I’ve probably tested 80% of the products at Sephora (that’s crazy, right?) and I’ve narrowed down my MUST-HAVE items to try for you! Lately, I’ve been trying to find the best of the “clean” beauty items so you’ll see quite a few of them sprinkled throughout this post! I’ll also share my wishlist of what I plan to purchase and will be testing over the next few months so stay tuned for updates on here, my YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram!

Sephora Sale Dates, Tiers, and Discounts

Alright, first let’s discuss the dates. The sale has already started for Rouge members (if you spend over $1,000 a year you get 20% off), I’m a VIB this year so the sale starts November 1 for me- we get 15% off, and the sale opens up to beauty insiders on November 3- they get 10% off. Everyone also gets 30% off of Sephora brand products. The sale ends on November 7. If you aren’t a beauty insider yet, it’s super easy to sign up… do that HERE.

My top products:

Skincare:

Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant– If you struggle with acne & clogged pores this is one of those products that will completely change your skin. It is strong but SO effective. I use it 2x a week and my skin loves it!

KORRES Santorini Grape Poreless Skin Cream– *Clean* This is my favorite new moisturizer of the year! It is lightweight yet super hydrating and not clogging to my acne-prone skin- it has Salicylic Acid so it actually helps with acne!

KORRES Santorini Grape Velvet Skin Drink– *Clean* I LOVE this oil to shave my face with. It is super lightweight and helps the razor glide so well! This is the razor I use.

Josie Maran Pure Argan Milk Intensive Hydrating Treatment– *Clean* When I’m feeling like I need more moisture I put this on before moisturizer. It’s a milky serum that absorbs well and gives my skin that added hydration.

Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinol Serum– I really enjoyed this retinol! It didn’t irritate my skin as some others have. Retinol has so many benefits for anti-aging as it increases skin density but it also helps dark spots and protects from future damage

The INKEY List Retinol Eye Cream– *Clean* Using retinol near your eyes can seem scary but trust me, you’ll be glad you use it once you start seeing the results. This one is affordable and super effective!

Peter Thomas Roth Irish Moor Mud Purifying Black Mask– This is my favorite mask for acne. It isn’t drying unlike most acne masks- and it makes my skin clear up so fast!

TAN-LUXE THE FACE Illuminating Self-Tan Drops– *Clean* This is my go-to for tanning my face. I mix it in with my serums and it gives me a streak-free natural-looking tan! I use the color medium/ dark- I recommend it because you can always add more or fewer drops depending on the color you want.

Drunk Elephant D-Bronz Anti-Pollution Bronzing Drops with Peptides– *Clean* Speaking of adding some color- this could be considered skincare & makeup. They are bronzing drops that add the most beautiful temporary glow. Just add to your moisturizer or SPF! They’re great for days when you don’t want makeup but still need some color. They also have antioxidants so they protect your skin from the daily elements! If you want to look naturally tan and glowy this is a must!

LAWLESS Forget The Filler Overnight Lip Plumping Mask– *Clean* I LOVE this overnight lip mask. It’s better than the Laneige one- it’s a little plumping (but doesn’t sting) and you’ll wake up with super-hydrated lips!

Mario Badescu Silver Powder– this is my blackhead secret weapon. You literally just apply it with a damp cloth to your clogged areas, let it dry for a few minutes and wipe it off. Your pores will look FLAWLESS.

Makeup

Sephora Favorites Makeup Must-Haves Set– Sephora’s gift sets are always a great way to test new products and this one has SO MANY of my must-have items! Brow wax, GrandeLash, ILIA mascara, Liquid eyeliner, Paulas choice BHA, and Urban Decay setting spray!

Face:

Primer: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer – This has been my go-to primer for 5 years. I’ve tried them all and I keep coming back to this. It makes my skin look SO smooth- but it isn’t mattifying so it still lets your natural glow shine through. It has zinc so it’s great for acne-prone skin and it’s just SO SO GOOD.

tarte SEA Glowtion Skin Perfector Primer– If you prefer glowy primers (great for dull/ dry skin) you will love this! It makes my skin look so beautiful and like it’s lit from within. I love it!

