What I bought on Black Friday

I’ve become known for my comprehensive A-Z Black Friday Guides each year. I did a poll on Instagram asking if you wanted to see what I bought on Black Friday, and 85% of you said yes! I spent over £1,300 (€1,500/$1,600!) on hair, beauty, home, fashion, and tech products throughout the cyber weekend! Here’s what I got, and how much I saved.

First of all, I want to say I am still not over how much money I spent on Black Friday, and throughout the cyber weekend! I hadn’t added it all up until just now, for this post. As you can probably guess, I didn’t set myself a budget! But, I got some great Christmas presents. Restocked on my favourite hair and skincare products, as well as a few other bits and pieces. I always wait for sale events to stock up on skincare products. So that category is the most expensive for me. In total, I saved over £300, making an average saving of 23.75%. Please don’t feel any pressure to purchase any of the items in this post! This is just to share with you what I bought on Black Friday.

Tech

I’m going to start with tech because this item was top of my list for Black Friday. I purchased the latest model of the Apple iPad from Amazon, as a Christmas present for my kids, who are 11 and 8 years old. It’s reduced even further on Amazon right now, down to £289 – I paid £299. I also got 50% off this protective case because well, kids!

I also purchased a couple of Adobe Lightroom Presets. Dark hair doesn’t show up great in photographs. Unless I light myself up so much I blow out my facial features and natural, olive skin tone. So although I don’t tend to touch up my photos, I have been experimenting with presets to make my curl definition and texture pop. I got 50% off Light & Airy Photography Lightoom Real Colour Preset. I already have the original Light & Airy Lightroom Preset pack – see a before and after below. They currently have a 20% discount offer using code HOLIDAY20. I also got 15% off Jenna Kutcher Lightroom Presets, which I’ve not used before or had a chance to play around with yet.

Home

If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a while, you’ll know that I moved into a new house last year. Over the last couple of months I’ve been decorating my living room and bathrooms. I had my eye on these products for a while. But I was waiting to purchase them on Black Friday, because they’re expensive and I wanted whatever discount I could get! I got 20% off Zara Home where I purchased this stunning clay base lamp, and beautiful basket for the living room. And this wooden ladder as a towel rack for my bathroom.

Hair

Just because I’m the one putting together the A-Z Black Friday Guide, doesn’t mean I’m any different to any other curly girl. I still want to buy all the products! Last year I used the discount codes to try new products, this year I used them to restock my favourite products . I stocked up on two Hairfinity Strengthening Amino Masques, and two Hairfinity Balanced Moisture Conditioners. Hairfinity sells out fast on Look Fantastic, so I always buy multiples whenever they’re in stock. I also bought another Silke London hair turban as a Christmas gift for a friend. I got 20% off Look Fantastic, and you can still get 20% off Look Fantastic using my code CURLMAVEN! They also do FREE worldwide shipping!

Beauty

Skincare products are my weakness!! Fresh off the back of the Sephora VIB Rouge sale event earlier in the month, I spent most of my money on more skincare and beauty products! A mix of purchasing new products to try (and return!), and repurchasing (expensive) favourites.

I got 20% off my favourite products, the OSKIA Renaissance Mask & limited-edition Renaissance Body Scrub – I already have one tub and love it, so I definitely wanted to get a back up! You can still get 20% off OSKIA at Look Fantastic, using my code CURLMAVEN. I also got a FREE mini OSKIA SPF30 Mist with my purchase, which is still available if you spend over £65 on OSKIA at Look Fantastic, who ship worldwide.

I also stocked up on Tata Harper’s Regenerating Cleanser – one of my favourite cleansers of all time! And the Tata Harper Retinoic Nutrient Face Oil with a 25% discount. This used to come in a smaller, more affordable size. But it’s only available full size now. So I’ve been waiting for a sizeable discount before purchasing, as it’s one of my favourite facial oils. Which I’m super picky about! Click here to purchase Tata Harper on Sephora.

