If you're regularly reading my blog, you probably are just as addicted to Sephora as I am and know exactly what to do to get the most value out of your purchases. However, there's still so many people who are new to Sephora that maybe don't know all of the ins and outs of purchasing products and getting the crazy number of freebies and fun sized goodies and want to get in on the secrets of Sephora. This post will be geared towards those who have just started purchasing high end products at Sephora, those who still don't know everything there is to know, or anyone who needs a refresher on all the great deals that you can get involved on during your Sephora trips.
It's a given that I'll be stepping in to the mall to find the newest, craziest, most raved about, and innovative makeup on the high-end market at least once a week. This can obviously rack up quite a bill, but with the right know-how, you can make your dollar go much farther than you'd expect. Here are the best tips and secrets that I've found to help justify your addiction to Sephora:
1. Join the Beauty Insider Rewards Program
No, this isn't the beset rewards system out there, but it's certainly worth looking into for different reasons. To start off, let's talk about what a Beauty Insider is. When you go up to the register at Sephora, you have the option to sign up for a "Beauty Insider" card. This is NOT a credit card!!! The Beauty Insider card is considered a rewards program where you receive a point for every dollar you spend in store or online. For example, if you purchase a $50 item (which isn't hard at Sephora), you will receive 50 Beauty Insider Points. The more you spend, the more you earn. After you've earned different set amounts of points (100, 250, 500, 750, 1,000, and beyond), you're eligible to redeem them for different rewards. These rewards can be deluxe samples, makeovers, customized items, groups of freebies with products such as makeup bags, and even trips to events and classes (travel cost coverage depending). Here are some more benefits to your new best friend, your Beauty Insider card:
- When you sign up for the Beauty Insider program, you are also eligible to get a birthday present! You're able to pick your birthday present up online or in store at any point throughout the month. The unfortunate catch of getting your birthday present online is you will have to buy something. If you're anywhere near a store in the month of your birthday, you're able to walk in and ask for your present without a catch. Every year, these presents change, and you have the option to choose between two. This year, you can get two Tarte minis or minis from Caudalie.
- The final biggest advantage of the Beauty Insider program is the (#)x Beauty Points sales that go on every so often. Sephora just had a massive deal going on where Beauty Insiders received 2x Beauty Points on their makeup purchases, VIB received 3x, and VIB Rouge received 4x.
2. Beauty Insider Rankings
Even though this isn't a huge tip or secret, it's worth talking about the different stacks of the Beauty Insider chain and what advantages each one holds. You can earn different rankings through your spending. After spending $350, you graduate to Very Important Beauty Insider (VIB) for a full calendar year and earn more benefits to your card. After spending $1000 in a calendar year, you've officially unlocked VIB Rouge, which offers the most benefits. I'll leave the chart so you can take a look for yourself:
3. Free Mini-Makeovers
This is probably the most overlooked benefit of Sephora. If you've ever had a question pertaining to a certain area of your makeup, such as how to do winged liner, a smokey eye, contour, and more, Sephora offers free 15 minute mini makeovers that concentrate on and teach you how to utilize the skills to create it yourself! Though you're not going to get a full face with this technique, you'll be able to get an awesome and personal tutorial as well as a cute makeover!
4. Online Promos!
Sometimes they run in store as well, but most of the time online. If you haven't checked out Sephora's promotion page quite yet, here's the link to do so: http://www.sephora.com/beauty-offers
What this page is, is your ticket to more free products with your purchases. You can often find unique bags with perfume purchases, baggies full of mini-freebies, and single deluxe sized freebies on this page, depending on your Beauty Insider status and amount spent that day. I'm almost always scrolling through this page before making my purchases to see if there's anything I want, otherwise I tend to wait on buying my products unless I need them, then I'll pick whatever. Generally speaking, lipstick samples are my favorite because they last the longest. I once got a Fresh Sugar lip tint sample that lasted me six months, and I didn't have to spend much at all. It was value for me considering these tubes usually run about $24 each.
5. Free Samples...... Daily!
Before you hit that "Proceed to Checkout" button, don't forget to stock up on your samples! Sephora allows you to choose 3 free samples with every purchase. Even if you're not interested in these, it's awesome to have something more sent to you free!
You can also get up to 3 free samples per day in store! If you're really curious about a product, you can ask a Sephora employee to give you a free sample and they'll happily oblige! This does, unfortunately, exclude products such as liquid lipsticks, sheet masks, mascaras, eyeliners, and pretty much anything that isn't a powder, liquid, or cream.
6. Free Foundation Shade Matches & Skincare Help
I strongly urge people to take advantage of this if they're having issues with their foundations and finding the right shades or products. The Sephora employees will know the benefits for specific skin types, so don't be afraid to ask about your skin problems, type, and what kind of product corresponds with your skin. Sephora employees are there to help you, and it would be most advantageous to ask if there's anything new that you can do. You can usually pick up a sample of these products if you need more time to see how the skincare effects you specifically (which I definitely recommend, skincare can take a while to see the benefits).
If you need a color match, Sephora employees will happily help. This is obviously a key element for your makeup routine, so finding a matching foundation is a necessity. Another perk for getting matched in-store is the lighting. Sephora employees generally have white/blue lighting in their stores, which is the most ideal to see the truest color - especially if you're a beauty guru or makeup artist. (Ring Lights/Softboxes typically give off blue/white light.) I was able to get my foundation match and learned that my undertones were wrong all along! I'm actually neutral-pink, when I used to think I was yellow. Now with a good majority of the foundations I purchase, I know it'll match me better.
7. Free Shipping!!!
Self explanatory: Spend $50, get free flash shipping on your online purchase!
8. Weekly WOW!
This is a new addition to Sephora, so anything I explain here is/will be subject to change and edited as we learn more.
Go to the "Sales" tab on Sephora's website to check out their Weekly WOW deals! A select number of products are 50% off for a week, and change every Thursday. If you've had something on your wishlist for a while, and it just so happens to be half off that week, take advantage of it! I can't promise that this will always be around, but keep checking for new Weekly WOW changes and buys!
(Any Weekly WOW sale items are also eligible as deals in-store.)
For now, this is the updated list of tips and secrets to spending the least and/or getting the most out of your dollar! I hope you take something from this the next time you're shopping at Sephora and remember to pick up all of your new free goodies!
If you'd like to see how I use my freebies, head over to my beauty Instagram @Lys_Glitz
(Photo Credit to all except 1st photo: sephora.com)
xoxo,
Lys
Comments
Post a Comment