Best Beauty Deals in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and $1,000 Nordstrom Giveaway

Face Mask | Highlighter/Blush/Bronzer Palette | Clarisonic | Lip Set | Self Tanner | Wrinkle Fighting Eye Mask

Y’all asked for it! On Friday, I talked about this Ambient Lighting Palette over on Instagram which stirred up a TON of questions from you guys. And I loved it! One of the common questions was if I’d be doing a round up of the best beauty deals in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Well, here it is!

When it comes to beauty, I take things very seriously. In order for me to make a recommendation, it has to work. If it’s just doing an average job, I’m not talking about it. While I may not always wear a full face of makeup or talk about beauty regularly here on Visions of Vogue, I come from 3 years in the beauty industry so I know a LOT about product.

The second thing worth mentioning is that had it not been for the Hourglass Lighting Palette and this GLAMGLOW face mask, I would have been severely underwhelmed by the beauty selections in the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Instead, I’m just a little underwhelmed. That’s not to say all the sets are terrible. It’s just to say I personally wouldn’t recommend splurging on beauty products that are only so-so. We all have a medicine cabinet full of beauty products that are just okay. I want beauty products that make you say WOW.

So without further adieu, here are my top 6 picks from the sale!

1. GLAMGLOW Supermud Clearing Treatment ($99 for a $152 value). 

I have talked about this face mask numerous times on VOV before. I love this mask. If you’ve ever read any of my skincare posts, you know I’ve described this mask as Snapchat’s botox filter but IRL (in real life). I initially missed this deal when I first browsed the sale because I was distracted by this other GLAMGLOW skincare set. I assumed GLAMGLOW wouldn’t have 2 sets in the sale. However, when I discovered this one my jaw dropped. It took me about 10 seconds to add it to my cart and purchase. 50 facials in one tube? Hell yes.

I’ve been trying a LOT of other face masks lately which are pretty good but the GLAMGLOW Supermud one is at least twice as good as all others. I’d recommend using it once a week. I always tell this story but I remember Facetiming Matt when we had to live apart before he moved to Chicago. I had just used this mask right before bed and he said “you look really pretty”. It’s impossible to look cute on Facetime IMO so you can imagine how taken aback I was. It’s the mask. While $99 is quite an investment, everyone I’ve ever talked to has loved this mask.

Recommended for anyone who: loves skincare, is committed to doing face masks regularly, and/or feels like their skin is looking a little dull.

2. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette ($62).

Yes, this Ambient Lighting Palette is as gorgeous as I said in my Instagram stories! I’ve been a fan of Hourglass for years. The goal of their Ambient Powders is to place light on your face in a flattering way. Ever wonder why you look so amazing at sunset? Or in some mood lighting? That’s what these powders do for your face but they do it ALL DAY LONG.

As I mentioned, I have an older version of this palette and finally ran out of product so repurchased this one. I love these palettes because they have all the powder you need for your face in one spot. They’re just easy and convenient! You’ve got a highlighter, a blush, and a bronzer in this palette and they are universally flattering. The highlighter diffuses redness and gives you that soft morning glow. The blush looks like a bold color but it’s marbled so it’s more subtle. That said, if you want to amp up the color (like I do) just add more powder to your brush. The bronzer is key to making those cheekbones pop!

While palettes like these can often be intimidating, I strongly recommend this one for everyone. It’s foolproof. You cannot put these powders on your face and make it look bad! You know where to put blush (cheeks) and bronzer (cheekbones) but you can easily put the highlighter anywhere you want light to catch.

Recommended for anyone who: is looking to take their makeup look to the next level, girls who are all about easy and efficiency.

3. Clarisonic Mia Fit ($146 for a 219 value).

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you also might know I love exfoliating. I can tell when I haven’t been doing it regularly as my skin starts to get a dull look to it. Clarisonic’s Mia Fit is really easy to use and it comes in 3 colors. The discount here is a really good deal too. You can use this as often as every night (if you like to exfoliate a lot) or as little as once a week. It’s not like a product where it will go bad. My recommendation would be to remove your makeup first. Use a micellar water or a wipe. I’ve never found a wipe that I like (they always leave a weird, gross residue) so I use micellar water with cotton pads. It will extend the life of your Clarisonic brushes and not make them as dirty. Always wash the brushes thoroughly after using them as well. Just run them under warm water. Once you wear out the brushes, you can buy replacement packs without having to buy the whole device again.