I also stocked up on my favourite nude lipstick from Bobbi Brown. It’s a collab shade with YouTuber and blogger, Sazan – called Sazan Nude. No longer available in stores, I bought the last 2 available online in the whole of the UK & Ireland! It’s such a gorgeous nude if you’ve got olive skin! I get asked all the time what lip products I’m wearing, and it’s almost always Sazan Nude. It’s what I’m wearing in every picture in this post. If you’re outside the USA, the shade Bare in the same formula, is very similar. I’ll link it here, available world wide from Look Fantastic, and you can get 20% off using code CURLMAVEN.

I also love love love the Hourglass Scattered Light glitter eyeshadows! I already have a full size of Burnish, I got another one in Blaze. And the limited edition holiday trio – mainly because of the shade Molten, which is exclusive to the set. But I also love Ray.

Whenever I want to glam up my every day makeup for night time, or just add some sparkle to my eyes, I always use these. Layered over whatever base shadow or cream I have on, usually Tom Ford Abyssinian. They are incredible! Far better than the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise (I have Marie Antoinette and Mona Lisa) or Stila Magnificent Metals Liquid Eye Shadow ( I have Bronzed Bell, you can get 20% off Stila on Look Fantastic using my code CURLMAVEN) – both very popular. But in my opinion, the Hourglass ones are far better, and I got 25% off during the Black Friday sale.

New things I purchased were the Nars Mini Wanted Eyeshadow Palette, but I returned it immediately! I know everyone says it’s tiny, but goodness me! “Micro” would describe this palette better than “mini.” I also purchased the Sunday Riley Good Genes Glycolic Acid Treatment. The original Good Genes all-in-one Lactic Acid Treatment has been a game changer in my skin care routine and is worth every single cent! But it isn’t available in the EU anymore, and can only be purchased in the USA. Sunday Riley re-formulated it using glycolic acid, with a little lactic acid for the EU/UK.

I much prefer the original Good Genes all-in-one Lactic Acid Treatment. It’s more hydrating and gentle, more suited to dehydrated, sensitive skin – which is what I have. So I stocked up on the full size of the Lactic Acid Treatment with a 15% discount in the Sephora VIB Rouge Sale earlier in November. And 25% off the Glycolic Acid Treatment on Black Friday from Cult Beauty, who ship worldwide.

Fashion

And finally, a Christmas present for me! Via my brother – although he doesn’t know it yet! We do Secret Santa in our family, although it’s never a secret, it’s actually highly orchestrated! We all end up buying presents for ourselves at the set budget, and then letting the other person know what they got us. This year, I purchased another beautiful piece of Sézane knitwear: the Circe jumper.

I already have the Solal jumper and the Philomene jumper. I love this French brand so much! They are my go-to when I want to treat myself to something really nice, that’s good quality, and for me, an investment piece. Unlike most European clothing brands though, their clothes run big, so my advice is to size down – especially when it comes to knitwear! And, they sell out fast! So if you see something you like, don’t wait around! I didn’t get a discount on the knitwear itself, but I got free express shipping and a cute little zodiac sign makeup bag. Thanks bro!

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That’s all for this post, and my poor bank account! Next week is my final post of the year, my Favourite Products of 2019! Make sure you subscribe to this blog, if you haven’t already. I’m also on Pinterest, and most active on Instagram – @curlycailin.ie. I’m very active on IG stories, and there’s lots of helpful info in my highlights. That’s all for now, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, Happy Holidays! Gabriella x

If you’re interested in skincare and beauty, check out this post on 10 steps to healthy, youthful radiant skin.

Or this post on whether your skin is dry, or just dehydrated.

If you found this post or any of my content helpful, and would like to show your Gratitude & Support, you can click here to make a donation. I’m so incredibly thankful and grateful to everyone who supports me, my content and my platform. Your support enables me to continue providing FREE, organic content, and keep my blog FREE from Google Ads. Not only that, it’s also helping build towards my dreams and goals for Curl Maven as a brand and all I’ve got planned. Thank you so much! Gabriella x

*All products mentioned in this post were purchased with my own money. This post contains affiliate links, which means I get paid (a very small) commission on products you purchase through my links. This in no way affects you, the price you pay or the way in which I write about products featured on this site. My content is not influenced by advertisers, affiliate partnerships, brands or PRs.