Foundation: If I had to pick one must-have makeup product it would be a foundation. I LOVE FOUNDATION. I have way too many to list here so I had to really work to narrow it down for you haha.

Full coverage: On days when I need my makeup to not budge I reach for one of these two. They are a little mattifying so if you want glow you’ll need a highlighter on top. These create a super even base so you can hide any pigmentation from dark or redness and then you can add color on top.

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Long Wear Matte Foundation

Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation

Medium/ full Coverage: This is where I usually land. I like medium coverage foundations the most because they can be more sheer or more full depending on how much you apply.

Smashbox Studio Skin 24-Hour Oil-Free Hydra Foundation – this is my go-to foundation. It is truly the best. Makes my skin look amazing and lasts all day. It allows some of my natural color to show through and yet it still covers my troublesome areas. It’s also perfect for all skin types, even oily!

Medium Coverage: When my acne is under control I love to wear lighter-weight foundations. These are my favorite glowy/ natural/ luminous foundations.

Urban Decay Hydromaniac Glowy Tinted Hydrator Foundation – I love this lightweight foundation so much. I have a full YouTube review here.

IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation + Glow Serum with SPF 40 and Niacinamide– This is absolutely STUNNING on! So glowy and beautiful!

Wander Beauty Nude Illusion Liquid Foundation – If you’re looking for a good medium coverage *CLEAN foundation this is my favorite. It used to be available at Sephora but I noticed they only have 1 color left. I found it on the Wander Beauty site.

bareMinerals COMPLEXION RESCU Tinted Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid and Mineral SPF 30 – *Clean* This is the most beautiful tinted moisturizer I’ve tried! It makes your skin look so great! Definitely lighter coverage but SO SO good!

Concealer: Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer – This is hands down my favorite concealer. It’s full coverage yet lightweight. Beautiful finish.

Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Longwear Concealer – This is *SUPER* full coverage. Not as lightweight as the Dior. More of a matte finish. Used to be my go-to before I discovered the Dior. Similar coverage to Shape Tape but unlike Shape Tape this isn’t drying!

Kosas Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer and Daytime Eye Cream – *Clean* – I just started testing this one and I love it! Not full coverage but close!

Setting Powder: After foundation, I ALWAYS apply setting powder. It helps my makeup stay in place and look flawless. I have tried way too many setting powders to count but I tossed many of my old ones because they had Talc. The two that I’m sharing below are Talc-free and give you the best finish!

ILIA Soft Focus Finishing Powder – *Clean* – This finishing powder is great at blurring fine lines/ pores and setting makeup. I love the travel-friendly case too.

bareMinerals Original Mineral Veil Pressed Setting Powder – *Clean* – I love to use this one under my eyes because it really smooths everything out! I keep one of these in my purse at all times because its packaging is really convenient and it keeps my oily skin in check.

Bronzer: ILIA NightLite Bronzer Powder – *Clean* This is a beautiful matte finish bronzer. I love the color range!

LAWLESS Summer Skin Talc-Free Velvet Matte Bronzer – When I need more color I reach for this one. It’s very pigmented!

KVD Beauty Shade + Light Refillable Powder Face Contour Palette – My FAVORITE contour palette. I use the light and medium shades on my nose and jawline then blend them out with a brush and sponge. It is so natural looking and very blendable! Super easy to use if you are new to contouring.

Blush: bareMinerals Gen Nude Blonzer Blush – *Clean* my favorite glowy blushes! I use all 3 colors!

LAWLESS Make Me Blush Talc-Free Velvet Blush – *Clean* I love this matte blush. It gives you nice color without looking chalky like some matte products do.

Highlighter: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette – This makes your skin look like it’s naturally glowing- not like you just put glitter on. I use my face powder brush on all 3 colors and brush it all over my cheeks, forehead, and nose.

