October 19, 2011

Sephora Friends and Family 2011 Starts 10/20/11

Sephora has updated details on their Friends and Family Sale.

This is the newest information from their site.

Offer valid 10/20/11 through 11/2/11 at 11:59 pm PST/PDT with any merchandise order on sephora.com. Online promo code cannot be used in retail stores or Sephora inside jcpenney. Enter your unique promotion code during checkout to receive 20% off your entire online merchandise purchase. Promo code may be only be used once, is non-transferable, is not valid on previous purchases, on Canadian online purchases, nor with the purchase of eGift certificates or gift cards. Only one promo code per email address and only five email addresses per computer. Cannot be used in conjunction with other promotions/offers. Sephora reserves the right to end or change this promotion offer at any time. By providing your e-mail address, you agree to receive e-mail announcements in accordance with our privacy policy.

I’ve been shopping the Sephora Friends and Family Sale for at least 10 or so years now, heck maybe longer…and each year the promo code is always the same aside from the year which changes. Example: FF2010, FF2011, etc…..

As you can see above Sephora states a unique promo code will be e-mailed to you and can be used only once. I definitely dislike this idea since I used to do separate orders which consisted of one for friends and family and one for myself.

I wonder why they changed things this year.

Either way I’m thankful they are offering it as 20% off high end brands is a HUGE gift.

Check out sephora.com/friends for exact details.

81 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Rachel D

    Thanks for the update Muse! From reading the above though, I don’t necessarly get that they are going to e-mail a code to everyone though. On there Facebook page the other day someone enquired about F&F and they resonded that “Friends and Family has always been reserved for Sephora employee’s personal networks and never promoted by email to clients.”

    • the Muse

      weird Rachel why do you think they have an entire webpage dedicated to the sale than? seems silly to do a friends and family page for anyone to access if it applied to only employees/friends/family of employees.

      • Rachel D

        I just assumed that the info from your previous post was correct, that you would visit the site between October 20th thru November 2nd for a one time use code. I just don’t think they are going to send a mass e-mail to every BI.

        • the Muse

          that could be right rachel but they sent out the instore certs via email last year so it’s possible they will do it again…but it seems more logical to visit the page and maybe get the code that way? Not sure. But we’ll see tomorrow!

        • Rachel D

          Website is LIVE!! Just enter your e-mail address on the sephora.com/friends website and they will give you the one time use code. Just placed my order!

  • shusheshe

    I’m very disappointed in Sephora. They just lost a huge order from me, since they barred Canadian online orders this year. Last year I spent over $200 during the event last year just for myself, asking my brother in Toronto to make the online order for me, then shipping the entire thing over.

    This year, I told a few co-workers beforehand and I was going to do a big group order for them. I guess Sephora don’t want our money.

    • Steph.

      I saw that too and am completely bummed out, I was looking forward to placing an order. :/

  • Jillybean

    so do we have to do anything to get the code if we are a beauty insider? or will it automatically be mailed to us? so excited, cant wait to place my order!!! lol

    • the Muse

      Hey Jilly I’m guessing it will me automatically emailed to everyone on their mailing list. 🙂

      • Krista

        I just talked to an employee on the phone at Sephora. She said only Sephora employees and friends of employees will get the discount this year. Not even VIB’s or Beauty Insiders will get the code. So STUPID!

        • the Muse

          hi krista employees/CS at Sephora are giving you the wrong information. There is a FF tomorrow.

          • Krista

            Seriously!??! How do I get a code? Will they send me an email!?!? Sorry, just had a big haul in mind 🙂

          • the Muse

            We don’t know if it’ll be via email or if you have to visit the site to get a code as of yet Krista. As soon as I know I’ll post.

  • yelena

    does everyone get this promo code? i havent gotten it in the mail or email yet. do u have to be a VIB? or just a beauty insider? 🙁

    • the Muse

      yelena if you’re on the mailing list yes you’ll get the code from what I understand, hope this helps.

    • the Muse

      yes andrea there aren’t any exclusions or at least there weren’t from years past.

