Everyday Clean Beauty

Sephora sale, so many Books, toffee almond shortbread, and the Michelin effect

Apr 14, 2023

Best of Sephora Sale - Clean Beauty Favorites

If you had to choose, If you had to choose… (for the Hamiltonians of us)

Give me a coupon code and let the dopamine roll in. Turn it into an event and I’ll relish the competition the whole week long. Call me basic, but I love a Sephora sale. They come twice a year - spring and fall, just in time to replenish a few things and try a few others. It kicks off today for the few and fancy Rouge members, but for most of us who are VIB or Insiders, we get access to it on Tuesday, and preparation starts now.

In honor of the occasions, my blog has been resuscitated and there you can find all my picks for clean makeup, brushes & tools, skincare (this deserves and *, you’ll see why), and hair (in which I really revealed my full commitment to good-hair-days).

But for you who hang with me in the newsletter, we’re breaking it down further: the best of the best. As great as this sale is, it’s overwhelming. And I’ve spent years slowly gathering and testing the products I now love. It’s not something that happened in a single sale or purchase. So, if I was starting from scratch and interested in moving toward clean beauty, this is what I would choose:

Ilia Skin Tint & SPF (Insider tip: go a shade lighter than you think. I’ve found this tends to be a little darker than expected. I wear shade Diaz ST7).
Illuminating Self-Tan Drops in shade Medium/Dark (opt for Light/Medium if you have pink undertones and don’t tan naturally). I mix 2-3 drops into my moisturizer and apply at night every 2-3 days. One bottle lasts me about a year and a half.
Sugarcane Squalane Oil: I pat a couple of drops onto my face as the last step in my skincare routine to lock in moisture. It’s light enough to not feel greasy but gives me all-day moisture that leaves me dewy, and never upsets my sensitive skin. One bottle lasts me about 9 months.
Ilia Limitless Lengthening Mascara: I have tried so many mascaras over the years, but this is the one. It’s everything you want in a mascara - lengthening but not clumpy, smudge-proof, natural, and comfortable.
Virtue 6 in 1 Hair Smoothing Styler: This is a close to perfect as a hair product gets for me (and I’m wildly picky with an affinity for trying just about any product that gets some buzz). So what is it? According to Virtue, it’s ‘a universal styling cream that primes hair to add softness, shine, and light hydration while strengthening, polishing, and protecting from heat.’ I apply to damp hair from mid-shaft to ends and either blow dry or let it air dry. It works wonders for both drying methods.
Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick in Biscuit: I’ve been talking to anyone who will listen about this product for three years now, and I’m not moving on anytime soon. It is the perfect contour stick. And if you hear contour and think it’s only for the Kardashians, think again. Contour is for all of us. It makes our faces look alive and dimensional after flattening everything with foundation or tinted SPF. I put it anywhere on my face that I want to ‘push back/carve out’ - cheekbones, top of the forehead, side of the nose, under my chin/jawline, and my eyelids (yes - I love this as eyeshadow too). You can blend it with your fingers, but I think it’s even better to use light, upward strokes with this brush.
Merit Flush Balm Cream Blush in Beverly Hills and Stockholm. And who would I be if I didn’t have a blush on this list? In blush we trust. Give me rosy cheeks and let my eyes sparkle. (Note; this is also beautiful on your eyelids in lieu of eyeshadow).

If you have questions about application, colors, or products, ask me in the comments!

The Rundown:

Reading this: I’m spread thin with slightly indulgent, mediocre, but entertaining reads. I just finished the second in this series (thoughts on the first here, the story ropes you even despite the slightly annoying writing), I’m almost done with this thriller (good, and getting better as it goes on), and just started this novel (I’m loving it so far but don’t always like coming-of-age books so we’ll see).

Watching this: This was almost completely sold out at theaters in my area over the weekend, so we saw this instead. I didn’t grow up playing video games so I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy it but I ended up laughing the entire time.

Cooking these: If you love shortbread, then you must give these a try. (note; cookies are best enjoyed with a cup of coffee)

This week’s high: It was a banner week for time with friends - from game nights to picnics, articles club to softball, coffee dates to phone calls, my cup is full! If you had told me four years ago that my life would be so rich with healthy friendships, I would have never believed you.

This week’s low: Monday hit me with an unexpected wave of grief that made it hard to get out of bed most of the afternoon. I naively thought I was past all that - like moving beyond the due date would make it all make sense and the grief would go away, but that isn’t how grief works, is it?

This week according to my camera roll: