Shopping for beauty products can get expensive quickly, but several top-tier brands and major retailers are famous for holding predictable, recurring sales events throughout the year. Knowing their markdown schedules allows you to stock up on staples, high-end skincare, and viral makeup products without paying full price.
The best beauty brands and platforms with regular sales events are outlined below, along with what to look for during their promotions.
Major Beauty Retailers (Multi-Brand Sales)
Instead of shopping individual brand sites, these retailers host massive savings events featuring hundreds of prestige and drugstore brands simultaneously.
Ulta Beauty
Ulta is famous for deep, targeted discounts rather than small sitewide percentage cuts.
- The Major Events: “21 Days of Beauty” occurs twice a year (typically in March and September). They also host the “Gorgeous Hair Event” (May/October) and “Love Your Skin” event (January).
- The Deal: During the 21 Days of Beauty, Ulta selects specific daily “Beauty Steals”—including high-end brands like Fenty Beauty, Anastasia Beverly Hills, and Estée Lauder—and discounts them by 50% off for 24 hours only.
Sephora
Sephora leans into tiered rewards discounts that apply across nearly their entire inventory, making it the perfect time to buy luxury or indie brands that rarely go on sale elsewhere.
- The Major Events: The “Sephora Savings Event” happens twice a year: the Spring Sale (April) and the Holiday Shopping Event (November). They also run a smaller “End of Year” sale in December.
- The Deal: Discounts are tied to your Beauty Insider loyalty tier: Rouge members get 20% off, VIB members get 15% off, and Insiders get 10% off using a sitewide promo code. Additionally, all tiers get 30% off the Sephora Collection brand during these events.
Direct-to-Consumer Beauty Brands
If you prefer shopping directly from a brand’s website, these specific companies are known for offering frequent, reliable discounts, recurring holiday events, or generous Friends & Family promotions.
Paula’s Choice
Known for its highly effective, ingredient-focused skincare (like the viral 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant), Paula’s Choice runs promotions almost constantly on their direct site.
- The Schedule: They host a massive Anniversary Sale every May, alongside seasonal promotions for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and regular monthly category discounts.
- The Deal: Direct sales typically range from 15% to 20% off sitewide, frequently accompanied by free full-sized product gifts when you hit a minimum spending threshold.
ColourPop Cosmetics
If you are looking for high-quality, trendy makeup on a budget, ColourPop is incredibly generous with its promotional calendar.
- The Schedule: Beyond major retail holidays, they drop flash sales, seasonal clearances, and collaborative event discounts every few weeks.
- The Deal: They regularly feature 20% to 30% off sitewide events, “Buy One, Get One Free” deals on specific categories (like lip products or eyeshadow palettes), and deep discounts on discontinued collections.
Tarte Cosmetics
Tarte runs excellent, highly structured promotions directly through their website multiple times a year, making it easy to grab their shape tape concealer or lash products at a discount.
- The Schedule: Their most famous event is the “Custom Kit Sale,” which usually occurs twice a year (typically in spring and autumn). They also run birthday week sales and seasonal clear-outs.
- The Deal: The Custom Kit Sale lets you build a bundle of 7 full-sized items for a flat price (usually around $65), saving you over 60% compared to buying the items individually. Other site sales routinely offer 25% to 30% off.
MAC Cosmetics
While luxury beauty brands rarely slash prices, MAC has normalized regular savings events for loyalty members on their direct website.
- The Schedule: They hold a major “Friends & Family” sale mid-year, a significant Black Friday/Cyber Monday event, and regular “Goodbyes” clearance updates.
- The Deal: Standard sales events typically offer 25% off sitewide for loyalty members (which is free to join), while the “Goodbyes” section updates frequently with up to 40% off end-of-season shades and collections.
Shopping Strategy Tip: Before buying directly from a brand or a major retailer, check their free rewards program. The deepest discounts, early access to daily steals, and free shipping minimums are almost always locked behind a basic loyalty membership.