April 9, 2025: Special Sephora Sale Dispatch

And every product I used for my bridal shower.

Popping into your inboxes for a special mid-week dispatch. Today, I’m taking you through my bridal shower makeup look (see below) as well as my Sephora sale picks (for paid subscribers only). For those still hesitant to invest, I’ve lowered by monthly subscription plan to $5 a month for a limited time. Given you’ll save far more than that during the Sephora sale, why not give those funds to your favorite Substack-er?

Now onto my bridal shower. It was great, but we’re here to talk about glam. I always knew I wanted to do my own makeup for the event—I like an opportunity to flex my skills and I’m pretty picky when it comes to makeup artists (unfortunately, regularly getting glam from the industry’s best MUAs makes anything less feel…disappointing). I wanted a natural-ish, elevated look with perfected skin and a subtly sculpted eye. I loosely based things on this tutorial, though I made several changes throughout. See below for three subpar selfies I took as well as a full product break down.

I started by underpainting with the Em Cosmetics So Soft Bronzer Sculpt + Bronze ($30), which is not available at Sephora but great nonetheless. I applied the shade Terra to my cheekbones, along my forehead, and around my jawline. I also used the Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Duo (usually $95) in shade Intensity 1.0 to carve out my cheekbones and jawline. I gently buffed the products in with a dense brush. Then, I applied two pumps of the Armani Luminous Silk Flawless Foundation (usually $69) in shade 4.5 to the back of my hand. I buffed the product into a foundation brush before lightly stippling the product onto my skin, avoiding the areas with the bronzer and contour. Once I had an even, light coat of foundation all over, I gently grazed the brush over the contoured and bronzed areas just to make sure everything was blended together.

Using the back of my hand again, I applied a small amount of the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer (usually $38) in shades Oat 3, Fawn 4.5, and Sepia 5—applying Oat under my eyes and a blend of Fawn and Sepia in any problem areas. I used the tiniest amount of the Yves Saint Laurent Touch Éclat Concealer Pen (usually $40) in shade 1 Luminous Radiance under my eyes and let it sit while I applied my blush. On the back of my hand (noticing a theme here?) I blended a dollop of the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush (usually $25) in Happy with the Rare Beauty Positive Light Liquid Luminizer Highlight (usually $27) in shade Mesmerize. I worked the product into my Sephora Collection PRO Blush Brush #96 (usually $34) before sweeping it up my cheekbones into the temples and across my nose. Then, I blended in the under-eye concealer. Without adding any new concealer to my brush, I swept it across my eyelids to prime them for shadow. Throughout this entire process, I periodically went over my face with a clean IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #7 (usually $50) to make sure there were no harsh lines. I also spritzed myself with the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray (usually $38) throughout.

For my brows, I used the Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Eyebrow Definer (usually $27) in 4.5 and 5 to create natural hair-like strokes and create definition. I then set the brows with the Benefit Cosmetics 24-HR Brow Setter Gel (usually $27). For eyes, I mainly used the Patrick Ta Major Dimension III Matte Eyeshadow Palette (usually $70). I picked up the shades Classic and Needed to define my crease and gently flicked it out in an upwards motion to help lift my face. Then with the Sephora Collection PRO Crease Brush #19 (usually $22), I focused shades Crucial and Essential along the lower lash and in the outer-third area of the eye. Throughout this process, I took a fluffy, clean blending brush and lightly blended all of the eyeshadow together, making sure there were no harsh lines but stopping before things looked a bit muddy. I then used a sparkly gold shadow from the limited-edition Pat McGrath Luminous Legends Mega Eyeshadow Palette—it’s no longer in stock, but any sparkly yellow-gold shade should work—in the inner corner of my eye, stopping about halfway across the lid. I lined the outer half of my eye using the Makeup by Mario Master Pigment Pro Eyeliner Pencil (usually $26) in The Perfect Brown, staying close to the lash line and creating a slight flick out at the end. I also lightly lined the upper inner corner of my eye. Then, I used a thin liner brush with a rounded top and the Fundamental shadow in the aforementioned Patrick Ta palette to gently smudge out the liner and create a subtle wing effect. Without picking up any more product on the brush, I ran it across my lower lash line. Once again, I used a clean makeup brush to gently buff out all shadow. I also went in with a fluffy blending brush and some NARS Bronzer Powers (usually $42) in Laguna and lightly ran it over the eye, focusing on the crease area. I used my beloved Shiseido Eyelash Curler (usually $27) followed by the Etude House Dr. Mascara Fixer for Perfect Lash ($16)—not available on Sephora—and the Yves Saint Laurent Lash Clash Waterproof Mascara (usually $33). Then, I applied some fake cluster lashes (cannot remember the name for the life of me right now but I know they’re not from Sephora).

To set my face, I used the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Powder (usually $49) in shade 2 Medium across my T-zone and right under my cheekbones, followed by the Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Under Eye Powder (usually $35) in Pink under my eyes. I used another no-longer-available, limited-edition palette from Hourglass to set my blush and bronzer (sorry!).

I prepped my lips with the LAWLESS Forget the Filler Lip Plumping Mask (usually $22) in Sweet Dreams. After wiping it off, I used the Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Liquid Lip + Cheek Stain (usually $26) in the original shade before slightly over-lining my lips with the REFY Lip Blur Lip Liner (usually $24) in Stone. I used two different lipsticks from Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Love Effects Lipstick ($35) in Naughty Talk and Kiss Talk, focusing the latter in the center of the lips. Unfortunately, these are only available on the Charlotte Tilbury website. I then finished it off with the Saie Glossybounce Lip Gloss Oil (usually $22) in Kiss. I also used the Lumify Eye Drops ($24) to brighten the whites of my eyes, and the Patrick Ta Major Glow Balm (usually $50) on my arms and legs.

Below, my paid subscribers get an exclusive look at my Sephora sale picks. It’s not too late to join the fun.

My (Not-So Short) Sephora Shortlist