Things I'm Loving 10.15.24

We had such a fun weekend, despite what I’m thinking is a painful bout of teething for my younger son. We had family photos taken on Saturday, and then we visited family and went to a pumpkin patch on Sunday! The boys also got their “school pictures” done at daycare last week, so between that and the family photos I’m just excitedly waiting by my email inbox to see how both sets came out. I’m usually not big into fall and Halloween, but I’m really trying to lean into it this year to make special memories for my kids!

Commodity Velvet Expressive Eau de Parfum | I’ve still been rotating through my perfumes almost daily, but I’ve been reaching for this one again and again. I love the Commodity fragrances and how they evoke a specific place or feeling. Velvet is my favorite that I’ve tried - on me it smells so similar to Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace, but it has much better lasting power. It smells sweet and smoky, almost like being at a campfire, and it’s just the perfect cool-weather scent. The top note is coconut water, middle notes are roasted almonds and rose petals, and the base notes are vanilla, amber, and smoky musk. I’m hooked.

Olive & June Long-Lasting Nail Polish in ‘Garnet Glass’ | My nails are still a little sad and broken, but the cuticle serum I mentioned last week is helping a lot. I finally painted my nails for the first time since the summer since they’re not feeling so weak and brittle lately and chose this new Olive & June shade - their nail polishes are my favorite. They have a great brush and the polishes hold up really well for me with minimal chipping, despite me being really hard on my hands at work. Garnet Glass is such a good fall shade, a deep berry-toned red, and it’s one of their jelly polishes so if your nails are less beat-up than mine you can wear it for a sheer wash of color that would be really pretty! I built mine up with an extra coat to be more opaque though, and I love how it looks.

Hot Cocoa Lip Balms - Glossier Balm Dotcom & Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm | Two of my favorite balm formulas have come out with Hot Cocoa scents recently, and I’ve really been loving both! They smell quite similar, but the colors and formulas are different: Glossier has a slippy-er, petroleum jelly texture, while Summer Fridays is a thicker, plush balm. I find that I can feel the Glossier hanging around on my lips for longer than the Summer Fridays, and it leaves more of a glossy sheen. I really do love them both though, though I prefer the shade of the Glossier - it’s a little more of a cool, red-brown, while the Summer Fridays balm is more of a true, neutral-leaning-warm brown.

Madewell Perfect Vintage Wide-Leg Crop Jeans | I wore my favorite pair of Madewell jeans for our family photos, and while they no longer offer the exact style I had (mine are at least three years old), these are almost identical. I think Madewell’s Perfect Vintage line just fit me the best of any jeans I’ve tried, and though they’re pricey, they really are much better quality than cheaper brands I’ve worn before.

ILIA Lip Sketch in ‘Rhyme’ | I haven’t mentioned this yet in one of these posts, but I’ve been going back to it time and again since I got it over the summer. I think all of ILIA’s products are brilliant, and I’ve been really impressed by these lip crayons. They have a a natural matte finish and feel super comfortable on the lips - they don’t feel dry at all. Rhyme is such a good shade, a cool pink-mauve. I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but that’s my favorite kind of shade!

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Things I'm Loving 10.01.24

This past week felt not quite as hectic as the week before, so I came into this week feeling a little more rested. This week is going to be an exciting one as I’m going on a trip with my mom and sister over the weekend - it’ll be the longest I’ve been away from both of my babies (2 nights)! Here’s what I’ve been loving this week:

Birkenstock Boston Clogs | Now that it’s fall I’ve been so excited to break out my clogs again. I guess these are pretty polarizing, but I love them. They’re comfortable and pretty much go with anything. I have the “Mink” shade, which is a nice, warm brown, but I think I want to add a cooler taupe shade to my closet soon (although maybe I’ll go for a dupe rather than the real thing).

Armani Luminous Silk Glow Blush in ‘Ecstasy’ | I got this blush last spring (that’s how old the photo for this post is!) and have recently been dipping into it again. Everyone talks about the Armani Liquid Blushes, which I’m still dying to try, but this one is so beautiful and deserves lots of attention, too. It’s such a silky smooth powder that glides over the skin and blends so easily. Ecstasy is a really pretty cool pink that adds the perfect flush - it’ll be a great “just came in from the cold” blush as the weather cools down.

