Candy Store of Beauty

I am a label whore ONLY when it comes to makeup and perfume, so Sephora is my one big budget-killing weakness. With the exception of MAC, they have all my favorite brands under one huge, well-lit roof. Since there is such a huge selection and I'm on a budget, I have a somewhat obsessive plan of attack each time I visit. If you want to keep your head on straight & not blow your bank account to complete smitherings, try my helpful (and slightly crazy) steps:

1. Know what you need. I always scan through my makeup to see what I have and make a list of what I'm looking for ahead of time, so I am less likely to make impulse buys. I've got probably 4 similar slightly shimmery cream-colored shadows because I love them and keep buying what I like. No bueno.
2. Do your research. I "preshop" on Sephora.com to see what options I have and what the prices are like. If I'm looking for a deep red lipstick, I know which brands carry things that look promising and which are the least expensive. Then when I'm at the store I can try them out and not get swept away by pretty packaging that costs $12 more.
3. Stay away from salespeople! I know people say they want the staff to be "helpful", but I want them to leave me alone & not pressure me into anything. If I want them, I get them. The best way to keep makeup salesfolk away? Go into the store bare-faced. They assume you aren't really going to spend a lot. Go in looking like a makeup artist and they'll be all over you.
4. ASK FOR SAMPLES! I know everyone has said this in their reviews, but it's imparative. These are pricey items that you are putting on your face- you want to be sure they are right for you before you fork out major bucks.
5. Think thrice about palettes. Sephora is chock-full of palettes and kits which are almost always really cute and tempting. It's easy to tell yourself "Well, I want this color but for $15 I can get it in a palette with 3 other colors." That's true, and is often a good buy, but ONLY if you are actually going to use those other colors and don't already have similar colors at home. Compare several palettes, remember your inventory & check other brands before deciding on something big.
6. Be an Insider. Sephora's loyalty program is called "Beauty Insiders". You can sign up for free and earn a points each time you shop in store or online. 100 points gets you a "deluxe" sample (once I got sample sizes of all the new D&G fragrences and most recently it was a mini Anastasia mascara). If you resist the temptation of the deluxe samples and keep saving, 500 points gets you a full size product- some of which are Insider exclusives like Kat Von D 4 shadow pallets. You usually have a choice of 3-5 different bonuses regardless of the point value you're "spending".  As an Insider you can also get a free gift if you show your card in-store on your birthday! Usually it's something from the Sephora brand which isn't too shabby.