be like my Christmas gift to myself since I’ve not been shopping very much lately. I think masks and Marc Jacobs pieces … eyeliners are on my list, I’m obsessed with his eyeliner crayon. :-)
I feel like a kid at a candy store whenever I’m in Sephora, even more so when there’s a sale! Have fun and I hope you get some great things! And yes, MJ’s eyeliners are fantastic!
Some of the skincare sets do look tempting but other than brush heads for my and my husband’s Clarisonics, I don’t think I’ll be buying much at this sale since I did some replenishments during the recent sale and I don’t need anything else. I’ve made such a great dent in my stash this year that I don’t want to set myself back again :D
I know what you mean! As tempting as these skincare sets are, I’m not actually purchasing any myself only because I have way too many products that I need to finish up first!
You’ve picked out the best things! I would happily get these (if we were still allowed to shop on Sephora’s US site from here in the UK). I actually have a kind friend getting me that Bite Agave set and I’m excited as I’ve never tried it xxx
http://www.ummbabybeauty.com
Aw that’s so nice of your friend! I hope you love the lip mask!
I picked up both the Bite Beauty holiday sets and have to whole heartedly agree they are amazing! I love the agave lip masks this time of year… and who can say no to maple and candy cane flavour?
Exactly! I know we’re not supposed to eat the lip masks but I love that they actually taste good!
Thank you for the recommendations! I have spent way too much time debating what to get! I’ve heard good things about Marc Jacobs lipsticks and will try out this set. I like a lot of things you listed – Sugar lip treatments, Kiehl’s mud mask (reviews looked great), and Stila liquid eyeshadow. But I’m on the fence about Bite’s lipsticks. I have their multi-stick and am underwhelmed. It is buildable, but I wish it was creamier. I do have a few Bite lipstick minis so will try them out first though.
It’s hard to sift through all the products available, so I’m glad to help! I haven’t tried bite beauty’s multi-stick but that’s a shame that the formula isn’t that creamy!
This was so helpful! I’m really intrigued by the NuFace. I hear great things about it even though it’s on the pricey side. I originally was looking into Clarisonic because the versatility of the brush heads (eye massager/foundation/firming head), but then the whole world of electronic cleaners and face massagers, etc. opened up to me. If you haven’t yet, I would recommend checking out the Qyksonic Zoe because it’s a more affordable Foreo Luna type object and maybe even better! They’re relatively new but worth checking out :) I’m thinking I’ll get the Zoe for cleaning and maybe the NuFace for firming/massaging.
Thanks for the post!!
So glad to hear that! I don’t think I’ll invest in a cleansing device anytime soon but I’ll definitely check out the Zoe if I change my mind, thanks for the recommendation!
Haha no problem! I just actually ended up ordering Skin Inc’s Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light++ instead of NuFACE – not too many reviews on it now but super excited to try it. And ordered their custom serum! I think it might’ve been you who mentioned the Activist custom hyaluronic serum too and the price is comparable but Skin Inc is based in Singapore and uses Japanese ingredients and technology- also highly recommend checking out :) btw your blog is one of my fave ones to follow!! Xxx
That Sephora lipstick set… Wow! Great value as well, actually. And I am super curious about that CT setting powder. It’s expensive, but I’ve heard some really wonderful things about it and it might be worth investing in. Thanks for sharing these lovely picks, hun! <3 xoxo
Kay
http://shoesandglitter.com