6 Genius Ways to Save Money at Sephora

That $50 moisturizer and $28 mascara you replace five times a year add up—that’s good news. See, if you spend $350 annually at Sephora, you automatically assume VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) status. And since you have to spend money to save money, this grants you access to a number of Sephora perks—like 10-percent-off coupons, monthly gifts and free beauty classes (like how to perfect your blowout, huzzah!).

Yep, Saturday tends to be the day when individual brands host events and various activations, which means there are often special promotions, samples and free gifts with purchase involved. As for the weekend crowds? Get there early and the lines shouldn’t be too long…yet.

Twice annually, Sephora goes big with a flash sale—to the tune of 10 to 20 percent off. Proof holding out to upgrade your hair dryer really does pay off.

So you do the bulk of your beauty shopping on Sephora.com. We get it: Who needs those aforementioned crowds? For just $10 a year, you can get all the beauty products you want delivered to your door within two days, free of charge (and no minimum purchase required). Even more helpful, if you need something overnight, Sephora Flash members can get it shipped for just $5.95.

Speaking of shopping online, it never hurts to bop over to the Weekly Wow—a smattering of discounted items that week. Don’t be surprised to see major brands in the mix (everything from Fresh to Urban Decay) for as much as 50 percent off.

The unofficial Sephora rule is that you’re actually allowed up to three free samples from every single beauty category at Sephora. This means that you can walk out the door with three different foundations, moisturizers, shampoos, even lip glosses all in one trip. Sure, the samples will only last you a couple of days (at most), but it’s an easy way to pinch pennies every now and again.