Sephora Collection Retractable Waterproof Eyebrow Pencil | I usually use a brow powder on a daily basis, but when I’m in a hurry I like to reach for a pencil instead. My normal go-to’s are on the pricier side, but since it’s something I don’t use super often, the last time I needed a new pencil I tried out this more affordable one from Sephora Collection. It’s great! I don’t think I’ll go back to my more expensive pencils. It has a really fine tip to create hairlike strokes, it lasts well all day without fading, and the shade is great and doesn’t pull too warm, as some cheaper eyebrow pencils I’ve tried do.

Maison Louis Marie Antidris Cassis Perfume Oil | I’m normally a “signature scent” kind of person, so I’ll pick one perfume that I’ll wear every day in each season, but lately I’ve been switching up what I’m wearing instead, and I’m rediscovering so many of my old favorites! I’m surprised I don’t see many people mention this one. This brand is on the more “affordable” side of things when it comes to fragrances, and since it’s an oil, a little goes a long way. The scent is so lovely - to me it smells exactly like the Diptyque Baies candle! I find it works well year-round because it’s a bit fresh from the rose and blackcurrant notes, but there’s also a warmth to it that works as the weather cools down.

Clinique Chubby Stick in ‘Fuller Fig’ | If you’re looking for THE flushed, everyday lip for fall this is it. Clinique Chubby Sticks are classics for a reason - they’re easy to apply, comfortable, and last well for a moisturizing lip product. I haven’t really found anything quite like Fuller Fig - it’s just the perfect mix of red, brown, and berry. I think it would be beautiful on everyone! This gets a permanent spot in my rotation every fall.

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Sephora VIB Spring Sale Recommendations

It’s that time again! Sephora’s Spring VIB Sale is just around the corner (details below), so I’m rounding up some more favorites in case you’re looking for some new things to try. As always, though, there shouldn’t be any pressure to shop just because there’s a sale. Often these brands will have better sales on their own websites, especially if you’re not a VIB Rouge. If you’re looking to get products from a lot of different brands Sephora carries and/or you’re a VIB Rouge member, I think that’s your best bet to save a decent amount of money in the sale. I’ll link my last Sephora Sale Recommendations post here, because many of the products mentioned in that post are still my favorites, and I’d still recommend all of them. If I repeat any of them here that means they’re pretty much *holy grail* status for me at this point. But check that post for even more suggestions!

Also a disclaimer - all of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you place an order after visiting one of the links here, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate any and all support from readers of my blog! And make sure if you want to support your favorite content creator with their affiliate links, place your order through a browser and not the Sephora app - the app will break the links, and the creator will no longer get credit for your purchase.

Sale details are as follows:

VIB Rouge 20% off 04/09 - 04/19

VIB 15% off 04/13 - 04/19

Beauty Insider 10% off 04/15 - 04/19

All levels get the discount with the code OMGSPRING

You can shop in store/use the code online as many times as you want.

Fragrance

Maison Louis Marie Antridis Cassis Perfume Oil - I’ll start with two fragrances, since it seems like everyone is going a bit fragrance-crazy right now. I picked this up on a whim with an early birthday giftcard last month, and I’ve been wearing it nonstop. It smells exactly like the Diptyque Baies candle, which is one of my favorite scents, and I always wished Diptyque would make it into a perfume. If the fresh blackberry and rose scent is not for you, I’d recommend any of these perfume oils that have notes you usually like - the bottle is teeny tiny, but a little goes a very long way. The fragrance lasts all day on me, and I can even smell it on my clothes days later, but because it’s an oil, the scent stays close to the skin. Those are my favorite kinds of scents - when only people you let get close to you can smell them.

Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Pure Perfume - I mentioned this at the end of my last Sephora post, saying I had this in my cart for the fall sale, and I did end up buying it. It’s become one of my favorite fragrances, which was surprising because I usually only wear perfumes with rose in them. This is a warm, spicy vanilla scent that isn’t overly sweet and turns more woody and musky as it settles into your skin. It was my favorite to wear in the colder months, but I can see this kind of scent working in the spring and summer, too.

Makeup

Face

MERIT The Minimalist Foundation & Concealer Stick - I was all over MERIT when they launched at Sephora a couple months ago. Their effortless, “on-the-go” products just spoke to me! I think my favorite of the products I’ve tried so far has been the Foundation & Concealer Stick. I have the shade Silk, which is a great match for my face. It’s so easy to throw on and blend out with my fingers, so it’s always what I reach for when I’m in a rush. It looks really skinlike and is neither too matte nor too dewy, so it works really well to just even out a few areas while blending into the rest of your skin.

