Sephora is having its VIB Rouge Spring Social event on(15% off purchase in store or use ROUGETICKET at checkout online). I have been making up my wishlist all along, planning to take advantage of the sale. But with the recent duty charges newly imposed by Sephora (thanks to Writing Whimsy's post), even with my VIB Rouge free shipping, it is not as good as a deal anymore.
I still placed a small online order with Sephora for a few items which are exclusive but I decided to place an order with the Bay. For those who live outside of Canada, the Bay is our department store. Last weekend, they had a great gift with purchase promo which sealed the deal for me.
Let's go back to my small haul first:
I ordered two products from Kiehl's: Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Eye Alert which is my current current night time routine. I have been trying to order from Kiehls/ca but Eye Alert was not in stock for the past 2 weeks.
I have been curious about this highly-raved Clinique blush for a while and I finally got it. I got the shade, Ginger Pop. The packaging of this blush is so cute and the texture of this is very interesting. It is very pigmented and it feels like a powder blush. But when it is swatched, it feels like it is a cream blush. I thought the shade would be a bit more plum than this but it looks more towards the coral side.
Ever since I saw this Diorshow Fusion Mono Matte in Celeste @ A Delicate Rosie Beauty, I can't stop thinking about it. I love cream eye shadow as a base and most of mine is shimmery. Celeste is a beautiful matte lavender shade. It is a beautiful mixture of pink and lavender and I am more into pink/rose gold eye makeup, this will be perfect.
Now onto the next part of my haul is my gift with purchase. I am used to Sephora's tiniest one-time-use sample freebies and when I saw this on the Bay website, I was drooling at how much I am getting.
My goodies came in a big black and white chevron makeup bag.
These would be equivalent to 500 Sephora points redemption or even more. It is a 16 piece deluxe sample size of goodies. I got the Lancome's Genefique, Philosophy's Hope in a Jar, Estee Lauder's Night Repair Serum etc.
Not to mention the shipping is fast. I ordered on Sunday night and I received my order on Wednesday(2 business days). I placed my order with Sephora the same time and it will probably arrive next week(7 business days). No duty charges and I am a happy camper. I am not saying I will ditch Sephora from now on but I will definitely buying more from other retailers on this side of the border.
For all my Canadian online shoppers, what are your favorite places to shop for your beauty goodies?
So jealous of the Clinique cheek pop! I'd love to see some reviews of the Philosophy bits and bobs you got in the goodie bag!
ReplyDeleteEllie xx | http://theleobeauty.blogspot.co.uk
the Clinique cheek pop is not as pigmented as I thought it would be applied on cheeks but still a very pretty color. I have tried the Philosophy Grace fragrance which is very nice and refreshing. Thinking of getting it in full-sized :)
Deletewhat an amazing haul! thanks for the link :) I adore the midnight concentrate, i should have a review up soon :) I really really want the clinique blushes but i am trying to be good. that gift with purchase is amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post about the Sephora duty charges, I wouldn't have noticed it. I have also tried the Midnight recovery eye but not as impressive as the concentrate.
DeleteAwesome haul! I got one of the Cheek Pops too and the EL Night repair serum sample. Can't wait to try them. I think you got a much better deal on the Bay website. I wish I could shop at Sephora though - their shipping policies are terrible.
ReplyDeletecan't wait to see your review on the cheek pop. Ginger pop is a very nice color but not as pigmented as I thought it would be. Curious about the other shades. I am trying to be good at ordering from Sephora. The prices are much more than the US websites already and now they charge extra to ship across the border. I really have to re-think before I order online anymore from them.
DeleteI'm glad you like Celeste! :) that's too bad about the extra fees from sephora. I hate when companies do that or when they make you spend an obscene amount for free shipping or a free gift. It's just ridiculous.
ReplyDeletethank you so much for introducing me to Celeste. I have been wearing that every day since I got it :) The Canadian website for Sephora is charging much more than the US site already. When they introduced the BorderFree shipping service earlier, it is supposed to take care of all the duties. Now they are charging extra which is really ridiculous. But in a good way, I'm trying to refrain myself from ordering insanely there.
DeleteThanks for the heads up about the duty charges from Sephora. I was about to place an order online, but now I think I will just visit a store to take advantage of the VIB promo. I love ordering from the Bay. They run Friends & Family promos about 2-3 times a year, with 10% off cosmetics & fragrances.
ReplyDeleteFor some products, they are exempt from being charged duties. I guess all depends on where they are manufactured?! But I think it is really ridiculous that they start charging duties as I thought BorderFree shipping is taking care of that. I really enjoy the customer service from the Bay. I got the order within 3 business days. Quite reliable.
DeleteAlthough there is no duty charge for me, I am starting to think Sephora and its occasional sales are more gimmicks than actual deals. I still shop there and try to use my points up, but nowadays many other department stores and competitors offer free shipping back and forth and generous samples.
ReplyDeleteI got a Berry Pop and I totally agree with you. Love how non-powdery it looks on! :)
so true. I wish there are more department stores which carry prestige makeup brands that I could buy more.
DeleteIt's always great to find another reliable online retailer that sells the stuff we like :) Such a great GWP! I've heard so many raves about the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate, but I have enough face oils that I couldn't possibly buy another one until at least I use up 2-3 :p The Clinique blushes are getting a lot of positive coverage, though I think I can resist for now :)
ReplyDeleteThe Kiehl's midnight recovery concentrate is really good and worth the $. Definitely worth trying once you use up your stock pile :)
DeleteThe Clinique blushes are definitely calling my name! Great haul, I need to start checking out The Bay more often :)
ReplyDeleteBeyondBlush
The Bay is such a good alternative to Sephora. For some brands, like Origins, they carry more variety than Sephora.
DeleteI really want to try the Clinique Blush! This is a great haul! New follower! :)
ReplyDeletethe Clinique blush is really nice. Some are more pigmented than others but the texture is truly very unique. Thanks for dropping by :)
DeleteI love all the GWP the Bay always offers too! I still get suckered into Sephora stores though because I love how everything is open to try and lots of makeup remover around to wipe off swatches without having to ask a salesperson for it.
ReplyDeleteYou're in Ontario right? Strangely Sephora does not charge me duty online. Since reading your post, I checked my orders within the past two weeks and calculated they are only charging the 13% HST, though it appears in a line called Duties & Taxes or something like that. Maybe try putting some things in your checkout and calculate to see?
yes, I'm in Ontario too. I think the duty charges depend on where the products are manufactured. I try to buy products which don't charge me extra duty from there. For example, the GlamGlow products don't charge duty but YSL lipstick does.
Deleteoh i see. darn that means I should check more carefully from now on or just pop into the store I guess =P
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