The Sephora Savings Event: Your Ultimate Guide to Beauty Deals

The Sephora Savings Event just launched, and it's one of my favorite (and most wallet-damaging) times of the year! This bi-annual sale is a fantastic opportunity for beauty lovers like me to stock up on their favorite products or get a deal on new ones they want to try.

What is the Sephora Savings Event?

The Sephora Savings Event is a tiered sale that offers different discount levels based on your Beauty Insider membership status. It's the perfect time to save on high-end makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrance products from top brands.

Sephora Savings Event dates

The exact dates vary, but typically the event takes place in spring (April) and fall (November). The current sale dates are:

• ROUGE: 20% discount (11/1 – 11/11)
• VIB: 15% discount (11/5 – 11/11)
• INSIDER: 10% discount — This is open to anyone who signs up for a free Beauty Insider account. (11/5 – 11/11)
• All Tiers: 30% off Sephora Collection (11/1 – 11/11) All Sephora Collection items are 30% off for Insider Members for the duration of the event.

Insider Tips for Making the Most of the Sale

1. Plan ahead: Create a wish list of items you want to purchase. I usually "love" products when I see something new that I want to try and add my list to my cart a couple of days before the sale starts. In the past, the code has worked as early as 9 p.m. Pacific time the night before, so you can place your order before everyone else starts shopping on sale day.
2. Check your membership status: If you're not already a Sephora Beauty Insider member, signing up is free and easy. Once you've signed up, make a note of when your tier starts and shop early—popular items tend to sell out quickly.
3. Look for value sets: These are often already a better deal than buying individual products because they're bundled together, and with the additional discount, they become great deals!
4. Sold out? Check Sephora at Kohl's: Sephora at Kohl's carries separate inventory, so many times a product has been sold out online or in the Sephora app, I've still found it available at Sephora at Kohl's, plus, you can use the same discount codes and get points at Sephora for those purchases just like you would at a regular Sephora!
5. Check out the Sephora Collection: This is Sephora's in-house brand, and has some amazing products! Plus, starting the first day of the sale, everybody gets 30% off this collection, regardless of membership level. It's a great deal!
6. If you don't get 20% off, reevaluate your cart: If you're not a Rouge member, don't buy fragrance during this sale. Sephora does a day in December where everyone gets 20% off all full-size fragrances, so you're better off waiting. Many brands offer 30% off on Black Friday, so if you notice you have several individual items from a specific brand, it might be worth waiting until after Thanksgiving and shopping directly from the brand to get the best deal.

What to Buy

To make your dollars go the furthest, I recommend prioritizing gift sets, limited edition products, and the Sephora Collection (since everyone gets 30% off!). Don’t forget luxury beauty and the sale section!

I love using the November Sephora sale to stock up on Christmas gifts. Fragrance gift sets, Sephora Favorites sets, and stocking stuffers are my go-to purchases for friends and family if I don't know what they need.

This is also the best time to grab any high-end beauty devices you've had your eye on. I snagged the Shark FlexStyle during the last sale, and it was my best purchase of the year.

Sephora Sale Picks

Here are my tried and true recommendations from Sephora. Keep in mind that there is not one product that will work the same for every single person. These are my all-time favorite beauty and skincare products available at Sephora that are in my bathroom or on my nightstand and purchased with my own hard-earned cash.

