It’s one of THE most talked about department store sales of the year…the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.
And if you haven’t heard WHY this sale has become such a big a deal over the past few years, here it is in a nutshell.
It’s when Nordstrom receives brand new fall arrivals in clothing, handbag, beauty exclusives, home decor, etc. that are offered for limited time sale prices. So what’s on sale now for these special anniversary items, will go back up to their regular prices on August 5th.
Basically you’re getting a fall preview on the upcoming trends and products in all of those categories, at a lower price than normal…for Nordstrom prices;)
Now before I get into my beauty picks for this post I want to address what’s been bugging me about the widespread coverage of this sale from the blogging world. But if you don’t follow many bloggers or you aren’t on Instagram, then you probably don’t know (won’t care) what I’m talking about and you can just skip down further to see my recommendations of best values from the sale!!
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There is a SLEW of coverage currently on this sale over on Instagram from bloggers and influencers. And SO many Insta stories filled with “SWIPE UP!” to buy this and that, that it has felt a bit greedy and overzealous on another level by certain influencers. So much so that I wondered if I even wanted to be a part of the promotion of it this year.
Why do bloggers go nuts over this sale?
Here’s the reason lots of bloggers and influencers are posting constantly about this Nordstrom sale until it ends – because it makes them money from their affiliate programs like Reward Style – which I am a member of.
How it works.
And some bloggers can make a lot of money from this sale if they have a large following of people who trust their recommendations. We bloggers use affiliate coded links on our sites and when people (you) shop this sale through our blog links, we can make a commission. It never changes the price of the item for you however, which is great. It is one of the easiest ways to make a little extra cash, or for the big bloggers, a decent living through their blogs. And if I’m being honest, it’s nice to receive that commission check every month no doubt. Now with Like To Know It app, people can shop their favorite influencers style through Instagram as well where we can also can receive commissions through.
Some might would say, I’m just jealous because I don’t have the swipe up option (yet) and I’d totally do the same thing if I had it (you have to have 10K followers on Insta to get it). No way. First off, I’m a BEAUTY blogger, not a primarily fashion blogger, and the cosmetics department at Nordstrom would probably be highly annoyed if I came in there swatching lipsticks + blushes for hours and documenting it!
My jam and expertise is in all things beauty. I buy new makeup + skincare products every single month without fail. I buy a few new clothing items, maaaaybe every few months…maybe 😉
My first job out of college was actually working on the cosmetics floor of Nordstrom back in 2000. And as an employee who worked on commission there, I feel for them that have to endure any blogger try on sesh where they buy very little of what they try on and record in those dressing room. And don’t even get me started on Insta stories that have a bazillion dashes at the top where I know it’s a Nordstrom try on session filled with her encouraging me to buy “all the things,” I immediately click out. I just can’t.
First of all, none of us NEED ANYTHING from the Nordstrom Sale. It’s all strictly WANTS.
I never want people to visit my site or my Instagram and feel like I’m SELLING them on everything and just anything. Of course I encourage brand awareness of items I like and trust, and yes, I do like the small affiliate commission I earn every now and then. But my audiences trust is of utmost importance. And with so much coverage of this sale, it just starts to feel disingenuous that bloggers are constantly covering it daily in hopes people will buy their suggestions – even if it’s not TRULY their style.
That’s why this post will focus only on a few great deals, and not a slew of 50+ items in a pretty collage.
Because let’s be real, you don’t need that many options of things to buy because it gets overwhelming AND unnecessary because I myself would never buy 50 things! My budget just won’t allow it.
And I am not even getting into clothing picks this year like I have in the past. It’s a hundred degrees here in Georgia, and the thought that I might miss out on that blanket scarf or cashmere sweater is totally fine by me at this point. I’ll find another one when it actually gets cold in 3 months from some other retailer.
Here’s the thing – I do very much appreciate your support when you purchase items through my links that I suggest on my blog. But my main point in mentioning all of this is that please always know that these are merely my suggestions and by no means do I want anyone to get FOMO from not purchasing my suggestions. Sometimes JOMO (joy of missing out!) is better 🙂
Okay now that I’ve said my peace about this sale, let’s get into the good stuff. This post is for the 3 friends that approached me via Insta DM’s and text messages asking why I hadn’t done one of these posts yet and that they had been looking forward to seeing my picks. So ladies, this is for you!
I purposefully waited until the sale was open to the public before creating this post because I don’t think it’s cool to suggest people open a Nordstrom credit card JUST so they can get the deals either.
First up SKINCARE. You know I preach that your makeup will only look as good as your skin does, so that means take care of it FIRST. I’m a big Mario Badescu fan and you could soften your lips, hydrate your skin and treat blemishes all with THIS TRIO of their fan favorites. If you struggle with sad short eyelashes, this eyelash serum duo gets incredible reviews (all over the internet, just just Nordstrom) and would be cheaper than getting a prescription for Latisse!
And without sounding like a broken record, my all time go-to liquid exfoliant is also on sale with 2 for almost the price of one normally. Lastly, this award winning set of Charlotte Tilbury’s skincare items is supposed to give you red carpet like skin like her clients Amal Clooney and Nicole Kidman.
Now onto MAKEUP. Great mascaras are always a good purchase and Lancome makes some of the best prestige mascaras in the biz including this mascara + primer set of their most popular ones. I dig this 3 piece face palette that includes easy to wear blush, bronzer, and highlighter all in one. Another gorgeous face palette that can give you glowing rose gold skin from Becca Cosmetics (known for their highlighters!) is on sale for half off at only $48 for 4 products.
Of course I can’t go without suggesting an eyeshadow palette and this 10 shade palette combines the best cool + warm + neutral shades to cover all your bases. I’m not a huge fan of spending tons of money on lip colors (because I like to own so many options and that would add up!) but I’ve always been a Clinique Chubby Stick fan and this offering of 6 mini hydrating colored lip balms is a great buy. And if nude lip colors are your jam, this 5 full sized nude lipstick set is a phenomenal deal IMO.
Don’t forget HAIR. I have never been a bit fan of styling my hair or using much product, but now that I got my Balayage done, I’m more into doing my hair! I’m really loving the beach wave look done with a flat iron and this T3 iron is on sale for $50 off to great reviews! I was lucky enough to get a T3 hair dryer from my father-in-law for Christmas, and it has been a game changer with the amount of hair I have. They’ve got an even fancier dryer for $80 off right now. Also, I’m a big fan of the Dry Bar products ever since I got samples of them from a blogger event and their four pack of favorites in travel sizes is a great way to try them and see which one is best for you!
Honorable mentions not in the beauty space, would be this $31 dainty Kendra Scott pendant (I own 3 of her pendants, wearing one in above pic and they are accessory staples!). Also, I’m getting into hats right now and wearing them currently (with sleeveless tops obviously!) and they’ve got affordable options here for a panama hat and wool fedora. And last but not least, I always feel prettier wearing large hoop earrings and these thin $38 pave diamond looking hoops are so classic.
What are your thoughts on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale? Did you purchase anything? And do you get annoyed when bloggers seem extra pushy with this sale, or am I just overly sensitive to it??
