Shop Smarter, Elsewhere

[SaritaGatita]

I made Rouge status in 2018 after I lost a large chunk of my collection and had to replace almost all of my essentials. I was ecstatic to become a rouge member - that 20% discount would definitely save me some money, and then the reward perks were exciting too.... Now about 18 months after my initial rouge achievement, I find the whole experience less than satisfying. In fact, I'm just downright unhappy as a Sephora member. I spend WAY too much money at this store to get so very little in return for being such a loyal customer... I recently was able to buy a $100 giftcard with 2500 points and the experience of using that gift card was a joke and disgusted me (read the fine print).

Based on my feelings, and those that I've read from several others in the community, I'm figuring out where else I can spend my beauty dollars. About 6 months ago, I made a list of all my skincare and makeup items that I buy on a semi-regular basis. I then took to the internet to start learning where else I could buy these items. There is a plethora of companies that sell almost all the same brands as Sephora, and also the Sephora exclusive brands sell their own items from their own websites.

Below is a list of stores/companies where I've been purchasing the majority of my regular skincare and makeup items through the last 6 months. Feel free to add to this list!

Ulta

The Detox Market 

Beautylish

Beauty Bar (beautybar.com)

Cos Bar

Blue Mercury

Macy's

Nordstrom

Kohl's

Urban Outfitters

I could add many more to this list, but these are some of my preferred spots because of 1) the experience, 2) the deals, and 3) the feeling of being a valued customer.

[kenziecai]

I’ve also noticed the prices at Sephora are much higher! I saw the Boscia cleanser at Costco selling for $8 when it’s listed at Sephora for $28. To make it even worse, it came with a headband as well!

[SaritaGatita]

That’s awesome! I’m a huge Costco fan! I always walk through their health section to see what they’ve got.

[Kim888]

@kenziecai costco is not an authorized retailer for a lot of cosmetics/skin care. You really don't know what you are getting. It's kind of like going to TJ Maxx - it could be an older batch or expired - there's a reason it's that much cheaper.