Mascara: ILIA Limitless Lash Lengthening Clean Mascara – *Clean* – Truly one of the best mascaras I’ve ever tried. Zero fall out. Zero clumps- just SO GOOD. Makes my lashes look so long!

Kosas The Big Clean Longwear Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara – *Clean* I started testing this one and it’s amazing! Makes my lashes look so long & full!

Eyelash Curler – I’ve had this for years! The best of the best!

GrandeLASH – MD Lash Enhancing Serum -I tested this on one eye and tried LiLash’s Serum on the other. This made my lashes just as long!! It didn’t irritate my eyes and I love the tube applicator. Lash serums make such a difference- I recommend them to EVERYONE.

Laura Mercier Eye Basics Primer – I wear this every day to brighten my dark eyelids but it’s also an amazing eyeshadow primer! if you are prone to creasing you will LOVE this.

Lips: Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner – This is the best lip liner ever. It doesn’t budge!

bareMinerals Mineralist Lasting Lip Liner – *Clean* I have this in color Cherished Rose and at first I thought it was too dark but I tried it with a lighter lipstick and WOW it makes the most beautiful fall/ winter lip combo! Absolutely STUNNING. It isn’t as long-lasting as Charlotte but I like that it is clean.

tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Plump – *Clean* Makes my lips look so glossy! The plumping doesn’t sting like other plumping products.

SEPHORA COLLECTION #LIPSTORIES Lipstick – I have the color Oui and it is one of the best pink/ nudes I own! I love the satin finish.

bareMinerals Mineralist Lip Gloss Balm – *Clean* This lip gloss is one of the few I’ll wear! It isn’t sticky or tacky. It just makes your lips look SO GOOD.

Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze Extreme Hold Laminated-Look Sculpting Wax– Nothing has made my brows stick up until this! It’s amazing! I found a clean drugstore dupe HERE.

Hair

K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Molecular Hair Repair Value Set – Full-Size Repair Mask & Free Travel Detox Shampoo – This is a great time to get the K18 mask on sale!! This set comes with the Detox Shampoo too! Full review here.

Moroccanoil Dry Shampoo – This is my all-time favorite. Comes in light and dark colors and feels like nothing!

amika Perk Up Talc-Free Dry Shampoo – *Clean* I love the smell and how it doesn’t feel gross in my hair.

IGK Good Behavior Spirulina Protein Anti-Frizz Smoothing Spray – If you struggle with any frizz you need this. It makes you look like you’ve gotten a Brazilian blowout and lasts for days!

COLOR WOW Extra Mist-ical Shine Spray – You can fake healthy hair with this stuff! It makes your hair look so shiny and beautiful!

Body:

By Rosie Jane Perfume Discovery Set – *Clean* These are the only perfumes I wear! I bought the starter kit last year and am so impressed with the fragrances.

Nécessaire The Deodorant Gel – With 5% Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) and Niacinamide – *Clean* Aluminum free and feels like nothing! One of the best deodorants I’ve tried!

What’s in my cart?

I’m in the process of transitioning to clean makeup so I’m going to be buying *mostly* clean products! The other items just sound really cool and I couldn’t resist. We’re all about moderation here…

Vegamour GRO AGELESS Anti-Gray Hair Serum– In case you missed it, I accidentally went brunette at my last hair appt (lol) I went back and added some balayage but I’m kinda diggin’ my darker roots. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a few more grays than I was expecting and I had no idea you can actually REVERSE YOUR GRAY HAIR! I need to dig more into the details but this product supposedly does that so I will definitely be trying it out! I’ve also heard amazing things about their growth serum… like AMAZING things. So if you’re struggling with hair loss you may consider checking it out! Also, cut back on dry shampoo spray- I’m convinced it’s causing most of our hair issues.