Eyes

• Eye cream—there's never any single "cure-all" eye cream. Often, bags and dark circles are hereditary. However, many eye creams have color-correcting properties and light-reflecting pigments to help create a brighter, softer appearance when you're struggling with dark circles. My favorites for daytime wear are Alpyn Beauty Instant Bright, which is hydrating and great to prep for concealer, or iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Bright & Tight, which is hydrating and radiant to help deflect dark circles, and Caudalie Premier Cru eye cream (I love the metal applicator) or Charlotte's Magic Eye Cream for nighttime. I also really like the Peace Out Retinol Eye Stick. It's easy to swipe on at night to target my fine lines, and it's helped with my under-eye milia, which is amazing.
• Mascara—My biggest mascara trick is to never buy full-size because they dry out so quickly. Instead, grab a mini or two of my faves, Tower 28 MakeWaves and Lancôme Idôle for volume.
• Brows—For an eyebrow pencil, Anastasia Brow Wiz is pretty much the gold standard. And for gels, you can't go wrong with Anastasia brow gel, the Benefit 24-hour Brow Setter, or the Rare Beauty Flexible Lifting Gel (which is a bit of an unsung hero IMO).
• Undereye + concealer—I love this Bobbi Brown Skin Color Corrector Stick as an undereye brightener. It comes in a convenient stick form, so you simply twist it up and swipe it under your eyes before applying concealer and it cancels out dark circles (I wear light bisque).
• Eyeliner—If winged liner is a challenge for you or if you have hooded eyes, I love the Urban Decay 24/7 Inks Liquid Eyeliner for its triangle ergonomic grip and super sharp tip that helps make the process easier. My favorite liquid eyeliner is the KVD Beauty Tattoo Liner liquid eyeliner—fun fact, I did my own eyeliner for my wedding because my makeup artist couldn't believe what a sharp line I could get with this liner.
• Eyeshadow Primer—For everyday eye priming (I have oily eyelids so I need something to keep my foundation and mascara in place and not all over my lids) I use the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. For ultra-long wear, I love the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip eyeshadow primer.
• Eyeshadow—If you want to give your eyes definition, but struggle with eyeliner, Bobbi Brown Cream Eyeshadow Stick is practically foolproof. Simply swipe it on, gently smudge it with your finger, and you have a gorgeous effortless eye look. My favorite shades are Moonstone and Taupe. I also love any of the Natasha Denona palettes.

Lips

• Lip liners—My go-to is the Makeup Forever lip liner in Wherever Walnut, or Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat lip liner in Pillow Talk. The Sephora Collection Retractable Gel Liners are great for the price; I like The Red or Sink or Suede for more of a nude.
• Lipsticks—Charlotte Tilbury wins again with her Matte Revolution Hydrating Lipstick in Pillow Talk. She always delivers the perfect pinks. Pillow Talk original is great for fair-to-medium tones and gives a "Your Lips But Better" nudey-pink situation, while Pillow Talk Medium is more of a warm berry pink and also well-loved for good reason. I love the Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss Lipstick Balm—it feels balmy and more conditioning than lipstick, but gives amazing shine. The Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm is like another lip balm-lipstick hybrid and SO pretty on. It gives your lips a super-shine without the stickiness of gloss, and the applicator allows you to do a precise application.
• Lip glosses—My favorite plumping gloss is Lawless Forget the Filler—it's so juicy, thick, and extra glossy, and makes my lips look smooth without feeling like they're burning off. It is a tiny bit sticky, but not too much so, and all the sheer shades are very wearable for every day. I had also heard incredible things about the Fenty Gloss Bomb Lip Luminizer (shade FU$$Y) and OMG did it exceed my expectations! It’s non-sticky and beautiful alone or paired with a liner or as a topper over lipstick. I reach for mine constantly and love it so much that I wore it on my wedding day. I keep it in my purse at all times because it makes my lips look gorgeous, plump, and sparkly in an instant.
• Lip oils—We have officially reached peak lip oil, and there are so many good ones to choose from. I love the iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Glaze Lip Oil—it's hydrating and juicy, and I reach for it even more than my Dior Lip Glow. Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil is also up there—I love that there's no stickiness whatsoever and the colors are divine.
• Lip balms—I am obsessed with the Summer Fridays Butter Balms —I stash them everywhere so I'm never without them, and am picking up more for stocking stuffers. For an overnight lip treatment, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in vanilla is my fave.

