If you ever visited Sephora either IRL or online, you know it’s a beauty-lover’s heaven. You also know that unless you’ve arrived dead set on what to purchase, it can also be product overload (but in a good way?). Should you be on the hunt for a few new items to carry into the new year, here’s our advice: start with the new products launched at Sephora this year.
2020 was a slow year for everything, including beauty, so brands returned this year churning out launches in a big way, and of course many of them made its way to Sephora’s shelves. Meanwhile, the retailer’s in-house brand, Sephora Collection, isn’t without its newly-introduced products to test out, either. From foundation to hydrating masks, you can rebuild your entire beauty routine with newness if need be. Whether you missed the launch the first time around, or you’re just here to re-up on what may have now become a new favorite, here’s 10 beauty products born in 2021 that you can’t enter the new year without.
01
Sephora Collection Microsmooth Multi-Tasking Baked Face Palette
Take this four-in-one palette on the road with you, so you never miss a moment of shimmer.
Pat McGrath MTHRSHP MEGA: CELESTIAL ODYSSEY Eyeshadow Palette
Chock full of color and shimmer, this eyeshadow palette is bound to thrive in the night, but its warm, neutral colors are primed for daytime wear as well.
Using a mixture of plant extracts and vitamins to target dryness and uneven texture, this tonic will have you going into the new year with smooth and radiant skin.
Sephora carries this waterproof pigment in 34 shades. Great for the eyes, cheeks and lips simultaneously, you can consider this your beauty product version of a one-stop-shop.
If you’ve ever been to ESSENCE Hollywood House, you know it’s more than just a series of panels—it’s a gathering of visionaries. A space where Black creatives and leaders come together to share stories, strategies, and solutions. This year’s conversation, Let’s Talk About LA: Preserving Our City, presented by AT&T, was no different.
The discussion brought together three voices, each deeply invested in shaping LA’s future: D. Smoke, the Grammy-nominated rapper and educator; Olympia Auset, founder of SÜPRMRKT, a grocery service tackling food apartheid in LA; and DJ HED, a radio personality and advocate for independent artists. Though their paths differed, their mission was the same—creating opportunities, protecting culture, and ensuring Black spaces in LA don’t just survive but thrive.
For Olympia Ausset, the work she’s doing with SÜPRMRKT goes far beyond providing fresh groceries—it’s about laying the foundation for a stronger, healthier community. “The LA we love, the cultural beacon it’s known as today, was built by people who worked hard to create their own spaces,” she shared. “The reason I do what I do is because it’s essential. We can’t achieve any of the changes I want for my community without being in good health and having access to affordable, organic food. Without places where we can gather, heal, and support each other, none of the other goals will be possible. It starts with taking care of ourselves and building those spaces together.”
From Olympia’s focus on wellness and accessibility to DJ HED’s belief in the power of self-worth, the discussion explored what it means to dream beyond individual success and invest in collective progress. “I see a lot of people who aren’t proud of where they come from, what they look like, or where they’re at in life,” he said. “I had to learn to give myself grace, to grow. I grew up in Inglewood, raised by a single mom. We lived in a car, we were on welfare, but I knew I wanted to be bigger than my circumstances. That’s what dreaming in Black is—believing in something greater and nurturing it until it grows.”
DJ Smoke also touched on this, emphasizing the importance of intention and fulfillment. “You don’t want to climb that ladder and realize you went real high in the wrong direction,” he warned. “A lot of people in LA are ambitious, but if you don’t understand your ‘why,’ you can get to the top and still feel empty. The goal isn’t just to make it—it’s to make it mean something.
Sometimes, as Black creatives, we only dream as far as the next gig or the next check, but dreaming in Black means going beyond that. “It means thinking bigger than what’s right in front of you,” said host Donye Taylor.
This conversation was a call to action – a reminder that preserving LA’s Black culture means investing in community, honoring our history, and building a legacy that lasts.
