While I would usually consider myself a relatively frugal individual, there is one time of year when I condone a bit of excess spending: Black Friday.
Particularly for me, there is something about a good post-Thanksgiving Sephora sale that makes it hard to resist a few—or many—special purchases from the makeup aisle. I like to think of myself as a pragmatic shopper, but Black Friday—especially at Sephora—tends to expose my weaknesses. Each year, a single “Sale” sign can dismantle months of careful spending. So this fall, I decided to approach the annual rush with a clearer strategy: treat the sale like a beauty beat. After testing formulas, comparing results, and narrowing down the standouts, I compiled the products that truly delivered for me this past year to look out for. So, consider this your vetted guide to navigating the holiday beauty chaos this Black Friday.
Skin Prep
Hailey Bieber’s Rhode line recently hit Sephora shelves this fall, and after experiencing firsthand the steep shipping costs that were once the norm while buying online, I was more than thrilled to see this change finally come to fruition. If Hailey Bieber and Rhode have a defining moniker, it’s the “glazed-donut” aesthetic—the luminous, “no-makeup makeup” look that has risen to prominence in recent years. As Bieber’s brand highlights, the secret to achieving this look isn’t the makeup layered on top, but the intentional skin preparation that precedes it.
As someone who often falls victim to the dry, flaky Michigan winters, I cannot recommend the Rhode Glazing Milk Ceramide Facial Essence enough. Immediately after application, this milky toner leaves my skin feeling hydrated and considerably less dull, which I find to be a much-appreciated added benefit in months when vitamin D proves scarce.
Once applied, this toner strikes the ideal balance between smooth and tacky, being both silky enough for makeup to glide smoothly along the skin and also adhesive enough that its effects won’t dwindle after an hour or two. On days when my skin feels a bit more oily than usual, I tend to dilute this formula with a bit of water, and it provides the same amount of hydration and balance as would usually be expected. Paired with Rhode’s Barrier Butter Intensive Moisture Balm—a rich, moisturizing balm formula I save for the driest days of the year—this sale is an excellent impetus to ensure your skin will remain plump, nourished, and radiant throughout the season.
Primer
While I am often wary of primers due to their tendency to contain comedogenic—pore-clogging—ingredients, I recognize their efficacy in creating the perfect base for long-lasting makeup. That being said, it quickly became a passion project of mine to find a primer that was both acne-safe and accomplished its overarching purpose of improving the durability and long-term wear of my makeup.
My top pick, a tried-and-true I’ve been using for almost a year, remains the Saie Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Liquid Multipurpose Illuminator. During the pale, sickly winter months, when all remnants of summer color seem to vanish, I often reach for the shade Sunglow, a golden bronze that restores the warmth of summer I so deeply long for in the cold. In the summer, when my natural bronze suffices, I often turn to Roseglow, a neutral, sun-kissed pink that mimics the effortless glow of a natural sunburn. I find that, regardless of the shade one picks, one quality remains perennial: a glowy, more even skin tone that blurs imperfections and maintains a natural luminosity for the rest of your makeup.
My only critique lies in the fact that, while I love the glow this product provides, it lacks the potency to make my makeup last all day. The little grippiness it offers often diminishes throughout the day, and, after a bit of online perusing, I found myself seeking a new product that would do just that and more. Amidst this search, I landed upon the Iconic London Underglow Blurring Primer, a vitamin C-infused liquid primer suitable for all skin tones.
While I originally gravitated towards this product due to its numerous positive reviews on TikTok, I found myself staying for the fact that this primer feels just as much like skincare as it does makeup; it sinks into my skin like a toner, imparts a delicate glow like a highlighter, and creates a slightly tacky, makeup-ready base—just as every primer should. While its single shade doesn’t provide bronziness on its own, I’ve loved mixing the Saie Sunglow with this primer to create a summer glow that brightens my complexion and prepares it for further makeup simultaneously.
Bronzer and Blush
I am not afraid to admit that I have bronzer-blindness—perhaps it is my ever-present fear of my own paleness or the fact that my “summer tan” is actually just a darker shade of sunburn, but I would consider myself somewhat of a bronzer connoisseur as a result. In fact, the news of this sale awakened within me a hunger to add even more bronzer to my excessively copious collection.
My staple bronzer of this collection is and may always be the LYS No Limits Cream Bronzer and Contour Stick. While I have had many makeup purchasing mishaps—ridiculously expensive products with only an underwhelming ounce of product—the quantity of product in this stick has endured for almost a year and counting. Not only does it blend just as smoothly, if not more, than liquid bronzer while offering twice the pigment, but even after direct application, it doesn’t lift any preexisting makeup off the face and instead seamlessly cements the complexion for prolonged wear. Additionally, the applicator’s triangle-shaped tip also gives it a versatility that I don’t often find in other bronzing products. As a substitute, my close runner-up would have to be the Saie Sun Melt Bronzer. Though it doesn’t deliver quite the same level of pigment payoff as the LYS stick, I find myself consistently reaching for it on more lightweight days, as its velvety texture melts so easily into the skin.
Blush-wise, I have recently found myself inclined to reach for Huda Beauty’s Blush Soft Filter Liquid Blush. Not only does the product boast an impressive 11-part shade range with a wide variety of undertones, but the buildable formula also gives me just the right amount of control that I can customize to my daily preferences—one dot for a hint of color, or a few more for a bold, fresh look. I tend to layer it underneath my bronzer to make the color look more lived-in and cohesive with the rest of my base. For added shimmer and a touch of glow, I layer the Saie SuperSuede Baked Powder Blush over the high points of my cheekbones, setting my liquid base in place while adding a subtle, luminous sheen.
Whether you’re approaching the holiday rush with a meticulously planned shopping list or simply hoping to stumble upon a few unexpected upgrades to your routine, Black Friday offers a rare chance to test, compare, and finally invest in the products that often sit on the edge of your wish list. With shelves stocked, new releases spotlighted, and longtime favorites finally marked down, this upcoming Friday will be one of the few times a little bit of beauty spending can feel both indulgent and practical at once. And though Black Friday may only last one day, I would bet a heavy bargain that the genuine payoff and performance of certain items lining the shelves this holiday season will deliver promising results long after the discount banner has left.