Face Makeup

• Foundation—For everyday wear, I usually choose Tower28 Sunny Days (I wear the shade Mulholland). It’s a 2-in-1 sunscreen / tinted foundation and perfect for a no-makeup makeup look. It has a nice glowy finish with medium coverage that blurs out imperfections and would be ideal for someone who wants coverage but doesn't want FULL coverage. For full coverage, I always reach for my Armani Luminous Silk foundation. It gives me the silkiest, most beautiful coverage that also feels like I'm not wearing anything. For more coverage with SPF, the It Cosmetics CC+ Cream is a longtime favorite of mine. Just scroll up in this post and check out the before & after. It’s definitely a full-coverage product (and was created by a former broadcast reporter who was looking to conceal her rosacea / redness on air.)
• Sunscreen—iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Mineral Sun Glow delivers a subtle glow with broad-spectrum SPF 43. It's not enough coverage to wear alone (for me) but is beautiful under foundation. Supergoop Glow Screen is another great glowy choice for sunscreen and has a bit thinner texture than the Mineral Sun Glow.
• Concealer—I love my Haus Labs concealer. It's got a serum-like consistency and goes on fresh and bright with a skin-like finish while giving me medium coverage. I also love the Sephora Collection Best Skin Ever concealer. I'm repurchasing this concealer during the sale—it has a thin and serum-y consistency and has a nice doe foot applicator, and great medium coverage, though I would choose something else for under-eye because it's not very brightening.
• Contour — My go-to cream bronzer / contour in stick form is Westman Atelier, but I also love Rare Beauty in Happy Sol (it has a thin tip for precise application) and the Milk Makeup Cream Contour Stick. They're all three great cream bronzer sticks, easy to apply, easy to blend, and creamy on the skin. They're perfect for beginners or those who are new to contouring.
• Powder bronzer—Gucci Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer (shade 2 or 3—the rest tend to pull orange). This bronzer is pricey but SO worth it. The packaging is gorgeous and it makes me look like I just got back from vacation when I apply it over blush / contour. I wear shade 2.
• Powders—Huda Beauty Easy Bake and Snatch pressed powder in cherry blossom gives me the most beautiful blurring matte finish without getting dry or cakey. I will say I don't use the applicator that comes with the powder, but I use a velour puff (this Sephora Collection puff is my go-to) or a brush to apply. Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish setting powder is also very blurring and keeps me matte all day. Its airbrush effects make it ideal for normal to oily skin types, and I love that you can purchase refill pans. I've switched to this for my under eyes since Givenchy changed their formula for their prisme libre powder.
• Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter—I adore this glowy primer—simply apply it under foundation, mix it in with foundation, apply it over foundation as a liquid highlighter, or wear it alone for a sheer, filtered complexion and watch your skin take on a beautiful glow. I like using this to thin out some thicker foundations and overall will change your makeup game. Use it under makeup as a glowy primer and over makeup as a highlighter. I use shade 3 or 4.
• Rare Beauty Soft Pinch liquid blush—These last forever because they're so pigmented. A teeny tiny dot is all you need for the perfect sun-kissed flush. I reach for Hope and Happy the most, and either blend it out with the heels of my hands or a foundation brush. They're also STUNNING when blended with a bit of Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter. They're great for combination-to-oily skin because they're not dewy.
• Setting Spray—My go-to setting spray for everyday looks is the Rare Beauty Always an Optimist. It gives you a magical dewy glow without making your makeup look like an oil slick. I spray it during my foundation application for better blending and at the end for a radiant finish that is the opposite of cakey. For nights out or special events, Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray guarantees my makeup will be locked in and won't budge. I even used it on my bestie for her wedding day and her makeup was perfect after a sweaty night of eating, drinking, and dancing.

