October 25, 2018

Makeup Brands to Focus On and Ones To Avoid During the Sephora Sale

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As per my Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most Out of Your Sephora 20% Off Discount (the Sephora sale starts tomorrow! October 26th!) article that I posted earlier today I thought I’d take a second to focus on makeup brands you should take a look at during the sale. In that tips and tricks article I had said to ask yourself, “Will there be a better deal available on this later on this Holiday season?” It’s a very good question to ask because Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the entire month of November and December are ahead. It seems like there are countless sales as soon as the week of Thanksgiving arrives and as tempting as 20% off at Sephora seems it isn’t always the very best deal. I think sometimes we can forget that and get caught up in the fact that there’s a sale at Sephora.

Some people do like just buying at Sephora during this time as they like to accumulate the rewards but I think I can speak for many of my readers/friends here on Musings of a Muse when I say you aren’t really all that into the Rewards Program but you are into saving yourself money!

That’s what lead me to write a post about makeup brands to focus on and ones to avoid during the biggest sale of the year.

Mid-Range Beauty Brands To Avoid During the Sephora Sale
Mid-range brands are brands that are smack in the middle of budget friendly and high-end brands. In my makeup life, I’ve always had makeup and beauty brands categorized into three tiers. The first one is budget brands many of which can be purchased at your local drugstore (and a few others such as Colourpop that are available online or at select retailers). Budget brands consist of brands like Maybelline, Revlon, Physicians Formula, etc…… I’m going to skip mid-range beauty brands temporarily and head into higher-end brands briefly. Higher-end beauty brands are pretty much easy enough to spot. These are luxury brands such as Natasha Denona, Guerlain, Pat Mcgrath, Charlotte Tilbury, Tom Ford Beauty, etc…

Mid-range beauty brands include brands like Tarte, Too Faced, Urban Decay, etc…! These are typically fairly priced brands that are not quite budget but also, aren’t highly priced.

I do recommend avoiding hauling some mid-range brands during the Sephora sale unless there’s some exclusive item that’s available solely at Sephora. Why? Because many brands have better deals on their sites during the Holidays. For example, Philosophy is available on Sephora but they have A LOT of sales with free shipping during November and December and the savings are anywhere from 30 to 40% off retail. That’s a lot more than the mere 20% off that Sephora offers don’t you agree? Your best plan of action with mid-range brands is to ask yourself if you’re going to be able to get this at a better deal later on during the mad rush of Holiday sales! 20% off at Sephora is very generous but just think carefully about the item you put in your cart before you hit that submit button!

Some Mid-Range Beauty brands you might want to avoid:

  • Philosophy
  • Too Faced
  • Tarte
  • Bare Minerals

High-End and Niche to Focus On During the Sephora Sale
Neiman Marcus recently surprised us with a very, very incredible sale this week. 20% off almost all beauty! Neiman Marcus carries some very expensive, luxury beauty brands and many of them were included in this sale. I’m talking about brands that even Sephora doesn’t carry so it came as a shocking and delightful surprise to see them 20% off. Needless to say no one knows if this deal will come around again! Who knows maybe it never will or it might be a yearly thing! One can hope so!

None the less, Sephora does carry a lot of higher-end brands and they aren’t excluded from the 20% off and it’s a good idea to focus on these brands simply because the brands themselves are never on sale and do not go on sale on their site or anywhere else. Brands like Guerlain, Tom Ford Beauty, Natasha Denona, and many niche brands and fragrances like Acqua Di Parma, Atelier Cologne, Hourglass, etc…are never on sale. This is a good area to focus on if you do enjoy luxury beauty as 20% is a generous offer. Pat Mcgrath does have a good discount here and there but if that’s a brand you’re interested in I wouldn’t wait on her sale, I would indulge at Sephora during this event as 20% off is quite a good deal off her products.

Some High-End Beauty brands you might wish to focus on:

Just remember not to lose your head during the sale and always ask if you can find a better deal elsewhere!

Good Luck!

Happy Shopping!

I receive a small commission if you shop through my link.

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

  • simone

    This is a great post. I definitely would rather get the bigger discount from the brand rather than Sephora (sometimes its the opposite with Ulta, just because I hoard rewards money). That being said, last year Natasha Denonas site had 30% off palettes and other items. I am really hoping she has another one this year.

    • Isabella Muse

      really!? I’ve never seen a Natasha Denona sale thank YOU for telling me that! I had no idea! that’s a tremendous value!

      • simone gamboa

        Yeah, I checked my emails, it must have been a black Friday special because my purchase was 11/24.

        • Isabella Muse

          I have to go sign up for her newsletter! I HAD NO IDEA 🙂 thanks!

  • E

    I agree it is a waste to spend money during the Sephora sale on Tarte and Too Faced products when they usually offer 20%-30% off on their websites regularly (and you do not have to pay for tax unlike with Sephora, so it is even more of a waste). I am considering buying ABH’s Norvina palette during the sale since ABH rarely have sales or offer discount codes on their website, even though they are a mid-range brand like Tarte and Too Faced. Do you think this is a good idea?

  • Kish

    And another thing we’ve learned from the mid-range brands is that they rarely sell out and you can get great clearance deals on them later. I love Tarte brushes, and I snagged both sets from last year’s holiday collection for cheap. So I definitely agree with waiting on those.

  • Emily

    And don’t be like me and get so excited to place your order that you forget to go through eBates first!

  • Jujubes

    Thank you!! A very useful and insightful post. I am like you, I care more about saving money than accumulating points at Sephora which you will have a hard time redeeming the higher value sets.

    Sadly for us in Canada the Charlotte Tilbury Stars in your eyes palette has been sold out but I am eyeing Huda’s new nude palette and I am glad my 20% off will come after it is released! 🙂

  • Leslie Boberg

    I’ve had the biggie biggie bum bum cream in my cart just waiting for today! I use that stuff every. single. day so I was extremely excited for the larger size.

    your email is the first one I read from my inbox every morning. love your posts!!!!

  • Jenn

    Great recommendations. I’m looking at my shopping cart again and may make some changes as I continue to whittle it down. Thank you!

  • Powell

    Great tips about Mid-Range items. I need to reup my Philosophy Microdelivery exfoliating wash. I get it most of my Philosophy from QVC, especially 32 oz products since they have the best deals. 32 oz products last forever. I’ve had my original Microdelivery bottle for years and it is just getting to where I want to reup it.
    I’m on auto delivery for the Purity Made Simple. Every now and then Nordstrom will have a good sale. I was thinking about using my 20% Ulta for 2 16oz bottles and I would save $5 versus getting them from QVC. QVC doesn’t have a special on 32 oz right now. But I’m going to wait like you said for Nov/Dec for a better deal. Thks for the tip.

  • Lisa

    As a VIB (past rouge, but I don’t miss it) I’m eagerly awaiting our coupon to be able to stock up on daily necessities. I LOVE Aqua Di Parma and have 4 bottles right now…20% off is SO tempting to get another scent. But, nope, I’m gonna try and be good and use what I have. I’m focusing on moisturizer, foundation, sunscreen, Shiseido cotton pads, gifts for xmas, and maybe 1-2 goodies/treats for myself. I had a 20% off Ulta coupon and it’s my birthday month, so I couldn’t pass that up and the extra points. Need to calm down for Sephora 😉

    • Isabella Muse

      I don’t blame you! Also checkout fragrance net they have huge discounts on Adp! LOL it’s so hard to reign it in sometimes!