Spring 2017 Sephora VIB Sale Shopping Guide

Spring is here, and you know what that means. Flowers? Sunshine? Easter candy?...well, yes. All of those things. But ALSO the annual Sephora VIB sale! For those of you who are slightly less addicted to beauty and/or not a frequenter of Sephora, they've got a pretty sweet rewards program. Anyone can join for free and become a "Beauty Insider", which allows you to cash in on perks like a free birthday gift. But once you've spent $350 in store or online within a calendar year, you get upgraded to VIB status. VIBs get access to additional benefits, like special gift with purchase options, early access to product launches, and special discounts like this one! If you're all the way obsessed with beauty and spend $1000 at Sephora in a year you get upgraded again to VIB Rouge, which will score you free Flash shipping among other things (potentially including a small amount of shock and/or shame over how much money you spent on beauty products).

The other thing to know about Sephora (and about most luxury beauty shopping in general) is that they don't typically run sales. Yes, there is a "sale" section of the website with discounted product, but usually these are discontinued or seasonal items that they're looking to sell as quickly as possible. Normally if you want the latest Hourglass foundation or YSL lipstick, you best prepare to pay full price. And that's why us beauty enthusiasts go a bit bananas every year when this event rolls around. Whether we're looking to restock on essentials or experiment with some new launches, we'll wait patiently for our coveted postcard to arrive in the mail to let us know when we can save a few bucks on our favorite luxury brands.

ULTA 21 Days of Beauty Picks

If there is one thing I love more than beauty products, it's saving money when I'm shopping for beauty products. One of my favorite times to stock up throughout the year is during ULTA's 21 Days of Beauty Event. Held once in the spring and again in the fall, you can score unbelievable savings on cult classic products for three full weeks! Every day has a new special offer, usually at 50% off, from some of Ulta's most popular high-end brands. Over the years I've discovered so many top-shelf, Holy Grail products through shopping this event and saved a ton of cash doing so.

Even though my beauty collection is not really lacking in any areas at the moment, I always get excited to see what each new 21 Days of Beauty event is offering. And honestly, when it comes to Spring 2017, Ulta may have just set the bar at an all-time high. Yes, there are a few products I feel like I've seen every single time (I'm looking at you Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes), but there are also a ton of fresh, new finds that have me thinking "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY". Now, I know that shopping these kinds of sales can be a little overwhelming, what with everything being an incredible bargain. So I've rounded up some of my top picks to share with you all to hopefully help you narrow down your shopping list.

Score This Deal: Becca Create Your Own Light Set

Friends, I've discovered another seriously amazing makeup steal that you might want to jump on ASAP! As with most of my beauty finds, this was another thing I totally stumbled across by happenstance (thank you Facebook advertising) and couldn't believe what was on the screen in front of me. The BECCA Cosmetics Create Your Own Light Set is a Beautylish exclusive retailing for $69 and (yes you're hearing me correctly) contains FOUR full-sized products and one travel-sized product. Say WHAT? If you've ever shopped for BECCA Products before, you'll know that the average retail price of most of their primers, blushes, and highlighters is more than $30. Needless to say, this set is a GREAT deal.

Score This Deal: LORAC Lip & Cheek Set

Hey friends! I've got a serious savings alert coming your way. I stumbled upon this sweet little LORAC set while perusing the Ulta website, and wanted to clue you in to its existence. LORAC is one of those makeup brands that I don't think gets enough hype in the beauty-sphere. Known best for their amazing eyeshadow palettes (you can see my full review of the Pro 3 Palette here), I feel like the rest of their line has mostly slipped under the radar. I too am guilty of not taking the time to explore more from the brand, so when I had a few Ulta points to cash in on, I decided this set was a perfect investment! For only $30 you get a full sized blush, lipstick, and lipliner in coordinating shades. Purchased individually these same products would cost you $56, which is adds up to an almost 50% discount. I don't know about you, but that sounded pretty darn good to me!

Holiday 2016: Cyber Monday Beauty Deals

Does anyone else remember when Cyber Monday was just about tech deals? Like, unless you needed a laptop or the newest gaming console, Black Friday was really where the sales were at. And if you wanted to shop Black Friday, you had best be prepared to stand in line for hours in the middle of the night, whilst freezing your butt off in the cold. Fast forward to 2016, where internet shopping reigns supreme, and Cyber Monday deals put Black Friday to shame. Granted, now people sit perched in front of their computers, impatiently refreshing websites so they can click "checkout" the moment a sale goes live.

But they can at least avoid the cold.

Now, we all know Mondays are enough of a struggle without trying to make sure you don't miss out an epic deal. So I've got your back! I'm compiling a list of the best beauty and fashion Cyber Monday deals I can find so they'll all be accessible in one easy place. I'm going to try and update this list as much as possible over the next 24 hours as I'm able to discover new offerings, so make sure you bookmark this page and check back later for new info!

Holiday 2016: Black Friday Beauty Deals at Ulta & Sephora

Friends, prepare your wallets. Black Friday is almost upon us.

As someone who can never pass up a good bargain, its hard to not go a little crazy with the beauty shopping at this time of year. There are just so many amazing little sets and great deals to be had, and it's tempting to buy...just about everything.

