How to Maximize Savings

I never trust shop prices—first thing, I check for exclusive sale sections (they pop up like digital potholes). If it says “Outlet” or “Last Chance,” there’s probably a bargain, but watch out for discontinued colors that should’ve stayed discontinued.

Stacking discounts is weirdly satisfying. I’ll use a voucher, combine it with an in-site deal, pay with points, maybe throw in a cashback extension. Once I saved £12 on a basket I forgot about. Did I need the anti-redness serum? Doubtful.

I sign up for emails, but my inbox is a landfill, so I set up filters. Loyalty programs? Sometimes they give you early access or extra points, sometimes just spam. Every so often, I get a “hidden” deal—like, one Tuesday, SEPHORA had double points for no reason. Why Tuesday?

I made a list once, wrote down the full price, then checked deals for a couple weeks. When that eyeliner dropped below 30% off, I pounced. That’s… way more satisfying than, I don’t know, buying socks.

Seasonal Sales Events

Twice a year (maybe three if you count Black Friday’s cousin, Cyber Week), beauty retailers lose their minds and slash prices. Summer sales hit random serums every influencer used once, then forgot. Winter? Holiday kits, bath sets, sometimes with a candle that smells like regret.

Those savings don’t last. Cult Beauty’s “Last Chance” banners make me panic-buy, and allbeauty does this flash deal thing where you get extra off if you checkout in, like, twelve minutes (I panic every time). Outlet events—Face The Future dumps limited stock at deep discounts, but sometimes it’s just, like, six bottles of foot cream.

Don’t bother with a sales calendar. Just remember the big ones:

• Black Friday/Cyber Week in November
• Boxing Day and New Year sales
• Summer Clearance in June-July
• Random birthday or anniversary sales at random places

I missed a 50% off bundle once because I tried to “think on it.” Lesson learned: best deals don’t wait. The candle probably sucked anyway.

Unbeatable Discounts and Promo Codes

Every beauty site I open—discount banners, pop-ups, “20% off today only” (is it ever not today?)—it’s all there. “Exclusive” basically means “everywhere.” I can’t remember the last time I paid full price for moisturizer, not with every checkout page begging for a promo code. Sometimes I just want a coffee, not fifteen open tabs.

Types of Beauty Discounts

There’s no one flavor. Suddenly, one site offers $10 off lip gloss if I add two more lip things, another gives 5% off if I subscribe for emails (which junk folder does that code go to?). ULTA, Nykaa—those places cycle 10–20% off sitewide, then forget what “minimum spend” even means.

Here’s what I juggle:

• Percentage Off (20% off is standard)
• Dollar-Off Codes ($15 off $75+)
• BOGO (classic, but sometimes the second item is a weird expired mascara)
• Free Samples/Gifts
• Free Shipping (sometimes exciting, sometimes a trick).

Stacking discounts is a thing now. I try to combine everything, and somehow my cart total goes up instead.

How to Find Promo Codes

First step: open five tabs, minimum. I bounce from Honey to CouponCabin, then Wethrift. They claim dozens of deals, reality is half are expired, and sometimes it’s $5 off a $105 serum, which I still click.

Brands like Nykaa run app-only codes—never reusable, so I screenshot everything. Another trick: abandon your cart. Just leave it, then—bam—a “come back for 10% off” email. Instagram stories, random influencer codes that worked last year (now? Not so much).

There are tables of stacked codes, but none sorted by brand, which is annoying. Here’s a half-baked snippet:

By the time I find a working code, I forget what I wanted to buy. Full price? Myth.

Membership Perks and Member Savings

There’s this moment, like, I’m in line gripping two serums and a travel-size mascara, and all I see are those member savings banners. They’re always too bright, like, who picked that color? Memberships are everywhere—every store wants to hand out perks: extra deals, weird little surprises, those “early sale” notifications that I swear I never check on time. Honestly, I sign up for half these things just to dodge shipping fees, then a week later, I’m digging through my inbox for some member-only sale or that birthday discount code I always miss.

Loyalty Programs Explained

I joined Best Buy Plus, Sephora’s Beauty Insider, Amazon Prime, and, I don’t know, probably a dozen others without even thinking. Suddenly, my inbox is this parade of “exclusive offers” and “special sale access” in fonts that look like they’re yelling. I’m not saying I spend less, but I get less annoyed about the $49.99 membership if I’m getting free shipping. That’s… something.

Points? Oh yeah, always a points thing. I’ll buy micellar water, and bam, 50 points show up out of nowhere. Eventually, those points pile up and, surprise, there’s a discount next to that toner I keep swearing I’ll stop buying. Prime members at Whole Foods, for some reason, get a dollar off apples on Wednesdays or whatever. Not life-changing, but, hey, it counts. I’m convinced someone’s just making up which beauty deals count for double points. Maybe it’s just chaos.

I saw a chart once—mine always ends up covered in coffee rings:

So, there’s points, crowns, random app badges, and a wallet full of cards. That’s it. No grand finale.