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Everyone loves affordable, high-end makeup. Scoring your favorite beauty product brands for a discounted price will have you looking and feeling your best, but you might think that’s easier said than done.
However, you might be surprised by how easy it is to get the best cosmetic products for a fraction of the price! Looking good doesn’t have to break the bank. From sample hunting to cashback rebates, here are six tips for how to save money on makeup!
1. Find Free Samples
Let’s dive into our first savvy makeup hack. If you wanted to know how to get free makeup, free samples are a good place to start. Also, don’t be afraid to take advantage of samples-they’re the easiest way to get a free makeup product! While a sample at a grocery store is barely a bite of food, a free cosmetic sample is often much more substantial-sometimes even containing as much product as a travel-sized item. Here are a few places where you can score free makeup samples:
Ulta – From eye shadow, lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, eyeliner, liquid foundation, or even nail polish — at Ulta, customers can choose from a variety of sample products at their store fronts. Online, Ulta shoppers have the option to add a free sample to their order. Certain purchases are also eligible for larger gifts at no extra cost.
Sephora – Sephora customers can also request samples of nearly all the products available in the store. For online shoppers, Sephora gives you the option to add up to three free samples to every order. This is a great way to try out products for free before deciding whether or not they’re worth the money.
Department stores – Makeup counters at retailers like Macy’s and Nordstrom also typically allow customers to try cosmetic samples. Simply ask a sales representative to help you out, and you’ll get a scoop of whichever product you’re interested in. If you use these products sparingly, you can typically make them last quite a long time.
2. Utilize the Birthday Gift
Many cosmetic retailers—like Ulta and Sephora—offer a free gift to rewards members during their birthday month. These gifts often include quite a bit of product from high-quality brands so when your big day rolls around, take advantage of your free makeup gift!
Each store does birthday gifts a little differently, so here’s a breakdown of the two most fabulous birthday makeup suppliers to make sure you know exactly how to have your birthday cake and eat it too!
Ulta
For some, your birthday isn’t just a day—it lasts all month long! Fabulous beauty supplier Ulta is of the same mind. Depending on the tier of your rewards membership, you can receive up to three gifts during your birthday month.
The available birthday gift changes month-to-month, so it’s worth checking ahead of time to see if your Ulta birthday gift is a product you want. If it is, just claim it in store or online by logging into your account and boom—free makeup! Talk about a great birthday, right?
Sephora
Unlike Ulta, Sephora does not offer more birthday gifts based on your rewards program level. Instead, VIB and Rouge members are eligible for a different set of gifts (typically containing more expensive brands or larger product sizes).
Fortunately, most Sephora birthday gifts are made up of multiple, travel-sized products—so even though you’re not getting multiple gifts, you’re still getting several free makeup products to try out.
The best part is that Sephora customers can redeem their birthday gift anytime during their birthday month and no purchase is necessary. This means you can walk into a Sephora (or log onto Sephora’s website) and pick up your birthday gift without spending any money at all!
3 Buy Refillable Palettes
Here is a sustainable beauty tip that will help you save money on your favorite product while saving space in your makeup bag. Makeup lovers know the pain of having to drop $50+ to replace a makeup palette—especially when they’ve really only run out of a few of their favorite shades.
Of course, you can’t live without your go-to eyeshadow or the bronzer that has a perfect undertone, but that doesn’t always mean you have to repurchase the whole eyeshadow palette or bronzer spread.
Many popular makeup brands have switched to refillable palettes. This is done through the use of a magnetic backing that allows customers to pop empty pans out of the palette and replace them as they run out. A single refill of an eyeshadow, bronzer, or blush is going to have a much smaller price tag than an entire palette. Some big-name brands that offer these types of products include:
- Colourpop
- Kat Von D
- Morphe
- Mac
- Tarte
- Makeup For Ever
Purchasing a magnetic palette is also a great way to customize your palette’s color scheme and make sure you’re only paying for shades of makeup that you’re actually going to use! Your overcrowded makeup counter will thank you.
