What to Buy at the Sephora Holiday Savings Event

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission when you click on a link and purchase something. I only share products from beauty brands I’ve tried and loved.

Hey, beauty friends! It's time to start making your holiday gift lists and checking them twice because my favorite beauty sale of the year — The Sephora Holiday Savings Event — is upon us! This sale is the perfect time to buy Christmas gifts for the beauty lovers in your life, plus a little something special for yourself. 😉

The Sephora Holiday Savings Event is open to Sephora Beauty Insiders, a free membership with benefits such as savings, samples, and experiences at participating Sephora stores. Not a member but want to take advantage of the discount? All you have to do is sign-up for free in-store or online before the sale begins.

HERE'S THE SCOOP

The event will run from Oct. 28 to Nov. 7, 2022.
Rouge members can begin shopping the sale on Oct. 28, 2022, saving 20%.
VIB members can begin shopping the sale TODAY, Nov. 1, 2022, saving 15%.
Insider members can begin shopping the sale on Nov. 3, 2022, saving 10%.
All Beauty Insider tiers can save 30% on Sephora Collection.

Use code SAVINGS when shopping online.

I’m a proud Rouge Beauty Insider, and I like to take advantage of my 20% discount to stock up on my favorite beauty products and treat myself to the pricier items on my beauty wishlist. I used my discount two years ago to buy myself the Dyson Hair Airwrap Complete Styler.

Whether you're shopping for holiday gifts or buying something nice for yourself, here's what to buy at the Sephora Holiday Savings Event.

P.S. If you shop the sale, tag me in your Instagram Stories! I want to see what you bought.

WHAT I’M BUYING

Fable & Mane HoliRoots Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner. Fable & Mane is my holy grail hair brand. I bought and tried a couple of their products, and my favorite is their shampoo and conditioner. It's the only one that repaired my color and heat-damaged hair over time. My hair went from feeling dry and crispy to soft and smooth over a few months. I've tried other shampoos and conditioners, but nothing has worked as well as Fable & Mane.

Olaplex No. 6 Bond Smoother. The Olaplex No. 6 is another favorite product in my hair routine. It is the best repair cream for colored hair I have ever tried. I use it after I wash my hair and before I blow it out and style it. I also use it to tame frizzy second-day hair. I have a couple of how-to videos in my Instagram Hair Highlights.

Eyeshadow Palette(s). It's been a while since I've worn eyeshadow, and I have lots of purple eyeshadow for some odd reason, but I'm in the mood for some nice brown eyeshadows for fall and winter. On my wishlist, I have the Nars Mini Voyageur Eyeshadow Palette in Copper, the Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk'R Face + Eye Bronzer & Highlighter Palette, or the Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette.

WHAT TO BUY AT THE SEPHORA HOLIDAY SAVINGS EVENT

MAKEUP PICKS

For that your skin but better look: Try Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint. I love wearing this skin tint when I want to wear makeup without feeling like I’m wearing makeup. If you’re looking for something with more coverage, try Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation. I wore the Nars Soft Matte foundation on my wedding day, and it stayed put from morning to night, even after I hiked a mountain for my wedding photos. So yeah, well worth the money. If you're looking for something with medium coverage, try Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation. The consistency of this foundation is similar to Mac Cosmetics Studio Fix Fluid Foundation.

bride in a wedding dress on a mountain hawaii

My wedding makeup after hiking a mountain for 20 minutes for our wedding photos.

Concealers that actually conceal: My current favorite concealer is the Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer. First, the angled doe foot applicator is huge and perfect for highlighting the face. The application is smooth and mostly full coverage, and I rarely need to apply a second layer. If you have under-eye circles, consider color-correcting them. I like Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Vanish Color Corrector or Live Tinted’s Huestick Corrector (not sold at Sephora). My other all-time favorite concealer is Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer.

For the best brows: If you're a longtime reader, you know my go-to eyebrow pencil is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer combined with the Patrick Ta Brow Lamination Gel. My other new favorite is the Rare Beauty Brow Harmony Pencil & Gel. The pencil is much creamier than the brow definer, so it takes a little getting used to if you prefer drier eyebrow pencils.