For the sake of my bank account, I'm trying to be extra choosy about what I put in my shopping cart this year. Black Friday is one of the worst times for impulse purchases, what with the pressure of the time crunch and fear of things selling out, so I'm making an effort to try and plan as much of my shopping ahead of time as possible. Fortunately I've got my hands on some sneak peeks of beauty deals that are going live this Thursday at Sephora and Ulta, which gives me a few days of deliberation before I have to hit that checkout button. Curious to see what this year's offerings look like? I'm more than happy to share!

Sephora End of Summer Sale 2016

It's that time of year again, people! Sephora is cleaning house for the summer and there are TONS of amazing deals to be had. A lot of these products are being discontinued or repackaged, meaning that you can score some amazing products from brands you love at a huge discount. Much like summer, the opportunity to snag these products is sure to be short lived, so make sure that you don't miss out while you have the chance!

Sephora Sale on Sale

The hustle and bustle of Christmas may be over, but the season of sales has only just begun. If you were lucky enough to score a Sephora gift card, or maybe just want to treat yourself to a little beauty goodie regardless, now is the time to consider cashing in. For a limited time you can get an additional 20% off everything on the Sephora sale page using the code EXTRA20. There are tons of great things to be found, from palettes, to holiday kits, to little essentials. Some of these goodies are sure to get snagged up quickly, so I would jump on purchasing whatever calls to you. To get your started, here are some of my top picks!

Black Friday 2015 Beauty Deals!

Holy deals, Batman! It's time to bust out that credit card and get to shopping. Whether you're on the mission to find the perfect holiday gifts, or you're indulging in a bit of personal retail therapy, now is the time to snag some serious deals on your favorite beauty and fashion goodies. I'll be on the lookout for great new deals as I find them, and will make sure to update this page as often as I can! Some of these deals are only good through tomorrow, while others last until Monday, so I tried to include the valid dates for you as well. Either way, these deals won't be here for long, so you'll want to jump on your favorite ones ASAP! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and have a great weekend ahead. Happy shopping!

Black Friday Preview

Black Friday is almost upon us, and while some may love the total insanity of shopping in stores, others of us may prefer to score a deal without ever having to leave our beds. As the week goes on more and more stores are releasing previews of the sales they're hosting, but for now I wanted to share a couple of exciting ones that have already begun!

Super Summer Sale at Sephora!

Exciting news, everyone! If you haven't recently checked the sale section of the Sephora website, it appears to have exploded with a ton of amazing new things. It looks like there's a giant selection of Tarte products at reduced prices, as well as some other incredible finds. Fragrances, nail polish, skincare sets, brushes, makeup...there's basically a little something for everyone! But remember, these products are probably in limited quantities, so you'll want to act fast if there's something in particular that's calling to you because I'm sure they'll sell out quick! Here's a quick look at just a few of the awesome things you'll find on-the-cheap!

VIB Chic Week Haul 2015

One of the perks of spending an embarrassing amount of money at Sephora each year is that you get elevated to VIB status (Very Important Beauty, that is). Being a VIB comes with a number of special little perks, including early access to new product releases, specials sales and promo codes. One of the most buzz-worth VIB happenings in the year is Chic Week (typically held in the spring) where all VIB and VIB Rouge members can get 15% off their Sephora purchases. Even though it's not a huge discount, everyone tends to go nuts splurging on long wanted items and everyday essentials. I myself tried not to go to overboard, but I did pick up a few things that I really wanted.

Birchbox Aces Sale Picks

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you probably know how much of an avid Birchbox fan I am. Being a subscriber has so many amazing benefits, and I never regret the $10 I spend each month to stay one! In the last year Birchbox rolled out a new loyalty program, called Birchbox Aces. Becoming a Birchbox Ace comes with all kinds of perks - from having early access to your monthly sample choice, to getting special gifts and treats, to receiving exclusive promo codes you can use on your shop orders. To obtain Ace status all you need to do is earn 500 Birchbox points in a calendar year, which you can do from referring friends, reviewing the products in your monthly box, or making purchases from the Birchbox shop.

Last week Birchbox had a special Ace exclusive sale, with over 300 products available to purchase at 40% with free shipping! I mean, seriously. How could I not resist picking up a few things?

ULTA 21 Days of Beauty September 2013

Good morning my fellow beauty enthusiasts! Just a quick one today.

If you aren't receiving ULTA's mailers or e-mails, I wanted to make sure you all were aware that they are doing their 21 Day of Beauty this month! They offer this promotion maybe once per season, and there are always some really awesome steals. Each day for three weeks ULTA has a different product offered at a crazy discount. You can check out the calendar of events here. 

It's kind of tempting to go bananas and buy everything while the prices are so awesome, but as an exercise in self control, here are the few that I am most excited about:

Special Birchbox Offer for My Readers!

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I'm a huge Birchbox advocate. I've been a subscriber since May, and I honestly can't believe that I didn't find out about them sooner.

Updates, Sales and Other Exciting News!

So, let me get the bad news out of the way first.

I may or may not be sick...And by may or may not be, I mean most likely am. Last night I was driving home from a friend's house and noticed my throat was kind of sore. I figured I was just a little dehydrated, so I drank a big glass of water and went to bed. Unfortunately for me, I don't think it was a little dehydration, as the angry scratchy pain only got worse to the point that it woke me up around 3:00 this morning.

Unable to actually fall back asleep I decided to grab a cough drop and peruse the internet for a while until I got sleepy again. I started working on the blog post that I put up earlier this morning, and then I surfed Facebook for a while.

And lo and behold, I stumbled upon something AWESOME!