I nabbed this KORRES Lip Butter in wild rose so I could take advantage of a special "5 samples per order" deal. I received the Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Deliciously Shiny Lipstick, Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia Cologne, and Tom Ford Eau de Soleil Blanc EDT samples I requested. I didn't get the Dior Rouge Dior Liquid or Tatcha The Deep Cleanse Exfoliating Cleanser samples, but they did send IGK Hot Girls Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer samples.
Still on a lip treatment kick, I got this Farmacy Honey Butter Beeswax Lip Balm AND spoiled myself with the Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Brush. For my promo, I stuck with Farmacy and ordered their Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizer. They were still giving out 5 samples with purchase. I received the Dior Diorskin Forever Undercover Concealer, Giorgio Armani Beauty Ecstasy Shine Lipstick, Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Deliciously Shiny Lipstick, and Tatcha Violet-C Radiance Mask samples I requested. They didn't send the Dior Rouge Dior Liquid sample, but sent the Hourglass Immacculate Liquid Powder Foundation sample instead.
I went a little crazy with Too Faced products! I picked up the Melted Gold Liquified Lip Gloss and Melted Latex Liquified High Shine Lipsticks in Bite Me and Unicorn Tears. There was a great Urban Decay promo that included travel sizes of the the All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, Troublemaker Mascara, and Vice Lipstick in Bad Blood. None of my three sample choices arrived (bareMinerals Original Loose Powder Mineral Foundation, Chanel Bleu de Chanel EDP, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camoflage Concealer). They sent Dior Diorskin Forever Undercover Concealer, it Tightline 3-in-1 Black Primer/Eyeliner/Mascara, and Versace Dylan Blue EDT samples in their places.
Wanting to pamper my skin, I next ordered the Origins Super Stars Kit (containing Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash, Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, and High-Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral-Enriched Renewal Cream) and the Peter Thomas Roth Facial On The Go Kit (containing Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel, Cucumber De-Tox Bouncy Hydrating Gel, Cucumber Gel Mask Extreme Detoxifying Hydrator, and FIRMx Peeling Gel). I wanted the foundation sample set promo, which included samples from: bareMinerals, BECCA, Fenty Beauty, Laura Mercier, MAKE UP FOR EVER, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Sephora Collection, Too Faced, and Urban Decay. I received two of the samples I chose: Hermes Twilly d'Hermes EDT and Clinique Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer, but instead of the Commodity Gold EDP, I got the Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue Glitter Bonding Eye Shadow Primer.
I got a little bit of everything with this order! I chose the BECCA Liquid Crystal Glow Gloss in Champagne Dream x Bellini, Clinique Take the Day Off Micellar Cleansing Towelettes, GLAMGLOW BUBBLESHEET Oxygenating Deep Cleanse Mask, Sephora Collection Colorful Eyeshadow in Dying For Shoes, and Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Spellbound. The only sample I received that I ordered was the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. I didn't get the Kevin Aucoin The Etherealist Skin Illuminating Foundation or Sephora Collection 10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation samples. Rather, they sent Clinique Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder samples.
The last order I placed this time around was using the points I acquired as a birthday gift from Sephora. It was for the tarte Love from tarte Discover Set reward, and included samples of some of their most popular products: lights, camera, lashes 4-in-1 mascara, Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation, Rainforest of the Sea Collection Quench Hydrating Primer, Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Feisty, Sex Kitten Liquid Liner, and tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Delish, all inside a gorgeous flamingo-sequined makeup bag!
Still on a lip treatment kick, I got this Farmacy Honey Butter Beeswax Lip Balm AND spoiled myself with the Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Brush. For my promo, I stuck with Farmacy and ordered their Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizer. They were still giving out 5 samples with purchase. I received the Dior Diorskin Forever Undercover Concealer, Giorgio Armani Beauty Ecstasy Shine Lipstick, Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Deliciously Shiny Lipstick, and Tatcha Violet-C Radiance Mask samples I requested. They didn't send the Dior Rouge Dior Liquid sample, but sent the Hourglass Immacculate Liquid Powder Foundation sample instead.
I went a little crazy with Too Faced products! I picked up the Melted Gold Liquified Lip Gloss and Melted Latex Liquified High Shine Lipsticks in Bite Me and Unicorn Tears. There was a great Urban Decay promo that included travel sizes of the the All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, Troublemaker Mascara, and Vice Lipstick in Bad Blood. None of my three sample choices arrived (bareMinerals Original Loose Powder Mineral Foundation, Chanel Bleu de Chanel EDP, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camoflage Concealer). They sent Dior Diorskin Forever Undercover Concealer, it Tightline 3-in-1 Black Primer/Eyeliner/Mascara, and Versace Dylan Blue EDT samples in their places.
Wanting to pamper my skin, I next ordered the Origins Super Stars Kit (containing Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash, Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask, and High-Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral-Enriched Renewal Cream) and the Peter Thomas Roth Facial On The Go Kit (containing Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel, Cucumber De-Tox Bouncy Hydrating Gel, Cucumber Gel Mask Extreme Detoxifying Hydrator, and FIRMx Peeling Gel). I wanted the foundation sample set promo, which included samples from: bareMinerals, BECCA, Fenty Beauty, Laura Mercier, MAKE UP FOR EVER, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Sephora Collection, Too Faced, and Urban Decay. I received two of the samples I chose: Hermes Twilly d'Hermes EDT and Clinique Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer, but instead of the Commodity Gold EDP, I got the Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue Glitter Bonding Eye Shadow Primer.
