President’s Day is here, which means Sephora is having a truly excellent sale. Deals on lipsticks, eye-shadow palettes, and skin-care abound, and last season’s holiday makeup kits are pretty much dirt cheap. Some of the buzziest influencer collaborations of yesteryear are on sale, too, including the (in our opinion, very much worth owning) Jackie Aina x Anastasia Beverly Hills Palette. Below, see what else is worth stocking up on before the sale ends on Monday, February 17.
Packed with antioxidants like lady’s mantle and apothecary herbs, this light, gel-textured cream is ideal for that weird time between winter and spring, and especially great once it really starts to warm up. Its texture also makes it a perfect under-makeup moisturizer. The limited size (0.87 ounces) is currently on sale, and comes in exclusive-to-Sephora packaging.
This limited-edition collab was created with dark skin tones in mind, and offers an array of ultrapigmented, smooth jewel-tone shades. I already own one, and would happily purchase another to make sure I never go without.
Dermaplaning (a form of physical exfoliation that involves scraping off the very top layer of skin) is now something you can do at home thanks to the DermaFlash. It’s a step up from taking an eyebrow razor to your face and comes in four striking shades: hot pink, white, icy green, and baby pink. I do this to my face about once a month (really whenever my lip hair starts to grow in), and while I notice benefits (my moisturizer sinks in better, I’m a touch glowier, and there’s no peach-fuzz halo in my selfies), my favorite part is watching the dead skin gunk up on the razor and seeing the smooth skin it leaves behind.
I got a facial at Instagrammable facial bar Heyday recently, and when asked if I wanted a salicylic-acid peel, I politely declined, so the facialist offered me a pumpkin-enzyme mask instead. Pumpkin has natural exfoliating and brightening qualities, she told me, and while it didn’t entirely unclog my absurdly tiny pores, it was a start. This mask isn’t an exact dupe for what was slathered on my skin at Heyday, but it’s a very good option: It exfoliates on three levels (manual, chemical, enzymatic) and helps with unclogging pores and uneven texture.
Blush palettes are difficult, mostly because they never really work for everyone like they claim. This one is a good option because there’s an array of shades — from white gold to matte mahogany and some good midrange shades in between.
In the world of statusy eye-shadow palettes, Natasha Denona tops the list. Her sunset palette is the topic of many “Is this worth it” reddit threads and the quality is unmatched. There are two palettes currently on sale, this one and the Lila Eyeshadow Palette, but this is definitely the better deal because good mattes are notoriously hard to find.
Sucking gunk out of skin is practically my love language, so the fact that there’s something on the market that will allow me to do it from the privacy of my home is incredible. This microderm tool from PMD is one of the best options out there, and uses patented spinning-disc technology to support circulation and get rid of dead skin.
Fenty Beauty’s holiday 2019 drops were some of my favorites of the season, offering up the fantasy shades we rarely see throughout the year. It isn’t the most wearable highlighter palette of the bunch, but gives me options, and there are a couple of practical gold options in the mix as well.
Sure, I could drink water out of a cup or my sticker-covered Nalgene, but there’s something about a glass bottle in a spiked silicone cozy that makes me want to hydrate. I’ve been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these for ages, and now I have no excuse.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
