Today is the start of my favorite Sephora Sale of the year – the Sephora Spring Savings Event! If you’re a Rouge Member, you get 20% off everything with the code SAVENOW. Rouge members are the top tier shoppers who belong to Sephora’s rewards program. If you’re a VIB Member, your sale begins on 4/18 and you get 15% off everything. If you’re an Insider Member, your sale also begins the 18th and you get 10% off everything. If you’re not a member – WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! It’s free, go sign up and start earning points! Now let’s get after it!

Hair Care products to get at the Sephora Sale:

First off, is the Kerastase Elixir Ultimate Hydrating Oil. I love a good hair oil, but the trick is finding ones that don’t weigh my fine hair down. This one does the trick, smells fucking incredible, and can be used in a few ways. I use it mainly on the ends of my hair before I heat-style it. I also will use it on my hair when it’s dry to give it some shine. It can also be used as a mask where you let it soak in your hair for a few hours (or overnight) and rinse out the next day. When it comes to hair products, Kerastase has never steered me wrong so I strongly recommend it!

One of my favorite influencers is Amber Fillerup Clark (also known as Barefoot Blonde.) She got famous off her hair tutorials and years later, launched her own hair extension line and hair-care line. I can’t speak to her extensions, but I am IN LOVE with her hair care line, Dae. Specifically, her shampoo and conditioner. You will never find a more buttery, detangling conditioner than hers! It gets bonus points for it’s fragrance – it smells like orange blossoms. It’s sold on Sephora, but I tend to buy directly from her Dae Website because I buy this shit by the liter. But if you don’t want to commit, try this travel pack from Sephora, or get the smaller bottles of shampoo and conditioner during the Sephora Sale.

Lastly for hair care products, I love the Chroma High Shine Gloss Treatment by Kerastase. It is a “Rinse-out salon gloss treatment for color-damaged hair that strengthens and seals the hair surface using lactic acid to dramatically enhance shine and preserve color.” I swear it transformed the health of my hair, especially since I highlight it. The side of the bottle has lines so you know how much to pour out for one dose. And you only need to use one dose once a week.

I can’t even describe the scent by any other words than bougie AF. It smells like you just stepped out of a high-end salon and you can smell it every time you turn your head. Fucking incredible. If you dye or highlight your hair, this should be the one thing you splurge on to take care of it! And you won’t find it anywhere cheaper than during the Sephora Sale.

Skincare to get during the Sephora Sale:

On to my favorite thing – skincare. I’m a girly girl who loves make up. But the reality is, I wear the same few products daily and only really get all done up for a night on the town. And let’s be real, as a forty-year-old housewife with two kids, those nights are few and far between. So rather than focus my time on cosmetics, I love to lather on skincare products.

The number one thing you can do for your skin is WEAR FUCKING SUNSCREEN! I have a couple I like, but my all-time fave is this one by Supergoop. It’s got a tint and sheen to it that makes you look like you’re glowing from within. If you don’t like a glow, then try their matte Unseen Sunscreen. It also has SPF 40, so you gotta love that!

If I had to recommend a second step besides protecting your skin, it would be to use a Vitamin C serum. Here’s the truth – if I were on a desert island and could only have 3 skincare/makeup items, I’d bring: sunscreen, vitamin C serum, and mascara. I have two favorites. The first is Summer Fridays Vitamin CC Me Vitamin C + Niacinamide Serum. The vitamin C brightens and tones your skin, helps reduce the pigmentation in age/sun spots, and the niacinamide improves hyperpigmentation and discoloration while controlling oil. The two ingredients together are fucking magical. I also like Paula’s Choice C15 Vitamin C Booster.

Do you have a best friend who you can randomly text to share random AF tidbits and recommendations with? For me, it’s my cousin Mary. It could be a recipe, a great cosmetic product, or a hilarious Tiktok video. We share it all and don’t keep good products to ourselves. As soon as I tried this Kora Organics Noni Glow Pumping Oil, I knew I had to tell Mar about it.