I got a little bit of everything with this order! I chose the BECCA Liquid Crystal Glow Gloss in Champagne Dream x Bellini, Clinique Take the Day Off Micellar Cleansing Towelettes, GLAMGLOW BUBBLESHEET Oxygenating Deep Cleanse Mask, Sephora Collection Colorful Eyeshadow in Dying For Shoes, and Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Spellbound. The only sample I received that I ordered was the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. I didn't get the Kevin Aucoin The Etherealist Skin Illuminating Foundation or Sephora Collection 10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation samples. Rather, they sent Clinique Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder samples.
The last order I placed this time around was using the points I acquired as a birthday gift from Sephora. It was for the tarte Love from tarte Discover Set reward, and included samples of some of their most popular products: lights, camera, lashes 4-in-1 mascara, Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation, Rainforest of the Sea Collection Quench Hydrating Primer, Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Feisty, Sex Kitten Liquid Liner, and tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Delish, all inside a gorgeous flamingo-sequined makeup bag!
Sephora Beauty Insiders:
By signing up to become a Beauty Insider, you open up a whole new world of Sephora awesomeness. Becoming a member is easy and free. You can do it in-store or online. When you sign up, you'll be assigned a card number that will automatically be applied to your purchases online and can be scanned from your smart phone in-store. Pre-tax and pre-shipping, you'll receive one point for every dollar spent, excluding gift cards. However, if you use a gift card to pay, you will still receive points.
There's also a great app you can use to shop. Some of the perks of using the app are instant notifications that you will receive to notify you of exciting new opportunities. You'll also get app-only previews and promotions, be able to use the virtual artist program to try on various cosmetics and be able to save all of your LOVES for future purchases.
Some of the other benefits of being a Beauty Insider are:
- Birthday Gifts each year that you are a member. Usually you can select from several options of minis worth $10-$20. There is no purchase necessary in-store and only a small minimum purchase required online. These can be redeemed anytime during your birthday month in-store, and two weeks before and after your birthday AND during your birthday month online.
- Rewards! Use your points in the Rewards Bazaar to get really cool deluxe samples of some of Sephora's favorite products. Use any amount from 100 points and up to access these great bonuses. Obviously, the more points, the more incredible the items. New rewards are constantly being added and some are even for trips, like to New York Fashion Week or to visit various spas and boutiques belonging to brands like Caudalie, Make Up For Ever, benefit Cosmetics, and more. Some even including travel!
- Access the Beauty Insider Community. You can join groups, participate in the forum discussions, and chat with other insiders to get info and recommendations. Complete your beauty profile to receive personalized makeup color matches.
- Free Beauty Classes where you can learn from an instructor the basics like skin care routines, all the way up to creating new makeup looks based on today's trends.
Once you've spent $350 in one calendar year you'll become a VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider), and if you spend $1,000 you'll attain Rouge status. Both of these add to the special privileges you can receive as a Beauty Insider. For example, as a VIB you'll also get to have one Free Makeover a year in Sephora stores and a Monthly Gift, which turns out to be basically another promo code especially for VIB's. A VIP Rouge member gets unlimited free makeovers, Free 2-day Shipping, and invitations to Private Events.
What's great about shopping online is you'll get to choose two Free Samples of sweet products from a list of 12, free shipping when you spend over $50 (or for any amount if you purchase Flash Shipping for $10 per year), AND PROMOS! Do not forget to enter a promo code for orders $25 and up. Some require a higher minimum purchase, but all the free goodies are fabulous - deluxe samples, fantastic extras with select fragrance purchases, and occasionally makeup baggies full of perfume, skincare and makeup samples. There are even coupon codes for $10 off from time-to-time. You can find these promos on the site under Beauty Offers, by the promo entry space, or at coupon code sites such as Groupon or RetailMeNot. You supposedly cannot enter codes once they've been taken off the site, but I've found I can sometimes still enter a code in the first couple of days afterwards. Don't take my word for it! If you want something badly enough, place that order as soon as possible. Usually items are only added or removed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
All samples, promotions, and rewards are first-come, first-serve, so if you see something you really want, make sure to grab it while you can. But don't worry. Even if you miss one, there are new items being added all the time.
I've found that purchases in-store can be hit-or-miss when it comes to getting samples and other freebies. Sometimes they have nothing in the original packaging. Other times you might get something unbelievable like a deluxe sample of a really expensive face cream, etc. One thing is true for almost all stores is that a beauty expert will pack you up a sample of almost anything you want from their product selection.
One last thing... Sephora has a beauty subscription service call PLAY! PLAY is $10 per month (with free shipping) and you will be sent five to six samples and/or minis, in an adorable pouch, straight to your door. Included is a PLAY Pass that you can redeem in-store for 50 Beauty Insider points with a full-size purchase, AND a one-on-one consultation to learn how to use your products for that month. Look through some of my PLAY reviews to get an idea of what kind of goodies you can expect to receive with your subscription.