The Sephora Sale is Here 💄
And I'm showing you what's in my cart
I took a brief hiatus from Substack last week while I was in the Hudson Valley for a beauty and wellness event at The Henson. It was très chic.
Then I bopped down to the city to pay a visit to Pop Up Grocer and see my three children: Sidekick, Glisten Up!, and my Blue Bliss Pre Rolls on the shelves of our first NYC retailer. PUG isn’t my first or only retailer, but it was prettttyyy cool and very surreal to see my products on the shelves alongside other brands I love so much, in the Big Apple.
I got my city fix, and now it’s back to business as usual at the farm. And boy does it feel like the perfect time to be on a farm.
Tensions are high right now, so let’s keep light and keep it bright - with the Sephora sale! For those of you who don’t know, I was an amateur makeup artist in a past life, and also attended the aesthetics academy in Austin to be certified in advanced skincare ingredients and various medical aesthetics procedures. These days, I’m the creator of a wellbeauty company that happens to make one of the most glowy, dewy face mists on the planet. Suffice to say, I’m a makeup and skincare girlie.
Let’s get some admin out of the way with a quick breakdown of the sale dates:
Sephora Insider sale is now through 11/11. 30% off Sephora Collection and 10% off everything else with code SAVINGS
Sephora VIB is now through 11/11 and gets you 20% off your order with code SAVINGS
Sephora Rouge members gets you 20% through 11/11 with code SAVINGS
As a responsible, frugal business owner (ahem, please don’t ask me how much I just spent on Taylor Swift tickets), I am a meager Insider member because I haven’t been a big Sephora spender this past year. But even us measly Insiders can benefit.
I’m going to include a poll.
Don’t be shy and please participate in the polls. They’re fun and anonymous.
One quick aside just for you, dear reader.
I realize you could be doing anything else right now. Doom scrolling IG or TikTok, reading a book, or diving into your email inbox, but you’re here! And I appreciate that.
Substack runs on likes and comments, in other words, your engagement with this post. Please give this post a 💛 to support Mall Talk, and leave a comment if you feel compelled. This will help my little seedling newsletter to grow 🌱
This post feels so light and fluffy compared to my usual essays, so I’m going to enjoy the whimsy and you should too. Alright, let’s get into it!
Skin
At 36, my desires and expectations from my skincare have shifted. I used to be all matte this and matte that. I still don’t want my skin to look WET the way some people do, but what I really desire is BOUNCY skin. It’s the dewy, plump look.
With makeup, less is more these days. A touch of concealer, a swipe of blush, a full brow, and I’m out the door. Oh and let’s not forget a lip. I never forget a lip.
Mind you, I am supplementing my skin internally as much as externally with resveratrol and NAD supplements, because you know, beauty comes from within and all that racket. But for real, it kind of does, especially when it comes to mood. When I’m happy I actually do look prettier and more radiant. Be happy, goddammit.
Concealer
Here’s the deal. I’ve always had dark circles. You can look at photos of me as a 5 year old and I had them. At this point I like to think, hey, heroin chic. But given that I’m not Kate Moss, it’s best to have a high coverage concealer on hand for those days I want to look idk, alive?
For the last six months I’ve been hooked on my Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer in shade silk 2.5. It’s high coverage, creamy, and blendable, not drying. Before that, it was the classic NARS creamy concealer. But I’ve been hearing lots of great things about the Natasha Denona concealer, so that is what I shall do.
NATASHA DENONA Hy-Glam Brightening & Hydrating Medium to Full Coverage Crease Proof Serum Concealer in shade R2 - light rosy.
Moisturizer
I hardly apply moisturizers anymore since using Glisten Up! morning and night, but a little extra in winter can’t hurt, so I’m going to try the Inn Beauty Project Extreme Cream. It contains peptides, bio-retinol and ceramides, so I respect that they brought the heavy hitters to the party. From what I hear, it goes on like a glaze. We shall see.
I’m getting this in the travel size so I can bring it with me to cold rainy London this winter and decide if I love it before committing to the big daddy.
SPF
This will be my third repurchase of the Summer Fridays ShadeDrops SPF. Finding an SPF that wears beautifully on its own or under makeup is finding a needle in a haystack. They’re always too slippery, too oily, too matte, they pill, they leave a white caste… on and on. Summer Fridays hits it out of the park for me. It’s lightweight, non greasy, no pigment, hydrating, non-pilling, wears beautifully under makeup, and I’m a fan of the squeeze to apply packaging. Easy, no-mess application. And it DOESN’T LEAK. Why does everything leak these days?
Lip
Lip is my all-time favorite beauty category. There’s something about putting on the right gloss, liner, or lipstick that can completely turn your day around and make you feel powerful, like a bad bitch, if you will. I’m practicing some restraint, so I’ve whittled it down to three. I think they’re great shades for winter. Here are my picks for lip:
Makeup by Mario Sculpting Pencil in Almond
Makeup Forever Artist Color Pencil in Wherever Walnut
EADEM Le Chouchou Exfoliating + Softening Peptide Lip Balm in color Boba Bounce, a rich, soft brown.
I also just love how EADEM displays their colors on their PDP.
Hair
I’ve never considered myself a big hair product girl until I fell into a hair rut over the summer and had to take a good hard look in the mirror. Who is this girl I see?
A girl in a seriously hair rut, that’s who. So I’m taking action.
First, I’m restocking my beloved Crown Affair dry shampoo for the zillionth time. I have very fine hair, and I find that the rice-based powder is easy to massage into my scalp and hide even with my dark brown hair. Unlike many of the aerosol dry shampoos, this one doesn’t leave my hair feeling tacky. Instead, it soaks up excess oil and makes it feel even softer.
But wait! I’ve selected a second product from Crown Affair which I’ll be trying for the first time. The Texturizing Air Dry Mousse. Look, I haven’t been a mousse girl since 2004. But I think this is just what my long, barely-wavy hair needs to look beachy and effortless. I’ll report back.
And that’s a wrap for my basket! I know you’ve all got a lot happening on your feeds, in your inboxes, and on TV so I’m keeping it short and sweet this week. If you need a little retail therapy, the Sephora sale is here for you, and if you need some good old comedy gold, vintage RHONY is always, ALWAYS, there for you. Who needs therapy when you have Sonja Morgan.
Bonus for my RHONY fans who need a good chuckle this morning. If you go to Agelessbyramona.com you are brought to this unhinged, black hole of a landing page. Would you like to go to “skincare products,” “face products,” or “skin products”? Is this some kind of riddle? A trap? It’s mind-bending. It’s - dare I say - diabolical.
Thanks for reading Mall Talk!