• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

Fans know that every year, all Mariah Carey wants is to launch her "It's Time” video, reminding the world she’s about to reclaim her seasonal throne over every holiday playlist. This year, Sephora has teamed up with the singer, turning the annual clip into a holiday ad.

This time, she’s facing an enemy, with actor Billy Eichner starring as a no-good elf who tries to steal her beauty essentials. Carey then jumps in a sleigh suitable for a queen (of Christmas) and soars out over a Sephora-stocked wonderland.

The video launched on Nov. 1 with a Times Square billboard and will run through the holiday period on Carey's and Sephora's social channels, anchoring the “Give Something Beautiful” campaign. Directed by Joseph Kahn, the video has already scored a direct hit, generating 250 million views in the first two days.

It also coincides with Sephora’s holiday savings event.

“Our holiday campaign this year celebrates the notion of ‘glimmers’ -- those small moments of joy that a gift of beauty brings -- and there is no one who better embodies that sentiment than Mariah Carey during the holiday season,” said Zena Arnold, Sephora’s CMO, in the announcement. “Mariah’s ‘It’s Time’ video is a cultural phenomenon that reaches consumers in a joyful, creative, and highly shareable way, and this partnership enables us to amplify the festive spirit and be at the center of celebration and fun.”

The five-octave pop star remains the best-selling female artist of all time, and her 1994 hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has become one of the longest-charting singles in any genre, spending 65 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100. While many still refer to her as the “Queen of Christmas,” in 2022, she lost her bid to trademark the phrase.

It’s not the only thing Sephora’s elves have cooked up for the holiday. In September, it became the first-ever official beauty retailer of the Radio City Rockette, and the “Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes. The 2025 Christmas Spectacular.” Those performances are set to begin this week.

Sephora continues to shine within LVMH’s portfolio, which saw selective retailing sales climb 7% last quarter.