I love all things makeup, skin care, hair and hair care. I'm always looking for the perfect pink shade of lipstick, and the best split end treatment. Anyone who knows me knows that I am as
cheap as they come. Makeup is NOT cheap, but I’ve found a few strategies to
save some money while building my makeup collection and trying new products.
Here are a few things I do that make me feel less guilty about my addiction.
IPSY/Birchbox
These are subscription services that are delivered to your
house once a month from heaven. They are $10 a month, shipping included. Each
month, the company sends you deluxe size beauty samples from high end makeup
and skin care products. They almost always include full-size items as well.
I personally think Ipsy is a better deal than Birchbox,
because they include bigger sizes of product. Ipsy sends you a little makeup
bag, and inside are your products. Here are their May and June bags.
In the May bag, my two favorite products were the nail
polish and lipstick. I got a full-size pink lipstick from Mirabella, retail
price $22. I also got a full-size mint color Zoya nail polish, which retails
for $8 a bottle. The other things in my bag were also decent, but those were my
two favorites.
Here is my June bag. I think it's even better than May, with the exception of that weird glitter palette... what is that?! The eyeliner is a full size Cailyn eyeliner which retails for $22. The lipliner is a pretty nude color, and the NYX highlighting blush is a really pretty summer color. The Chella Ivory Lace highlighting pencil retails for $12 and is also a full size. It looks gorgeous blended under the eyebrow, in the inner corner of the eye, and above my cupids bow.
I am obsessed with these subscriptions, and seriously, who
doesn’t love getting a package in the mail? Especially when it comes in hot
pink bubble wrap!
Coupons
Coupons are
something old woman clip to get 50 cents off a bag of bread right? WRONG. Every
Monday, I go to the dollar store and pick up the Sunday paper for a buck (or,
if you’re less cheap than I am, you can have it delivered).
It takes me
about five minutes to go through the coupon sections, and cut out the makeup,
hair care, and other coupons I’m interested in. Usually, there are coupons for
$2-$5 off of a certain makeup brand or a certain product. Plus, they always
have amazing coupons on razor refills, which are so ridiculously expensive.
At
drugstores, they almost ALWAYS have at least one brand of makeup on sale. You
can browse through the drugstore ads in the paper you bought if you really want
to be cheap and get double discounts. I always feel like I am justified in
spending money on makeup when I save money with a coupon and a promotional
sale.
Hautelook
Hautelook.com
is AMAZING. It is a Nordstrom company that offers deep discounts on high end
beauty products, fashion, and even home décor. Each day they feature different
brands, and every once in a while I’ll find a beauty product I’ve been wanting
to try, but am too cheap to take the plunge and buy. For example, the Urban
Decay setting spray is $12, but Hautelook had it on sale for $6—much easier to
spend.
Today on Hautelook they are featuring NYX cosmetics. Tomorrow, they are featuring Mario Badescu which is an amazing skin care line. Wednesday, Cargo Cosmetics.
Today on Hautelook they are featuring NYX cosmetics. Tomorrow, they are featuring Mario Badescu which is an amazing skin care line. Wednesday, Cargo Cosmetics.
High End
Makeup
Besides
Hautelook, I haven’t found a way to save on high end makeup, but I still use
and love some products and brands. A majority of my makeup comes from Target,
but I splurge on high end foundation and other products that I think are worth
the money. There are a lot of dupes (duplicates) for high end makeup, but some
high end products cannot be replicated. (like, Laura Mercier foundation, OH I
LOVE IT) In another post, I’ll share some dupes I’ve found for high end
products, and even some products from the drugstore that I feel are better than
high end.
Stay pretty,
Kelly
