Check out this current gift with purchase for Valentino beauty with a $150 beauty or fragrance purchase. Hack… Valentino eyeliner sharpener add-on when an eyeliner is purchased. To receive both gifts with purchase, I added both a fragrance set and eyeliner to cart. The deep navy shade eyeliner is a great choice for a smoky neutral. Highly recommend watching the gifts with purchase during the anniversary sale…gifts with purchase tend to be more elevated during this shopping peak…great time time to shop holiday gifts and to get a two-in-one gift!
Nordstrom Top 5
The best of the best..the premium work trouser to leave an impression, the buttery leather leather jackets in a trendy cropped style, as well as in a longline vision perfect for your date-night-dress or travel coat. For the top 5 I had to include 2 accessories- the most standout handbag of the sale, as well as a high-impact boot that is snow and rain proof for those stormy days.
Stay tuned…I will share my styling Nordstrom haul shortly…friendly reminder, only buy what you truly love and what resonates with your personal style!
Nordstrom Beauty
Beauty items featured during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale.
The beauty recommendations are a favorite category of the sale…typically I purchase at least one set in advance for the holidays for gifting purposes. Shopping tip…while everyone is snagging the items posted as “on sale” during the annniversary sale, browse the gift with purchases category online. Often higher-end gift with purchases are offered during the sale timeframe, though they aren’t part of the sale. In years past, a dior makeup bag was included with a dior fragrance duo, which made for a beautiful 2-in-1 gift.
My favorite duo of the sale is the Giorgio Armani fluid sheers. I am currently using the a beautiful peach shade and apply it as a base for my blush everyday, and wear it alone on summer/pool days. It has a shimmer finish, that blends in easily into the skin. There is a generous amount of product included in the standard sizes, and this duo would be ideal for travel or a beach weekend. I would also recommend the Giorgio Armani eye set, though typically I stick to my eye palettes.
The Tom Ford duo would make for a lovely holiday gift under $50. I fell in love with the Neroli Portofino a decade ago when I lived in Australia and the tropical scent always takes me back to days of intense heat and unforgettable sunsets. I prefer the large full-size fragrances when it is a all-time favorite scent, but with Tom Ford fragrances exceeding $300 and $350 a smaller size seems more reasonable.
As someone that is a repeat offender of buying all things labeled vanilla…vanilla candles, vanilla coke, etc. I find myself drawn to this fragrance. I have never tried this line and it is quite a high price point for a scent you have never experienced, though it is tempting. Based on my research this fragrance comes sweet notes of vanilla with a woodsy combination.
I repeatedly purchase the Donna Karan deodorant- my all-time favorite anti-persperant, in a lightly powdered vanilla scent that goes on the skin like silk.
Cult beauty favorites include the Charlotte Tilbury sets and the Westman Atelier duos, though I have never purchased these personally.
I am a fan of hair tools as prepping ahead for holiday gifting. In years past, I purchased a Drybar hairdryer for my mom and made a Drybar gift set, including the curlers, matching brush, hair clips. Highly recommend this idea! At a better pricepoint, this hair tool claims to create mermaid-like waves for that tossled beach-wave vibe. If you miss this one during the sale though, the regular price point is also pretty budget-friendly. The reviews are mixed on this one, which I am guessing is based on your hair type and how fine your hair is.
Last but not least, my hghest recommended beauty purchase of the sale (was) the Victoria Beckham jewel kajal eyeliner set. It includes 5 eyeliners, mascara, sharpener and sleek case to store the eyeliners. This one was one of the top items on my wishlist…complete disclaimer here… it is already available for purchase on the Victoria Beckham beauty website, for $3 less, and buy purchasing from the retailer directly, you are gifted with a velvet pouch (as a welcome gift for your first purchase online) and often the packaging is top-tier, as compared to buying from a department store.
Anniversary Preview
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2026 preview is officially live! I must say that this year the preview seems extremely delayed, as compared to previous anniversary sales. Additional time for the preview is helpful in creating and refining your wishlist. This is the recommended strategy for the sale, as items begin to sell out as soon as the sale is live for the different tiers of customers. I am hoping that additional items are added throughout the sale. The selection at the moment, is quite limited. Though, depending on your budget, this could be a positive. I am sharing a few of the items that I saved to my wishlist…though nothing is set in stone, with the preview just launching!
2026 N Sale Update
The annual Nordstrom Anniversary sale is right around the corner! Nordstrom has announced the upcoming days where different tiers of customers can shop. As an ambassador, I enjoy going to the preview event and RSVP as an ambassador each year. It’s a special experience when the store opens early for its loyal customers and you can look at the new releases while the store is quiet with less traffic. As an ambassador, you also get Nordstrom snacks and based on the past few years, a reusable Nordstrom water bottle.
Credit: Nordstrom
You can also book a styling appointment during the sale, if you would like suggestions from a Nordstrom advisor. If you do this…I would prepare to spend more though, as you will likely be styled in several outfits, which each would be made up of 4-5 pieces. To give you a frame of reference, in the past I tried this and one of the outfits was a Vince sweater paired with Mother Jeans. (That was a $500+ outfit.) It may be more financially sustainable to handpick your pieces and create your own outfit combos, especially if you are on a budget!
If you are interested in the beauty items during the sale, I would keep a watch on the Glam Up Days from July 18th-August 9th, as well as the Beauty Bash on July 25th, for free samples, makeup tutorials, and gifts with purchase. Often the beauty sets make amazing birthday and holiday gifts.
A few new twists this year…there is a game called…find the golden hanger in the store…to win a $25 or $125 promo card. From July 14th-17th, the first 250 customers at the store, get a scratch ticket for a surprise. I am anxiously awaiting to receive the anniversary catalogue in the mail. It is easy to browse the preview on the website, however as a Journalism major, I love something tangible in front of me that I can browse. I will be sharing more posts as the preview comes out, with my wishlist in mind, so stay tuned.
All images are credit of Nordstrom