  • Gen

    Once again, the Canadians are left behind….This is why i go less and less to Sephora…

  • diane

    oh 20% is sweet! I plan on stocking up on clarisonic heads for 2012 & getting a fresh giftset since i’m addicted to their lip treatment & scrub!

  • eight

    …oh, Canadians are exempt? Sadness. Not that I NEED anymore makeup, so it might be a blessing in disguise. Do share what you buy with us though, Muse!

  • Andrea

    I’m excited, but a little worried because of all the rumors. I haven’t bought anything from Sephora for months because I’ve been waiting for this. I’ve got a huge wish list of goodies that I’ve been working on pretty much since the F&F sale ended last year, and I’m really counting on the 20% off.

    Thanks for keeping us updated, Muse. Fingers crossed that everyone gets a discount tomorrow!

  • Michelle

    Thanks for the info- do you know how the FF sale will be applied to in-store purchases? Will they send out the postcards like they did before?

    • the Muse

      Michelle I’m not sure they are doing an in store one this year. I have to wait to get info 🙂

  • Freddie

    I’m a little miffed ‘cos I don’t think I’ve really been receiving e-mails from Sephora lately. If I don’t get a code, I might not be too happy. c:

  • niewniewjen

    Well then. We can’t use this on Canadian orders, nor can we use the code in-store. WHAT UNFAIRNESS IS THIS? ): I wish there was somebody in the states that could do me a favor….

  • Regina

    It’ll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow….I’m a VIB + I receive regular emails but so many rumors are flying about, I don’t know what to expect. I have a HUGE order waiting and I hope I can use the code. Finger crossed ladies!!

  • Anna

    Oh my. I certainly hope we all receive a code tonight! I think Sephora would disappoint so many people if they discontinued this tradition!

  • elizabeth

    I think this is really going to hurt Sephora in the long run. They’ll either lose sales from people who used to make multiple orders but balk at spending all that money at once, or they’ll end up with tons of returns from people who just buy everything they like with the intention of returning it. Plus they’ll lose money from excluding Canadians. I guess I’m just going to have to plan my list very carefully!

    • divinem (Melissa)

      I agree. It’s amazing the frenzy this whole policy change caused.

      I dislike Sephora’s practices but LOVE MUFE. What can I say? Imma makeup whore!

  • AS

    Note that you can only have 60 items in your cart when you check out – if the code is one-time use, this will limit how many things you can buy with the discount. Pick the most expensive things you are thinking of, not a bunch of smaller cost items for the most savings.

  • rach

    i just called sephora customer service yesterday and today, and they said this year its only for friends and family though?

  • Emily

    So apparently it’s only friends and family of employees this year? Does anyone know if there will be a BI and VIB discount sometime soon?

  • the Muse

    Hey Guys,

    I keep seeing the same thing over and over and over again about people contacting Sephora Customer Service and being told incorrect information. This happens year after year after year with Customer Service. I sincerely DOUBT sephora would create an entire Friends and Family webpage if they weren’t planning on holding the info particularly with a disclaimer about codes. That makes no sense.

    As I mentioned at least several hundred people contact Sephora every year and they always give out the wrong info about the sale being for Friends and Family.

    Don’t worry…I am positive the sale will go on as it does EVERY year.

    • Krista

      Oh sorry! I didn’t read this post, or I wouldn’t have bothered you 🙂 Thanks for all the info!

    • Boone

      I don’t have any insider info, but I have a memory like a steel trap, and I definitely remember that people were given the same (inaccurate) info–that F&F was limited to actual employee friends and family–in previous years. So I don’t think it’s time to panic yet. 😉

      • the Muse

        YES booke I remember the same exact thing year after year and everyone foaming at the mouth b/c of it. It’s wrong info!

          • the Muse

            rach it says it won’t be in store on the details I posted here. If anything changes I’ll post about it for sure!

  • Stelladiva

    The same info -that it’s for the circle of friends and family of employees- was also posted recently on the sephora Facebook page by sephora. I’m hopin it’s not true. Also just got a 20% off ulta coupon that doesn’t seem to exclude all prestige.

    • the Muse

      hi stella it seems odd they would create a landing page for the event if it was meant for employees only. I’m positive that is false information they are giving you!

