Sephora Sale Strategy

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

THE SEMI ANNUAL SEPHORA SALE

Sephora’s loyalty rewards program is called Beauty Insider. It’s free to join. There are 3 different levels of membership - Insider, VIB and Rouge, which is determined by how much you spend annually. You earn a point for every dollar you spend and you can use those points for discounts on products or for product samples. Rouge members get early access to the sale beginning on 11/5-11/15 and a receive 20% discount. VIB access begins 11/9-11/15 and receives 15% off. Insider access begins 11/11-11/15 and receives a 10% discount.

Have A Plan!

Don’t just shop all willy nilly. You MUST plan & strategize - unless of course you got it like that. The thing about Sephora is that it’s very easy to Add to Cart haphazardly until you go to checkout and you’re up to $1k. That’s why I always plan before I shop this sale. Here’s my strategy.

Essentials/Skin Care

I start with the expensive essentials. For example, Sol de Janeiro’s Bum Bum cream is the only lotion I use at home. It smells AMAZING. Ladies, your man (or woman) will absolutely notice. The thing about it is that it costs $45 for about 8oz. That’s a lot for an everyday lotion but it’s a MUST for me. For that reason, it’s the first thing I add to my cart during the Sephora sale. I get the large size which is usually a limited edition, it’s called Biggie Biggie Bum Cream, for $79 for 500mL. This size will last me a few months but keep in mind that I’m usually out of town for half the month. It’s entirely too large to take with me to work so I usually travel with something much less expensive like a Body Shop body butter. Anyhow, I get one or two of the Biggie Biggie Bum Bum creams at every sale therefore I never run out.

Other essentials I stock up on are my skin care products. Now I’m not very big on skin care but there are a few products that I absolutely love. I use the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup Cleansing Balm which retails for $38 for 2.82oz. I find makeup wipes to be a bit harsh due to the pulling and tugging on the skin. The balm allows me to massage the makeup remover on then rinse off with water. Luckily I bought 3 at the last sale because it’s currently out of stock on Sephora.com. I’m not sure if it’s available in-store. Clinique has a similar product that I use when I travel. It’s called Mini Take The Day Off and it retails for $12 for 1oz. I usually buy 2 or 3 during the sale.

Other skin care I stock up on includes the Fresh Soy Makeup Removing Face Wash - both for home and travel. The large size retails for $69 for 13.5oz and $15 for the 1.7oz. Mini. I usually purchase 1 large and 3 minis to hold me over until the next sale. For moisturizer, I use the Belif Moisturizing Eye Balm that retails for $48 for .84oz. I only use the eye balm at home so it lasts me a long time therefore I only get 1 every other sale. I use the Milk Makeup Vegan Milk Moisturizer both at home and on the road so I will stock up, usually getting 2 or 3. It’s $38 for 1.7oz.

Makeup

Let’s move on to the fun stuff (or at least what I consider to be fun) - the makeup! I already have a ton of makeup. In fact, I’m overdue for a purge therefore I will not be buying much. If you’re new to makeup, I’d build on the basics/essentials such as a great foundation, concealer, setting powder, bronzer, mascara etc. There are SO MANY options. If you’re unsure of the type of product you need or the brand, I’d definitely go into the store to get help from an associate (although I’m not sure if they’ve started doing makeup applications and samples since COVID). It’s probably best not to go when it’s super busy (weekend afternoons/evenings) because it’d be difficult to get the kind of attention that you need/want. If possible go during the week or when the store first opens on the weekend when it’s less crowded.

My sale strategy is to get those luxury/high ticket items that I would hesitate to purchase if they were not on sale - hello Pat McGrath! My foray into Pat McGrath Labs began at the Sephora Beauty Insider sale. Her Mothership palettes retail for $125 for 10 shades. I thought I’d NEVER…until I picked one up at the sale. Now I have 3 or 4 of them. Yes, they are amazing! I passed on the big ticket makeup this sale because I already have so much but I did order all of the Huda Beauty Wild Obsessions palettes. They retail for $29 for 9 shades. There are 3 (or 4) different palettes.

Find Inspiration 

YouTube is another amazing place to learn about makeup. I learned everything I know from YouTube. There’s a reason why beauty influencers have gained enormous followings. They demo and review products so you don’t have to. Find someone that has a similar skin tone, similar makeup taste, and similar skin type (dry, oily, combination) and see what they like. It’s just like getting a recommendation from a friend. The great thing about Sephora is that you can return a product that doesn’t work for you even if it’s been opened. That removes a bit of the pressure of buying online without having prior knowledge of a product.

Fragrance

Perfume is another item you should pick up at the Sephora sale. The price points vary. I’m sitting this round out (or at least I think I am) because I picked up 2 or 3 scents at the last sale, both full and travel sizes. If there is a luxury perfume you want to try like a Tom Ford, definitely go into the store to sample it. Try it on. Wear it for the day and see how you like it. Scents are very specific. What smells great on me may not smell the same on you and vice versa. You should also consider how long the scent lasts on you and measure it against the price point. For instance, I picked up the Killian Love Don’t Be Shy from an earlier sale because I’d heard that it’s the scent Rihanna wears. It’s not that I’m a Rihanna fanatic (love her but I’m not trying to be her), it’s that so many people rave about how great she smells. Google it. I’ll wait…So I thought why not, everybody can’t be wrong. I ordered it sight unseen. Initially I wasn’t in love with Love. It’s not really my style but I grew to appreciate it. The major problem I have with it is that it does not last on me. I swear it wears off from my house to the airport. That perfume is $240! I NEED IT TO LAST LONGER THAN AN HOUR! It is for that reason that I strongly encourage you to go to the store and try on a perfume before you buy it because it’s an investment.

Home

The last thing I’m going to recommend is the Pura Smart Home Fragrance Diffuser set.  Head over to my TikTok to learn about it if you’re unfamiliar. I have 3 dogs and a cat so home fragrance is VERY important to me. I’m terrified of setting my house on fire with a candle. Pura is a smart fragrance diffuser that is controlled by an app on your phone. I love it! You can turn it on & off, adjust the intensity, put it on a timer, etc. It even has a night light. The device itself retails for $44 on the Pura website/app but that’s without the scents. The device holds two fragrances. Pura manufactures their own scents and they’ve teamed up with other brands such as Nest. The price points for the oils vary from approximately $8-13. Sephora offers a boxed set that includes the device and 2 Nest fragrances for $85 but with 30% off (I’m a Rouge member) it brings it down to $59.50 with free shipping. I already have 5 but I ordered 2 more. I order the fragrance refills directly from the Pura app. The other good thing about getting the set from Sephora is that it is currently in-stock. The last time I checked on devices from Pura, there was approximately a 3 week wait.

Anyhow, that’s pretty much all I have to say about my Sephora sale strategy. I hope this makes sense and is helpful to you. My total came to $433. The discount gave me $86.60 off bringing my total to $377.25. And PS…Sephora offers Klarna so you can break down that total into 4 interest-free payments! I’ll do an unboxing on my Instagram and TikTok so check me out over there if you’re not already following me - @SoniaStayFly. Let me know what you plan to pick up from the sale. Happy Sephora Shopping!