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Sephora Savings Event details
As with other Sephora sales, the start date depends on your level within the Sephora rewards program. There are three different levels in the Sephora rewards program. Each level is based on how much you spend within a year.
- The first level is Beauty Insider, which is the level everyone starts when they sign up for the rewards program. There’s no spend level you need to reach or maintain.
- The second level is VIB. You need to spend $350 a year to reach this level. If you buy a lot of beauty and hair products and shop exclusively at Sephora, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to reach this threshold. I don’t spend this much on hair, beauty, and skin products in a year. Nor do I shop at Sephora very often, so there’s no way I could see myself hitting this threshold.
- The third and highest level is Rouge. To reach it, you need to spend, wait for it,….$1000 in a year. Yes, you read that right, $1000. I probably won’t ever reach Rouge status. If $350 is a reach, there’s no way, no way I would ever hit $1000. I can’t imagine spending that much in a year on hair, skin, and makeup products!
The reason I started by talking about the different levels in Sephora’s reward program is that during sale events, each level gets a different discount. For this sale, Rouge gets 20% off, VIB gets 15% off, and Insider gets 10% off.
You will need a promo code to get the discount. The code is SPRINGSALE in all caps. You could try it in lowercase, but I would personally go with the uppercase since that’s how it was provided.
You can use the promo code as many times as you’d like during the sale dates to get your Insider level discount.
Everybody gets 30% off Sephora Collection products, no matter their Insider level.
If you’re not a Beauty Insider yet, you can sign up here.
You can also shop on Kohl's site because of its partnership with Sephora.
Now, I have a confession.
I’m not a huge fan of Sephora sales because the size of the discount is based on the Insider level you’re at. And the discounts are usually pretty small.
Since I’m only at the entry Beauty Insider level, my discount is minimal, so I don't usually shop during this sale. Especially when most of the items I would buy at Sephora, I can get at Ulta, and Ulta sales tend to have bigger discounts available to everyone. Plus, I can earn points at Ulta that I can use to discount my purchase even further.
Plus, I can earn points at Ulta that I can use to discount my purchase even further.
Now, I have a confession.
I’m not a huge fan of Sephora sales because the size of the discount is based on the Insider level you’re at. And the discounts are usually pretty small.
Since I’m only at the entry Beauty Insider level, my discount is minimal, so I don't usually shop during this sale. Especially when most of the items I would buy at Sephora, I can get at Ulta, and Ulta sales tend to have bigger discounts available to everyone. Plus, I can earn points at Ulta that I can use to discount my purchase even further.
Plus, I can earn points at Ulta that I can use to discount my purchase even further.
Sephora Savings Event makeup recommendations
I’m at the Beauty Insider level. I have no plans to shop for any makeup during the sale, but for you, Rouge and VIBs, it may be a time to shop. And I have several makeup product recos for you.
Make Up For Ever HD Skin Shine-Controlling & Blurring Setting Powder
This is a setting powder that claims to be super-fine and "diminish excess shine for a soft matte finish that lasts 24 hours without caking or enhancing texture, even on drier skin types." I haven't tried this version of the HD Setting Powder. I have what I guess was the original version of the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Matte Setting Powder, which is no longer sold. I bought it when they were unloading inventory for the newer version.
There is a total of six shades, and two out of the six are for us brown ladies. The lighter of the two darker shades is Deep Sienna, which is for deep skin with neutral to golden undertones. This is probably the one I would use because I have yellow or golden undertones.
The deepest shade is Deep Espresso, which is for deep skin with neutral to warm undertones.
I'm interested in trying this one because the previous version did a good job of making my makeup look matte and helping to slow down the shine that always happens in my T-zone.
Make Up For Ever HD Skin Undetectable Longwear Foundation
I’ve tried out this foundation a few times and liked it. The only problem was that it was the wrong shade for me. It was just too dark.
This foundation claims to be an undetectable liquid foundation that blurs and covers imperfections for up to 24 hours. It’s supposed to be powered by a micro-skin system that syncs with the skin for a true-to-skin finish.
The coverage is medium, the finish is natural, and it can be used on normal, oily, and combination skin.
My opinion is that it covers imperfections really well. I didn’t feel the foundation on my skin, so it wasn’t uncomfortable wearing it all day long.
This foundation claims to be an undetectable liquid foundation that blurs and covers imperfections for up to 24 hours. It’s supposed to be powered by a micro-skin system that syncs with the skin for a true-to-skin finish.
The coverage is medium, the finish is natural, and it can be used on normal, oily, and combination skin.
My opinion is that it covers imperfections really well. I didn’t feel the foundation on my skin, so it wasn’t uncomfortable wearing it all day long.
The finish looked great and like my skin until my skin oil broke it down a few hours after application. For those of us with oily skin to get some long wear from this foundation, a really good matte, oil-absorbing setting powder is needed.
It would have been interesting to try this foundation along with the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Matte Setting Powder.
Urban Decay All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray
If you follow me on Instagram, my handle is @arelaxedgal. You probably already know that I use this setting spray every time I wear makeup.
It’s a lightweight, microfine mist that ensures fresh, flawless makeup all day that won’t set into fine lines, melt, or fade.
