How to Shop The Sephora VIB Sale | Recommendations + My Picks

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First things first–where have I been!? Around Valentine’s Day, I fell into a major creative rut, got into a small car accident (I’m fine, they’re fine, cars are fine), and have been working a ton. Basically, I just have been stressed and off my game all around for the past few weeks.

However,  I have still been brainstorming for future posts, buying and testing products to review, and missing writing and putting out content for all of you. But I am back and excited; I hope you are too.

Sephora’s spring VIB sale is here! Beginning April 18th, VIB Rouge members will be able to use a coupon for 15% off any purchase, and then it will trickle down to VIB and Beauty Insiders. As I said, unlike the fall sale, you’ll only receive 15% instead of 20%, but hey, a sale is a sale at Sephora.

Busy sales can be overwhelming, so I’ve come up with a little How To list for shopping this sale–including tips on what to buy, how to buy, and the things I probably will buy–to make your shopping life a little easier.

What to Buy

There’s so much to look at and lust over at Sephora, so these are things I suggest looking into for the sale.

Stock Up: Stock up on the essentials you need in your collection or will buy and use throughout the year anyway. Things like cleanser, cotton pads, SPF, mascaras, and eyeliners are items I constantly run out of and immediately replace, so it’s nice to have an extra discount.

My Picks

• Shiseido Cotton Pads: It seems silly to spend this money on cotton pads, but when I bought them the first time, I realized I can’t stop. They feel so luxurious and nice on my skin, and it makes me feel better about going through my skincare routine.
• Kat Von D Trooper Tattoo Liner: This is my favorite black eyeliner, and I always have at least one in my collection.
• Beauty Blender: I’ve talked about these before–I can’t stop. It’s my favorite beauty sponge, and I always have two or three in my arsenal. They also have micro blenders that I like to use for concealer, but better yet, there is a set that comes with the original sponge, a mini sponge, a beauty blusher, and a solid cleanser.
• Mascaras: I like a lot of drugstore mascaras, but I do have a few high end mascaras that I love. Also, did you know you’re supposed to replace your mascaras every 3 months!? Ok, I don’t do that, but if you do, you buy a lot of mascara, so it’s nice to get a little discount every now and again.  I’d recommend the Too Faced Better Than Sex, YSL Babydoll, and the Ubame mascara from Milk Cosmetics.

Skincare can be expensive, and I don’t mind shelling out a little extra for good skin. It’ll help your makeup look better and just improve you skin overall. This sale is a great time to invest in skincare that may feel too expensive at other times in the year.

My Picks:

Skincare is very personal, but I like to spend my money on serums, oils, and masks, as they’re the most concentrated in ingredients.

• SK-II Essence: It’s so expensive, but it’s so good.
• Tatcha Rice Enzyme Powder: My favorite exfoliate.
• Ole Henrikson Truth Serum: My all time favorite daytime serum.
• Dior Hydra Life Flow Better mask: The lady at the Dior counter told me my makeup looked professional, and her skin was phenomenal, so I want what she’s selling. She told me this Hydra Life line is perfect for 20-somethings and that Dior skincare is plant based and doesn’t contain alcohol. She talked me into it.
• Fresh Seaberry Skin Nutrition Booster: I love this oil in the morning under makeup.

Fragrance: Like skincare, fragrances are expensive. If you’re wanting to try something new or replace an old favorite, now’s the time.

My Picks:

Fragrance is also personal, but a few of my favorites are:

• Chloé Eau de Parfum
• Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb
• Elizabeth & James Nirvana Bourbon and Rose (I’d also suggest getting the Nirvana sample set which contains Bourbon, Rose, White, and Black)

Tools: Personally, I am waiting for the fall sale to get 20% off of my tools, but I’m also not in immediate need of anything now. If you’ve been eyeing up any beauty tool, I suggest picking it up now.

My Picks:

• Dry Bar Buttercup Blow Dryer
• Foreo Luna: I’ve tried the Clarisonic, and my face just doesn’t like it. But I used the Foreo Luna and loved it–I especially like the version for sensitive skin.

Sephora Favorites: I love these curated sets. They have all sorts of themes from lips to eyes to fragrance to a grouping of plant based products. There’s a lot to choose from, and they allow you to sample a lot of different products from different brands. And it’s always nice to sample a product before you purchase the full size to make sure it reacts well to you skin or body.

My Picks:

• Power of the Petal: This one is in my cart.
• Deluxe Perfume Sampler: I love these fragrance sampler sets. Not only do you get to sample the fragrance before you buy,  but you also receive a voucher for a full size bottle of your favorite.
• Give me Some Lip & Liner: This set contains both full and deluxe size products, so it’s a really great bang for your buck.
• Beauty Sleep: I may have to pick this one up too.

How to Buy

It’s overwhelming to shop these sales, because there a lot of people anticipating the sale and things sell out quickly. I usually don’t have a problem, and here’s how I shop:

Curate you cart ahead of time: You can do 1 of 2 things. Utilize the Loves List feature of the website, and add in the products you want, and add and subtract items so you can see them. Once you’ve finalized it, just transfer everything to your cart, and you’re ready to go. Or you can skip the Loves step and just add everything to your basket, and delete the things you don’t actually want to purchase this go around.

Some people wait until the day of the sale to make their purchases, but I actually force myself to stay awake until midnight, because you can actually use your discount code right at midnight.

Double dip on discounts: Stack your ability to save by using Ebates. I know I preach Ebates, but if you shop online, there really isn’t a reason not to use it. It’s free to join, and you just receive cashback on eligible purchases. This link is a referral link, and I will gain a small dollar amount if you sign up and make a purchase, but even better is you will receive a $10 welcome bonus with your first purchase of $25 or more. Not only will you receive the 15% off from Sephora, you’ll gain cashback (usually 4%) from Ebates, PLUS an automatic $10 bonus. What’s not to love about that?

Or if you don’t want a $10 welcome bonus, you can go directly to the site yourself, without going through my referral link.

What do you think you’ll be picking up during the sale?

*Some links above are affiliate links, and I will earn a small commission off of clicks and purchases.