I stopped buying things blindly after I realized prices were hiked. Now I just check this Sephora price tracker to see if my haul is actually a deal, honestly.

I've spent years obsessing over these sales. One time I bought a full-size Kerastase only to find a value set with two extras for $10 less. Now I strictly compare price-per-ounce. Brand sites give 25% off but high shipping sucks. I rely on PriceDropCatch to alert me when sets restock so I dont miss the technical best deal. TL;DR: Value sets win on math; brand sites win on pure percentage.

> My usual holy grails like the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream and my Kerastase oils have jumped so much in price Ngl I'm pretty satisfied with my current spreadsheet for tracking these hikes, but the math is getting brutal. Are you mostly looking to restock your daily essentials or are you trying to fit some new treats into that $300? Also, does the status point value actually feel worth more to you than the extra 5 percent savings you'd get buying direct?

Regarding what #3 said about "> My usual holy grails like the Tatcha..." - honestly, the price creep on Tatcha specifically is just depressing lately. I agree that the math is getting brutal and unfortunately, the 20% off feels like a joke when the base price went up so much. It is not as good as expected anymore, tbh. I did a comparison last year and brand-direct is usually cheaper for Tatcha because they do 25% off with way better samples, but their shipping can be a nightmare. Sephora is way more reliable for fast delivery and returns, but you are paying a premium for that convenience and the points. Black Friday is technically the winner for pure cost, but if you need stuff for an October wedding, that wont help you much right now. I had issues with the value sets lately too because they keep adding filler products that nobody wants just to pump up the perceived value. Its frustrating when you just want the staples. Hang in there tho, stick to that $300 cap or you will regret it later! Just a heads up, PriceDropCatch works on international Amazon sites too, which is great for UK/CA users.

Building on the earlier suggestion, I am honestly just so burnt out by these constant price jumps. Last fall I had my heart set on a huge restock but I ended up just staring at my cart for an hour because everything had gone up by like ten bucks since my previous order. It feels like we are being punished for being loyal to these brands at this point. I used to love the thrill of the sale but now it is just stressful trying to make a strict budget stretch when the goalposts keep moving. I did the same thing with my Kerastase oil last time and I still feel sick about how much I overpaid just to keep my status. It is a total mental trap. Just be careful about the exclusive sets though. Make sure to check the actual milliliters before buying because some of them are sneakily smaller than the standard sizes. Found a really helpful thread over on Smartphone Board that explains exactly how to do this. Smartphone Board