For fuller lips without the filler: I’m really into fuller lips right now. One new lip product I recently bought and am obsessed with is the Fenty Beauty Bomb Heat Universal Lip Luminizer + Plumper in the colors Fenty Glow and Hot Chocolit. This lip plumper is the best I've ever tried, especially when I use it after the Lawless Forget the Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask. OBSESSED!

The best for faux freckles and beauty marks: I'm still obsessed with faux freckles and love using Freck Beauty's The Original Freck to get them. I’ve also been using my original freck pen to enhance my beauty marks when I wear a full face of makeup.

Pigmented and long-lasting blush: I love a good long-lasting blush, and my current favorite is the Patrick Ta Major Beauty Headlines — Double-Take Crème and Powder Blush in the colors She's So L.A., She's That Girl, and Do We Know Her? This blush is highly pigmented because of its unique application process. First, you apply the powder blush, followed by the crème blush. The finished look is this beautiful blush that doesn't budge.

Must-have matte bronzers: I’m always looking for a good matte bronzer. My current favorites are the Nars Laguna Bronzing Creme and the Sephora Collection Matte Bronzer Powder (30% off!). My other favorites include Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Creme and Contour & Bronzer Duo and Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer.

HAIR TOOLS & PRODUCTS PICKS

All-in-one hair tools: I said before, and I’ll say again, I love my Dyson Airwrap Complete Styler. I have a tough time styling my hair without it, and I will pack it with me to travel because I can’t live without it. It has changed the way I style my hair forever. I've used it on short and long hair, making both lengths look smooth and voluminous. I bought the first version at a Sephora Holiday Savings Event with my Rough Beauty Insider discount in 2020. Full disclosure, I did have to use my warranty to trade it in because of an electrical issue. It took a little over a month for Dyson to troubleshoot the error via email, but once they realized it was an electrical issue, everything happened so fast, and I got my replacement Dyson Airwrap in a week. It recently got a major upgrade with new attachments. Maybe Dyson will want to send me the new one since I promote them so much (*hint, hint* 😉).

Another must-have hair tool is the T3 Whirl Trio Interchangeable Styling Wand. I also bought this at the Sephora Holiday Savings Event in 2019, and I've had it ever since. I love that the barrels are interchangeable, but my favorite barrel size is the one-and-a-half-inch barrel to create voluminous waves on short and long hair.

For your healthiest and most-hydrated hair ever: I always talk about how much I love the Fable & Mane on my Instagram. Their HoliRoots shampoo and conditioner are the most divine hair products I have ever used. I'm also obsessed with their HoliRoots Pre-Wash Hair Treatment Oil, HoliRoots Hair Mask, and SahaScalp Wild Ginger Purifying Scrub. (Maybe obsessed is an understatement? 😜)

For your smoothest hair ever: Olaplex No. 6 and No. 7 are holy grail products in my hair routine. I use them with the Kristin Ess Thickening Spray (not sold at Sephora) after I wash my hair, but before I style it with my Dyson Airwrap and T3 curling wand. I also use it on second-day hair to calm the frizziness.

SKINCARE MUST-HAVES

For squeaky clean skin: I’ve been using and recommending Fresh Soy Face Cleanser for many years because it’s the best cleanser for the face and eyes. This cleanser is also the best for double cleansing after a makeup-removing oil cleanser. My other favorite face cleanser when I need something different from Fresh Soy Face Cleanser is Summer Fridays Super Amino Gel Cleanser. This cleanser is great for dry skin.

Brightening and hydrating eye creams: In my 20s, I was sure eye cream was a conspiracy. A moisturizer in a tiny bottle marketed for people to think it was specifically for under your eyes. Then, I turned 30 and noticed my under-eye circles were darker than normal, despite the 7-to-8 hours of sleep I get most nights. I tried almost every brightening eye cream, and none worked. Then, I watched a video where Deepica Mutyala, CEO of Live Tinted and queen of color correcting, shared her favorite eye cream was Origins Ginzing Vitamin C Eye Cream. *angels singing* Origins Ginzing is a tinted eye cream that comes in two tones to brighten under-eye shadows. It's the only one I've tried so far that instantly brightens the shadows under my eyes. I don't think I'll love a brightening eye cream as much as I love Origins Ginzing.