Skincare

• Toner—The Laneige Cream Skin Toner has ceramides and peptides, delivering hydration while it tones and soothes. I love using this in my nighttime routine after cleansing and before applying serums / moisturizers.
• Moisturizers—My ultimate holy grail is the Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream. Honestly, this deserves a category of its own because it's unlike anything else on the market and is essentially an entire skincare line in a single package. It makes a HUGE difference in my skin—I splurged on it before my wedding and my skin never looked better, but it is $$$$. If you don't want to pay a premium for your moisturizer, try iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Extreme Cream. It's the closest thing I've found to the AB Rich Cream. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream is a wonderful alternative to the AB Rich Cream as well—it preps the skin perfectly for makeup.
• Night creams—The night cream I constantly reach for in the evenings is the Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Serum in Cream Treatment. It always seems to calm my irritated skin, plus with ingredients to support the skin barrier and balance the microbiome, it feels like a dream for sensitive skin. Farmacy Honey Halo is another creamy, rich moisturizer I love using at night.
• Serums—The Clarins Double Serum is an OG for a reason. It helps smooth wrinkles, refines pores, and gives you a glow. It's great for low-maintenance girlies because you can use this and nothing else at night, or add a moisturizer / night cream on top and be set. Plus it smells amazing. I also love The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% serum—it makes my skin incredibly glowy.
• Shani Darden Retinol Reform—This retinol has been amazing for my skin. It has a great light texture that absorbs quickly, has no noticeable smell, and delivers amazing results without irritating my skin.
• For dark spots—I love Dr. Idriss' Major Fade dark spot treatment because it's the only thing that has made a significant difference in my dark spots.
• Cleansing—Farmacy Green Clean is my favorite meltaway cleansing balm. It's similar to Elemis Cleansing Balm (which I also love) and will immediately remove your makeup without drying out your skin.
• Exfoliating—I exfoliate 2-3 times a week and the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads are my ride-or-die. I swear they will change your skin texture overnight and have helped me with acne scars, texture issues, pigmentation, and fine lines—truly the does-it-all MVP of my skincare routine. The Sunday Riley Good Genes is also amazing. The lactic acid in this burns the tiniest bit, but it sloughs off the dead skin I love that I wake up with skin that is softer, smoother, and has less noticeable pores.
• Vitamin C—The Dr. Dennis Gross Vitamin C serum is honestly a dupe for the (much) more expensive Skinceuticals version. They feel and smell exactly the same (unfortunately like hotdog water) and I can't notice a difference in my skin when switching between them.
• Clarins Cryo-Flash Mask—Love this mask for cooling and de-puffing when I've had a rough night or just want to look snatched.
• Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Spray—This hypochlorous acid spray is a savoir for my eczema-prone skin. I use it after a workout or any time my face needs a little love. The anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties soothe my stressed-out skin and calm irritation and redness.

Body + Fragrance

• Touchland hand mist sanitizers — Do you need a $10 hand sanitizer? Absolutely not. That said, I love using this hand sanitizer and it never leaks. Plus, the scents are heavenly. I'll be picking up a couple of these sets for teacher gifts and stocking stuffers.
• Necessaire body wash—This is my favorite body wash to use because it lathers up so nicely and the eucalyptus scent makes my shower smell like a spa!
• Once you try the Sol de Janiero Brazillian Bum Bum Cream (pronounced "Boom Boom"), you won’t go back. I buy the massive Biggie Biggie Bum Bum tub during the holidays and use it year-round.
• Donna Karan Cashmere Mist deodorant—My mom turned me on to this deodorant years ago. Is it expensive for a deodorant? Yes. But I have not found a better antiperspirant and it has an amazing smell that I can only describe as "Rich Bitch" in the best way possible.
• I always keep a tube of First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub in the shower to treat my bumpy arms / chicken skin.
• Caudalie Vinotherapist Hand and Nail Cream—I absolutely slather this on my eczema-prone hands in the winter. It's very lightly perfumed and leaves my hands feeling silky and hydrated, without feeling sticky or greasy.

