4 Tips for Narrowing Down Your Sephora Wishlist + My VIB Sale Wishlist

Last week I took my Sephora sale wish list to the chopping block and whipped up a Sephora VIB sale anti-haul of products I really wanted, but ultimately won't purchase. And while that significantly cut down my wish list, there's still way too much on it.

I'm the kind of person that likes buying a thing or two here and there. Huge, ginormous hauls costing hundreds of dollars aren't my jam and make me anxious. My budget this year is extra small because I've decided I would like to buy a new camera + tripod within the next few months.

ANYWAYS, here are 4 tips on how to help narrow down your own wish list. And since people on my Instagram stories poll were also interested in seeing what's on my personal wish list, those are featured in the second half of the post. Feel free to talk me in or out of any of the products πŸ˜‰


1. Is it more affordable overseas?

While I'm thankful that Sephora curates a wonderful collection of overseas brands, a lot of times it's just cheaper to buy it directly from the country of origin. And there are plenty of reputable retailers like Cult Beauty and Jolse that ship easily to the US.

Earlier this year I learned how much cheaper Omorovicza products are from Cult Beauty in comparison to Sephora! They still have a luxury price tag, but the prices aren't as crazy.

Item removed from my wishlist: Omorovicza Moor Cream CleanserΒ£40.83 (about $53) at Cult Beauty vs. $80.00 at Sephora.

2. Can you get it on sale elsewhere?

Sephora isn't the end all be all beauty retailers. Sure they carry a mind-boggling selection of brands but there's also a lot of competition. I've been shopping for my beauty products  Anthropologie, Ulta, Urban Outfitters, and Dermstore more and more because they offer more frequent sales. Instead of stress buying a shitton of crap once a year, I can space out my purchases throughout the year and make them when I'm in need of XYZ product.

Also sometimes these retailers offer even better offers! I purchased some of the items off my wishlist over the past few weeks because other retailers had better offer.

Item removed from my wishlist: Sunday Riley Good Genes; retails for $105 at Sephora, Anthropologie, & Dermstore and the latter two always have generous Black Friday sales (think 25-30% off!)

3. Did you check to see if you already have similar items in your stash?

This one seems like a duh tip but you might be surprised at what you find.

Beauty products have expiration dates. It sucks but it's reality. There's a good chance that your products will be spoiled before you can use them if you have 23842348 of the same type of product open at the same time. And even if you don't open it now, you'll just be hoarding it for later. My rule is if I don't see myself using the item within the next month or two, I'm not buying it.

There's no point in buying something now to use 6, 7, 8 months down the line. Chances are you might not even be interested in the product at that time! You may want to buy something else but you can't because you already have the dang product that you bought half a year ago. Trust me, I know from personal experience πŸ™ˆ

And if you are still interested in trying the item in 6 months, it will still be there and you will probably be able to find it on sale somehow!

Item removed from my wishlist: Blithe Vital Treatment Essence for Hydrating; retails for $42.00 at Sephora-- I have too many unopened bottles of essences to justify purchasing and hoarding another one.

4. Have you tried out a sample beforehand?

I realize that this isn't feasible for everyone, especially if you don't live near a Sephora store. But if you do, definitely go in store and try to test out a sample! You can also ask the store associates to make samples for you to take home with you.

Another way to try samples is to ask if anyone of your friends has the product that you could try out. Or you can look online to see if its possible to buy a travel size or foils, or try it out as a gwp.

Last year I learned that Sephora throws out most returns so since then I've made a conscious effort to not unnecessarily purchase items I may end up returning. I feel guilty knowing that it's going to be sent straight to a landfill.

Item removed from my wishlist: Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick in Ridiic; retails for $25.00 at Sephora-- This looks so pretty online but in person, it's too shimmery for my tastes and doesn't blend as smoothly as I would like.

What's on my wishlist?

Even after writing up my Sephora VIB sale anti-haul post and using the tips shared in this post... I still have a lot on my wish list πŸ™ˆ In my justification, I haven't made any large purchases from Sephora in months. I bought two lipsticks in July for my birthday and have spent $10 there since then.

