I found myself in suburban Connecticut recently with time on my hands, so I did one of my favorite things to do in the suburbs, and went to the mall. It was a practical decision as well: Now that I live in a brownstone with no doorman, it’s tougher for me to do my shopping online—if I’m not home to receive a package and it’s left on the stoop, it will most likely be stolen. Annoyingly. So I was looking forward to checking a number of items off my list at Sephora, and that is what I did. For starters, I picked up this SPF 40, because I kept reading and hearing about how good it was. And it appears that the raves are entirely founded: this stuff goes on super-light and works to hydrate skin as it protects. Also, the formula is pearlescent, and leaves skin with a lovely glow.

I think I have maybe been loyal to Benefit’s Rollerlash mascara longer than I’ve been loyal to any mascara in recent memory. When I want big eyelash drama I’ll still reach for my Nars Climax, but for everyday, it’s the Benefit. It lifts and curls your lashes and manages to look deeply natural always.

I ran out of my Kosas Tinted Face Oil not long ago, so I used my old foundation for a week or so, and boy, is the Kosas better, especially for summer. It’s light, has enough coverage without making you look spackled, and is actually good for your skin.

Under typical circumstances, there are about three or four products I put on my clean skin in the morning, but when I’m in a rush all I go for is this Drunk Elephant Marula Oil, because it hydrates my skin really well and absorbs pretty quickly, leaving a supple surface for makeup. (I am curious, though, about this marula oil from The Ordinary, which costs a mere fraction of what the Drunk Elephant does, and is maybe just as good? Does anyone know?).

I was thrilled to find full-size specimens of this Milk bronzer, because it is constantly either sold out or only available in minis (and, alas, all Sephora has for sale online is the mini so that’s what I linked to). I—and clearly lots of others—get excited about this stuff because most bronzers have at least a little shimmer in them, and sometimes rather a lot of shimmer, and I dislike that. This stuff goes on totally matte (and is also lighter than it looks here) and truly makes your face look naturally tan.

And speaking of summer, I long ago learned that if I want to wear eyeliner when it’s hot and sticky out, it had better be waterproof. I also vastly prefer a pencil liner for ease of use. So I was delighted to discover this waterproof pencil eyeliner from Sephora’s in-house brand. It is a nice, deep, rich brown (but also comes in a ton of other hues) and stays put like crazy.

I am just so bad at applying eyeshadow, so I like products that make it easy for me, like this Ilia formulation (the color is called Dim), which is a super-pretty grey with a hint of lavender. It goes on liquid-ish but then dries as a powder, and is as difficult to screw up as you please.