Best Makeup To Shop During the Sephora Sale 2025

The Sephora Savings Event for Holiday starts today with first access for Rouge Members! Use code EVERYTHING to save when shopping online, these are the details per tier:

• All Sephora Collection 30% off: 10/31 – 11/10
• Rouge members 20% off: 10/31 – 11/10
• VIBs 15% off: 11/4 – 11/10
• Insiders 10% off: 11/4 – 11/10

I’m rounding up my staples and favorites by category. I tried to narrow each category down to my Top 3, but there are a few sections I have more than 3 favorites.

Best Primers

These are my favorite primers. I try to find ones that multi-task (ie has SPF, adds hydration or glow.

Best Foundation Formulas

I’ve split the foundation and skin tint bases into a few different categories based on formula.

Best Skin Tints/Sheer

Best Medium Coverage

Best Stick Foundations

Best Concealers

Best Setting Powders

I’ve split my favorites into pressed and loose versions. To this day I still prefer a pressed format for convenience, but I find that loose powder applied with a puff last longer.

Loose Powder Favorites

• Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur Talc Free Translucent Loose Setting Powder – This is the setting powder formula that gets me the most compliments. Anytime I use Translucent or Rose people always say that my skin looks flawless. It’s really not these days but this powder really does work to blur the skin beautifully. I use the Makeup by Mario Powder Puff with this one.
• YSL All Hours Hyper Blur Loose Setting Powder – I bought 02 Fair Medium back in April and really like it. It blurs, sets and doesn’t darken. I might try the Translucent formula since my skin tone is a bit lighter right now.

Pressed Setting Powders

Setting Spray Loves

I don’t find myself using a setting spray very often these days, but the ones I have tried and like are from Charlotte Tilbury, Makeup by Mario and NARS. All of these are lightweight with an ultra fine mist.

Best Bronzers

My bronzer favorites are still the same as they’ve been for years. I keep hoping for another new formulation to fall in love with, but I keep sticking with these for the tones and formula.

Contour

I tend to use bronzer as a contour instead of a traditional contour, but three I really like because of the tones

Best Blushes

Also split my recommendations between powder and cream/liquid. I usually prefer a powder format for lasting power.

Favorite Powder Formulas

Favorite Cream or Liquid Formats

• Armani Luminous Silk Cheek Tint – This is still the best formula for a liquid blush. It’s flawless and long lasting. The shine shades are nice too, but the matte formula is better for lasting power. Review + swatches here.
• Hourglass Unreal Liquid Blush wins for the best tones and formula. These are on the dewy side but this year my skin has been exceptionally dry so I’ve been loving them. Review + swatches here.
• Rhode Pocket Blush – I still really love these. Freckle is the best everyday neutral. Swatches + review here.

Highlighter Loves

Eyeshadow Palettes

Best Cream Eyeshadow

Go-To Brow Products

My top four brow products are the:

I recently bought the ABH MicroStroke Detailing Brow Pen and love it. I’m still trying to master the application but after trying several pens and hating them all (some of the colors looked straight up green on me) a friend recommended the ABH one and she was 100% right about the tones and formula.

Mascara Favorites

I feel like I need to expand my mascara rotation this year. I’ve been sticking to three tried and true formulas which I still really love, but I think I need to change things up a bit.

Favorite Lipsticks

I have so many lipstick loves. It’s hard to narrow down my favorites, but if I had to pick my top 5:

Best Liquid Lipstick

I’m still not really into liquid lipsticks since most are matte and I prefer some kind of shine or gloss, but I do think Dior makes beautiful ones!

Favorite Tinted Lip Balms/Oils

This is another favorite category of mine. I’ll link the swatches I’ve posted of each formula.

Lip Liner

Best Lip Gloss Formulas

The best gloss formulas ranked by how often I wear them:

Favorite Makeup Tools

Quick mention on some tools that I really love that are available at Sephora.

• Hourglass Travel Brush Set – I bought this several years ago during the Sephora Sale and it was 100% worth the splurge. This set includes the full-size options.
• Ilia Brushes – These are SO under-rated, I really hope they make a full line of brushes. I think every one I’ve tried is 10/10 incredible.
• Glossier Lip Pencil Sharpener – Not the most exciting tool, but this is the best sharpener I’ve found. The way they designed the container makes it perfect to carry in your makeup bag or for travel.
• Makeup By Mario Powder Puff – Not all puffs are the same. Many of my favorites seem to have changed texture but the Makeup By Mario one is ultra soft and I love the size and shape.
• Sephora Collection Brush Cleaner – This is the best cleaner to clean creams from your brushes (foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, blush etc.). Since it is spendy I recommend using the Dawn Powerwash Dish Spray first with a brush pad. For those stubborn creams I will then use the Sephora Brush Cleaner and it works wonders to remove cream products.
• Sephora Collection Cotton – Another staple I swear by. I do love the plush cotton from other brands, but this one is my most-repurchased one.

That wraps up my extensive makeup favorites roundup! Stay tuned for the roundup for other categories very soon! Use code EVERYTHING to save when shopping online, these are the details per tier:

• All Sephora Collection 30% off: 10/31 – 11/10
• Rouge members 20% off: 10/31 – 11/10
• VIBs 15% off: 11/4 – 11/10
• Insiders 10% off: 11/4 – 11/10