How To Use Your Partner To Get Free Gifts At Sephora

Sephora's Beauty Insider program has many valuable benefits including digital events, special access to sales, and, of course, reward points. But the best part of being a Beauty Insider is your birthday gift. Every year, regardless of how many points you have, Sephora will offer you a free gift on your birthday, and the brand doesn't scrimp on its birthday treats — the selection typically includes gift sets from notable brands such as Dior, ILIA, and Farmacy. Honestly, it's worth setting up a Sephora account just to get the birthday gift. And if you really want to capitalize on Sephora's amazing birthday gift options, it's time to ask your significant other for a small favor.

This Sephora shopping hack is perfect for anyone who has a partner that doesn't care about cosmetic products. Ideally, this would be a person who never wears makeup and doesn't invest a lot of money into their hair or skin routines (read: someone who wouldn't want a Sephora birthday gift to themselves). If your partner doesn't fit that description, you could also do this trick with a friend. The gambit is simple: Make a new Beauty Insider account for your partner, and keep the birthday gift for yourself.

If you want to get an extra free gift from Sephora every year, all you need is a willing participant. In most cases, your partner in Sephora scheming will, in fact, be your partner. Have your significant other go on the Sephora website and set up their very own Beauty Insider account. When setting up their account, they should use their own email address, not yours, as this is the main distinguishing factor for the account (if you use your email address, you're likely to get a "this account already exists" message).

During the account set-up process, your partner will be asked to put in their birthday. For this, you have a few options. If you truly love the pleasure of getting treats on your birthday, have your partner enter your birth date. This way, you'll get double the free birthday gifts. Alternatively, you can put in any date you wish. Spread out the free gifts and set the date for six months after your birthday, or choose a date near a major holiday for some extra festive fun. After the account is made, sit back and prepare to enjoy your bonus birthday gift. 

To some, setting up a second Sephora account just for the free gift feels a little dishonest, but in reality, there's really no issue at all. If your partner has no interest in cosmetics, they wouldn't be making a Beauty Insider account anyway, so you certainly aren't taking anything away from them. On the other hand, if your partner is a beauty lover, of course you shouldn't pressure them into giving up their free birthday gift, that would be downright cruel!

In a scenario where your partner has zero interest in beauty products, you're also doing Sephora a favor by signing your partner up for an account. The Beauty Insider program exists to boost consumer engagement, and when your partner has an account, they'll receive regular promotional emails from Sephora about Beauty Insider opportunities. And while your significant other might not crave regular Sephora shopping sprees, there's a good chance they'll eventually take advantage of a sale on, say, shampoo or sunscreen. Plus, as the Beauty Insider reward points build up from your partner's occasional purchases and they get closer to receiving more discounts or free items, they'll have even more motivation to choose Sephora over another store when shopping for basic toiletries. Thus, your Beauty Insider birthday trick provides Sephora with a potential new customer, all for the minimal cost of one additional free gift a year. It's the ultimate win-win of shopping hacks.