The Sephora Spring Bonus Event is happening again! It starts today for Rouge Beauty Insiders who get first access with a 20% discount off purchases online and in stores using code HEYROUGE. The event is open to Rouge Members from today Friday April 26 to Monday May 6. VIBs and BIs will have access starting next week. Today I have my roundup of the best skincare and haircare items I think are the most splurge-worthy. The event is a great time to save on new tries or stock up on favorites. For those interested in makeup, my holy grail makeup picks to follow in a separate post next week!
Quick recap of dates and codes for Beauty Insiders, valid in both US and Canada, available online and in stores. If you’re not a member yet check out their Beauty Insider page for details on how to join:
- Rouge Members get 20% off, 4/26 through 5/6 with code HEYROUGE
- VIB Members get 15% off, 5/2 through 5/6 with code HEYVIB
- BI Members get 10% off, 5/2 through 5/6 with code HEYINSIDER
I’ve included recommendations by category since I know each person is looking for something a little different. I have normal combination skin that is acne prone. These are my tried and true.
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Face Cleansers and Makeup Removers
- Kate Somerville wins for me on everything! If I had to use one brand of cleanser the rest of my life it would be Kate Somerville. I have to rotate formulas depending on season, but my go-to’s are the Eradikate and Exfolikate to keep skin clean and acne-free.
- Glamglow Supercleanse Clearing Cream to Foam is another great purifying cleanser that doesn’t strip the skin and helps keeps pores clear.
- Farmacy Beauty Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm* is the best solid makeup remover I’ve tried. It’s a solid that transforms into an oil to melt away makeup.
- Farmacy Beauty Clean Bee is another one I’ve been a fan of for oily skin. This is ideal for me on super sweaty workout days or in the summer when my skin gets oily.
- Lancome Eau Micellar is probably the one I’d pick if I had to pick one for the rest of my life.
- Tatcha Pure One Step Camellia Cleansing Oil is always in stock at my home. It’s one of my most-used cleansing oils. Some of you have mentioned to me you’re allergic to Camellia Oil in which case I’d recommend you try SK-II or Bobbi Brown’s instead. (I love that Sephora is one of the few sites that lists ingredients for most of their products.)
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Face Moisturizers
- Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is the best all around everyday moisturizer for me. Even Andrew loves it so much he borrowed mine permanently so I had to buy another jar. It’s hydrating but not heavy and works with most of my foundations.
- Farmacy Beauty Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizer* is another stand out for me. It’s lightweight and also works really well under makeup.
- Tatcha Water Cream* has been a long-time favorite of mine but I just started using the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream* and like it even more. I thought it would be too heavy based on the description but it’s actually not! It offers a more creamy feel than the water version. The Dewy Skin Cream makes the skin look supple and moisturized.
- Eve Lom Brightening Cream is another nice super lightweight moisturizer that has a subtle brightening effect. I’ve used this one for years and it never fails me.
- Glow Recipe Watermelon Juice is the best lightweight gel moisturizer. It’s been with me on most every trip since I discovered it. It’s great for humid weather on days I want something ultra light.
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Face Masks and Special Treatments
- Glamglow Supermud Clearing Treatment Mask is my most-used mask EVER. It’s the perfect pore refining and clarifying mud mask. Anytime I feel like my skin is clogged or breakouts are surfacing this helps tremendously.
- Glamglow Flashmud Brightening Treatment Mask is another favorite that brightens and exfoliates.
- Drunk Elephant TLC Baby Facial is the only 1 of 3 acid treatments I liked enough to use consistently. Anytime someone tells me my skin looks smooth and glowing in person it’s usually after I’ve used this.
- Sunday Riley Good Genes is a night time lactic acid treatment that works to retexturize the skin. This is pretty strong for me but effective. I don’t use this every night – I typically use this whenever I feel like my skin is having texture issues. If you’re unsure about splurging on this definitely try it in a mini in one of the sets like the Flash Fix Kit or Power Trio Set.
- Farmacy Beauty Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Mask is my favorite hydrating mask. For me this is huge as I really don’t like honey masks because of their thick gooey texture. This one is one I really like to help with dryness and dullness.
- Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Mask is another great calming and hydrating mask. It makes me feel like a brand new person when I use this one.
- Kiehl’s Blue Herbal Spot Treatment is one of Andrew’s favorite spot treatments. It has 2% salicylic acid and we’ve been testing out a lot of pimple treatments. This is a winner for him.
- Kate Somerville D-Scar Diminishing Serum works for both of us. I am embarrassed to admit I burned my forehead badly on four separate occasions with the curling iron. It was only a light tap on accident but contact was long enough to leave burn marks and scars. This helped reduce them back to my normal skin state. Andrew had bad acne scars from cystic acne. They normally go away with time he recently had some really bad ones. He put this on his shoulder area and it also made his scar disappear quickly.
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Scrubs and Exfoliators
I’m combining favorites for face and body in this one! I’ve always felt exfoliation is a key part of my skincare routine for the face and body to help get rid of dead skin cells and excess oil. Long-wear formulas for makeup and sunscreen are often hard to remove with just cleanser so exfoliating is key. Ones I find effective but gentle:
- Kate Somerville Exfolikate Intensive Treatment is hands down the best intense scrub I’ve tried. It is pretty intense so if you have sensitive skin it may be too strong for you. I use this once a week to keep skin glowing.
