How to Get Sephora on Sale and Feed Your Beauty Addiction for Less

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For card-carrying beauty fanatics like us, wandering around Sephora can feel like we’ve been unleashed in a candy store. A glittery, shimmery, shiny, very expensive candy store. 

Table of Contents

• How Sephora Sales Work.
• Sephora Sale Dates to Mark On Your Calendar.
• Other Ways to Score Sephora On Sale.

We’re not the only ones entranced by the Sephora siren song. Turns out, the store’s dazzling displays of eyeshadow, checkout-line shelves, travel-size goodies and enticing rewards programs are all designed to make you spend more money. And their business model is working: Sephora recently announced its largest expansion in the U.S., a move that includes opening more than 60 new Sephora retail stores and 200 Sephora kiosks inside of Kohl’s department stores.  

It’s quite a conundrum: As much as we love Sephora (and candy), we also like saving money. That’s why the RetailMeNot team has spent countless hours scouring the Sephora sale section and researching topics like scoring free makeup samples and saving money at Sephora. 

Now, we’re bravely foraying into new, exciting savings territory: the elusive, but magical Sephora sale, when the retailer treats shoppers to discounts and other perks. Read on to learn everything you need to know about scoring Sephora on sale and feeding your beauty addiction for less.     

How Do Sephora Sales Work? (And Why It Pays to Be a Beauty Insider) 

First, let’s start with a brief overview of how Sephora sales work. With the notable exception of its Oh Snap! Sale and a few national holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Sephora generally restricts its sales to members of its Beauty Insider rewards program. 

Okay, so that’s the bad news. The good news is that the Sephora Beauty Insider program is free to join, and there is no minimum spend to qualify. Joining Beauty Insider takes about 10 seconds, or less than the amount of time it takes to pop on a fresh layer of Birthday Confetti-flavored Lancome lip gloss (just saying).

As a Sephora Beauty Insider member, you earn points on all your purchases which you can exchange for samples, freebies and other rewards. The number of points you earn on different purchases depends on your level of membership. 

The 3 Membership Tiers of Sephora Beauty Insider

The Sephora Beauty Insider program is divided into three membership tiers: 

• Insider (no minimum spend): You are automatically awarded Insider status when you join Sephora Beauty Insider. The free, entry-level membership, Insider status earns you 1 point back on all Sephora purchases. But perhaps best of all, Insider-level membership lets you access many (though not all) of the exclusive Sephora Beauty Insider sale events, including the Sephora Spring Sale and VIB Holiday Bonus Sale. 
• VIB ($350 per calendar year): You are automatically awarded VIB status when you spend $350 or more at Sephora within a calendar year. VIB status earns you 1.25 points back on all Sephora purchases. VIB-level membership also gets you access to all of the Sephora Beauty Insider sale events, including the Sephora Spring Sale, Summer Bonus Sale and VIB Holiday Bonus Sale. 
• VIB Rouge ($1,000 per calendar year): You are automatically awarded VIB Rouge status when you spend $1,000 or more at Sephora within a calendar year. Rouge status earns you 1.5 points back on all Sephora purchases. Rouge-level membership also gives you early access to all of the Sephora Beauty Insider sale events, including the Sephora Spring Sale, Summer Bonus Sale and VIB Holiday Bonus Sale. 

6 Sephora Sale Dates to Mark on Your Calendars

As we’ve noted: Like many major retailers, Sephora throws sales on national holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But Sephora also celebrates a few of its own annual sales holidays — many of which are exclusively available to Beauty Insiders. To make sure you never miss a single opportunity to score Sephora on sale, you should (after joining Beauty Insider) mark these annual Sephora sale events on your calendar: 

March/April: Sephora Oh Snap! Sale

Sephora ran its first Oh Snap! Sale back in 2020. Sephora likely introduced the savings event to compete with 21 Days of Beauty, the biannual savings event held by competitor beauty retailer Ulta. 

We like the Sephora Oh Snap! Sale because it’s open to all shoppers — not just Beauty Insiders. Here’s what you need to know about this inclusive annual savings event: 

• Who can shop the Sephora Oh Snap! Sale? Everyone! 
• Where is the Sephora Oh Snap! Sale? Online and in stores. 
• When is the Sephora Oh Snap! Sale? Like 21 Days of Beauty, the Sephora Oh Snap! Sale has traditionally run from mid-March until early April. In both 2020 and 2021, Sephora ran the Oh Snap! Savings event from Mar. 15 to Apr. 5, with a few blackout dates (specifically, Mar. 18, 21, 24, 28 and 29).
• What is the Sephora Oh Snap! Sale? During the Oh Snap! Sale, Sephora traditionally offers one to three top-selling beauty products for 50% off for one day only. Each deal is only available for a 24-hour period or until the product is sold out. In addition, Sephora usually limits shoppers to two purchases of the same product each. During past sales, featured brands have included MAC, Urban Decay, Clinique, Too Faced and Smashbox. 

