120+ Sephora Products Later, My 54-Year-Old Mom and I Deem These 17 the Ultimate Game Changers

My mom is a lifelong fan of Jo Malone fragrances, but that doesn't mean she loves every scent the brand has come out with. In fact, she's usually staunchly averse to sweet scents, so I got the shock of a lifetime when she texted a rave review of this fruity fragrance. "I love the new Jo Malone Raspberry Ripple," she wrote, citing its freshly sweet scent as the reason. Its berry brightness is balanced with white musk—one of her favorite notes—which may explain this phenomenon. Still, it's a new spring and summer favorite.

From the moment I sniffed this juicy floral perfume at Sephoria, I knew I'd wear it all summer long. There's something about this honeyed citrus scent from Phlur that whisks me straight to the beach—perhaps because I promptly wore it in Miami just days after trying it at the convention. From the first whiff, the ripe blend of mandarin, manuka honey, sandalwood, orange blossom, and saffron smelled like a white-sand vacation in a bottle. Grab a travel size if you don't want to commit to the large one yet. You'll want to take it on every trip.

My mom's friend texted me enthusiastically after snagging a mini version of the Ouai St. Barts Hair and Body Mist from my Sephoria stash. "It's a light, tropical, warm scent that lasts all day," she praised. "I actually had someone stop me who recognized it right away and said that it's her favorite too! I will absolutely buy the full size."

Editors everywhere sing the praises of Dieux's noncomedogenic moisturizer, which is known for offering angelic skin with just one layer of this nourishing formula. The moisturizer is rich and medium-thick, which causes me to use it as a night cream over a makeup base, but my skin always thanks me in the morning.

I recently tried Isdin's multitasking sunscreen on a warm trip to Miami and not only achieved optimal sun protection—a miracle for my sunburn-prone skin after a long NYC winter—but also was amazed by how well it hydrated and smoothed my skin. It also served as a fabulous makeup primer, giving my foundation something to grip onto without pilling or creasing.

One of my biggest skin anxieties is burning my lips in the sun (if you've ever done it, you'll understand why), so I try to use SPF lip balms whenever I can. However, this was a forced habit for years, as most were only available in gloopy formulas that left unsightly white casts and tasted like chemicals. That was until glossy lip balms like Ultra Violette's entered the chat. The Sheen Screen offers SPF 50 without casting your lips in rubberized goop, instead glossing them in a pink, sparkly glaze. I'll take 10, please!

I have rosacea, frequently experience eczema and inflammation flare-ups after testing new products, and run errands after working up a sweat at the gym, so this spray from Tower 28 was practically made for me. It only has three ingredients—water, hypochlorous acid, and sodium chloride—and keeps both breakouts and irritation at bay with just a few quick spritzes. It's now a gym-bag essential.

WWW Beauty Director Erin Jahns has long sung the praises of Josie Maran's body butter with this delectable citrus scent, so I jumped at the chance to try it for myself at Sephoria. I was over the moon when I smelled its sophisticatedly sweet scent—a chic, sensorial wash of sparkling citrus—and fell hard when I realized how easy it was to blend it into my skin. Some body butters are overly thick and leave a white cast, but this practically melted into my skin and hydrated it for hours.

My mom's friend also raved about this famous eye cream from OleHenriksen. Known for its visibly brightening and smoothing effects, this creamy elixir quickly earned a spot in her everyday routine. "I love the fresh scent, and my skin feels smooth and soft after using—not greasy feeling at all," she texted.

I've been a fan of this sensitive skin–friendly cream for quite some time, but my mom recently hopped on the bandwagon. She lauded the cream's silky, comforting consistency and how great it felt on her skin. It's my personal favorite for travel, as it is intensely hydrating as an overnight treatment yet can be sheered out for lightweight, everyday use.

"The Elemis Facial Pads make my skin look brighter in the morning," my mom texted me after a satisfactory trial of these exfoliating pads. The circular woven pieces, each soaked in a cocktail of lactic acid and fermented probiotics, work to gently remove dead skin cells and resurface the newer, smoother skin below. My mom has sensitive skin, and these daily exfoliants have never caused her discomfort—in fact, quite the opposite. I'm gonna need to acquire a jar for myself.

Eadem makes some of the trendiest lip balms on the market, and I'd somehow not possessed one of these coveted silver tubes until my stint at Sephoria. I quickly got the gist after the very first swipe, and its formula is deeply hydrating without feeling sticky and supremely glossy. With both supreme moisture and a wash of sheer color, this quickly became my go-to lip topper.

I'm a big fan of Danessa Myricks's matte Colorfix pigments, but this was the first time I got my hands on the famed Foils. The highly pigmented liquid works fabulously as a metallic eye shadow, but you can also dip a fine liner brush into the pigment to swipe it along the lash line for an eccentric eyeliner moment. If you really want to experiment, try swiping it onto your lips or blending it onto your cheeks for a multiuse moment.

I haven't been able to put down the Haus Labs Glassy Blush Balm ever since receiving it in my goodie bag. The impressively hydrating formula is easy to diffuse, offering a watercolor wash of color across the cheeks that's great for the blush-blocking trend that experts predicted would dominate 2026. It's easy to build the intensity for a stronger bloom without disturbing the layers below. Unfortunately for my credit card statement, I need every color.

Taylor Swift's red lip of choice is rumored to be this classic blue-red by Pat McGrath Labs (Elson 4, for those who are curious), and we got to take the matte liquid lipstick home following our Sephoria visit. As someone who swore she'd never wear a matte liquid lipstick again after the drying formulas of her youth, I was hesitant to swipe this stuff onto my lips—until I realized how little it took to get a full red pout and how lightweight it felt. PML's Liquilust is a testament to modern liquid-lipstick formulating, and I'm officially adding it to my collection.

I've waxed poetic about Makeup by Mario's cream blush more times than I can count, both in writing and to anyone who will listen IRL, but my mom's friend was the latest to join the fan club after taking this compact home. "It's very pigmented and stays on all day," she wrote. You only need a sheer layer on your fingertips, a fluffy brush, or sponge to get the buildable flush of your dreams.