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If you’re looking to replace some empties or reinvigorate your beauty cabinet before spring — Daylight Savings is this Sunday, after all — good news: Dermstore’s Beauty Refresh sale is back, and just about everything is 20 percent off through Thursday, March 13, with the code REFRESH. I’ve done some scanning and skimming and have nearly 30 products that (in my opinion) you’d be wise to consider adding to your cart, including French body oil, several best-in-class exfoliators, and Amanda Seyfried’s toothpaste.
I’ve broken out all my picks into four categories, and you can jump quickly to each by using the list above. But if you’d like to do some digging of your own, you can find everything on sale here.
Skin-care
It’s been far too long since I’ve seen our best overall sunscreen go on sale, so I’d stock up now.
Two dermatologists recommend this gentle cleanser to treat keratosis pilaris on the face. It’s also our favorite cleanser to use while pregnant or nursing.
Our favorite exfoliator for cystic acne contains a combination of alpha hydroxy acid and beta hydroxy acid to improve skin texture and unclog pores.
These much-loved exfoliating pads from Dr. Dennis Gross use a blend of glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids, which help with both breakouts and dark spots. (Many users recommend cutting the pads in half to get twice as many treatments.)
Sunday Riley’s lactic-acid treatment is a gentle but effective exfoliant that also targets hyperpigmentation.
Now’s a great time to try our best vitamin C serum for sensitive skin. Beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst likes that “there’s an emphasis on antioxidants in this serum, which shows up in ingredients like ferulic acid and vitamin E, which help to address the effects of environmental stressors on the skin while protecting it from further damage.”
If you’re looking for some real oomph, the PCA Skin C&E Advanced Serum contains 20 percent L-ascorbic acid along with pure vitamin E and other antioxidants that help with aging and free radicals.
This best-in-class anti-aging serum contains retinaldehyde, which fights wrinkles and fine lines quicker than other commonly used retinols.
La Roche-Posay’s Double Repair moisturizer is an excellent starter face cream. Its main ingredients are ceramides, glycerin, and niacinamide, a hydrating and barrier-supporting combination.
Beauty writer Rachael Griffiths, who describes her skin as so dry it “feels as though it’s cracking if you wait too long after a shower to smear on some moisturizer,” says the brand’s multipurpose balm is “intensely nourishing.” (But if you have acne-prone skin, tread carefully — it gave me a nasty breakout, probably due to the shea butter.)
Denton-Hurst uses this as the first step in her double-moisturizing routine. She appreciates that it’s “nourishing without being too thick and doesn’t feel oily or like it’s just sitting there.”
You may not be a celebrity, but you sure can moisturize like one. Augustinus Bader’s the Rich Cream has fans like Adam Scott, Rita Ora, and Phillip Lim. And it doesn’t go on sale often, so if you want to try it, now’s the time.
Another actually worth-it splurge: our best overall eye cream, which one dermatologist says is a favorite in their office for dealing with wrinkles, sagging skin, puffiness, and dark circles.
Dermatologist David E. Bank likes this eye cream for mature skin. It improves pigmentation, wrinkles, and skin elasticity with a blend of caffeine, vitamin C, collagen-boosting peptides, and growth factors (which are “proteins that promote the growth, development, and maturation of cells and play a role in maintaining the firmness and elasticity of skin,” Bank explains).
NuFaces’s microcurrent devices use low-level electrical currents to increase circulation and encourage lymphatic drainage, leaving you looking well rested and sculpted.
Body care and wellness
If you want to calm irritation caused by dryness, this body oil from Avène is an excellent option. It’s made with three nourishing plant-based oils — shea, camelina, and safflower — and the brand’s signature mineral-infused thermal water.
Writer and committed self-tanner Meredith Lynch says that nothing compares to the St. Tropez whipped mousse. “It dries fairly quickly and the scent isn’t overpowering. I’ve accepted that most self-tanners don’t smell like Le Labo, but this one is better than most.”
This pillow mist is formulated from a blend of lavender, chamomile, and vetiver essential oils. I gave a bottle to my sister for Christmas, and she is already hooked. Since I just ran out of mine, maybe I’ll buy a few.
Actress Amanda Seyfried started using Marvis’s fancy toothpastes because her dermatologist said it was better for her skin. “I’ve fully abandoned my Colgate,” she told us.
Makeup
Impervious to sweat, heat, and humidity, our best full-coverage foundation for mature skin gives a lightweight, natural finish.
RMS Beauty’s sunscreen-slash-skin-tint leaves Strategist contributor Mbiye Kasonga’s skin dewy and radiant.
Kevyn Aucoin’s tubing mascara “builds extreme volume and length for even the most stubbornly short lashes,” says makeup artist Porsche Cooper.
This is my favorite brow gel — fairly pricey, so make sure you buy it on sale.
Hair care
This dry-shampoo paste has been on my wishlist for a while, especially so after seeing that both Jenny Lewis and AnnaSophia Robb have recommended it. They say it’s great for shaping short hair and bangs that need some de-greasing.
My fellow Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla purchased this pomade stick on the recommendation Erin Andrews, who included it in her What I Can’t Live Without list. “Previously untameable flyaways get smoothed down, and unsightly frizz (not the laissez-faire kind of French film starlets) becomes controllable. There’s some shine but no greaserlike slickness,” Pardilla writes.
We’ve loved this conditioning hair mask from Briogeo ever since Strategist beauty contributor Rio Viera-Newton wrote an ode to it in 2019. She noticed her double-processed hair was smoother, less tangled, and air dried beautifully after just a few uses.
Dianna Cohen, founder of hair-care line Crown Affair, uses this hair mask twice a week and calls it “the most universal hydrating mask” to make hair shinier and silkier without clogging your scalp or causing buildup.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
