The Gift Wrap Company. Go Brightly Assorted Holiday Gift Wrap Set. Extra 25% off use: VIP. Extra 25% off use: VIP. With offer $20.25. Cranberry Red and Gold Merry Christmas Wired Christmas Craft Ribbon 2.5' x 10 Yards. With free standard shipping on $25+ purchases and free returns on products that aren't the right match for you, you can save money on M∙A∙C products every time you shop. High-quality makeup products have a reputation for being expensive, but you can get the best-of-the-best at discount prices if you know where to look.
Members of the MAC Lover (formerly Select) program are in for a treat! The brand is rewarding its loyal shoppers with not only a free anniversary gift but also a free birthday gift! To think that we have a loyalty program that actually rewards its members appropriately is something that I’m afraid I don’t get to say often!
This post has been updated to reflect the recent change in MAC’s loyalty program. The former MAC Select program has a new name (MAC Lover) and look! The announcement came out at the beginning of January and I’ve updated this post to reflect the new nomenclature and respective perks of each tier. The below is part of the email campaign that went out announcing the change and to learn more about the new perks, here is the link on the MAC website.
It’s safe to say that the MAC Select program may be the best beauty loyalty program of the moment – at least here in Canada! I’ve found myself shopping at MAC far more often because of the MAC Select loyalty program, and any makeup lover who’s been disappointed by the Sephora VIB / VIB Rouge program should get on this now! A free birthday and anniversary gift that is full-sized too? Read on to find out what it is and whether you’re eligible for it!
How to Get the MAC Birthday Gift – Details / Process
- Who: Gifts are available for Devoted (Min: $150 spend/year) and Obsessed members (min: $500 spend/year) only
- When: Available starting in 2018 (Spend must have accrued in the previous year)
- How: You must enter your birthday in your MAC Account online
- Where: MAC free-standing stores. Appears to be available in both the US and Canada. Your birthday reward is based on what you entered in your profile and I didn’t have to ask – was told I was eligible upon check out by the sales associate
MAC Birthday Gift Review
I’m thrilled with the very generous 2018 gift is a full-sized MACFix+ Spray ($30, available here) as it is one of my favourite products. The MAC Fix+ is one of the most popular beauty products out there and and it’s not skintone specific, ensuring that ALL MAC Lover members can make the most out of their gift! I’m sure MAC makes a lot of money on it so I’m very surprised by how generous it is – think of it this way, it’s a 20% return-on-investment ($30/$150 spend) for Devoted members and a 6% ROI for Obsessed members.
Receiving a full-sized product that you can get a lot of use out of is simply very generous – unlike at Sephora where you need to scrimp and save every point for a 5ml mini or sachet sample. I think the program is not only generous but fair – limiting the reward to those who spend a reasonable sum at MAC is a sound business decision. I do wonder if they will eventually release a different gift for Obsessed members as the difference between spending $150 and $500 is quite substantial and I’m sure if the my Sephora VIB Rouge membership experience is anything to go by, eventually the bigger spenders will expect more.
I typically stock up during the big MAC Select sales or when I see interesting value sets/sale items on the “Goodbyes” section – that way I get more bang for my bucks!
Which MAC Lover Tier Should You Aim for?
As I’ve previously mentioned several times in this post, I find the middle tier, “Devoted”, to have the best of both worlds. If you’re aware that Obsessed members get a different gift, please let me know. For “Devoted” members, the 20% ROI on your $150 investment is a satisfying return, to be frank.
As far as I know, there’s no purchase required to pick up your gift! I picked my my gift while exchanging a few B2M and showing an email indicating that I was eligible for a free mini lipstick. Yeah, it was a good shopping day!
I’ve been impressed with MAC’s loyalty program thus far – the MAC birthday and anniversary gifts feature full-size items that are inclusive (i.e. not skintone/colour specific) and also well-worth the spending. With so many launches each year and having a number of colours and formula being a favourite of mine ensures I’ll spend enough to keep coming back! I love that they’ve taken what didn’t work at Sephora and actually turned it into a solid loyalty program. Here is to hoping that it stays this way in the future.
What is the MAC Lover (Formerly Select) Program?
The MAC Lover (formerly Select) program is MAC’s own loyalty program for regular shoppers (it’s different from its makeup artist / Pro program). Anyone can sign up at a MAC store; it’s free to join and although the program has been around for 1.5 years, it remains to be one of the best programs out there (at least in Canada!)
Unlike other stores, there is no app or physical card that denotes your membership; you have a unique identifier code (Mine has the following format: CA-###-###-###) and to get points credited, you must let the sales associate know your email address upon checkout (if buying in-store); points are automatically credited for online purchases.
The points reset every year, so aim to achieve the level you want – I find the “Devoted” ($150 spend – it seems the program was adjusted recently reflecting a change in the threshold for each tier) to be the right middle ground especially because MAC has done a lot of value sets/kits and ran multiple 25% off sales for Select Members during the year (outside the holiday period). You can stock up and save money while building your status. I love that the exclusive sale for MAC Select members are outside of the holiday period which tides you over between the “annual” sale seasons.
How to become a MAC Lover/Select Member
I do recommend you signing up as you never know how the program evolves. With minimal effort on your side and without realizing it, you could have spent enough money to enjoy the annual anniversary gifts!