When my skin feels drier during the cooler months, I always reach for Belif Peat Miracle Revital Eye Cream or Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado. Both do a great job hydrating the under-eye area.

Toners to balance your skin: I always use a toner to balance my oily skin. My current favorite is the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pore-Tight Toner. Not only does it balance your skin, but it also tightens your pores and gives you glowy skin. My other favorite toners have been OLEHENRIKSEN Balancing Force Oil Control Toner and Farmacy Deep Sweep Toner.

Must-try serums: Until recently, I’ve only used vitamin c serums because I love how bright and glowy it makes my skin. Then, I tried Youth To The People Triple Peptide Hydrating + Firming Oasis Serum and fell in love! Unlike most vitamin c serums, there’s no immediate difference when you apply the YTTP serum. But with consistent use, you’ll start to see the change in your skin. I feel like it gives my skin a boost of hydration, filling the baby wrinkle on my forehead and my "tech neck" wrinkles. My other favorite serums for bright, glowy skin are OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum, Peter Thomas Roth Potent-C Vitamin C Serum, Summer Fridays CC Me Vitamin C Serum, Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil.

Favorite moisturizer for oily skin: Belif True Cream Aqua Bomb is my holy grail moisturizer for oily skin. Whenever I try a new moisturizer, I always go back to it. I'm finishing up the Belif Aqua Bomb Brightening Vitamin C Cream, and I didn't care for it too much. The consistency felt watery compared to the original Aqua Bomb, and my skin didn't look brighter or glowy from the vitamin c. I liked that it smelt like Fruit Loops.

Must-have matte sunscreens: If you're not wearing SPF in your skincare routine, what are you even doing? SPF is important because it protects our skin from harmful diseases like skin cancer. When looking for sunscreen, look for something broad-spectrum to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays with SPF 30 or higher. I like wearing matte sunscreen for my oily skin. Two of my favorites are Tatcha Silken Pore Perfecting Sunscreen and Supergoop! Matte Screen. Tatcha's sunscreen mattifies and brightens the skin while filling pores to give you porcelain-like skin without clogging. Supergoop!'s Matte Screen is a neutral-tinted sunscreen and great for no makeup or light makeup days. My other favorite sunscreen is Live Tinted Hueguard (not sold at Sephora).

Skincare for self-care days: I love treating myself to an at-home spa day. When I have a self-care day, I usually start by cleansing my face with whatever face cleanser I'm using, and then I'll steam my face to prep my skin for any masks and serums. (I have the Vanity Planet Aira Facial Steamer — not sold at Sephora.) After I steam my face, I'll apply a face mask depending on my skin's needs. If it needs a detox, I reach for Caudalie Instant Detox Mask. If my skin looks dull, I'll apply Summer Fridays Overtime Mask, and if it's dehydrated, I'll use Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask.

gisou hair perfume belief aqua bomb caudalie instant detox face mask

SEPHORA COLLECTION

Sephora Collection, Sephora's beauty brand, has stepped up its game over the years. I have a few Sephora Collection gems to share with you, and the best part is that everything is 30% off, no matter your Sephora Beauty Insider status.

My holy grail liquid liner for snatched winged liner: The Sephora Collection Long Lasting Eyeliner High Precision Brush is my go-to liquid liner. First, it's reminiscent of my all-time favorite NYC Liquid Liner. (The original, RIP, not the current liquid liner in stores.)

An affordable dermaplaning tool: I started dermaplaning (a fancy word for shaving my face) earlier this year to exfoliate my skin. I researched several high-end tools at Sephora and bought the most affordable one, the Sephora Collection Metal Facial Razor. Beauty friends, this $10 razor is my most prized skincare tool because it makes my skin look and feel amazing! A great tool for beginners.

My favorite Sephora collection brushes: I love the Sephora Collection pro brushes. I own several Sephora Collection brushes (the Pro Foundation Brush #47, Pro Contour Brush #78, and Pro Concealer Brush #57). I took advantage of this year's sale to replace some of the older brushes in my collection, and I can't wait for them to come in!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

This list is long enough, but I have a few more products to share! These products didn't make any of the lists above, but they are still worth mentioning. These are my honorable beauty mentions: