Whether you’re a seasoned makeup junkie or a newbie searching for what works best on you, chances are you can easily blow a good chunk of change on product. Now while I probably don’t set the best example (I already have had an arsenal of products that work extremely well on me but am always on the quest for what’s new), here are some tips to help you avoid going overboard.
1. Ask for a sample. One of the best things about shopping at beauty retailers like Sephora who carry tons of brands for one easy shopping experience is that there’s no need to feel silly to ask for a sample. They’ll be more than happy to give you one as long as you don’t go overboard (no, you will not get enough samples to equate to a full sized product even if you do wear a disguise).
Anytime I want to test a new foundation or moisturizer, I always make sure to get a sample. Plus when you go to Sephora, they give you an easy-to-stick-in-your-purse little plastic baggie with your sample and they even write the name and shade of what’s inside. This is reason #509,192,347 why I LOVE Sephora.
2. See if you have something similar at home first. Ever see the most beautiful eyeshadow, swatch it on your hand, decide you MUST have it, buy it, and then return home only to realize you have one EXACTLY like it. *sigh* This happens to most of us actually. Typically when one brand has a great product, most others will follow suit with their own version. There really isn’t a huge difference with products across brands–in fact some of them are made side by side in the same factory.
So before you buy, see if you have something similar at home or if you can use products you own already together to get a similar effect. I wanted a really deep orange-red lipstick but already own Ruby Woo and got Lady Danger from a recent Back 2 MAC. I just mix them together to get the shade I want instead of getting another lipstick. I also found myself very close to buying a LORAC Tantalize Baked Bronzer yesterday while in Sephora. It was such a gorgeous shimmery (but not overly shimmery) muted golden highlight on my skin but then realized I have a gazillion MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes that I haven’t touched in ages. Money saved!
3. Find out the return policy. Before you commit to a product, find out the store’s return policy in detail. See if you can get it in writing as sometimes employees can get confused. I like to only buy from stores that have fair return policies and that don’t make you feel like a vagrant should you need to bring something back. I personally don’t like to buy from drugstores because the ones in my area don’t have testers, the products can cost on average $1-2 more than the same product from the same retailer in other neighborhoods, and a return requires the cashier to go through a chain of command for you to get your money back. I don’t have time for all of that…lol. Especially if it’s a store known to almost always have long lines.
4. Create a beauty fund. Open a separate savings account and feed money into it when you can to allot for future beauty purchases. Be sure to stick to a certain amount for this fund because once the money is gone so is your beauty spending.
5. Check ahead for a sale. When shopping online I always Google for coupon codes even for stores that typically don’t have additional discounts because you never know.
It’s also wise to get on your favorite brand’s email list as many beauty brands have Friend & Family sales twice a year where you can save anywhere from 15-40% or even more. These are the perfect times to stock up on your favorites.
And be sure to be signed up for special member-only sample sale-like sites like Hautelook, Gilt Groupe, Ideeli, etc. (if you need an invite just click on the links for free access).
6. If all else fails, cut back on something else. I might be willing to pay $45 on foundation but believe I am super cheap when it comes to almost everything else. I have no problems buying generic groceries or finding new ways to make my weekly grocery bill under $25.
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These are just six suggestions. I’m sure you savvy beauties have more to add, so if you do, leave them in the comments :)
Image via dailymail.co.uk
Hello Danielle! I enjoyed this post because it came right on time for me. I have been considering purchasing the MAC eyeshadow palette with 15 customized colors from neutrals to brights. I’ve looked at swatches and watched videos to get an idea of what colors work best with one another. The only thing im hesistant about is the price O_o I’ve just recently become interested in wearing eye shadow again, because I am normally a blush and lipstick girl but I wanted to know if it was a good investment to build my collection. Thanks!
Hey Cierra!
I don’t know if I would pay $179 for a MAC palette mainly because I get a pro discount. But I’m sure if I added up all the shadows I bought for the years before I became a makeup artist and paid full price, I’m pretty sure it was well over that amount…lol. Their shadows are very good quality and you can do so much with them especially if you get a variety of finishes like mattes, veluxe pearls, satins, etc. (I’m personally not a huge fan of the lustre shadows because of all the fallout).
I would say look into getting a Sleek Makeup (www.sleekmakeup.com) because you can get 12 shadows for about $10 each. I personally haven’t tried their eyeshadows but have tried their blushes which are really good (and only $6) and I’ve read/heard tons of good reviews about them (check out pixiwoo on Youtube). The only downside is they come already filled so you can’t choose the colors (but they have neutral palletes, bright palettes, etc.) and that shipping to the U.S. is $13.50 which isn’t bad in my opinion if you spend at least $30.
Also look at NYX. I have trouble finding their eyeshadows in my area so hopefully you can luck out and get them easily…lol. Their shadows come in a great range of colors and are about $4 each. They have palettes, too but I’m not sure how much they cost.
Black Radiance is a good brand for eyeshadows, too. You can get a palette for like $5 but the downside is they don’t have a huge range of colors, but those shadows are so pigmented and last so long.
Hope this helps!
Thanks so much! I’ve heard great things about Sleek Makeup blushes, so I will check out their eyeshadows. Sugarpill is another company that makes highly pigmented eyeshadows..it’s just difficult for me to ‘cheat’ on MAC lol.
Yes—I’ve heard great things about Sugarpill as well but with all the shadows I have I couldn’t possibly be in my right mind to add more…lol.
I hear ya on it being hard to cheat on MAC…lol. They used to comprise about 70% of my kit and my personal stash when I first started out (because they were the only professional discount I got). But years ago I started to slowly cheat (lol) so now both of my stashes are more diversified.
CVS beauty club Dani has a great return policy on makeup =) just need recepit!! Get sales on revlon, maybelline, and CG =)
Hey Ferri!
Yep–I’ve returned makeup at CVS before but the ones in my area are the ones I described in the post that give you the cold shoulder for a return and they have to call a manager over to process and the lines are long and I just don’t have the patience…lol.
How are you by the way? Enjoying your summer so far I hope :)
New blog post: How to NOT Blow Your Budget on Beauty: http://bit.ly/kyVpOV