    • Quinctia

      The 20% coupons generally don’t exclude prestige, but sometimes the timing is slightly suspicious…my Ulta didn’t have the UD Anniversary palette out OR a lot of prestige stock replenished before my last one expired, for instance.

      I honestly think they’d do better allowing you to use the 3.50 off of 10 on prestige stuff, in the long run. Most of the prestige stuff costs a lot more than $10, they lose more margin on that 20% coupon anyway, and it’d be a nice, small incentive.

  • Ashley

    I am terrified I won’t get a code for tomorrow but I’m very confused as to why Canadians are exempt this year. Better yet, why is Sephora trying to revert back to exclusivity for “friends and family of Sephora employees” after including BI and VIB members in previous years? I am very disappointed with Sephora by this.

  • Marina

    Thanks Muse! I’ll definitely be placing an order this year–it’ll be my first time! I’m going to pick up a few things for my mom and some Jack Black for my brother, plus a few things for myself! I’m excited to be actually doing it this year!

  • Marina

    Thought I’d share my cart just for fun! It’s changed a bit since I started building it, but here’s what I’ve got:
    -Jack Black Balm for my brother
    -Jack Black Mighty Miniset for my brother
    -Naked Palette for my mother
    -Urban Decay 24/7 Electric pencil set for me
    -Urban Decay Shadow Pencil set for me
    -Benefit Big 10 for me
    So a bit for me and a bit for Christmas goodies for my family 🙂 So excited to be actually ordering this year, since I have two steady jobs XD

    • the Muse

      thanks marina ;-D I LOVE reading other people’s hauls ;-D! wahooooo! enjoy shopping tomorrow!

      • Marina

        Thanks, love! I ended up adding the Hello Kitty Graffiti Brush set to the cart too XD *gulp!* Hope the sale is on tomorrow. If not, I have a 10% off coupon from the roulette wheel…

        • the Muse

          omg you got that? I’m so damn jealous been trying for days LOL! ;-D isn’t the brush set on sale btw? ;-D

          • Marina

            I KNOW! I couldn’t believe I got the 10%! And yep, the brush set is on sale. Still debating that one, but it’s still in the card…for now…It was around $50 originally and is $25 now 🙂

          • the Muse

            gurl you be lucky as hell ;-D I was spinning with all my email addresses but no lucky lmao! that is a steal indeed, lmk how the brushes are curious minds!

        • divinem (Melissa)

          I got the HK brush set. The brushes are RIDICULOUSLY cheap. I should’ve returned it but never got around to it.

          If the HK holder is what you’re after, it’s all good. But those brushes . . . UGH!!

  • Dee

    It’s thoroughly confusing. On the Sephora Facebook page, they are now saying that the FF2011 event is for friends and family of official Sephora employees who have passed along the email with the unique code. Who knows why there is a public FF page. The fine print leads me to believe that if i put in a valid email address tomorrow I will get a unique code. Sephora’s FB tells a slight murky but different story. 🙁

    • the Muse

      dee I think it boils down to marketing. Sephora doesn’t want to tell anyone ahead of time when the sale will launch b/c they fear that they will miss out on sales.. You might be considering hauling that $50 palette today but if you got 20% if you’d of course, wait for it. Basically they are worried they will lose out on a $50 sale if they tell reader’s a week or a day or even an hour before that they are having a friends and family sale. Why not cash in on $50 bucks rather than have someone wait for their sale an order in for $40 thus resulting in a ten dollar lost for Sephora.

      Hope that makes sense.

      No doubt in my mind that FF is ON and not canceled, not happening, etc…don’t believe it at all ;-D

      • rach

        yes that was kinda what i was thinking! kinda selfish of sephora since they do make millions of dollars every year. it would make sense to atleast help us save a little bit of money!

        • the Muse

          hi rach business is business and I imagine in this economy no one wants to lose money 🙂

  • Dee

    Muse I don’t at all think the FF sale is cancelled I just think that they are tightening the purse strings and are blocking it out the masses leaving those lucky few who got a “code” from an official Sephora Employee. I think if they truly didn’t want the sale dates known they would have hidden the splash page until the day of. Other business have definitely done that…but I not a big wig at LVMH Moët Hennessy so far be it for me to question their “marketing” tools. I think other businesses will probably look to this as a cautionary tale either AGAINST FF sales in the future or tweaking of said sales to prevent Publicity Fubars.

