12 Sephora Holiday Hacks Every Beauty Insider Needs To Know

So you can give out gifts but keep the points for yourself.

1. Get free gifts and save money with Sephora Rewards. So do that RIGHT NOW if you have not done so already.

Sephora / Via sephora.com

You get 1 point for every $1 you spend, and you can use your points to get free things. Sometimes there are even special promotions that will give you 3x the points. How much you spend in a year correlates with what Beauty Insider status you are, and the freebies get better the more you move up. So what are you waiting for??? Become a Beauty Insider today!

2. Be the first to know about special deals and steals with the email newsletter.

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You'll be the first to know about any new products and specials, and you can jump on the freebies before they run out. Depending on what point status you are, you'll also be emailed with a code for certain gifts (with a $25 or $35 purchase) periodically. These gifts are typically pretty nice and during the holiday season, many will come with a free clutch/makeup bag. So even if it's filled with tiny samples, you have a great bag that you can fill with things and turn into a gift.

3. Under "Gifts" look at "Value Sets" to knock multiple gifts out with one purchase.

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I LOVE VALUE SETS. They are the most bang for your buck, and they usually include a wide variety of deluxe-sized items (much bigger than samples, smaller than regular). You can buy one set and have gifts for multiple people. So simple. So easy. This set includes all the most loved items on the site.

4. Some Value Sets actually include completely free items.

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Sometimes, you'll find a value set for the same price of one of the included items if you were to buy it separately. This belif moisturizing set is only $38 and includes a full-size moisturizing bomb which is listed as $38 when sold separately. So it makes more sense to buy the value set, keep the full-size item that you wanted, and give the other two things as gifts. Or keep it all, that works too.

5. Have a lot of people to buy gifts for this year? This lip collection is your new best friend.

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If you have a lot of sisters to buy gifts for this year but you don't want to drop bank, this lippie set is your answer. Individually wrap each lip color in some tissue paper, tie some twine around it, and now you have 15 super cute, high end gifts that cost you $4 each. Want to be extra thoughtful? Pick the color you think your friend will like and give them that one.

6. You can do this with the other sets too!

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The mascara sets are meant for you to test out multiple mascaras and figure out the ones you like, but you can give them as little gifts too! And everyone loves a little manicure.

7. Not sure what scent to get your leading man? Let him pick.

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All fragrance samplers come with a voucher for a free full-size item of any of the scents in the set. Ladies, this applies to you too! So you could pay $65 for a set of minis, and then go get a free full size of your favorite, which could cost about $95. A steal I tell ya, a steal.

Cologne sampler: $65

Women's perfume sampler: $65

8. Sign up for $10 flash shipping and reap the benefits.

Sephora / Via sephora.com

You spend $10 once, and you get free two-day shipping for a year (normally you need to spend at least $50 for free shipping). So if you forgot to get someone a gift, you can quickly send them a little somethin'. Who DOESN'T like seeing a little Sephora box on their doorstep?

9. Always check out the weekly specials.

There is ALWAYS FREE STUFF ON SEPHORA. ALWAYS. So claim it! Typically you need to spend $25, but all my VIBs (Very Important Beauty Insider) know that's not hard to do at all. So be sure to check the deals on the homepage and scope out the best weekly special since you only can use one code. Weekly specials usually include deluxe samples which again, are great extra gifts that you're getting for free!

10. Then, take advantage of all the free gifts and shipping!

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Let me break this down for ya. You need to spend $50 for free shipping (easy, next). But if you paid for Flash Shipping, there is no minimum that you need to spend for free shipping. So if you typically need to spend $25 for a weekly special item, you can make two purchases of $25 each and get 2 different weekly samples instead of just one (you know you were going to spend $50 for free shipping anyway). And since you have been working so hard to find great presents for everyone, you deserve those freebies!

11. Check out the best section of any store/online store: the sale section.

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Sephora's sale section typically has seasonal items or items from the limited Sephora Collections. This is a great place to grab unique gifts for much less than normal!

12. And remember - you can return stuff!

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Sephora's return policy is amazing. Seriously. You can return any product, even if you've used it, with or without the receipt. And the points are still yours! So if you see something online you think you might like, but you're not sure, buy it anyway.

Now hit up Sephora.com like the bad VIB you are!

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