Sephora Tried And Tested Must Haves

For years, I’ve witnessed the Sephora brand grow into what it is today. I remember not even being able to shop at Sephora here in Canada and going crazy whenever I visited the States. Now it seems to be the end all and be all of the beauty world. They carry all of the cult favourites, introduce new brands who are making a splash, and LBH, it’s literally the best place to start when you want to invest in a new beauty product – from hair, to skin, to even your home now. 

But where do you start? Sephora is like a gigantic playground where you don’t know whether to go down the slide or head to the swings. And before you know it, you’ve probably spent all of your life savings trying to figure it all out.

Personally, I use a good amount of products, but I wouldn’t say I’m a beauty guru and definitely not a make up, nor hair guru. I find products that work well and normally stick to the basics. I don’t do any crazy make up or hair looks and I tend to keep things natural. So the products I love and use as my holy grails are mostly for the every day girl. If you’re looking for a GlamMaster, I am certainly not it. But if you’re looking for products that will work well, make your beauty life quick and easy, and can be used every day, look no further my friend. I gotchu.

Skincare: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum, Dermalogica AGE Bright Clearing Serum,  Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant Exfoliator
Best Tools: T3 Whirl Trio Interchangeable Styling Wand Set, T3 SinglePass™ Luxe Professional Straightening and Styling Iron, Beauty Blender Nude
Home: Joe Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Candle, Joe Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Candle
Haircare: Together Beauty Purple Reign Shampoo, Together Beauty Dreamer Overnight Repair Mask , Together Beauty Flower Supply Hair Oil
Eyes: Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eyeshadow Palette – Pillow Talk Collection, Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow
Face: Dior BACKSTAGE Glow Face Palette  (Universal, Glitz)
Foundation: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation, Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation

The above list is my tried-and-true, multi-time-purchased, favourites across the board. I’ve included quick links above so you can read all the reviews on it on Sephora, but if you’re interested in my personal every-day-girl-opinion, read on. 

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum

• my holy grail of serums for the past 5 years
• this serum does it all – hydrates, balances, tones, evens
• if you’re new to serums, this is one to try – it’s won the most awards and is Canada’s #1 top selling serum
• I find that I always wake up looking brighter and my skin looking more glowy and even than when I went to sleep 
• doesn’t clog pores
• can use it both day and night, don’t let the name fool you

Dermalogica AGE Bright Clearing Serum

• a newer serum to my regimine but loving it so far for my cystic acne that’s decided to have a flare up these past few months
• calms down my skin but doesn’t dry it out
• pimples don’t disappear overnight but they look ultimately smaller and less inflamed
• leaves my skin and scars looking brighter

Dermalogica Daily Superfoliant Exfoliator

• this is my holy grail of exfoliators (for acne prone skin); for not acne prone skin, I recommend the Daily Exfoliant
• for those with acne, it’s important to exfoliate to get rid of build up of dead skin cells clogging pores, but not in a way that irritates. This one actually does that
• it’s a pure powder form that you mix with a bit of water. Sounds complicated but it actually really easy to use
• use at night and your skin will feel 1000x better, cleaner, smoother, and less clogged
• will last you for months and months. Took me 5 months to finish one so it’s well worth the money 

T3 Whirl Trio Interchangeable Styling Wand Set

• This was my first introduction to T3 and instantly won me over
• Love that this set includes the interchangeable attachments and base. This will forever change how and how many tools you buy. This is one of my favourite innovations from T3
• I find T3 products really gentle on my hair and also hold shape
• These 3 barrels will cover all of your bases from tight curls to beachy waves

T3 SinglePass™ Luxe Professional Straightening and Styling Iron

• If you’re into that tousled S-wave, you’ll need a straightener
• This straightener has made wave-ing easy for me and also straightens like a dream
• it’s light weight
• I find that this one doesn’t fry my hair 

