Sephora is a magical place. All the pretty things on display. The ultra-helpful staff. Even the smell of the place is intoxicating. Here’s how to make the most of your Sephora shopping experience.
- Sign up for Beauty Insider Rewards
This is the most obvious “tip”, but if you’re even a semi-regular Sephora shopper, you should join their Beauty Insider Rewards program. It’s free to join, and you get 1 point for every dollar you spend on products. For every 100 points, you can redeem deluxe samples of sought after products. Or you can save up and get $10 off your purchase when you redeem 500 points.
2. Buy online
If you’re not in a hurry to get your hands on the latest beauty snag, it’s best to order online because you can score tons of extra freebies. Every online purchase entitles you to two free samples and a free deluxe sample with every purchase of $35. Which brings us to our next tip…
3. Check the promo codes weekly
More people need to know about this beauty hack, because it’s one of the most under-utilized at Sephora. Every week, Sephora drops new trial sizes of products under its “Beauty Offers” section. It can be mascara, brow pencils, perfume samplers, and even full beauty gift bags. All yours with an online purchase of $35 or so. Don’t see something that appeals to you? Check back next week. New promo codes are added all the time.
4. Fill out the surveys (especially if your store is low volume)
When you check out, your cashier will ask you to fill out a survey at the address on the bottom of your receipt. Do it! Five star reviews go a long way for the employees, and higher rated stores get more in-store benefits, like facialists and makeup artists. Also, a random winner is pulled every week for a $500 cash prize. If you live in an area with low mall traffic, your chances of winning substantially increase.
5. There are always cheap dupes for the expensive stuff
Sephora used to only carry high-end brands, but with the democratization of the beauty industry, you can find something for pretty much any budget. For example, instead of purchasing $60 squalane oil from Biossance, you can pick the $7 variety from The Ordinary.
6. Value sets are where it’s at
Christmas starts in August at Sephora. No, really. Value sets for the holidays start getting trotted out at the end of August, and you can score some major deals. You can snag cheek palettes, lipstick vaults, and haircare packages for the price of one. For example, Sephora currently has the entire Olaplex line available in a holiday set for $80, as opposed to $114 for the set. Anything you don’t want can regifted as stocking stuffers. Happy shopping.
7. Look for the employees wearing black-and-red frocks
Need an expert shade match? Look for an employee wearing Sephora’s signature red-and-black frock — they’re the ones with the most considerable training. (Senior male employees wear a black button down and slacks.)
Employees-in-training are the ones wearing cotton t-shirts with “Sephora” printed on the back, so be patient with them.
8. Always talk to the greeter
When you walk into a Sephora store, you’ll be greeted by a greeter. Don’t just brush past this person! Sephora greeters are equipped with walkie-talkies that are connected to every staff member on duty. If you need something specific, they’ll be the ones to put you in touch with a person who can help you locate that item. This will save you the agony of walking around in circles looking for the Fenty Beauty display.
9. Don’t sleep on the Sephora collection
If you haven’t tried Sephora’s matte lip cream or brow pencils, you’re seriously missing out. Sephora’s in-house makeup collection is designed to mimic the best-selling products from high-end brands like Marc Jacobs and Dior, but you know, at a miniscule fraction of the cost. And with multiple five star reviews on everything from their eyeshadows to their lip products, you can rest assured you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
10. Don’t abuse the return policy
Sephora is famous for its lax return policy (money back guarantee before 30 days, store credit after 30 days), but don’t overdo it. If you’re buying stuff online just to get the promotionals with the intention of returning the product, Sephora will flag your account and may temporarily ban you from making returns. Ditto if you try to return hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise in a year. Or if you try to return products that are more than 30% used. The system only works if people are honest, so use good judgement.
11. Most returns don’t get used as testers
Another note about returns: most of them end up in the trash. Even things that are barely used get destroyed and tossed (this is to prevent dumpster divers from stealing product). Most people are under the assumption that returns automatically get put out as testers, but if there’s no need for it, it gets junked. Save the planet. Don’t return things unless you really need to.
12. No one knows when the sales are
The younger set may not know this, but Sephora was one of those stores that never “did sales”. Discontinued items would go on clearance, but there were no steep discounts on anything else at any time.
Until around 2015. Sephora now hosts a semi-annual sale event that’s somewhat shrouded in mystery. All we know is that there’s one in the spring and one in late fall. Customers are entitled to 10% and 15% off respectively, but be ready to pounce with your credit card. The sale could drop any time.
13. You can see almost every purchase you’ve ever made
Did you buy a foundation you loved, but can’t remember the shade name? Thankfully, when you set up a BI account, you can keep track of all your online and in-store purchases to make it easier to repurchase old faves.
A fun thing to do is to see how much your products have increased in price over the years.
14. You almost never need a receipt
Are you the type that constantly misplaces paper receipts? Sephora’s got your back. You can get your receipt e-mailed to you for easier returns.
15. Hitting Rouge is rarely ever worth it
Sephora’s Beauty Insider program comes with three tiers: Beauty Insider, which anyone can qualify for. Then there’s VIB, which you can qualify for when you spend $350 in a year. Then there’s the top tier: Rouge. Rouge is reserved for customers who spend up to $1,000 in one year, and used to be this kind of gilded status in the Sephora community. You got a brand new flashy card, a free gift, and an extra birthday gift option.
Nowadays, the perks are kind of slim. You get early access to sale events, free shipping, and an extra point for every dollar you spend, but any Rouge member will tell you that the perks hardly make up for the amount of money spent. If you’re gunning to hit Rouge, don’t stress yourself out too much if you come up short.