April: The Sephora Spring Sale

One of the store’s most highly anticipated events, the Sephora Spring sale typically kicks off in April. But sorry, non-members — this one is only open to Beauty Insiders. (Which is why you should totally join Beauty Insiders for free right now.) 

Here’s what you need to know about this members-only spring savings event: 

• Who can shop the Sephora Spring Sale? Beauty Insider members (all tiers). 
• Where is the Sephora Spring Sale? Online and in stores. 
• When is the Sephora Spring Sale? The 2021 Sephora Spring Sale ran from Apr. 9 to 19, so we can expect the 2022 sale to occur around the same time. When sale time rolls around, members typically receive an email alert with a promo code they can use online or a coupon to present in stores on their phone. 
• What is the Sephora Spring Sale? During the Spring Sale, you can score up to 20% off, depending on your Beauty Insider membership tier. 

Different membership tiers also got access to the sales at different times. Here’s how the 2021 Sephora Spring Sale broke down for different members:

• VIB Rouge-level members got 20% off their entire purchase from Apr. 9 to 19. On Apr. 9 and 10, Rouge members were also invited to bring a VIB- or Insider-level friend as a guest to shop the early-access Sephora Rouge sale and score 20% off, too. 
• VIB-level members got 15% off their entire purchase from Apr. 13 to 19. 
• Insider-level members got 10% off their entire purchase from Apr. 15 to 19. 

From Apr. 9 to 19, all Beauty Insider members got 30% off most Sephora Collection products. 

Traditionally, the sale includes virtually everything online and in stores. In addition to sitewide discounts, the Sephora Spring Sale also features other perks, including free shipping, free samples and member-exclusive offers. As a Sephora Beauty Insider member, there is no limit to how many times you can shop the Spring Sale. Sephora credit cardholders can save even more, earning 2X on all purchases made during the sale. 

August: Summer Sephora VIB Bonus Sale

​​The summer Sephora VIB Sale is a pretty big deal because it is available only for VIB Rouge and VIB-level members — that is, only to shoppers who have spent at least $350 or $1,000 per calendar year, respectively. 

Here’s what you need to know about the highly exclusive summer sale: 

• Who can access the Summer Sephora VIB Sale? Rouge- and VIB-level Beauty Insider members. 
• Where is the Summer Sephora VIB Sale? Online and in stores. 
• When is the Summer Sephora VIB Sale? The summer VIB Bonus Sale usually crops up around mid to late August. The 2019 sale ran from Aug. 19 to 27, so we can expect the 2021 sale to occur around the same time. (Note that there was no Summer VIB Bonus event in 2020). As with other Insider sales, members typically receive an email alert with a promo code they can use online or coupon to present in stores on their phone. 
• What is the Summer Sephora VIB Sale? Much like the Sephora Spring Sale, the Sephora VIB Bonus Sale awards eligible shoppers with a sitewide discount, depending on their membership tier. And also like the Spring Sale, the VIB Bonus Sale rolls out in different waves for different membership tiers: Rouge members typically get to access the sale a day before VIB members. 

Here’s how the 2019 Sephora Summer VIB Bonus sale broke down for different members:

• VIB Rouge-level members got 20% off their entire purchase from Aug. 19 to 27. On Aug. 19, Rouge members were also invited to bring a VIB- or Insider-level friend as a guest to shop the early-access Sephora Rouge sale and score 20% off, too.  
• VIB-level members got 15% off their entire purchase from Aug. 20 to 27. 

Traditionally, the sale includes virtually everything online and in stores. And as a Rouge or VIB member, there is no limit to how many times you can shop the VIB Bonus Sale.

November: The Sephora VIB Holiday Bonus Sale 

Yet another Beauty Insider member-exclusive sale, the Sephora VIB Holiday Bonus sale is open to all membership tiers. As with other Beauty Insider sales, the Sephora VIB Holiday Bonus sale rewards higher membership tiers with greater savings. 

