It's been over a year since I first became a VIB (find out what it takes to become one here) and as promised in the original post I am going to write a mid year review on the perks you get as a VIB and provide my opinion if it's worth it to become one.
[Update 02/13/2014]: My VIB Year In Review Post is finally up! Read my full year's worth of experience as a VIB here. Also covers VIB Rouge perks.
When I first became a VIB, I got a card for a free 45 minute makeup over and a 15% discount on my next purchase. In addition to these initial perks, Sephora advertised the following below as to what other rewards a VIB would be eligible for. Let me go through each one of these with you!
Additional Perks as Advertised on Sephora's Website
Special Gifts:
- Complimentary gift sets -The only free gift set I've gotten is Fresh's Sugar mini lip duo on my birthday which is also available to Beauty Insiders. I did however receive a full sized Origins Plantscription Anti-againg eye cream that I talked about here one day when I went in-store to buy something else.
- Makeovers on us - They offered free makeovers on Mother's Day this year.
- One-of-a-kind products - Not sure what qualifies as one-of-a-kind products but from time to time they do give away free deluxe samples when you order online. I think Beauty Insiders are eligible for these as well. As of July 7th, they are offering Philosophy's Time In A Bottle when you order online.
- Seasonal discount - This one is fairly simple. They are referring to events where they give discounts on your entire purchase. The last seasonal discount took place April 22, 2013 and was on for the entire weekend. VIBs plus a friend got 15% off purchases and if you went on the day the event began, you also got a free sturdy Sephora tote bag and some small samples. I covered this here.
First Access:
"Get first access to highly anticipated launches, special sales, and other exciting offers." - There are regular emails on product launches. I can't always tell if it's first access for VIBs because they are emails that look like the regular emails that they send out.
The VIB Life:
"Coming soon" - Still coming soon.
Private Events:
"Attend private shopping nights and parties hosted by celebrities, founders, and top beauty experts." - There was one major private shopping night/product launch that I got invited to but this was all the way in Toronto so I couldn't attend.
Exclusive Rewards:
"Be rewarded with exciting beauty, shipping on us, double point purchases and more." -I've seen double point purchase offers once this year but don't recall anything on free shipping.
Beauty Concierge:
"Get answers and advice, and recommendations from dedicated consultants at 1-xxx-VIB-xxxx." - Have yet to call but I'll make a point to do so next time I have any questions.
I enjoyed the rewards and perks that come with being a VIB. It's still not something I'd purposely shop until I get though. My status is valid until the end of 2014 because Sephora is the only place that I know of in the city that carries Origins. You do save some money when you save your purchases for when there is a seasonal discount but make no mistake, there is no dollar value to the points you collect! You can only exchange them for the point perks Sephora puts out. Using your points to get point perks can work nicely if there happens to be something you want to try or maybe you ran out of a product and they had a 100 point perk of that very item. The perks do change often though and what they offer online is not always the same as in-store. This means you can't rely on the email notifications unless you order online. For in-store, you'd either have to go there or call.
The rewards they constantly talk about are there but more often than not, you need to buy something to get them. I would not have gotten Origins Plantscription had I not gone in that day to buy something. Would the staff have pulled me aside just to give me the gift if I hasn't queue up to pay and showed them my VIB card? How else would they know I am a VIB?
On a different sale occasion, I wouldn't have gotten a VIB exclusive Sephora tote bag if I didn't bought anything. You see what I'm getting at? The only complimentary gift you can count on to receive is the birthday one that comes once a year - far and too few inbetween.
I still think VIB would be more enticing if points had some dollar value towards at least products you use all year around like foundation, shampoo and moisterizers so you know that if you keep coming to the same store to buy them, you're saving in the long term. I think girls everywhere would be delighted if VIBs got little surprises in the mail or email (for in-store pick-up) on top of their birthday gifts. That would make "complimentary gift set" much less confusing cause I'm not sure if I've seen any free (no points, no purchase needed) gifts sets offered to me.
I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open to bring you more updates as we get through the rest of 2013 (it's July already!). Hopefully Sephora can make it more worthwhile for VIBs to continue to be VIBs!
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