The Urban Decay setting spray also has patented Temperature Control Technology that helps to lower the temperature of makeup, keeping it locked in better.
I like this spray because it does a really good job of setting my makeup. Using it keeps my foundation in place so I can go to work during the day and head out in the evening with minimal touch-ups and just a little blotting in my oily areas.
I’ve even seen the Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray in action when I've been sweating. I still will see a little makeup dripping, but after doing a quick blot, it looks good again.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz® Ultra-Slim Precision Brow Pencil
This is one of my favorite brow pencils for many reasons. The first is that it has a retractable tip, so I don’t have to sharpen it manually. The tip is also ultra-fine, so it’s really easy to fill in my brows and have them look really natural. The fine tip does a really good job of mimicking eyebrow hair.
The shade I get is Ebony, which I believe is a dark brown, not quite black shade. I don’t like using black on my brows because it makes them too stark and noticeable.
The shade I get is Ebony, which I believe is a dark brown, not quite black shade. I don’t like using black on my brows because it makes them too stark and noticeable.
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Cream Eyeshadow
If you don't like messing with cream or powder eyeshadows, these eyeshadow sticks are a good option. These particular ones from Laura Mercier are creamy eyeshadow sticks with 12-hour long-lasting wear that illuminate the eyes with a rich color.
I was gifted by Influenster the eyeshadow in the shade Forbidden Rose, which is a a shimmering copper rose. I liked how vivid the shade was and how it could be played up for a nighttime look by applying the shadow more heavily. These eyeshadows can also be played down using a powder shadow and a lighter application.
Related read: Laura Mercier RoseGlow Caviar Stick Eye Color Review
I have a love-hate relationship with this foundation. The reason for that relationship is that I had a really hard time finding a good shade for me that wasn’t too dark, too light, and had the right undertone when this foundation first launched.
When the next round of shades launched, I was able to find a shade that works. That shade is 470. It says it’s for deep skin with cool, neutral undertones, but I have yellow/golden undertones, and yet it works.
The ones with golden undertones I’d used before didn’t work. They were too orange. Go figure.
The great thing is that there are about 52 shades total, all with a range of undertones.
This is a soft matte, long-wearing foundation with climate-adaptive technology to fight heat, sweat, and shine.
It is one of the cheaper foundations on this list (by only a few dollars, but still cheaper), so I use it as my everyday foundation and when I don’t plan to wear foundation all day, but only for a few hours.
When the next round of shades launched, I was able to find a shade that works. That shade is 470. It says it’s for deep skin with cool, neutral undertones, but I have yellow/golden undertones, and yet it works.
The ones with golden undertones I’d used before didn’t work. They were too orange. Go figure.
The great thing is that there are about 52 shades total, all with a range of undertones.
This is a soft matte, long-wearing foundation with climate-adaptive technology to fight heat, sweat, and shine.
It is one of the cheaper foundations on this list (by only a few dollars, but still cheaper), so I use it as my everyday foundation and when I don’t plan to wear foundation all day, but only for a few hours.
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Lightweight Matte Foundation
Recently, this foundation launched with a new formula. I never used the older formula and haven't used the new one. This has been a popular foundation for those with oily skin, so it will be interesting to see how people like, or don't like, the new formula.
This claims to be a 36-hour liquid foundation (up from the original 24 hours) that provides a flawless, natural, matte finish that "helps balance skin, reducing oil production in 4 weeks. It evens skin tone and reduces the appearance of dark spots in 8 weeks. Plus, it delivers up to 72HR of hydration."
It’s got a wide range of shades, a total of 48.
It’s got a wide range of shades, a total of 48.
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
I’ve actually tried this setting powder and wasn’t impressed, but it’s pretty popular.
There are four shades, but only one that I think is good for brown skin tones. That shade is translucent and medium deep.
This setting powder claims to be a lightweight, easy-to-apply, loose powder with a matte finish that blends effortlessly to set makeup for up to 16 hours of wear and 24-hour shine control.
There are four shades, but only one that I think is good for brown skin tones. That shade is translucent and medium deep.
This setting powder claims to be a lightweight, easy-to-apply, loose powder with a matte finish that blends effortlessly to set makeup for up to 16 hours of wear and 24-hour shine control.
ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starr On 'Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray
I’ve seen some reports that Beyoncé uses this setting spray. It’s waterproof and gives skin an all-day matte finish.
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Warm Wishes Effortless Cream Bronzer Stick
It claims to be a breakthrough bronzing stick for a quick and visible sunkissed glow with a smooth, seamless, second-skin finish—just swipe on, blend, and go. There are seven shades.
Even more
If you’re interested in skin and hair products, you can check out my other posts about the Sephora Savings Event
Shop the sale
I really appreciate how honest and detailed your recommendations are — especially your take on oily skin and shade matching struggles. It makes the list feel genuine and actually helpful for shopping the sale wisely. Love the balanced mix of favourites and realistic expectations!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how detailed and realistic this breakdown is — especially your honest thoughts about the rewards tiers and whether the discounts are actually worth it. Your notes on oily skin wear time and shade matching were especially helpful, since that’s where so many of us struggle. This feels less like a sales roundup and more like advice from a friend who’s actually tested the products.
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