20 Editor-Backed Beauty Items From the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale That Transformed My Routine

Save on all of our favorite brands, from Dyson to Yves Saint Laurent.

blonde woman wearing her hair in a low bun, wearing sunglasses and a black outfit
(Image credit: Future)

I'll be the first to admit I have expensive taste, especially when it comes to beauty. Once I started investing in fewer makeup and skincare products of higher quality, I noticed an immediate improvement in my skin, makeup looks, hair, and, consequently, my confidence. However, luxury comes at a price (literally), and I often find myself wincing as I press the checkout button on my favorite sites. This week, however, I can justify my love for luxury guilt-free, because Nordstrom is holding its Half-Yearly Sale.

Per its name, this sale happens twice per year, making it a highly anticipated event for those who love indulging in premium makeup, beauty tools, skincare, haircare, and even fragrance. By stocking up on your favorite beauty staples now, you can save hundreds of dollars. Plus, you can finally justify indulging in that aspirational product you've had your eye on (I'm looking at you, Dyson Airstrait). Ahead, beauty bestsellers with tantalizingly steep price slashes.

Gabrielle Ulubay
Beauty Writer

Gabrielle Ulubay is a Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. She has also written about sexual wellness, politics, culture, and fashion at Marie Claire and at publications including The New York Times, HuffPost Personal, Bustle, Alma, Muskrat Magazine, O'Bheal, and elsewhere. Her personal essay in The New York Times' Modern Love column kickstarted her professional writing career in 2018, and that piece has since been printed in the 2019 revised edition of the Modern Love book. Having studied history, international relations, and film, she has made films on politics and gender equity in addition to writing about cinema for Film Ireland, University College Cork, and on her personal blog, gabrielleulubay.medium.com. Before working with Marie Claire, Gabrielle worked in local government, higher education, and sales, and has resided in four countries and counting. She has worked extensively in the e-commerce and sales spaces since 2020, and spent two years at Drizly, where she developed an expertise in finding the best, highest quality goods and experiences money can buy.

Deeply political, she believes that skincare, haircare, and sexual wellness are central tenets to one's overall health and fights for them to be taken seriously, especially for people of color. She also loves studying makeup as a means of artistic expression, drawing on her experience as an artist in her analysis of beauty trends. She's based in New York City, where she can be found watching movies or running her art business when she isn't writing. Find her on Twitter at @GabrielleUlubay or on Instagram at @gabrielle.ulubay, or follow her art at @suburban.graffiti.art