So you spend all your money at Sephora and you've been VIB Rouge for years. Or maybe, like me, you just made a random purchase last week to reach the VIB level, just so you can buy more stuff at the epic annual sale. Because, obviously, you need more stuff, especially when this stuff is lipstick or eyeshadow. Wherever you are on the Sephora rewards ladder, their annual 20% off sale is always cause for hysteria, palpitations and orders placed at 4 am! Well, unless you're just a BI, because let's face it, you're not a cool kid (says the girl who was a BI a week ago).

But as we all know, the shopping frenzy is so widespread that half of what you put in your Love list will be sold out within a few nanoseconds after the sale starts. I'm not exaggerating much. Anything popular or trendy sells out on the first day of the VIB Rouge sale and disappointment ensues for those who couldn't grab the coveted items early enough. But stop sobbing sweetie, I'm here to save the day and put a smile back on your red lips.

Instead of running around in circles screaming because everything labelled "naked" flew off the shelves, let's think about using this 20% off discount to get things that are totally awesome, although maybe not the latest release, shall we? I have selected 10 staples by French beauty brands (surprise! Not) for you that are totally worth buying, and most don't usually go on sale anywhere else. So you can get some fantastic makeup and skincare products and score a rare deal, all at once! Let's take a look at what you should put in your cart - with direct links to the Sephora page to make it easy, and price before you take off the discount:





1- Guerlain Terracotta, $53: this legendary bronzing powder is Guerlain's best-seller for a reason. It's that good! Plus nowadays it comes in a whole lot of different shades, limited edition packaging, 4 Season version, Holiday edition, etc... so everyone can find something to be excited about. I reviewed the summer 2016 edition, go take look to learn more. As you well know, Guerlain just never goes on sale anywhere, so saving more than $10 on their most loved product is a fantastic deal!

2- Lancôme Grandiôse, $32: this is my favorite mascara, period. The swan-neck wand may sound gimmicky, but it just works amazingly well for me. Please don't stock up on it if you're Rouge, it's in my sale wish list and I would be really upset if it was sold out by the time it's my turn to shop the VIB event next week! I reviewed this baby a while back if you want to look more closely, and since then Lancome released Waterproof and Extreme versions that I haven't tested yet.

3- Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, $47: this instant pick-me-up for the face has been around for so long that I think I've been using it for more than 10 years. It's a thicker cream that you spread all over your face, and boom, your skin looks firmer and more radiant. I don't know how it does what it does, but it really works, although that's only a temporary fix. Totally worth trying if it hasn't been on your radar.

4- Dior 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette in Cuir Cannage, $62: we all know that Dior eyeshadow formula can be hit or miss. This palette is definitely a hit! It's full of sultry browns for deep smokey eyes. Also a great choice for deeper skintones looking for everyday neutrals. Take a look at my review for swatches.

5- Lancôme Glow Subtil Silky Creme Highlighter, $30: this gorgeous cream highlighter is exclusive to Sephora (besides Lancome's own website) so now's a great time to grab it. I love, love how it glows, it's just the most beautiful sheen I've ever seen. Check out my review, I have swatches of all the shades in there!

6- Caudalie Grape Water, $22: as much as I dislike the brand's Beauty Elixir, loaded with fragrance, I love their other, and imo considerably better, face mist, the Grape Water. The only thing in there is organic grape water and juice. It's refreshing, moisturizing, and unlike simple mineral water sprays, it also brings your skin all the antioxidant goodness from the grapes. This is a great addition to any skincare routine, for all skin types.

7- YSL Touche Eclat, $42: this is the original highlighter guys. This luminizer in a pen is shimmer free and just brings a touch of light wherever you want it on your face. Despite what I often hear it's not an undereye concealer, nor was it ever designed to be - you'd be disappointed if you intended to use it that way because it's quite sheer. On the other hand if you want to incorporate it in your contouring routine, you'll absolutely love it. There are more shades now so most beautystas should be able to find the right color to highlight.

8- Atelier Cologne Nécessaire Nomade, $45: if you like fresh cologne, you'll absolutely adore this little set. It's filled with variations around this fragrance classic that is citrus-based and light. I bought it to try a few of the brand's different scents, and I was surprised that my favorites were not the ones I expected! I'm in love with Cédrat Enivrant and Mandarine Glaciale. They have a bunch of sets with different sizes and combinations for all budgets.

9- Givenchy Le Rouge Lipstick, $36: this is one of the most luxurious lipsticks on this planet, together with Guerlain Rouge G and the Louboutin lippies. Not only is the packaging stunning, yet very elegant, with real leather around the case, but the colors and the formula are just fantastic. The lipstick is fully opaque, vibrant, creamy, comfortable and long-wearing. Some of my favorite colors include Framboise Velours and Rose Dentelle. You can see my entire collection in this post.

10- Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, $20: this critically acclaimed dry shampoo ain't cheap, so now's a good time to try it. They also have a tinted version for dark hair to avoid the "I dipped my head in flour" look. Klorane is a brand I used a lot in France, it's a pharmacy brand there so it's more affordable and very easy to find. Other favorites of mine are their Quinine and Vitamin B shampoo and Mango Butter leave-in cream.

Need more shopping ideas? Here are a few of my other favorite products by French brands sold at: Lancôme Juicy Shaker, the cute and fun to use tinted lip oil, just be sure to pick one of the darker shades if you want it to add color to your lips (take a look at my review); YSL Oil-in-Stick lipstick, despite its weird name, is a great shiny lipstick and I particularly love shade Rose Saint-Germain (see my swatches here); YSL Touche Eclat foundation, recently reformulated for longer wear (view my post about the reformulation); L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate, a body cream that smells heavenly.






I received no compensation to write this post, which only reflects my personal opinion. This post contains affiliate links.