You’re a savvy makeup addict and know where to get the best bang for your buck, right? But I bet you don’t know some of the following reward programs even existed! Don’t worry, I’ll let you in on the secret!
For the sake of brevity I don’t delve into the intricacies of the various card systems (Sephora, Ulta, Douglas, etc.). They are there, go get sign up, it’ll make you save a bit of your hard-earned cash, but don’t expect wonders. It’s usually ‘the more you spend, the more you’ll save’.
MAC
MAC recently changed their beloved Back to Mac (B2M) program, but basically, it remains the same. Bring back six empty products (you can easily spot the ones that are eligible – ‘Back 2 Mac’ is printed on their cardboard packaging) and choose a lipstick from the permanent range in the regular packaging. (Btw – they don’t have to be empty. If you’ve any unloved products around, you can hand them in too.) That’s the bare bones (and how it’s done in Germany), and annoyingly, it’s not the same in all the countries in which MAC Cosmetics are sold and the policy can differ from counter to counter, too. What I’d suggest is talking to live chat before you go in with your products, print the chat and take it with you to the counter. That way, you don’t experience any unpleasant discussions with SAs. In Germany it has been rumoured that the free product you get for your empties will be a permanent eyeshadow in the future, but as far as I know, that hasn’t been implemented yet. In the US, you can exchange your empties for permanent lipsticks, lipglasses, and eyeshadows (in stores). In the wake of the new Select program in the US you can now bring in your empties one at the time and your counter will track it for you so you don’t need to collect them at home.
Lush
Oh, Lush. My cosmetics entrance drug. So colourful and fragrant! With Lush, it’s easy – you bring back five of the black pots they sell their products in (no matter how big or small, but it must be pots – bottles and other packaging don’t count), and choose a free fresh face mask. (I like Cosmetics Warrior and Cupcake, which smells of and looks like chocolate batter, best.) And done!
Kiehl’s
Ah, see, that’s reward program you didn’t know about, right? Gotcha! In Germany, it’s the kind of program where you collect points for every Euro spent, which you can then convert into products at the store. The first tier is at 150 points. You can only redeem points at stores, and points expire after one year.
In the US, it’s kind of a cash-back-program – you get 10$ back for every 100$ you spend, 20$ for 300$, plus early access to the Friends & Family 20% event (that just started!). It’s a program that’s not geared towards the casual shopper at Kiehl’s, who may buy one product every year, but for die-hard Kiehl’s fans I guess every little help counts?
Skinceuticals
And this is where it gets good. Skinceuticals is a brand I love (their sunscreen is among the absolute best I’ve ever encountered), but it’s hellishly expensive. So picture my excitement when I went to my pharmacy to stock up, the nice SA asked me if I was interested in signing up for a SkinCard. Why yes, I was! Basically, after purchasing five products from the Skinceuticals range, you can choose a free product from a small offer of about five products – things like cleansers, toners, but sunscreen as well, and that is what I did. After I purchased five products, I chose to get a free tube of sunscreen, and after a few weeks, I got a lovingly packed box with my free sunscreen. I love that Skinceuticals works with Fliedner Werkstätten, a workshop for the handicapped, to pack and send the products from their SkinCard program. After you got your free product, you’ve to sign up for a new SkinCard in the pharmacy. Needless to say I’ve already signed up for a new one.
I tried to contact Skinceuticals US for any info about a similar program in the US, but sadly, they didn’t get back to me.
Have you learned about any good reward programs lately? Do share!
