Utilize these tactics to get the most bang for your buck when making your online beauty purchase!
Now, let me just got ahead and say that I am NOT one to splurge on makeup products – I mean, I’ll be the first one to opt for drugstore brand when it comes to the majority of my makeup must-haves. BUT, with that being said, there are products I’ve grown to love that come at a higher price point. So I’ve come up with a pretty smart (in my opinion) strategy for shopping at Sephora that succeeds in balancing my love for trying new quality products and my insane determination for getting a deal.
Just because we may not want to drop large amounts of cash into the cosmetics industry (& let’s face it… we are all tempted), does not mean we have to miss out on trying amazing products! I’m going to share some tips on how to get MANY free products every time you purchase from Sephora online.
A few months ago I made a purchase to re stock my Fenty Beauty foundation (I absolutely LOVE this product & it’s price point) and this is how the purchase went down:
I skillfully searched my inbox for Sephora promo codes (When you sign up for Sephora’s free Beauty Insider program, you receive emails containing valuable promo codes and deals on exclusive products) and I found one I wanted to use. Most of the promo codes give you a deluxe or trial sizes of an exclusive product and require a purchase of $25 or $35. I find it best to utilize these codes when I’m making a “necessary” purchase as opposed to buying something I don’t really need just to receive the free product. I chose the fragrance sample set that included 7 fragrance samples (including YSL, Tom Ford, Viktor & Rolf, Gucci, and others alike) PLUS a lip stick from Bite. Now… I can’t speak for everyone BUT I can make sample fragrances last a while – So this promo was like the holy grail to me! (It's worth mentioning here that promo codes come in a variety of options. I've had promo codes offering me everything from deluxe sample size avocado eye cream to complementary Le Mer products!).
Once I click “checkout” Sephora automatically asks me to choose my free samples (YAY!) that they give you for purchasing online with them. Free samples can range between 2-3 products. I LOVE this because it gives consumers the freedom to try products they are interested in before they spend money on the full size. I happened to see the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm (which I’ve been meaning to try) and the Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer and added those to my cart
(…BUTT I’m not done yet).
Before I enter my payment information I always look at my Reward levels. When you sign up for Sephora’s reward program (You automatically get this when you sign up for Beauty Insider) you earn points for every purchase you make. I tend to save my points until I find something REALLY worth redeeming them for. Well, as luck would have it, I had enough points to redeem for a Laura Mercier face essentials gift (which contained the infamous and highly priced setting powder I’ve always had my eye on).
Then I checkout out with FREE shipping because I have Sephora’s Flash 2-day shipping (It’s $15 annually and is always offered at checkout).
So let’s recap:
I received:
- Fenty Beauty foundation ($35)
- 7 sample size exclusive fragrances (FREE)
- Full size Bite lipstick (FREE)
- Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm sample (FREE)
- Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer sample (FREE)
- Laura Mercier face essentials gift (FREE with points)
- FREE shipping
All for $35 + tax.
I shop like this ALL the time at Sephora and as a result, I have a pretty nice makeup collection filled with products I’ve tried and love! This operation allows me to get so many great products for just purchasing one product I was already going to purchase. The samples are a great way to decide if you like a product enough to buy the full size version and save you from wasting money if you end up not liking it. It’s okay to treat yourself – but using smart additives to your purchase like these is a much sweeter deal!
*BONUS TIP:
If you find yourself wanting to try a new product and cannot find a promo code or sample for it, try searching for a gift/value set containing the product. A lot of times the gift or value set will be far cheaper than the full size product. I have done this multiple times when I really wanted to try something new but couldn’t bring myself to purchase the full size product. See below the example with Tatcha's Water Cream ($68) compared to the gift set including the water cream AND the cleanser ($25).
Do you have more tips on how to save? Comment below so we can ALL share the glory!