Beauty Blender Nude

• There are a lot of beauty blenders on the market, but this one is still worth the dime
• doesn’t break down and can be washed a ton of times
• applies ALL my make up evenly (but is the best for blending face make up)
• doesn’t absorb make up like other sponges, so you’re not wasting as much product
• the beige colour is my favourite because it camouflages with your make up and doesn’t constantly look gross

Joe Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Candle

• my favourite scent from Joe Malone that I like to splurge on every once in a while
• without even burning the candle, the scent emanates throughout the house
• this is a really nice, light, and refreshing scent, perfect for the Spring season
• the candle itself is a beautiful decor piece. Makes for a great Mother’s Day present

Together Beauty Purple Reign Shampoo

• Clean hair care that actually works
• the bottle seems small but a little goes a long way with this product
• was super surprised when it worked as well on my hair as my other purple shampoos loaded with chemicals
• doesn’t stain hair purple
• brightens without making your blonde look grey

Together Beauty Dreamer Overnight Repair Mask

• instantly makes any hair feel renewed and treated
• feels like a salon Keratin treatment, but at home
• smells divine and spa-like
• I find that my hair is less frizzy after usage
• little goes a long way

Together Beauty Flower Supply Hair Oil

• officially my favourite multi-use oil of all time now
• non-greasy formula and can be used both on hair as well as body
• I find that it really helps my super dry patches on my elbows and hands
• scent is divine and really does feel like you’re in a floral infused spa
• great for damaged hair and makes your hair feel smooth and shiny (but not greasy)

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eyeshadow Palette – Pillow Talk Collection

• one of my favourite palettes for so long now
• super easy to use and the colours look great on their own or together
• pigment payoff is great (don’t need a lot to add colour to your eyes)
• they blend nicely with all skin tones
• great for everyday; add a swipe of the glitter (bottom left) with your fingertips for a night-out

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow

• legit my every-day lazy eyeshadow
• dip your finger in, swipe across the lid, blend a bit and you’re out the door
• the pinky-flushed shade is my favourite because it looks like you’ve spent an hour on your eyeshadow when it took you 5s
• really easy to use
• a little goes a long way
• compact and great to bring with you on the go

Dior BACKSTAGE Glow Face Palette

• one of my favourite face palettes of all time
• I use it as both a contour and highlight palette
• shimmer is not intense in the deeper colours
• adds a natural glow to your face, great for every day use
• goes the extra mile and can also be used as eyeshadow
• if you’re looking for one palette to do it all, it’s this one
• surprisingly affordable for a designer palette

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation

• all-star long lasting, high coverage foundation
• even if you have a lot of scars or acne, one pump of this is all you need
• doesn’t settle into cracks
• doesn’t make my face look or feel oily
• doesn’t dry out my face or crack throughout the day
• buildable full coverage

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Longwear Foundation

• one of my holy grail foundations that I’ve been wearing since I was 14
• full coverage, but not cakey
• if you get a chance, get your shade matched. There are a plethora of shades
• doesn’t budge, low-transfer 
• extremely long lasting and doesn’t crease/wear poorly
• feels great on skin and doesn’t feel like you’re wearing full coverage foundation
• wished that it had a pump, but still worth every penny

And if you’re reading this during the blessed week that is the Sephora Sale, it’s a good time to try out and stock up on some of these personal cult favourites of mine. Sephora almost never goes on sale, so to be able to get your favourites (and otherwise sometimes pricier investments) while saving a few bucks is bomb.com

Depending on what type of Sephora member you are, you’ll get a different level of discount and are only able to shop at a certain time. If you’re none of these member types right now – no fear! You can actually sign up as a Sephora Beauty Insider for free whenever you want and instantly get the first tiered level of discounts (see below)

If you’re reading this during the global crisis, there’s no better time than now at home, to play with new things, to treat yourself to something that makes you feel pretty (or none of the above). Do and buy what brings you joy. Don’t buy what you think you don’t need, but also remember that time is short and you deserve to have nice things. 

Sending you all my love, glitter, and shimmer. Happy Sephora shopping friends!

What are some of your holy grail Sephora Must Have products? Have you tried or used any of these products?