Recommended for anyone who: is tired of scrubbing with a washcloth, loves exfoliating, and/or loves washing their face.

NOT recommended for anyone who has extremely sensitive skin because the exfoliation will be too rough. They do make brushes for sensitive skin but I’d just steer clear so as not to irritate your skin.

4. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Set ($60 for a $90 value).

I’ve talked about Charlotte Tilbury’s lipsticks before here! They are a really creamy lip and the colors are incredible. I had a girl working at Sephora stop me while in the store and ask me what my lipstick was. The colors are that good. While I’m not guaranteeing they’ll stay all day because they are pretty creamy, this set has some really flattering shades. You can opt for the lighter color for day and amp up your look for night.

Recommended for anyone who: isn’t afraid of lipstick.

5. St. Tropez Self Tanning Kit ($40 for a $77 value). 

Let’s be real. I live in Chicago, not Florida. My dream of perfectly bronzed skin went out the window the second we stepped on the plane to move here last year. Also, I wear a lot of sunscreen. So you better believe I have to fake my tan. In fact, I wrote about St. Tropez in my 5 tips on how to fake a tan. If I cared more about maintaining my tan, I’d use this weekly although I do amp up the usage when I have a vacation coming up. But I don’t plan to waste product on my coworkers.

Recommended for anyone who wants tanner skin and is willing to sit naked on the bathroom floor for 10 minutes while it dries.

6. Eye Mask ($16, after sale $25).

This was that 5th product I mentioned that I haven’t actually tried. It caught my eye for a few reasons. First and foremost, because my main concern at this point in my life is fine lines and wrinkles. I’m not 21 anymore. Secondly, because our bedroom window faces east. So, every morning during the summer, I’m woken up at 4:30AM when the sun decides to peek it’s head over the Lakeshore Drive buildings. I’m the lightest sleeper so Matt had suggested I get an eye mask. Why not have it rewind my age a few years while helping me sleep? The reviews says it lasts up to 100 washes. Good enough for me.

Recommended for anyone who: needs more sleep (and maybe wants to fight wrinkles but TBD on that claim – I’ll keep you posted).

Honorable mention for a 7th product would have been the Supergoop Sunscreen. If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I like to read the ingredients on my labels to scan for toxic chemicals. Curious? Read why you need to be reading the ingredients in your beauty products here. However, I feel like putting sunscreen in a top picks on beauty deals is just boring!

Products I would not recommend:

• MAC anything. Although I did wear a MAC lipstick on my wedding day, MAC products are just too much like stage makeup for my everyday life. Also, the ingredients in some of the products are a little alarming. Read that article above.
• Fresh Sugar Lip Set. I ordered a set like this from some sale and was wholly disappointed in how not-moisturizing these were. I had heard so many people say they liked them! They reminded me of those Bonne Bell chapsticks I had as a kid. The ones that had pigment in them looked equally tacky and did not last. I eventually threw them out! That said, if their eye cream had been in the sale, I would have snatched that up ASAP. Sadly, it was missing from this skincare set.
• T3 products. While I use the T3 wand to curl my hair, it’s not worth the price tag in my opinion. I used a $25 curling iron to get the exact same look here. The same can be said for the blow dryer and the straightener. It takes practice but you can make a more affordable tool work for you. Just be patient. If looks really matter to you though, then T3 is the product line for you.

If you’re managing your budget and are wondering which of these 6 products to buy, get the face mask and the lighting palette. You won’t be disappointed. I stand behind that recommendation 100%! If you have any questions about other products in the sale, shoot me an email here! Or, if you swear by something that I haven’t mentioned/wouldn’t recommend, tell me why. I am all about discovering new products!

PS. If you’re looking for more round ups from the NSale, check back for daily updates on my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale guide page! Don’t forget to enter our $1,000 giveaway below as well (first announced last Monday with my 5 tips for shopping the sale)!

Now…it’s time for a fabulous giveaway!
I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to give YOU a chance to win:
a $1,000 Nordstrom Gift Card, just in time for the Anniversary Sale!

Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter.
You’ll receive one entry per completion.
This giveaway is open internationally and runs until 7/24.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway