With the Sephora sale in full swing, I’m sharing my favorites in skincare, body care and fragrance today. As a beauty designer I am lucky enough to be able to try a wide variety of products. I love trying new skincare but to keep my list organized I stick to my tried and true basics, ie products that I repurchase over and over again. Dates and details below, use the code SAVINGS when you shop online! (some exclusions apply):
- Rouge members 20% off: 11/1 – 11/11
- VIBs 15% discount: 11/5 – 11/11
- Insiders 10% off: 11/5 – 11/11
- Entire Sephora Collection 30% off: 11/1 – 11/11
Makeup Removers and Cleansers
To remove makeup, double cleansing is still necessary to effectively remove all traces of makeup or sunscreen. I love a good cleansing oil but my favorite is not sold at Sephora (this one from Chanel). I have a few strong favorite balm makeup removers that I will list below.
Farmacy Green Clean is one of the best makeup removers. I love the old ones and this is the one I always keep at home, but the limited edition perfumes are always exciting for me to try.
Elemis and Clinique also make strong cleansing balms, but I feel Farmacy is the best and works best.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser is the best daily cleanser for me and Andrew. After trying a number of cleansers over the years I have to say this has the best consistency for cleansing the skin without drying it out.
Serums and Moisturizers
I’ve been neglecting essence treatments this year but I think I need to start using them again as they really make a difference! I recently repurchased the La Mer Treatment Lotion on sale.
For serums my three go-tos include Drunk Elephant B-Hydra (great all year round), Caudalie Vinoperfect Brightening Dark Spot Serum (for brightening) and La Mer The Concentrate Serum (best splurge).
I have a few favorite moisturizers. My top five are La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Augustinus Bader The Cream, Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Firming Moisturizer and Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base.
I would put La Mer and Charlotte Tilbury in the top 2 now. Those are the two formulas I packed in October. While La Mer is quite a splurge, I think it was worth it. I have repurchased the Moisturizing Soft Cream many times and bought one as a gift for my sister in law for Mother’s Day and she loves it.
With any of these formulas I highly recommend testing a trip set or default value to try first. I always find it helpful to try something on a small sample size before committing to a full size. Some good options:
Many of you have asked me if I use retinol or tretinoin – I don’t. I’ve really liked Kiehl’s Micro-Dose Retinol Serum in the past but haven’t repurchased it in a while. Right now I’ve been loving the new La Mer Rejuvenating Night Cream. I’ve been using this for a few months now and every other night (should be used at night anyway) and I love it 10/10.
Eye Treatment
I have a few favorite eye treatments from Sephora. La Mer Eye Concentrate Cream is my go-to right now. It has the best consistency and texture for me – not too thick and not too thin. Helps with fine lines and hydration.
I was also very impressed with Caudalie’s Resveratrol-Lift, Premiere Cru and Vinoperfect Dark Circle Brightening Eye Cream. I repurchased the bright one and will repurchase Resveratrol-Lift before the sale ends.
Facial Masks and Treatments
I have used pore clearing and detox masks more this year than any face mask or treatment. I have three that I think are 100% worthy. The Innisfree Super Volcanic AHA Pore Clearing Clay Mask is one of the gentlest masks I’ve tried and I love it. The Caudalie Pore Minimizing Instant Detox Mask is also great but it’s on the strong side (absorbs A LOT of oil). A few readers recommended the La Mer Deep Purifying Mask to me earlier this year. I decided to give it a try and 10/10 it lives up to the hype from you! It’s quite a splurge and sold out online right now but you can add a recharge notification to your account if you like.
For the best sheet mask I still swear by the La Mer Treatment Lotion Hydrating Sheet Masks but they cost an arm and a leg.
Water Lips
I’m a lip shooter. I love trying different formulas! I could go on about my favorites, but the three I’ve used and repurchased are Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm (this little set is so cute), Laneige Glowy Lip Balm (love this cute set) and La Mer Lip Volumizer (love the clear one, but the bright colors are nice too).
Summer Friday changes are below:
Sun protection
My top three sunscreens right now are Caudalie Vinosun Protect SPF 50, Charlotte Tilbury Invisible UV Flawless Primer SPF 50 and Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Lotion SPF 60. I also really like a lot of the formulas from Supergoop! but right now the three listed above are the ones I’ve been using lately.
Body Care
I love trying different body washes and shower creams. I have no loyalty to a particular formula or product as I like to try new ones all the time. I will say that I gravitate towards those that are unisex or have that clean scent because Andrew likes to use them. Our top three repurchased formulas are Ouai Dean Street Body Wash, Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Play Body Wash and Jack Black Turbo Wash. I will say that in the winter the turbo wash is a bit drying so we switched to the Necessaire Body Wash in Santal (love this year’s Body Wash Discovery Launch Set’).
For a shower oil Andrew likes L’occitane Almond Shower Oil. We used to love the Shea Shower Cream but they changed the formula/scent recently and it has a nice floral scent to it now.
If you struggle with body acne (sometimes we get it in the hot summer months) we recommend Kosasport Good Body Skin AHA Enzyme Exfoliating Body Wash.
Two body creams that I really like are Herbivore Botanicals Cloud Milk Coconut Body Cream and Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream. As a huge fan of the Phlur Missing Person scent I also really like the Missing Person Body Oil (although I think Osea and Chanel make the best body oils, unfortunately they are not available at Sephora).
That wraps up my current favorites for skin care and body care! I know finding the best skin care can be very difficult as it takes time to try and see if something works for your skin type or needs. I really wish there was 1 brand that I could use for all of my skin care. If I had to pick just one I think Drunken Elephant has the best variety and range.
If you are looking for recommendations I hope you found this post helpful!