4. Don’t Ignore Your Points
You know what they say—you have to spend money to make money.
Ok, maybe this expression doesn’t exactly make sense here—but rewards points are a similar concept. If you’re a beauty enthusiast who’s already spending money on high-end makeup products, you might as well gain something that can help you save money later, right?
Cosmetic retailers have some of the best rewards programs on the market. Unlike other stores, where it seems like your points never amount to much, stores like Ulta and Sephora will frequently allow you to use the points you’ve earned to get free makeup products!
But you won’t have to buy a truck-load of lipstick to be able to use your points. Free makeup can even be redeemed at low point totals, between 50-200. With each dollar you spend at the retailers, you get a point toward your rewards—and with expensive makeup purchases these points add up quickly!
5. Consider a Makeup a subscription Service
Makeup subscription services have gained massive popularity in recent years. Why do people love them so much? Because customers get a variety of makeup products for a lot less money than they retail for. Take a look at some of the most popular makeup subscription services currently available and consider the savings:
Boxy Charm – Boxy Charm subscribers pay $21 per month for their subscription. Before you write this off as too expensive, listen to what you’re actually getting. Each Boxy Charm delivery contains four or five full-size products per month with a total average retail price of $100 or more. If you’re looking to try out new products for a lot less money, this is a fabulous way to go about it.
Ipsy – Ipsy subscribers get a uniquely customized experience at $10 a month. The yearly cost of an Ipsy subscription is $100, because customers get two months free of charge. To sign up for an Ipsy box, you’ll have to take a quiz describing your cosmetic preferences. This ensures you only receive products that you’ll actually use, thus getting the most bang for your buck. An Ipsy bag contains five slightly smaller, but still substantially sized products.
- Birchbox – Like an Ipsy bag, a Birchbox subscription costs only $10 a month. Birchbox is also similar to Ipsy in it’s contents: five travel sized products per month. Starting on your second Birchbox delivery, you can also add an additional makeup sample to your order for no extra charge.
6. Coupons, Rebates, and Deals
One of the best tricks for how to get free makeup? Utilizing coupons, rebates, and deals.
Ulta savings can often be found right on their website, with at least one coupon code available at all times. Depending on what the current coupon is for, it’s worth checking out to see what types of products you can purchase for a discounted price. Don’t forget to check RebateKey frequently for Ulta deals and cash back rebates!
One surprising trick for how to get free makeup products is through Amazon deals on RebateKey! Amazon has a wide selection of cosmetic products with some fantastically low price tags. In addition to the affordability of Amazon products, RebateKey also offers quite a few deals and cashback rebates on some of Amazon’s best makeup products. Some of those deals may look like:
Powder foundation– Get a $39.97 Nano Science face powder completely free with a 100% cash back rebate.
Vitamin C serum – Skincare lovers can purchase a $19.97 antioxidant facial serum for free with another 100% cash back rebate.
Volumizing mascara – RebateKey customers can get Infinit volumizing eyelash extension mascara for only $10 with a 45% cash back rebate.
Tuuzalash – Skip the mascara and boost your natural lashes with a 100% cash back rebate on the Tuuzalash growth serum that retails for $35.
Eye glitter – Make your next look pop with holographic chunky eye glitters. The retail price for these glitters is $24.99, but with RebateKey’s 50% cash back rebate, your eyes will sparkle for only $12.49.
These are just a few examples of how you can get free makeup products and huge discounts with RebateKey. Our site offers tons of cash back rebates for all your favorite beauty retailers. From small discounts to completely free products, you can’t go wrong with using our rebates.
RebateKey: Your Beauty (and Savings) Guru
Forget clipping coupons for cosmetic products! RebateKey makes it simpler to get your rebate in the 21st century. Simply log into the RebateKey website, find the deal you’re interested in, and claim it! Once you’ve done this and your product is purchased, your check will be on the way. All you have to do is wait for your products and your money to arrive. Soon enough, you’ll be on your way to beautifying on a budget.
Remember, nothing is more beautiful than the smile on your face when you’ve saved a ton of money. Happy shopping!