It’s Miranda Kerr’s brand (who doesn’t love her?!) And it’s clean and fully organic, powered by potent antioxidants to smooth, nourish, and visibly brighten skin for a healthy-looking glow. I like to put it on at night AFTER all of my other nighttime products. (Toner, moisturizer, and eye cream.) I realize it seems counterintuitive to put an oil on last, but it glides right on and seals all your other products in. It doesn’t break me out, and makes my skin look so dewy in the morning! It’s even better if you use a gua sha stone or facial toning device (I like the one by NuFace) to smooth it on.

Makeup to try out:

I’m not a big foundation girl, and think the reason I’ve always had a decent complexion is because I let my skin breath. I use CC cream or a concealer stick to hit individual blemishes versus spreading it all over my face. My favorite CC cream is IT Cosmetic’s CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation. It’s a sheer medium coverage skin tint, contains niacinamide AND is SPF 40. Layer that SPF on every way you can!

After I spot-cover whatever ails me, I then put on some bronzer. I love a good cream bronzer in the summer to add to the dewy effect. My favorite is Patrick Ta’s Major Sculpt Creme Contour & Powder Bronze Duo. I love it because the shade is beautiful and doesn’t look muddy on my fair skin tone. But the main reason I adore it is because it includes cream AND powder bronzer. So if you aren’t feeling a lighter, dewy bronzer, you can just use the standard powder bronzer!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t share my favorite mascara. I have stopped trying all others since this one has been my ride-or-die for years now. It’s Tarte Cosmetic’s, Lights Camera Lashes in black. I don’t wear falsies or have lash extensions or use Latisse or any of that shit. I just use this and a primer (I like Tarte’s for primer too! Lancome also makes a great one.) Put on the primer first, let it dry for 30 seconds or so, then put the mascara on top and your lashes will be long, separated, and full!

I don’t always mess with eyeshadow, but when I do and I want to be quick about it, I use IT Cosmetic’s Superhero No-Tug Waterproof Eye Shadow Stick. I have it in a few shades but my favorite is Silk Armor. You just swipe it across your eyelid and roll out the door. No blending, layering, or eye shadow brushes required!

Rihanna is one badass bitch, and she makes some pretty fabulous makeup. My favorite however, is her Gloss Bomb lip gloss in the color “Mauve Wive$”. (Yes, that is a dollar sign.) If you’re a blondie, just trust me, this color will pop beautifully! It’s very shiny and such a gorgeous color for spring or summer!

Miscellaneous shit you just NEED to try during the Sephora Sale:

My BFF in California turned me on to Bobbi Brown’s Beach Perfume. It smells like sunscreen in the best way possible. Most perfumes give me a headache so this one is a big winner that it isn’t over-powering and is fresh and clean while still smelling like summer.

If you’re a middle-aged mom like myself who needs a little pick-me-up, look no further than INC.redible’s Party Recharge Hydrating Hyaluronic Under Eye Masks. They have hyaluronic acid to help hydrate skin, niacinamide to balance it, and real crystal extract to cool the skin. Toss them in the fridge before applying under your eyes for an extra bougie treat.

Lastly, if you’re looking for a great brightening mask that also deep-cleans, look no further than Kora Organics Turmeric BHA Pore & Brightening Treatment Mask. I wasn’t sure how I’d love this so I first purchased the little one ounce tube and oh my God, it’s wonderful! It is a “Two-in-one formula that can be used as a scrub or detoxifying mask. This multi-tasking hero is an at-home facial in a tube, giving instant results.” It includes turmeric which tackles pigmentation and promotes visibly bright, glowing, even-toned skin, mineral powder to help exfoliate, and aspen bark which is a naturally occurring BHA rich in salicylates which visibly refine skin’s texture. You’ll love it!

Once again, I am not sponsored by any of these brands or make a cent off of anything you buy, I’m only sharing my top favorites because no good woman keeps these great secrets to herself! Just remember to use code SAVENOW for 20% off during the Sephora Sale if you’re a Rouge Member! And feel free to comment with your must-haves as well!

Feel free to check out my other beauty and wellness tips in this blog here. And thanks for reading!