Saie Glowy Super Gel - This has been one of my favorites for a while, and now Saie is at Sephora! My favorite product from the lineup is the Glowy Super Gel. It’s one of those hybrid products that can be used all-over before makeup, mixed into foundation, or applied on top of makeup as a highlighter. My favorite way to use it is as a highlighter, or to mix into liquid/cream blushes to make them extra glowy. It’s a lightweight lotion texture that doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. It gives the prettiest natural glow, rather than leaving lots of shimmer behind.

Danessa Myricks Vision Flush Cheek, Eye, & Lip Color - This is another exciting brand to recently launch at Sephora! I’ve been trying out different Danessa Myricks products since last summer, and I’m so happy I can get some of the line at Sephora now. I love the Vision Flush as a blush. I have the shade Bread n’ Butter, which is the most perfect warm pink. A little goes a very long way, so the tube will last forever. It blends out like a dream and stays put. It has a satin finish, which I love - it has some luminosity in the light, but it doesn’t slide around or feel tacky.

bareMinerals Gen Nude Blonzer - In the spring and summer I’m all about a sunkissed/sunburned blush look, so let me tell you I RAN to the bareMinerals website as soon as these launched. I have the shade ‘Kiss of Pink,’ which I believe is the shade named ‘Light’ on Sephora’s website. It’s probably one of the prettiest blushes I have. It’s the most perfect warm pink - it makes me look sunkissed without veering into orange territory. There isn’t shimmer per se, but it does have a lovely glow to it once applied. The formula is soft and blendable, and it’s so easy to build up to your desired level of pigmentation - sometimes I want just a touch of warmth, and other times I really pile it on to look like I’ve spent the day in the sun.

NARS Air Matte Cream Blush - I’ve seen some mixed reviews on these lately, but I’ve been wearing mine nonstop. It has a silicone-y, putty-like feel that goes on quite sheer, but builds and blends well. I pat it on with my fingers, but it does seem like the kind of formula that might move foundation around underneath it when applied with a brush. I still love it for how easy it is to apply with fingers and how seamlessly it blends into my skin. I have the shade Freedom, which is a mauve-y pink color.

Eyes

bareMinerals Strength & Length Serum-Infused Mascara - I’m always on the hunt for new mascaras to try (even though I really, really love the ILIA Mascara), and I’ve recently fallen for this one by bareMinerals. It has an interesting paddle-shaped wand that pushes and combs product through the lashes. It’s my favorite for everyday - it’s very lengthening and defining and looks quite natural. It lasts all day on me without smudging or flaking. I like that it feels soft and weightless on my lashes and is supposedly nourishing them - some mascaras feel so dry and crispy that it feels like my eyelashes will snap off, but this doesn’t feel like that at all.

Tartelette Juicy Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette - If you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you’re sick of hearing me go on and on about how excited I am to be able to wear eyeshadow again. So I’ve got lots of new eyeshadow favorites to share. I just got this new palette from Tarte last weekend as a birthday present, and I’m already so in love with it. I loved their other Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palettes back in the day, so I knew I’d reach for this one a lot. The color story is perfect to me - I love wearing pink and peach shades on my eyes, especially in the spring and summer. The shadows are soft and blendable and wear well all day without fading (I do use an eye primer, though). If you get one thing in the sale and this color story speaks to you, then get this!

Danessa Myricks Colorfix Eye, Cheek, & Lip Cream Pigments - I’ve been getting so much use out of these lately because my favorite way to wear them is as eyeshadows. They’re a gel consistency that apply and blend beautifully, and once they set they do not budge. These work really well on my oily, prone to creasing eyelids. There are so many shades in a bunch of different finishes. My favorites lately are the Metallics in Celebration (a perfect everyday bronze) and Romance (a mauve-y pink I’m wearing in this photo), and the Milky Way one is such a stunning foiled shade if you’re looking for something ultra eye-catching.

Natasha Denona Glam Eyeshadow Palette - I mentioned this in my last Sephora post, but now that I’ve gotten more use out of it I wanted to come back and tell you again yes, this is worth buying. I love wearing cool tones and so I was psyched about this color story when this launched. I like that it’s cool-toned, but it’s doesn’t really lean too purple or too gray. It’s perfect, and the formula is stunning, as you would expect from Natasha Denona.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eyeshadows - A last-minute addition because I can’t stop reaching for them. They’re so easy to use, there’s tons of shades to choose from, they’re easy to blend, and they don’t budge all day. What more could you want? My favorite shade I just can’t stop wearing is Moonlight, a glimmering cool beige.

