Sephora has been my go-to beauty store for more than a decade now. It’s where I “invested” in my first Urban Decay Naked eye-shadow palette as a teen, discovered the magic of a good AHA/BHA exfoliator, and where I continue to browse for new, buzzy brands. I almost always leave spending more than intended, which is why I stick to their sales. Their Black Friday deals are actually good, making it a great time to restock my empties, test things I’m curious about, and buy gifts for the other beauty obsessives in my life. And if you’re a Beauty Insider, you get free standard shipping with no minimum purchase required as an extra perk.
Every day this week, they’re dropping prices on products from different brands, from Makeup Forever and IT Cosmetics to Peter Thomas Roth and Fenty Beauty. We’ve prioritized the products we’ve written about before and have been recommended to us by makeup artists and dermatologists. We also included the biggest discounts on some of our favorite brands. And to make shopping even easier, we’ve broken this post up into categories: makeup, skin care, and hair care. We’ll be updating this post as deals start rolling in — and if last year was any indication, don’t dilly-dally: Lots of picks tend to sell out fast.
Lastly, if you have more shopping to do, be sure to sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates. We’ve finished our final stock check as of Friday evening, but be sure to check back in Monday morning for more Cyber Monday deals.
Makeup
Today, all of Beautyblender’s products are discounted, including its original makeup sponge. I use mine daily for everything from applying foundation and blush to blending in contour.
This is a must for me too, because I can’t stand the thought of using my Beautyblender after it’s touched everything in my makeup bag or sat on a countertop. Mine has lasted years and is incredibly easy to clean.
Lots of makeup artists told us this is great not only for cleaning their sponges, but also stripping brushes of dirt and oil without damaging bristles. Its formula claims to protect against up to 99.7 percent of germs for up to 24 hours.
We’re not surprised that most of Fenty’s on-sale products have already sold out. But we found a couple of still-in-stock products at a discount. This gel-based body luminizer adds a high-shine finish, and is nearly 50 percent off.
If you want more of a powder formula (or even more body glitter), the brand’s face and body highlighter is on sale in the specific Cognac Candy shade.
We also found the brand’s standout nonsticky lip gloss in solid form on sale for just $13. Two of the shades are sold out, but you can still get it in Rio’s favorite nude shade: Fenty Glow.
While this skin tint was originally recommended to us as a foundation for teens, it’s excellent for anyone who wants to achieve “subtle coverage and a dewy glow without the need for a highlighter.” What’s better is that it’s made with coral-reef-safe broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen.
This easy-to-use brow pencil helped actress Lana Condor with her eyebrow journey. “I was gonna say you can’t really mess up, but that’s a lie, you can — but it’s just a lot harder with this pencil because it has a very, very fine point,” she told the Cut. Plus, it’s made with a waterproof formula that lasts up to 12 hours.
Here’s another celebrity-approved brow product. “It thickens your brows and makes them more even,” Alaska Thunderfuck told us. “Now, I will never be seen without this product on my eyebrows. It lasts the whole day, and I even sleep in it.”
Huda Beauty’s highly pigmented palettes have been on our radar for a while. The brand is a go-to for one celebrity makeup artist we spoke to because “the formulation of these shadows are so buttery and glide on the eye with maximum impact,” they told us. You can get its palettes for more than half the price today.
Here’s a bolder palette, if the pastel palette doesn’t suit you (or if you want to stock up).
Tarte’s best known for its cult-favorite Shape Tape concealer, but another concealer option from the brand is 40 percent off. This one’s more lightweight and has a natural finish, while still providing long-lasting full coverage.
As mentioned, Sephora does an excellent job at finding the best tried-and-tested and emerging brands, so you can trust that its curated sets are stocked with all-around goodies too. This one comes with minis of its best-selling clean products, including Rio’s favorite “rich yet nongreasy moisturizer” from Biossance, an acne-scar-reducing serum approved by a skin-care blogger, and a mascara that the Cut says is great for anyone with sensitive eyes.
Skin care
You can get this set of three (including a full size Dark Spot Toner and travel sizes of the Banana Bright Vitamin C Serum and C-Rush Brightening Gel Creme) for about the cost of one full-size bottle of Rio’s remedy for under-eye circles.
If you enjoy giving your face a deep clean, drag queen Farrah Moan recommends this Kate Somerville exfoliating cleanser, now 40 percent off.
For removing even the most stubborn waterproof makeup, look no further than Clinique’s effective, nonirritating formula. “It removes everything without irritating the eyes and does not leave a greasy residue,” one makeup artist told us.
The wipes, which use the same formula as the makeup remover above, are also on sale. These specific ones are also great for anyone taking Accutane, since they don’t require rinsing and actually impart moisture on the skin.
If you’re looking to step up your skin-care routine, this alcohol-free toner is great at getting rid of residual dirt and residue post-cleanse without stripping your skin. It’s formulated with a soothing calendula extract and moisturizing burdock root extract.
Peter Thomas Roth’s creamy hyaluronic-acid moisturizer is one of our favorites for oily skin. It locks in moisture with its oil-free, noncomedogenic formula, so “your skin will look plump and brightened, but not greasy.”
When we sought out the best skin-care routine for your 50s, Kiehl’s vitamin C serum was recommended for “targeting dullness, fine lines, and wrinkles.” All three sizes of it are deeply discounted, with its midsize option already sold out.
Beauty podcaster Jackie Johnson loves this lightweight sunscreen, because “not only does it help with the UV rays, they also help protect your skin against HEV light, which comes out of your computer and phone and all that.”
NuFACE’s microcurrent devices have been recommended to us by plenty of people — from dermatologists, celebrity aestheticians, and actresses — because it essentially stimulates collagen to help prevent sagging and fine lines. Right now, you can snag the standard-size device at a good discount.
This set is also on sale, which includes a mini-size of the toning device, the activator gel, the activator cream, and a handy applicator.
Hair care
This hair straightener comes recommended by our friends at the Cut. They love that the smart-touch interface “takes all the guesswork out of finding the optimal temperature: Its nine heat settings automatically adjust to your personal profile based on your hair’s texture, length, and color treatments.”
Unsurprisingly, the brand also makes very good hair dryers. This one’s our go-to for travel because it conveniently folds in half and has auto dual voltage.
Christophe Robin makes plenty of Rio-approved hair-care products, including this purifying scrub. She says it’s “a really excellent tool for a Sunday-night deep clean.”
Here’s a set that comes with a full size of the above scrub and travel sizes of their purifying shampoo and detangling conditioner.
Here’s the hair-mask version of the hydrating hair serum that transformed the Cut’s former beauty director’s “crispy hair” into locks “so smooth and silky that I kept running my split ends across my face during Zoom calls to make sure that it was real.”
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.
