I am Julie Fredrickson and this is Nice Packaging. I am current startup investor and former cosmetics & fashion founder. This is blog for functional cosmetic routines for men & women with a side helping of the business of beauty. From Pareto optimal products for men to multi-step routines for professional women, I cover it all. My goal is to be your trusted personal merchandising editor. I’ve got a bone deep Protestant Work Ethic approach to cosmetics so I love to find the best value in the market to achieve exactly the results you want. Today I’m doing short rundown of what sales I shop on Black Friday for myself and my friends
Black Friday can be a stressful experience for even the most experienced bargain hunters looking for deals. When those deals are in categories where you aren’t as confident about your purchase it is even harder. I leave the electronic gadget acquisitions for my husband, but I am responsible for stocking up yearly skin, hair, body and other categories designed to bring beauty into our lives. These are the sales I’m buying from this year.
Beauty Pie 20% Off – As a thank you gift for one of my friends I put together a skincare routine that he liked so much he bought more and is even confident enough to try out new products. I recommend Beauty Pie often as it forms the core of my skincare routine thanks to its ingredient efficacy and excellent value in both volume of product delivered and quality of what you are receiving.
The prices are a good value, the products come from top labs, and I like their CEO’s taste in products. My only criticisms are that their 3LP dings packaging (if you buy gifts be warned) and they use DHL which a bad shipper. That doesn’t deter me though. I’ve been a customer of theirs since 2018ish.
This is the first year I’ve seen them offer a 20% off. They are a buyer’s club model so it should already be cost-plus, but its been rough retail year so their need to get in the black is worth taking advantage of to stock up. This will be the only referral link in the guide today so feel free to use it for $20 off. Hopefully it stacks.
I’ve had three Nice Packaging custom routine clients buy the sale to up-size the routines I’ve put together for them. My buddy above in particular liked the alternative retinol overnight oil ($17 for BF) in the Plantastic Line and the Super Healthy Skin Anti-Aging Cream ($22 for BF). I personally use their Super Retinol line and swear by the serum ($23 for BF). I’ve tried almost their entire line-up so feel free to ask questions if you need help picking.
I just acquired their deeper infrared wavelength mask at full price for $240 but today it is at $214. I don’t have results to share yet but it is a good price compared to the rest of the market, has a decent OEM and fits comfortably. I also recommend their color cosmetics (great eyeshadows), their luxury quality makeup brushes, and body care products. I buy their fragrances and candles for gifts as well.
Briogeo is my default haircare line for a number of reasons. Clean-ish ingredients that don’t make my scalp breakout, a founder whose taste I trust, and a reliable 50% off on Black Friday. This year they throw in their selling Deep Conditioning Mask for orders voer $100 which I will be placing. Briogeo is pricy so I only buy it once a year. I use their Scalp Care line (in particular the Charcoal Scalp Scrub in the 320z bottle) and have been experimenting with their Destined for Destiny serum for hair growth (which replaced their old volume line which I miss). Their Yuzu Texture and Volume Foam is a bit on the heavier fragrance side for me but it works very well and men love the scent.
Sephora – Annoyingly the LVMH retail juggernaut does its bi-annual customer week first thing in November which is 20% off everything so their Black Friday is just bits and bobs of what they bought deep on. You get a steeper discount but it is only on what they want to move. You can find their Cyber Week Deals in this hub. They also have 50% off Briogeo Scalp Care if you don’t want to go direct.
Today oily skin folks can stock up on Paula’s Choice which is great for acne prone skin. Every day of Cyber Week has new offers to drive traffic so here is the calendar. I will stock up on Youth to the People and Milk (their color sticks are my favorite for blush, highlighter and contour on the go).
Ulta – This formerly middle market brand has been catching up to Sephora on their merchandising and has taken over the strip mall real estate at the same time.
Their Black Friday is a bit better on classic beauty brand options like Estee Lauder (their globally best selling retinol serum is on sale for $59), MAC, Clinique, Lancome and other giftables for the older women in your life.
Ulta has identical hair styling offers to Sephora on Dyson and Shark if you are looking for blow out tools. The best reason to shop Ulta over Sephora this week is probably their free gift with purchase offers. I am a Sephora point herder myself but legend has it that Ulta has surpassed them.
Other offers I looked over include Bluemercury which has 20% off everything with no minimum. I got their Power Glow pads for exfoliating as I like them on airplanes for doing a quick facial before I mask up and sleep. Their merchandising caters to older women willing to spend. Saks Fifth Avenue is 15% off all beauty if you just need the expensive shit. Revolve has 50% off all beauty and is a mix of high and low. I won’t be shopping it but if I did need any high end fragrance it would be a good pick.
Need more guides? This is Allure’s Black Friday Guide 2025 which has mostly middle market to high end recommendations. New Beauty also has a higher end list of sales. Target has 40% off gift sets for the lower end price points. Amazon has a huge selection of Black Friday deals including Medicube which I’ve begun recommending as a hard working K-Beauty brand. And you might be wondering why isn’t she recommending any sales from The Ordinary?