Of course, this is just my wishlist! I'm definitely not going to be purchasing every single item on it.



Skincare

I don't have too many items on my skincare wishlist because I already own way too much skincare. That said, there are still quite a few new releases that I've been eyeing up for months now so the list isn't quite as short as I would like it to be.

Drunk Elephant Marula Oil Mini: Marula oil is Drunk Elephant's star ingredient and featured in most if not all of their products. Since I've been loving oils more this year (thanks to squalane!), I wanted to give this marula oil a try. Since they released a mini recently, I can finally justify trying it. Maybe.

Drunk Elephant Hit it Off Duo: I've been wanting to try out their cleanser ever since it was released! A mini size is the perfect way to give it a test drive and not feel too guilty about adding another cleanser to my 234234 cleanser stash.

Dr. Jart Best Face Forward: Someone out there is probably sick of me talking about Dr. Jart's ceramidin cream but I can't stop! I love it so much. I've been wanting to give the cicapair cream a try too and with this set I get both!

Sunday Riley Saturn:
Sulfur fights zits. I got zits.

Belif Peat Miracle Revital Serum Concentrate: Peat is the star ingredient of the raved about SK-II that I don't like. SK-II has pitera not peat; I am a dum dum. Anyways, I've tried this a few times in stores and really like the consistency. Even though it does contain alcohol it doesn't seem drying.

Youth to the People Superfood Moisture Duo: Do I need another eye cream? No. Do I really want to complete my YTTP collection? Yes.

Makeup

Dior Addict Lip Tattoo in Natural Rosewood: Lip tints have been my jam lately. I love a good no makeup makeup look and a lip tint just finishes the look of. Originally I wanted to pick up another color of the YSL glossy stain lip color but unfortunately, they don't have any neutral/ nudey shades. Since I love my new Dior Addict Lip Balm so much I figure I will probably love the lip tint as well.

HOURGLASS Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick + Veil Mineral Primer Customizable Set:
Even though this stick foundation has been out for well over a year, I still haven't gotten around to trying it. The reviews seem pretty split so the only way to find out how it wears on me is to finally give it a go. Comes with a mini of the mineral veil primer which I loooove for softly blurring out the pores.

Touch In Sol Metallist Liquid Foil & Glitter Double-Ended Eye Set: So sparkly πŸ˜ I've been wanting to try these out since they first arrived at Sephora but never got around to it. I do have the lip ones but I'm not sure if they're eye safe or not...

Burberry Festive Beauty Box: Because Shireen makes me want to try all the Burberry Beauty bits.

Haircare

IGK Hot Girl Hair Customizable Set with Beach Girl Texture Spray: I'm low on texturizing sprays and have been wanting to try out the brand. Also-- pretty packaging 😍

DPHUE Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Scrub: I'm almost out of the Lush scalp scrub that I'm using so I'm itching to get my hands on something new. This one doesn't have SLS and actually has quite a unique ingredient list, so onto my loves it goes.


Fragrance

Elizabeth & James A Little Bit of Nirvana Fragrance Collection: I wish more brands came out with mini perfumes with spritzers. I loathe rollerballs because I always forget to use them. Not only does this set feature 4 minis, but it features 4 minis in beautiful packaging instead of boring, plain, glass bottles like most other travel sizes.

MAISON MARGIELA 'REPLICA' Lazy Sunday Morning:
I'm undecided on whether to get the MM travel set or a full sized perfume. In addition to Lazy Sunday Morning, I also love Tea Escape and Lipstick On (that's the one in my collage.) If only they weren't 3.4 fl. oz and $126 I would buy them all.

MAISON MARGIELA REPLICA Discovery Set For Her: A more affordable way to try out 3 scents from MM. Plus they're spritzers not rollers!

Commodity 3x3 Kit: I already know I am 100% purchasing this. I've been wanting to try out Commodity 5ever and this set is a really good value. You get 6 items for less than $38! With the 20% off discount, it comes to around $5 an item which is a STEAL.






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