Hair

• Shampoos + conditioners—The Ouai Detox shampoo is one of my favorite high-end clarifying shampoos. It gives me a squeaky-clean, long-lasting cleanse. For added shine, I love the Amika Mirrorball shampoo and conditioner, and the Amika Hydro Rush shampoo and conditioner for extra hydration.
• Dry shampoos—Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean has long been my favorite dry shampoo that feels like it actually cleans my hair without leaving an insane white residue on my dark roots. For a non-aerosol dry shampoo, my favorite is from Crown Affair. The brush it comes with allows for precise application, and it smells amazing!
• Repair treatments—If you can only buy one bond repair treatment, make it the K18 Leave-in Molecular Repair Hair Mask. This treatment has truly made the most difference in the health of my hair. It repairs your hair and leaves you with incredibly soft, bouncy hair. The days I use this, I don't condition my hair. To start, use for the first four to six washes in a row, then maintenance. I'll be adding this value set to replenish my stash and also try out the Molecular Repair Hair Oil. I also really love the Living Proof Triple Bond Complex Leave-in Treatment and use it once per week in addition to the K18.
• The Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair deep conditioning mask leaves my hair so soft and smooth without weighing it down, and helps heal my damaged hair.
• Crown Affair Leave-in Conditioner—This leave-in conditioner feels so luxe with its beautiful packaging and signature scent. It helps with heat protection and frizz, and you can also use it as a treatment mask on wet or dry hair. It's great on beach or pool days to protect your hair or put it on the mid-lengths before I put it up in a bun to nourish my hair throughout the day.
• IGK Good Behavior spirulina smoothing spray—When I tell you this product makes my hair look like I walked right out of the salon, I am not kidding. I spray this on before blow drying and my strands are silky, smooth and so, so shiny. I immediately repurchase every time I run out and use the sale to stock up so that never happens.
• Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil—I love to spray this on my hair after a shower to help detangle and protect it from heat up to 450ºF. Plus, it softens and conditions my hair, leaving it smooth and touchable after I blow dry.
• Color Wow Dream Coat—I don't use this often because Colorado is so dry, but whenever I go somewhere that I know will be humid (conferences, vacations, even visiting family back in Seattle) I bring this. This magic-in-a-bottle humidity-proofs your hair, makes it soft, silky, and shiny, and is amazing at preventing frizz.
• BREAD Beauty Supply Hair Oil—This silicone-free makes my hair soft, smooth, and glossy, even on the frizziest of days. All I need is a drop to get great conditioning.
• Texturizing sprays—My favorite is the Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray, but it costs a pretty penny. That said, I love spraying this on my roots and hair before teasing or curling to give it incredible grip, volume, texture, and hold without too much stickiness and a nice lightweight tousled texture with the classic Oribe smell. Other favorites are Living Proof Full Dry Volume and Texture Spray and Bumble and Bumble Thickening Dryspun Volume Texture Spray.

Tools

• Hairbrushes—For day-to-day, my Drybar Flat Mate Boar Bristle Brush is top-tier for detangling with its nylon pins with boar bristles, it's comparable to a Mason Pearson for much less moolah. If you're looking for a lower-priced option, I purchased this cute Millennial pink Dae Vegan Detangle and Style brush in April and I've been liking it, but have noticed some of the bristles have been coming out.
• Shark FlexStyle—This has really changed my hair game. I held off on getting this for so long because I was convinced I wouldn't use the attachments and thought it would be too bulky to store, but it's honestly like getting a salon blowout at home.
• Drybar Double Shot Blow-dryer Brush—This is my favorite blowout brush, even more so than the viral Revlon brush. It's more expensive but it doesn't have metal plates or extreme heat, which makes it better for your hair overall. It makes my hair bouncy and smooth without a hair straightener.
• Bio Ionic Long Barrel curling iron—This is a traditional curling iron that's ideal for long hair. I don't know what kind of technology they have in this thing, but it's the only curling iron that gets my fine, straight hair to hold a curl. I use the 1-inch mostly but the 1.25-inch iron would be great for loose waves.
• If you’re looking to upgrade your makeup brushes, do yourself a favor and just get the 8-piece Sephora brand PRO collection. Make sure you buy the PRO collection (not the regular collection—trust me, they're not as good). These are my favorite brushes and the ones I use every day, and because they're part of the Sephora Collection, the set is 30% off, giving you incredible value for the quality. The brushes I use most are #56, #93, #51, and #57—you could really use just these three brushes for your entire makeup routine.
• Slip Silk Pillowcase—These are a dream to sleep on (pun intended). They are cool in the summer, absorb much less face cream than cotton pillowcases, and create less friction, which can reduce creasing, stretching, and tugging on delicate facial skin and hair while you're sleeping.

Is there anything else you’re looking for that you don’t see here? Have questions about a specific product? Drop them in the comments below and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! 💕