Lips

Kaja Gloss Shot Hydrating Lip Gloss - I’ve been going a bit balmy/glossy lip-crazy lately, even though it doesn’t really lend itself well to wearing under a mask. Anyway, my favorite of any mentioned here has been the Kaja Gloss Shot. They have a thicker formula that really adheres to the lips and stays put without migrating outside the lip line. They’re not sticky, like it doesn’t feel uncomfortable to rub/smack your lips together, but it’s not as smooth and balmy as something like the Roen Liquid Lip Glosses or Dior Lip Glow Oils. It feels as nourishing as a balm, and although it will transfer under a mask, it doesn’t get smudged around. The shade Pink Drink is the most perfect everyday pink shade.

Bobbi Brown Crushed Shine Jelly Stick - I truly am a sucker for everything in the Crushed lip product line. My newest favorite are these Jelly lipsticks. They’re balmy and nourishing and feel really comfortable throughout the day. They have a sheer finish that can be built from a popsicle stain look to a more pigmented, opaque one. They have a soft shine finish that makes the lips look plump and hydrated. I’ve had the shade Lilac for a couple months, which is a really pretty cool pink, and I just recently got Honey, which is my favorite. It’s the perfect everyday shade that’s equal parts pink and beige. It would actually pair really well with the Kaja Gloss Shot in Pink Drink!

Tower 28 ShineOn Milky Jelly Lip Gloss - I’m late to the party on these, but if you loved their original sheer glosses, you’re going to love these. They have the same nourishing, gel-like formula, but they come in slightly more pigmented everyday shades. These feel more slippery than something like the Kaja Gloss Shots, but I don’t find them to move around. They have a glassy finish that fills in/hides lip lines, so although there are no plumping ingredients, they really do make the lips look fuller! My favorite shade is Coconut, another everyday pink.

Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Glossy Lip Balm - How many different ways can you describe lip gloss? This feels closer to my favorite kind of formula - somewhere in between thick & grippy and thin & slippy, there’s a happy medium of plush and balmy, and that’s what these are. The colors are more of a sheer wash of color that are all really pretty. It feels nourishing as it wears throughout the day, and it lasts for quite awhile for a gloss, too. I have the shade Nearly Mauve, and I love it so much that it lives in my work bag to reapply throughout the day.

Saie Really Great Gloss - These are another “plush and balmy” gloss formula that I’ve loved for a long time. The shade Chill is what I reach for every time if I don’t have time to think about what color to wear - it goes with everything. These have a soft glossy finish rather than being super shiny, and they feel really creamy and comfortable. They also contain apple extract to gently exfoliate while you wear them, and I find they do make my lips look a lot smoother and plumper.

iNNBeauty Project Glaze Lip Oils - I just got these over the weekend to try, but I absolutely fell in love with the formula. It’s plush, balmy, and comfortable, and it reminds me of my favorite Dior Lip Glow Oils (which should be on this list too, but I also haven’t shut up about them since they launched so I figured that one’s a given). Anyway, iNNBeauty Project just came to Sephora. Only two out of the five shades of the Lip Oils are available at Sephora - #1, a sheer red that smells like candy apples, and #3 Frose, a frosty pink that smells like pink lemonade. Of those two, my favorite is the #1. I swatched all five on my TikTok over the weekend.

Skincare

Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask - I mentioned this last time, but it’s just my forever favorite. I’ve lost track of how many tubs I’ve gone through, but I do know I’ll be ordering another replacement in the sale. I use this every night as the last step of my skincare routine (with a little of the REN balm mentioned below mixed in), and my skin absolutely loves it. It keeps my skin moisturized all night long without feeling heavy or sticking to my pillow, and it’s so soothing. I’ve been using it since January 2020, so it takes me through dry winters and also summer nights when I have the air conditioner blasting in my face.

REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm - This is another favorite I just can’t go without. I mix it into the Laneige Sleeping Mask for a bit more soothing and nourishing power, and it works so well for me. If you have any skin irritation this will soothe it right away. When I was still having recurring issues with eczema, this would always help to calm down the irritation and take away some of the scaliness.

