The best time of the year: Sephora birthday gift 2013

title copy My birthday isn’t until a couple months away but if you are anything like me and love free stuff, then you are signed up for numerous company email newsletters, rewards cards, etc. I will buy certain products at certain stores if they have a rewards card; I love accumulating points.

I have been a Beauty Insider at Sephora since before my local city had a store.  I have never traded in my points for a 100 or 500 point perk yet (the ones that interest me always sell out really fast) and I’m currently close to 2,000 points (it’s a dollar a point).  I’m now at VIB status so as you can imagine I shop there quite often.  Regardless of the points perks (you can get samples or even full-size products sometimes when you redeem them), I love receiving their birthday gift every year.  Last year’s birthday gift was the Fresh Mini Sugar Lip Treatment which was great because I probably would have never tried those products and for this year it’s one of my favourite brands, Benefit.

back of box products

The complimentary gift (you just show your Beauty Insider card during the month of your birthday at Sephora) is called Real Birthday Turn-Ons and consists of a mini sample of their They’re Real! mascara and Watt’s Up, a highlighter.  I haven’t tried either of these products yet (I already use Benefit’s High Beam and I have another sample of They’re Real! which I haven’t opened yet), so it’s a great way to test them out.

If you are not a Sephora Beauty Insider, run, don’t walk, to your nearest Sephora (or Sephora.com) and sign up, it’s completely free, and make sure you show them your card when you check out.  You can also upload your card on Passbook on your iPhone so you don’t have to have it handy.  If you spend $350 in a calendar year you get upgraded to VIB status which gets you a couple more perks, like higher discounts during their events, more samples, 10 per cent off one purchase when you become VIB, etc.

I have a couple friends who have recently gotten into makeup (because of me, no doubt) and they are first-time Beauty Insiders.  I personally love the program and since it’s free to sign up, you might as well take advantage of all that it offers.

Have you picked up your Sephora birthday gift yet? 

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