Calling all beauty enthusiasts, the Sephora Fall Savings Event is officially underway! From restocking favourite products to investing in pricier technology (here's looking at you, Dyson products,) it's a great opportunity to save 10%-20% off depending on your Beauty Insider status. The discount is eligible to be redeemed on all products sold in-store or online at Sephora. The savings event is perfect for those looking to get a head start on their holiday shopping ahead of the upcoming Black Friday Cyber Monday promotions.
Like any good aesthetician, Starlight Glow Masters love to indulge in all things beauty, so long as it's not causing harm to the skin. Starlight continues to operate with our founding mission in mind: to transform your skin to reveal your inner glow and confidence by providing industry-leading services and medical-grade skincare that will actually produce results. Starlight Skin's line of non-comedogenic skincare used during treatments has undergone intense research and rigorous testing to ensure we only have the best ingredients.
But what about cosmetics?
When assessing makeup, Starlight applies the same strict protocols used for skincare to review cosmetic products. This method ensures no harmful ingredients slip through the cracks. To evaluate makeup according to their high standards, Starlight Glow Masters look for three categorical ratings: comedogenic, irritation, and safety. Here's a refresher on what these categories mean:
Comedogenic
The comedogenic scale is a rating system that indicates how likely a specific ingredient is to clog pores. This rating is particularly important for those with acne-prone skin and ranges from 0-5, with zero being non-comedogenic and five being severely comedogenic.
Irritation
Ingredients in skincare and cosmetics that produce skin irritation. They can include a variety of ingredients, such as essential oils, drying alcohols, and fragrances, both natural and synthetic. Irritants can cause sensations of skin tightening, tingling, or burning, but, in other instances, the effects of irritants occur over time. They can cause radically reactive and sensitized skin. Those with oily skin may trigger a response that increases oil production and breakouts, while those with dry skin often feel skin tightness and flaking.
Safety
The safety index assesses ingredients on a scale of 1-10 for the likelihood of dangerous/toxic ingredients. The lower the rating, the lower the risk an ingredient is. Unlike comedogenic and irritation, safety is a comprehensive rating that reviews long-term usage and exposure, according to reports from credible sources, like the FDA. The purpose of assessing the safety of an ingredient is to determine the risk for long-term injury to your skin, cells, and your body as a whole.
Now, for the fun stuff! Here's what's in our Glow Masters' carts for the Sephora fall savings event and what items they recommend ditching during the sale (and forever!)
Aesthetician-Approved Sephora Fall Savings Event Recommendations
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
Rated zero on the comedogenic scale, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk is the best foundation that will not cause breakouts or irritation. There is a reason it has been a beloved luxury product of celebrity makeup artists and beauty influencers for years.
Expert advice from Starlight Glow Masters: not wearing foundation daily? Pick up the mini-size to ensure your product does not expire before it becomes empty.
Color Wow Dream Coat
Smooth frizz, enhance shine and protect your locks from damage caused by heat and styling. Colour Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray Anti-Frizz Treatment gives your hair that glossy, glass hair look - without irritating the scalp. Free of parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, sulfates SLS & SLES, triclocarban, triclosan, and contains less than one percent synthetic fragrance. While it ranks 0 on the comedogenic and irritant scale, it does contain some ingredients that rate 1-3 on the toxicity scale.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
Looking for a little extra glow? Enhance the high points of your face with a natural shimmer, or apply it as a priming base under makeup for luminosity that radiates from within. Produce a highlighting effect without clogging your pores.
Nars Talc Free Powder Blush in Behave
Blushes are a tricky product to debunk and approve because of the pigments required to produce them. Red-based pigments are in many formulations of foundation, concealer, bronzers and blushes, and are incredibly pore-clogging. If you are looking for a blush that is not likely to clog your pores, favour light pinks to avoid harmful red-based pigments. While Nars Talc Free Powder Blush in shade Behave is not entirely non-comedogenic, it rates only one on the scale.
Anastasia Brow Wiz
A good brow is a staple in any natural daily makeup routine. As a cult classic, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz is our pick for natural brows that shape the face.
Lancôme Mascaras
While embracing a natural look as part of our everyday routine, there is one item we will never skip out on: mascara. While our Glow Masters have a variety of mascaras on their vanity to achieve a desired lash look on a given day, our Glow Masters love Lancôme mascaras to avoid irritants.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Multi-Purpose Concealer
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer is the perfect counterpart to the foundation. Offering a lightweight and luminous finish, it provides hydration and comfort to the eye contour and rest of the face. Reduce the look of dark circles or blemishes with this buildable concealer.
Ditch these Products!
Now for the products Starlight Glow Masters strongly encourage you to pass on during the Sephora spring savings event. Love these products? Worry not. We have matched them with a non-comedogenic, non-irritant, and safe alternative sure to bring out your best skin - we promise!