Biossance Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm - I’m so picky and sensitive when it comes to lip balms, so when I find one I like, I basically devote myself to it. I love this one from Biossance. It has a jellylike texture that feels plush and comfortable on the lips and adds a nice bit of gloss. I usually only use this one during the day, but it will also last me throughout the night if I apply a thicker layer. This makes my lips look plumper by filling in my lip lines, and usually my morning application will last me until lunch. Despite it having rose in the name, I don’t find this to have any discernible scent.

Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Serum - Paula’s Choice is at Sephora now! There are so many of their products I love, but I think my favorite that’s available at Sephora is this serum. It’s a gel-cream formula with omegas 3, 6, and 9 to help strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier. Barrier-strengthening products are always my favorite. This helps heal damage and irritation and makes skin stronger, more supple, and hydrated.

First Aid Beauty Niacinamide Brightening Eye Cream - I was briefly on an eye cream kick last year, but I keep coming back to this one from First Aid Beauty. It’s perfect for sleepy mornings because it has a peachy tone and slight pearl finish that really brightens up dark undereyes even before concealer. It has a thin, yet still moisturizing, formula that sits well underneath makeup and is just everything I want in a daytime eye cream.

Dermalogica Retinol Clearing Oil - My skin was doing really well for a long time, but I just recently starting breaking out again. I’m pretty sure it’s because I started doing in-person kickboxing classes again in the last month, and all the sweating and heavy breathing into a mask is not doing my skin any favors. I started using this Dermalogica oil again (I loved it last summer) during my nighttime skincare routine and saw an improvement in the frequency and severity of the breakouts in just a week. It has been keeping my skin so smooth and relatively even, and I haven’t experienced any irritation using it every night (I’ve paused all other actives though).

Supergoop! Glowscreen - This is probably still one of my favorite Supergoop products. It’s just so stunning! I don’t use it as my sole sunscreen (it gets a little too glowy if I apply the amount needed for full protection), but it’s just so pretty used on the highpoints of the face as a natural highlighter. But don’t pull a Gwyneth here (I’m not even going to link it here, but I’m referencing her full-of-misinformation routine video that was posted on Vogue recently), I really want to emphasize to make sure you’re wearing the proper amount of another sunscreen underneath if you wear it this way. Anyway, it has a beautiful glowy finish that makes the skin look so healthy and radiant. I always reach for it on minimal makeup days or when my skin needs a pick-me-up!

Hair

Amika Hair Blow Dryer Brush - I got this during the last sale after loving the Revlon one throughout the beginning of 2020, and I just love this one so much more and find it is worth the extra money. The Amika one doesn’t get as hot as the Revlon and I’ve noticed a lot less damage to my hair since I switched. It also doesn’t pull and catch my hair as much, so I’m not seeing as much breakage either. I was never able to figure out how to blowdry my own hair until I tried a blow dry brush, so it’s been such a game-changer for me! It also makes styling my curtain bangs so incredibly easy - I’m going to post an Instagram Reel/Tiktok showing how I do it soon!

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo - I always go back and forth on using dry shampoo, but right now since I’m working out more I’ve been using it a lot more. The Amika one is my favorite - many dry shampoos make my hair feel even dirtier and greasier within a couple hours of applying, but the Amika one doesn’t. It makes my hair actually look clean, and I can still run my hands through my hair without getting a sticky handful of product.

What’s in my cart?

I’m trying to balance getting backups of things I use a lot and also some fun new things to try without going overboard. I’ll definitely be getting refills of the Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask, the REN Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm, and the Biossance Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm mentioned above. I have a lot of skincare to get through and try, but I’m still eyeing two new releases. I don’t use masks too often anymore, but the new Youth to the People Superclay Purify + Clear Power Mask has been getting such rave reviews that I don’t think I can resist. I always bump up my clay mask usage during the summer, too. Similarly, I’ve been hearing all the praise the Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Redness Relief Serum has been getting lately, and as I mentioned above, everything barrier-strengthening is a win for me. I’ve gotten a lot of new makeup recently to test, so there’s not much here, but now that I’m on an eyeshadow kick again I want to try the Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow in Nearly Neutral. I’ve heard nothing but good things about those, too, and Nearly Neutral looks like such a perfect everyday, slap-on-and-go shade. Lastly, I’m pretty satisfied with my hair routine, but the packaging and praise of the BREAD Hair Oil has me seriously considering it! I think it would especially come in handy as more humid days are coming.

Are you shopping the VIB Sale? What’s on your list?