Here’s what you need to know about the members-only Sephora holiday sale: 

• Who can access the Sephora VIB Holiday Bonus Sale? Beauty Insider members (all tiers).
• Where is the Sephora VIB Holiday Bonus Sale? Online and in stores. 
• When is the Sephora VIB Holiday Bonus Sale? Early November. The 2020 Sephora Holiday Bonus Sale ran from Oct. 30 to Nov. 9, so we can expect the 2021 sale to occur around the same time. As with other Insider sales, members typically receive an email alert to shop the Holiday Bonus sale. The email should include a promo code they can use online or a coupon to present in stores on their phone. 
• What is the Sephora VIB Holiday Bonus Sale? Like the Sephora Spring Sale and Summer VIB Bonus Sale, the Sephora VIB Holiday Bonus Sale awards eligible shoppers with a sitewide discount, depending on their membership tier. And also like the other Beauty Insider sales, Sephora’s VIB Holiday Bonus Sale rolls out discounts in waves for different members. 

Here’s how the 2020 Sephora Holiday Bonus sale broke down for different members:

• VIB Rouge-level members got 20% off their entire purchase from Oct. 30 to Nov. 9. From Oct. 30 to 31, Rouge members were also invited to bring a VIB- or Insider-level friend as a guest to shop the early-access Sephora Rouge sale and score 20% off, too. 
• VIB-level members got 15% off their entire purchase from Nov. 3 to 9. 
• Insider-level members got 10% off their entire purchase from Nov. 5 to 9. 

Traditionally, the sale includes virtually everything online and in stores. As a Sephora Beauty Insider member, there is no limit to how many times you can shop the Holiday Bonus Event. Sephora credit cardholders can save even more, earning 2X on all purchases made during the sale. 

November: The Sephora Black Friday Sale 

In the spirit of the holidays, Sephora holds a Black Friday sale every year — with savings for everyone, not just Beauty Insider members. Sephora’s Black Friday sale is a multiday event that kicks off the holiday shopping season. 

Here’re what you need to know about this inclusive Sephora holiday sale: 

• Who can access the Sephora Black Friday sale? Everyone!
• Where is the Sephora Black Friday sale? In the past, sales have run both in stores and online, though certain items were only available online. 
• When is the Sephora Black Friday sale? In the past, Sephora has run Black Friday deals from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday. 
• What is the Sephora Black Friday sale? During Black Friday sales of yore, Sephora has offered hot products for $15 and under. We’ve also seen gift “sets” designed with the holiday shopper in mind. In previous sales, some products were advertised as “limited edition” and “exclusive,” and deals are typically only available while supplies last. 

November: Sephora Cyber Monday Sale

​Falling on the Monday after Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday is the retail world’s online-centric version of Black Friday. In the tradition of Cyber Monday sales, this Sephora holiday sale is comprised of a series of online-exclusive deals to tempt the savvy holiday shopper. This one, too, is open to all holiday shoppers hoping to score Sephora on sale. 

Here’s what you need to know about the Cyber Monday sale at Sephora: 

• Who can access the Sephora Cyber Monday Sale? All shoppers.
• Where is the Sephora Cyber Monday Sale? Primarily online, though stores may offer certain promotions too.   
• When is the Sephora Cyber Monday Sale? The Monday following Thanksgiving, which generally means it overlaps with Black Friday deals. 
• What is the Sephora Cyber Monday Sale? Last year, Sephora took up to 50% off hundreds of products. In past Cyber Monday sales, the retailer has also offered gift bundles for $25, $50, $75 and under. During previous sales, shoppers were also rewarded with a free sample if they spend a certain amount during the sale. Like its Black Friday deals, Sephora Cyber Monday products tend to be available in limited quantities. 

Other Ways to Score Sephora on Sale

You can score Sephora for significantly less if you shop at the right time with the right membership tier. But the aforementioned sales are only a glimpse of the many promotions, freebies and special offers Sephora entices shoppers with throughout the year. Here are a few, from shopping the Sephora sale section to navigating the Sephora collection:

• Shop Sephora’s sale page. If you’re trying to shop at Sephora outside of its annual sales events, you can find deals in the Sephora sale section of the store website, which features deals on beauty products, haircare, skincare and more. The Sephora sale page is easy to navigate and can be organized by filters like product category, rating and price. 

• Check out Sephora Beauty Offers.

The Beauty Offers page of Sephora.com is hands-down our favorite spot on the site (if not the entire internet). That’s where you’ll find a constantly updated stream of free goodies, plus other perks like free shipping and point multiplier codes. 

• Shop the Sephora collection. If you think about it, the Sephora Collection functions like a never-ending Sephora sale, since it features high-quality proprietary Sephora-brand beauty products at ultra-low prices. Everything from retractable waterproof eyeliner to vegan eyelashes to coconut foot masks: Whatever your beauty-loving heart desires, you’ll find it in the Sephora Collection for less. 

The post How to Get Sephora on Sale and Feed Your Beauty Addiction for Less appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.

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