HAUS LABS Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation – Usually I have zero interest in celebrity skincare/ makeup lines but I feel like they’ve stepped up their game lately. Lady Gaga came out with clean makeup and the reviews are incredible! So I’m going to test the foundation (of course!).

HAUS LABS Bio-Blurring Talc-Free Loose Setting Powder– I’ll also be testing her setting powder because it’s talc-free and I’m a sucker for setting powders.

HAUS LABS Power Sculpt Velvet Bronzer – My all-time favorite bronzer was from BECCA- it was the perfect shade and perfect amount of shimmer without looking like a highlighter. I’ve been on the hunt for something similar and while I’ve found 2 great matte ones (see above), I still want one with shimmer and from the photos, it looks like this may be it. This sounds interesting because it’s a gel bronzing powder that claims to blur the skin. Excited to try this!

Lips: I’m on the hunt for clean lipsticks to replace my beloved Fairest Nude & Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk. These are the ones I’ll be testing:

MERIT Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick – I’m testing a few of their stick products so I’m looking forward to doing a full brand review!

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez – Kind Words Matte Lipstick – Another celeb line, I know, BUT people are raving about it. TBH I tried her lip liner and was very underwhelmed so the lipstick should be interesting to try.

bareMinerals Mineralist Hydra-Smoothing Lipstick – I love their products and am hopeful I’ll love this lipstick just as much.

ROSE INC Satin Lip Color Refillable Hydrating Lipstick – another celeb line (they’ve taken over Sephora!) – this time it’s Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

ILIA Color Block High Impact Lipstick – I had this lipstick years ago and remember liking it… Let’s see if I still do.

SEPHORA COLLECTION Clean Vegan Hydrating Satin Lipstick – I love Sephora’s #lipstories lipsticks but they aren’t clean. This is their clean version- only $12!

REFY Lip Collection: Lip Liner, Setter, and Lip Gloss– This isn’t clean but it does sound so cool. Sometimes you just really want to be 100% sure your makeup won’t budge and this 3-in-1 set claims it will keep your lips on all day! It includes a lip liner, then you set it and add the gloss. Can’t wait to try!

LYS Beauty No Limits Cream Bronzer and Contour Stick – *Clean* This is a new brand to me- the price point is great and so are the reviews. I’m not convinced about stick/ cream products on my combo/acne-prone skin but I’m determined to find out why people swear by cream products.

LYS Beauty No Limits Matte Bronzer– *Clean* Another product from them…

MERIT Bronze Balm Sheer Sculpting Bronzer – *Clean* I’ve heard great things about MERIT- This looks like a glowy bronzing stick and it has great reviews!

MERIT The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick – *Clean* People RAVE about this. It’s a light to medium-coverage foundation stick.

Crown Affair The Dry Shampoo – *Clean* A brush-on talc-free dry shampoo- it sounds great! I’ve heard people use cornstarch and arrowroot powder on their hair- this brand uses Tapioca starch. Sounds so interesting!

amika Perk Up Plus Talc-Free Dry Shampoo – *Clean* I love the original Perk Up dry shampoo and this one is supposed to help you go even longer between washes! It has AHA (acids) and scalp-nourishing ingredients that claim to deliver a no-residue finish. *It also uses arrowroot powder!

MAKEUP BY MARIO Master Hold Brow Gel – Mario is a celebrity makeup artist! Someone on my TikTok commented that this is better than the Anastasia one I posted above. I haven’t tried any of his products yet so we’ll see how it goes!

I will be reviewing everything I purchased on my TikTok over the coming weeks so be sure to follow me there! I’ll probably do a YouTube round-up video too if you prefer longer videos, and some Instagram stories (if Instagram lets me back on… I couldn’t log on yesterday 😱).

I make a small commission when you use my links- I really REALLY appreciate your support! It helps me continue to make content like this for you! Thank you!!

What are you shopping for? Spot any favorites? Let me know in the comments below! Also, if you have any questions feel free to email me at [email protected]

xx,
Lauren