- Fresh Sugar Face Polish is the best hydrating face scrub. It dissolves when you rub it into the skin and is super gentle.
- REN Skincare Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Salt Scrub is the best hydrating balm in scrub form. It’s expensive and for me goes fast with how frequently I use it. It leaves the skin feeling hydrated and smooth without being greasy.
- Ouai Scalp and Body Scrub is my all time favorite body scrub. I have yet to try it on the scalp but for the body it smells sooo so good and I love it to pieces.
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Body Moisturizer, Glow Products and Fragrance
- Kopari Coconut Melt is my favorite body moisturizer. I put it on my body at night before I go to bed and wake up with super soft skin.
- Sol de Janiero Glomotions in Copacabana Bronze and Rio Sunset are my new favorite glow products. I haven’t really been into body glows but I love the subtle sheen these give to the legs and arms. It’s perfect for warm weather date nights.
- Tom Ford Soleil Blanc Body Oil has been a staple for years. It smells like summer in a bottle.
- La Mer Reparative Body Lotion is something I’ve actually only had in minis. This is the most amazing body lotion I’ve ever tried and I have not been able to bring myself to splurge on it due to the price. I might splurge during this event.
- Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt, Wild Blue Bell and Basil and Neroli are my top three favorites from Jo Malone! I really want to try the new Frangipani.
- Tom Ford Soleil Blanc and Eau de Soleil Blanc are my most-worn scents for summer in a bottle that smells fresh and light. If I had to wear just one perfume the rest of my life it would be either of these. The differences are really slight. One Eau de Soleil is lighter and a little more creamy.
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Sunscreen
- Supergoop! Everyday Sunscreen is my all time favorite. It’s never greasy, moderately hydrating, doesn’t leave a white cast, has no smell and is easy to reapply.
- Supergoop! Sun-Defying Sunscreen Oil with SPF 50 is another favorite. It has a spray tip applicator which makes it easy to apply. It’s not scented so it won’t interfere with perfume. Non-irritating and works well for me.
- Sol de Janiero Bum Bum Sol Oil with SPF 30 is a shimmer oil with sunscreen. I used this in Miami where the sun is super intense (it’s further south from where we live and is a lot hotter there!). It worked well to prevent burning with regular reapplication. The shimmer isn’t gritty and is pretty subtle. It’s strongly scented so if you’re sensitive to strong creamy sweet scents you might want to opt for the Supergoop! instead.
- A few others I’ve tried, loved and reviewed in the past linked below but I am going to do an updated sunscreen post next month.
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Haircare
- Olaplex EVERYTHING! I started using the line when I had my third highlight treatment. The shampoo, conditioner, hair perfector and new bond smoother have been life savers. 100% worth the splurge.
- Christophe Robin is another go-to. I really love his Hydrating Shampoo with Aloe Vera along with the Hydrating Leave-In Mist. I swear by his Shade Variation Care Nutritive Mask with Temporary Coloring in Warm Chestnut, many of you just recommended I try the Baby Blond (purple one) to help with brassy tones. I just ordered a mini and tried it yesterday. I’m ordering the full size!
- Briogeo is a popular line and I haven’t tried much from them but two things I really love are the Farewell Frizz Blow Dry Perfection Heat Protectant and Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioner.
- Ouai Hair Oil is among my favorites for a lightweight shine finishing product that doesn’t weigh down the hair.
- Two dry shampoos I’ve been loving lately are the Amika Perk Up and IGK Jet Lag.
- Slip Small Scrunchie Hair Ties are used daily since I bought them. I think they’re great to tie up hair for workouts or up in general. They don’t snag at all!
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Extras
- Glamglow Supertone Exfoliating Acid Solution Toner is one of the few acids I actually like. It’s not too strong and it’s more of a toner to exfoliate and clarify the skin. I’m so impressed by this. It helped clear up my skin during that time of the month when my face acts up. I use it other times every day only in the evenings.
- Fresh Rose Floral Toner is a nice lightweight hydrating face mist that doubles as a toner.
- Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist is my favorite face mist.
- Sephora Collection Cotton is super affordable and they don’t have those little fibers that stick in your eyes or crevices of your face.
- NARS Afterglow Lip Balm is probably my most-used glow lip balm (even more than Dior Addict Glows).
- Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask is my holy grail lip treatment, if I had to use one the rest of my life this would be it.
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Quick recap on Sephora Beauty Insider Spring Bonus Event details and dates. If you’re not a member yet check out their Beauty Insider page to join:
- Rouge Members get 20% off, 4/26 through 5/6 with code HEYROUGE
- VIB Members get 15% off, 5/2 through 5/6 with code HEYVIB
- BI Members get 10% off, 5/2 through 5/6 with code HEYINSIDER
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I’m doing another giveaway! One reader will receive a $100 eGift card to Sephora. Open internationally but you must be 18 years or older to qualify. Enter by completing at least one of the tasks in the widget below. Winner will be selected on 5/1 and e-mailed that day. Not sponsored or affiliated.
Press samples in post indicated with a *. All other items purchased by me.