I already had a MAC Cosmetics account when I signed up, so if I recall correctly, it was a matter of simply creating a MAC Select ID while checking out with my cart and then an ID was generated. It was very straight-forward, and the points from my purchase was was immediately credited in a day or so. If there are any issues, MAC’s customer service (via their chat room) are very quick at sorting these things out. If you’re not yet a MAC Select member or don’t have an online account, you can sign-up in-store with your email/phone number.
You can also check your spending via the online tracker and see how much more you need to spend before “unlocking” your next tier.
A Brief Overview of the MAC Select Tier & Rewards
There are 3 tiers and the tier layout is very similar to Sephora. The more you spend, the better the perks are as both the Anniversary Gift and Birthday gift are available only to the higher tier members. Spends are accrued on an annual basis and points to expire every year so it’s best to aim to get your points up during the holidays/sales if you’re interested in maintaining the perks.
- Tier 1 (Lover): $0 min spend; Everyone who joins is automatically classified as Seduced. Minimal perks
- Tier 2 (Devoted): $200 min spend: You get all the perks of the Seduced level + the Anniversary Gift + the Birthday Gift + a complimentary 30-minute makeup application + early access to collections.
- Tier 3 (Obsessed): $500 min spend; you get all the perks of the Devoted level + 2x complimentary 60-min makeup application + early access to shop + exclusive invites + free shipping with $65 spend
As I’ve only been a Devoted member, I can’t speak to the others; I’ll summarize in that it is the best in-between tier that gives you the most worthwhile perks of the program (birthday gift, complimentary makeup, early access) without spending excessively. You can read more about my thoughts of the MAC Select program over on this blog post.
Have you picked up your MAC Select birthday gift yet?
Related posts:
The art of gift wrapping is not only an ancient practice, but it’s also important for it helps build anticipation for the dear one you are giving the gift to. Also having a beautiful presentation that you can give out is not only important but helps in remembrance. Not long ago, free gift wrapping was a common practice and service. Nowadays, finding websites or stores that offer cheap or free gift wrapping can be a tricky thing for you. It’s a common thing to find stores, department or clothing giving free boxes in place of gift wrapping services. If you are trying to avoid wrapping gifts by yourself, you can check with your mall’s visitor center where most of them will give you gift wrapping services as an offer with proceeds from it going to charity.
Image Source: Pixabay
You should also know that it’s much more convenient for you when ordering online and gift wrapping is an option even for a small fee and you can ship directly to the recipient of the gift. For instance, if you order and it qualifies for free shipping, and let’s says gift wrapping is $5 then it’s much more economical than shipping to you, gift wrapping it and eventually mailing it at the post office.
Here are 15 stores that offer cheap and/or free gift-wrapping services in alphabetical order;
1. AMAZON
Image Source: Flickr
The Amazon has relatively cheaper gift-wrapping prices for you to exploit. Their price range usually lies from $3.99 to $5.99 depending on the size of your gift wrapper. The Amazon gives a reusable festive cloth gift bag where if you have bulky items or item can be easily wrapped.
2. APPLE
Image Source: Flickr
At the apple store, the gift wrapping will cost you to get their signature white box and red ribbons a sight that is a thrill for any recipient. But no need to worry for they engrave messages on the back of your device may it be iPod or iPad for free if you want that service.
3. AVEDA
At Aveda, you can choose at least three products from the best seller section and get free wrapping and a free sample as well. They also wrap your own customized gift wrap at a fee of $3.00 an offer that comes with a free gift card.
4. BARNES & NOBLE
Image Source: Flickr
Barnes and noble offer you an in-store gift wrap fundraiser where different volunteers from different charities will come and wrap your gifts and presents for a donation fee of your choosing. This kills two birds with one stone as you have a nice perfectly wrapped present and you have given back as well.
5. BOBBI BROWN
Mac Cosmetics Gift Box
At the Bobbi Brown store, you can get their free gift-wrapping services at their checkout.
6. GAP
It costs $6 at Gap and $5 at babyGap for you to get their premium gift packaging where it’s wrapped in tissue, a personalized message and boxing with ribbons. Be sure to check their complimentary box
7. BANANA REPUBLIC
The Banana republic has a complimentary (unassembled) boxes offer for you.
8. JCPenney
JCPenney keeps offers gift wrapping at $4 per package on online orders. With this, you will receive a silver paper, white bow and a gift tag. This is excluding items weighing more than 5 pounds.
9. L’Occitane
Image Source: Flickr
At this store, they have free gift-wrapping services that let you choose if you want your order delivered in a box flat in your order or an assembled box.
10. MAC Cosmetics
At Mac, it costs $4.95 to get a gift wrap but they are offering a complimentary gift-wrapping offer for a limited period of time.
11. Nordstrom
Image Source: Flickr
Nordstrom offers three executive solutions for your gift-wrapping problems at their website. You can get their ready to go box for $5, a gift box kit for $2 and lastly a free 8-12 word gift message. At their stores, you can go home with a free gift box!
12. Origin
At the Origins, they offer free gift wrapping on all orders you make. You also have the option to gift wrap everything you shopped individually or altogether.
13. Tiffany & Co.
Image Source: Flickr
With Tiffany & Co you don’t have to worry because their items come in their free, signature blue box with a white ribbon.
14. Von Maur
If you are in the United States, Von Maur delivers and offer free gift wrapping for your goods.
Mac Cosmetics Free Gift Wrap 2019
15. Walmart
Image Source: Flickr
Mac Cosmetics Free Gift Wrap Program
At only $3.88 per item, Walmart offers gift wrapping services in their blue gift box with a white ribbon. For jewelry purchases, you get free wrapping.