Drunk Elephant Slaai™ Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser
Cleansing balms have been a beloved alternative to harsh makeup removers for some time. Offering a buttery-rich texture that melts away the day, the formula is soothing, especially for those with dry skin. This product does a great job of breaking down makeup as part of pre-cleansing your skin, but it contains fragrances and emollients sure to clog your pores.
Swap Slaai™ for Prepping Potion
Melt away long-wear makeup and refresh your face with Starlight Skin’s micellar Prepping Potion, the ideal precursor to your favourite Starlight Skin Cleanser. Formulated for all skin types, this gentle, no-rinse cleansing water leaves skin hydrated, revitalized, and pH balanced.
Tatcha The Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer
A lightweight cult-favourite moisturizer for normal to oily skin types, Tatcha's The Water Cream also receives the Clean at Sephora stamp despite including several comedogenic, irritant, and toxic ingredients. A popular cream among clients who first come to Starlight, it contains fragrances and emollients that can damage your skin barrier.
Swap Tatcha The Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturize for StarLight Moisturizer
An oil-free hydrator that clarifies skin by balancing and accelerating cell rejuvenation. With a quickly absorbing and lightweight texture, it uses natural emollients and hyaluronic acid to keep skin shine-free while remaining supple and hydrated.
Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser
Superfoods where? This cleanser is popular among Starlight clients and we debunk it for them regularly. It contains some comedogenic ingredients and several toxins that are not ideal for any skin type. A beloved cleanser with over 7K reviews on Sephora, we are not surprised to see this product come back routinely with new clients.
Swap Youth to the People Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser for Illuminating Gel Cleanser
A soothing, hyaluronic acid-rich cleansing foam that softly washes away stubborn makeup and impurities without depleting essential moisture levels. Sebuless™, derived from lilac, enhances radiance and balance as it awakens the complexion.
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro™ Cream Nourishing Whipped Moisturizer
A cult-favourite moisturizer loved by beauty influencers and dry-skin sufferers, this moisturizer receives the Clean at Sephora stamp but is anything but. Full of comedogenic ingredients, irritants, and safety hazards, Lala Retro™ is one of the most debunked products our clients come to us with. While the texture is soothing, you will be amazed at how much your skin will improve when you swap this product out of your routine.
Swap Lala Retro™ Cream Nourishing Whipped Moisturizer for StarLux Moisturizer
Stimulate cellular metabolism and optimal luminosity with StarLux rejuvenating moisturizer. This dehydration quenching treatment offers a powerful complex of peptides which combat tyrosinase proliferation to illuminate the complexion while fortifying tone and elasticity. Silicone-free, yet intensely protective, your skin will feel nourished by this soufflé-textured moisturizer that delivers the perfect blend of antioxidants and natural emollients to retain a radiant appearance. A Starlight Glowgetter favourite!
Peace Out Salicylic Acid Acne Healing Dots
Pimple patches are making your acne worse! A pimple patch covers a breakout and prevents oxygen from reaching the skin, which creates the perfect environment for p.acne bacteria to grow, thrive, and cause painful breakouts. P.acne bacteria - the most abundant bacteria on human skin and the leading cause of acne - is anaerobic. Anaerobic means the bacteria can survive without oxygen. When p.acne bacteria grows, it creates painful acne on the skin. These breakouts need to breathe to heal, meaning the presence of oxygen is essential to destroy the acne-causing bacteria.
Swap Peace Out Salicylic Acid Acne Healing Dots for Clearing Complex Serum
Use Clearing Complex as a spot treatment for breakouts instead of a pimple patch. A lightweight, oil-free serum that deeply penetrates pores to kill p.acne-causing bacteria. Clearing Complex is made with salicylic acid, niacinamide, and fruit-derived alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) to promote cell renewal and clear skin.
Dr. Dennis Gross Spectralite Faceware Pro
At-home LED masks have soared in popularity thanks to your FYP, celebrity endorsement, and health benefits, and for good reason! Why would you not want the same skincare benefits offered at Starlight at home? While LED light therapy treats a range of skin concerns, not all LED devices are created equal - including this device by Dr. Dennis Gross.
Swap Dr. Dennis Gross Spectralite Faceware Pro for Omnilux LED Masks and Save 10%
FDA-approved and loved by celebrities like Bella Hadid, Omnilux is a leader in at-home LED masks. There are several key factors to consider before purchasing an at-home LED mask that we reveal here. To compare to the Dr. Dennis Gross mask, Kaye recommends using a flexible mask made of medical-grade materials. This flexibility ensures the mask can easily contour to the unique shape of your face, guaranteeing the skin can come in contact with the LEDs at a lower output to absorb the benefits evenly.
An Exclusive Discount on Non-Comedogenic Starlight Skin Products
During the Sephora spring savings event, save an exclusive 15% on our entire collection of products! The best skincare in Vaughan and Toronto, we know you will love the results you see when you switch to Starlight Skin.
Did you find some of your favourite products on our do not buy list? Or, are you curious where your products rank on our comedogenic, irritant, and safety scales? We have you covered. Download our Debunk Dictionary at an exclusive discount during the Sephora spring savings event.
Happy shopping!
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