    • the Muse

      hey dee def agreed it might be tightened a bit since this unique code thing is being done but def not just for friends and family otherwise they wouldn’t go to the hassle of creating a launch page. what would be the point to say check back soon for info on this page if it was only for employees/friends/family rather than the general public?

  • Adrienne

    I just called my local store. The assistant manager informed me that it is limited to actual friends and family of employees..and she asked me if I knew anyone who worked there. I said “no, but I’m there ALOT” (forgodsake I spent legit 1500 this year there and everyone recognizes me) kind of insulting that noone would have invited me. Even when I buy something small from Nordstrom the employee will mail me a handwritten letter. Anyways, she told me if I come tomorrow she’ll go ahead and give it to me. So I’m all around dissappointed in Sephora, I think they’re trying to get rid of it. Last year the manager admitted to me that theres a reason I never see little discounts and goodies in the mail anymore.

    • the Muse

      Adrienne this is the wrong info please see the comments for details. Hope this helps.

      • Nina

        I’m still hoping you are right, Muse, but Adrienne’s experience is similar to mine, only at my local Sephora, the staff had no cards to spare. I agree that FF will be available on line, but it would be so much fun to have it in the stores. I am still smarting about this.

        • the Muse

          Sorry Nina…..I’ve been through this every year with rumors that have circulated about it being cancelled, etc…and it always goes on 🙂 I guess we shall see tomorrow morning 🙂

  • Marina

    Wow. Just went on the Facebook page to see what this is all about…
    Wowzah. I can see where y’all are coming from…it doesn’t look good, but how could they just stop this 10 year tradition?
    Anyways, hoping for a miracle tomorrow, since I was planning on buying quite a bit (at least by my standards!)…

    • rach

      same i was saving up for 2 months! :'( do you think theyll update the website for the code at 12?

  • Heidi

    I’m trying to keep hope.. when I heard the FF sale was coming up I cashed all of my citi reward points for gift cards to sephora so I could finally purchase a clarisonic plus.. now it looks like i should have just stuck to ulta. I know it may be a marketing scheme, but is it worth making so many customers upset?

  • Shirley

    I just called my local sephora (I’m in Canada) and asked the SA. She told me it will happen in stores tomorrow. The only catch is that we’ll have to print off the promo code. Woohoo!

  • rach

    EVERYONE YOU CAN GET AN INVDIVIDUAL CODE go to that website now:D muse i think you were right!

  • dangster

    OH!!!!

    It looks like online FF codes will be generated at this URL:

    Enter in your email, and it will generate a code for you instantly. It will also send the code to your email.

    I hope the codes work in an hour . . . .

  • Cait

    Just to update everyone….the site is officially working now, and you can get multiple one-time use codes if you enter different e-mail addresses, so it’s all good 🙂 i’m still not sure what the in-store policy is though….i prefer to shop in-stores lol, i’m an instant gratification girl. I’m grateful for 20% off though even if I need to shop online!

  • Ashley C.

    I just redeemed my online code from the F&F page Sephora has set up. The first one they gave me said it had already been used (?!) when I tried to check out, so I went back and entered a different email address and it let me use that code on the original Sephora VIB account! So it may actually let you do more than one order, if anyone does forget anything and want to go back.
    I’m getting some things for me and some Christmas gifts. Purchase list: Tarte LipSurgence set, two Kat Von D Angeles palettes, Berry Pink Clarisonic Mia set with the extra goodies, Kat Von D Adora perfume set, Nars Pokerface polish, and the amazing 500-pt perk of 2 full size Buxom lip products (and a trial mascara)!

  • Jessica Remling

    Good News!!!! It works online. Just follow muses link to the website and enter your email and you get a code to enter at checkout. Don’t worry about only getting to use it once because as long as you have another email it will give you up to five codes per household!! Happy Shoping Everyone!!!!