Window Shopping the Sephora VIB Sale
- nicoletteboillotat
- Apr 12, 2021
- 7 min read
Seeing as I am currently unemployed, I don't exactly have the funds to splurge on the Sephora Spring Savings Event this year, but that hasn't stopped me from stocking up a full cart of items I would buy if I could. I've gotten some kind of catharsis out of it, and I thought I'd share the things I've had my eye on, just in case any of you out there are thinking of partaking.
The sale has already begun for some, and for those of you who are not familiar with how it works, I'll explain the tiered (relatively flawed) system that Sephora uses. Sephora has a rewards program called the Beauty Insider program. It runs on a points system, and your points typically can be traded in throughout the year for sample-sized products (or even full-sized, depending on the amount of points you have), money off your total, etc. Sephora has a sale section on their website, but only really runs storewide sales twice a year, one in the spring and one around the holidays.
The Beauty Insider program has 3 tiers: (in increasing order) Insider, VIB, and Rouge. The more you spend at Sephora throughout the year, the closer you get to Rouge status. Using this sale event as an example (seeing as the events are typically set up the same way) Rouge members get 20% off between April 9th and April 19th, VIBs get 15% off between April 13th and April 19th, and Insiders get 10% off between April 15th and April 19th.
As you can see, the deals are...not that great. To qualify for Rouge status, you have to spend at least $1,000 at Sephora during 1 calendar year. So, in my opinion the sale is kind of elitist. The people that are spending hefty sums on the website are getting a measly 20% twice a year. And forget 10-15% off; what even is that? Rewarding your frequent consumers through a tiered program is fine, but if you only run two sales per year, you can certainly afford to start the percentage off at something a little higher than 20%. That way, the Insiders would still be getting a worthwhile deal, even if it is less than their VIB and Rouge counterparts.
The makeup brands that sell their products at Sephora typically have frequent sales on their own websites, so it is pretty common for you to get a better deal by shopping directly through the brands. (You just need to keep an eye out for those sales.) However, if you are spending a lot of money on makeup in a year, it may be in your best interest to buy from Sephora and rack up those points. This is why beauty content creators will shop from and support Sephora; they buy makeup as a part of their job and easily end up qualifying for Rouge and having enough points for some really nice rewards.
So I know you're thinking I should boycott the sale altogether, since I have such strong feelings against the way in which it is run. The fact of the matter is that it is still a huge time of year for the modern beauty industry, and the content that comes out surrounding it still inspires me to look into new products. So, without further ado, here are the products that have piqued my interest this season.
Brands and products will be linked. Feel free to click on brand and products names to check out pricing, product descriptions and other products those brands have to offer. I won't be including pricing in my blog post, because we are window shopping, so anything goes in my ideal world!
NOTE: All of the brands listed are cruelty-free. (I double checked) And most are vegan or have vegan options!
The shimmery cream bronzer of dreams
They just added 3 new shades, so there's a new total of 5 -- definitely better, but not a showstopping shade range
Guessing my shade would be "Sun Coast - light bronze"
Worried that the lightest shade will not be bronze enough, and therefore turn into more of a deep highlighter on my complexion, but the next one up is certainly too gold
Everyone and their mother on the internet is obsessed with these
I only have one cream blush (the Kosas Color & Light Palette) and I adore it
They just added 3 more shades to this formula as well, making a total of 6 different shades
The shade I would probably pick up is "Power Hour - sun-kissed terracotta"
it's a little dark for my skin tone but it is unlike any of the blushes I already own and still a shade that will go with a lot
This set of lip glosses broke the internet when they came out
The milk theme is so damn appealing (they are all named after milk alternatives: almond, coconut, oat, and cashew)
I have the "Chill" shade in the original line of ShineOn Jelly Lip Glosses and holy. shit.
I would choose "Almond - semi-sheer, milky chocolate" because I have been looking for some true brown lip colors that I can wear with my pale skin, and this gloss seems super accessible
I have been using the Supergoop Glowscreen and I thought it wasn't giving me perioral dermatitis flare-ups, but then...it was?
Again, everyone on the internet is raving about this sunscreen (especially because, like the Glowscreen, it is tinted to avoid giving a white cast)
It claims to be SPF 50, and I'm not sure if anything over 30 really makes any difference, but I feel like it can't hurt with my translucent skin
Cons: it's waaaayyy too expensive AND it has zinc oxide in it, which is an ingredient that can block pores and exacerbate perioral dermatitis (but don't they all *siiiiiiiigghhh*)
Specifically the mini size because if I have the option not to pay full price when trying new products, I will ALWAYS TAKE IT
This mascara has become a cult favorite among YouTubers
It is considered to be a great overall mascara, doing exactly as the name suggests
It's on SALE, so it is even CHEAPER than usual
I have heard ZERO people talk about this mascara and I am so damn curious
I love the Róen eyeshadow quads, and I am always down for a clean mascara formula, but after everything with Nikki Deroest (the celebrity makeup artist who founded this brand) stepping down from her position as CEO due to differences in creative vision, I'm not quite sure how to feel about the brand continuing on
It's ALSO on sale, which means they are phasing it out and time is of the essence
This product has received glowing reviews from Allana Davison (@allanaramaa), Julia Adams (@juliaadamsmua), and Jamie Paige (@jamiepaigebeauty)...I watch a lot of Canadian YouTube
I am mostly fascinated by the muted tones in this formula --- I want to try all of them, but if I had to choose only one, I would choose "Olive - golden green" because I don't have anything like it in my collection
Cream, one-and-done shadows like this are ideal for me because I don't gravitate toward eyeshadow unless I am ready to sit down for hours and really curate a full look
This is a product I've had my eye on for a while now
It's a glowy bronzer that is perfect for the summer months
I only have 1 matte bronzer currently and I am getting bored of it
Kosas is my all-time favorite brand
I would pick up "Light - soft bronze"
I worry that it would be a little too light for my liking, but this product doesn't have a great shade range (currently only 3) and the next shade up is far too warm
A concealer + an eye cream = dreamy combination
I have also had my eye on this concealer for a while, but when it came out, people were saying the shades were all super warm
Kosas recently added 12 shades, bringing the total range to 28 shades, so I definitely feel more comfortable finding my shade match at this point and I'm glad I waited a bit
I'm thinking "Tone 1.5 C - light with pink undertones"
Another pricey pick, but I've wanted to try a lilah b. compact for years now
The compact is weighted and is said to feel like you're holding a pebble or a skipping stone in your hand
sounds like a luxury experience
I do hesitate to support this product in particular because it has only one shade, "b. sunkissed - bronze"
Items that are currently sold out that I had wanted to include:
Call anything a "balm" and I want it
Sophie Floyd (@sophfloyd) worked on the campaigns for the release of this foundation and she sold me on it in her YouTube videos
BUT THEN I found out that it has blown up on TikTok, so it is tragically sold out
It's a full coverage foundation, which isn't typically my vibe anymore, but since it is a balm, you can use a very thin layer and sheer it out
I am gravitating toward shade "Light 012 - for light skin with neutral undertones" but considering there are 5 shades below that one, it may very well be too dark for me
Specifically the mini product because I have the option (well I don't anymore because it's sold out, but hypothetically speaking)
The packaging, the formula, the ingredients -- it all seems so good
Is this the fourth bronzer I'm mentioning? Yes. Does this cream one have any shimmer though? NO. Reason enough.
Again, I hesitate to support this product because there is a singular shade, "Seychelles"
So whether you're window shopping or retail therapy-ing, I hope you've found some inspiration from my list!
xoxo
Nic
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