I'm a Beauty Editor—These Are the 20 Nordstrom Finds on My Black Friday List
Can you believe we've already made it to November? The imminent transition from fall to winter signals the beginning of the holidays and, yes, the nonstop sales as far as the eye can see, including Nordstrom's annual Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. While they haven't started just yet, I've combed through thousands of haircare, skincare, and makeup offerings to find the 20 products I'll be adding to my holiday shopping list for friends, family, and—admittedly—yours truly.
If you don't have plans to browse Nordstrom's beauty department IRL or you need some extra shopping inspo, you've landed in the right place. At Who What Wear, we're all about high-quality products without having to put up with equally high prices. Keep scrolling to check out which ones have caught my eye and completely won me over before they've even left my shopping cart.
Skincare
Hyperpigmentation doesn't stand a chance against this complexion-correcting serum. Its highly concentrated formula uses Viniferine, a patented ingredient from vine sap, and olive squalane to even the skin's tone and deliver moisture.
I refuse to gatekeep this refreshing Aesop toner any longer. Its citrus base cleanses the skin of sweat and grime to leave your complexion balanced, refreshed, and ready for hydration. It works particularly well with combination, acne-prone, and oily skin types.
Snag this during the sale if you want to end the year with smooth and radiant skin. It's designed to gently remove makeup and surface impurities without stripping the skin's moisture barrier. The Ocean Cleansing Milk has been part of my skincare routine for the past three years, and I can't imagine my lineup without it.
Now that I've reached my mid-20s, most of my Friday nights consist of me slipping into something cozy, pouring myself a glass of chardonnay, and applying a nourishing face mask. This one by Blue Lagoon reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while boosting your glow.
Here's another holy-grail product if you've been combating hyperpigmentation for too long. The water-based brightening serum pictured above targets uneven skin tone using a high concentration of purified alpha arbutin to brighten the skin, while the addition of hyaluronic acid helps support product absorption.
Haircare + Styling
The holidays are coming, and so are nonstop photo-shoot ops. Keep your hair looking picture-perfect with the help of this heat-styling spray. Not only does it provide thermal protection, but it also repairs split ends and nourishes, softens, and strengthens your hair.
We all have bad hair days every now and then, but what if I told you there's a product that can double down on sad-looking strands? Spray this tonic on your damp hair (targeting the roots) to pump up the volume and create eye-catching shine for fine to medium hair.
If you haven't incorporated a mask into your haircare routine, what have you been doing to keep your tresses looking their best? The Thickening Plumping Mask can be applied after shampooing to deliver instant all-day volume by detangling and strengthening your hair.
If you want to banish frizz, Living Proof's No Frizz Vanishing Oil makes sure you can. The fast-absorbing oil locks in hydration while locking out humidity for smooth and shiny strands. Its formula uses amaranth-seed extract and a nourishing five-oil blend to replenish your hair's lost natural lipids.
At this point, I'm not sure if there will ever be another Nordstrom sale where I'm not planning on snagging this Olaplex product. The No.3 Hair Perfector is an at-home treatment that addresses damaged and compromised hair by strengthening it from within and restoring your strands to their healthiest state.
Makeup
For as long as I can remember, I've been plagued with short, curly lashes that absolutely refuse to embrace volume or length. That was, of course, until I started using YSL's volume-enhancing Volume Effet Faux Cils Volumizing Mascara. It gives a stunning false-lash effect in a single stroke.
I swear by multipurpose makeup products I can use when I'm in a time crunch for that perfect finishing touch as I'm heading out the door. Westman Atelier's Baby Cheeks Blush Stick glides across the skin, delivering an effervescent flush of buildable color in a range of gorgeous shades.
Trust me—I've never known a creamier concealer than this one from Nars. It brightens, corrects, and perfects any areas you need a little extra coverage with up to 16 hours of wear. Its formula even uses light-diffusing technology with mineral powder to even the skin tone and hide imperfections.
If Clueless's Cher Horowitz had the Ambient Lighting Palette, she wouldn't have had to ask if she stumbled into bad lighting during her doomed date with Christian. The second edition of the brand's best-selling Ambient Lighting Palette gives a flawless complexion and multidimensional glow using photoluminescent powders.
Eyeliner can make or break any makeup look, but if you use the right one, you won't have to worry about the latter. This Chantecaille eyeliner combines the glide of a liquid with the pigment of a pencil for a transfer-proof, long-wearing finish. Each of the stunning shades is inspired by the opulent colors of Fortuny silks.
Bodycare
Dry brushing is a natural way to increase circulation and metabolism while eliminating dead skin cells. The natural cactus bristles that make up Elemis's Body Detox Skin Brush restore the tone and texture of your skin before you step into the shower. It's finally time to say goodbye to those pesky ingrown hairs and dry, flaky skin.
Nécessaire's daily hyaluronic acid treatment hydrates, replenishes, and plumps the skin. In addition to being formulated with five molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, it includes niacinamide and ceramides to restore and support the skin barrier. For even more hydration, try mixing it with your favorite moisturizer.
Looking for a gentle yet effective way to buff and brighten your skin? Aesop's body scrub contains finely milled pumice and bamboo stem to fight through dead skin cells and grime while a blend of essential oils (fir, pine needles, clove, and sage leaf) provides spa-level aromatherapy.
Got milk? Fresh's non-stripping bodywash uses soothing plant-based milks from centella, rice, and linseed to gently remove impurities while maintaining your skin's pH levels. Its formula also has hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and vitamin E to keep your skin soft and smooth for hours on end.
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you—Byredo's beloved Blanche fragrance is available as a bodywash. If you've yet to experience Blanche, all you need to know is that the fragrance combines powdery white rose, pink pepper, violet, peony, sandalwood, and more for a scent built around perfumer Ben Gorham's perception of the color white.
Maya Thomas is Who What Wear's assistant beauty editor based in New York City. Her strong love for all things beauty and fashion stems from a strong childhood interest in the fine arts. During a gap year spent in Paris studying the history of French fashion, she shifted her focus to English literature and journalism as a student at Loyola Marymount University with the goal of one day pursuing a career in fashion. After graduating in May 2021, Maya began freelancing for Parade.com as a contributing commerce writer while also building a following on her lifestyle blog, Itsmayalala.com. When she's not writing, Maya spends her free time catching up on reading, perusing art galleries, and enjoying a night out at the ballet every now and then.
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