I love looking my best...but I hate to part with my money! If you're like me, you're always trying to find good makeup for cheap. Well, I'll save you a little time and effort by sharing the places I find the best looking deals.
The Drugstore
So often you see beauty magazines, blogs and videos where all they talk about are the high-end beauty brands. MAC, Estee Lauder, Cargo, Benefit, Dior...the list goes on and on. But you can find dupes for most any of those pricey products in your local CVS, Walgreens or even Target and Walmart. To find duplicates of that lipstick that looks gorgeous but costs a small fortune just look on the good ole internet. Entering searches such as "MAC Dainty Cake lipstick dupe" or "Clinique blush dupe list" will reveal tons and tons of affordable alternatives to that $40 product you've been wanting.
Join the Club
How many times are you at the register paying when the cashier asks if you want to join their stores "reward program"? Most of the time we politely blow them off because we know that the "special members card" they want us to sign up for is actually a big rip-off. This is not the case with the beauty stores. Places like Ulta and Sephora (<-- my favorite!) have clubs that you can join to rack up points for every dollar spent in their stores. And you also get first dibs on new products and special "insider" deals by signing up for emails from them. The rules are straight forward and there's no catch.
Coupons
Yes. Coupons. For makeup. But you have to know where to look. Sites like Amazon.com and RetailMeNot.com are great places to find the makeup you want for less. eBates.com offers coupons on beauty products and cash back just by doing your on-line shopping through their website. Enter terms like "beauty", "makeup" or "cosmetics" into the search to find deals.
Buying On-line
While we're on the topic...shopping on-line has become more and more popular over the last few years. Not only can you find that summer dress on-line but you can also find all your beauty stuff on-line too. And often times the prices you find on-line are the same or cheaper than the prices you'll find in store. Plus, if you're favorite beauty store is 2 hours away...you save money on gas! Some great sites to check out are drugstore.com and its sister site, beauty.com. Before you buy ANYTHING check if you can buy it for less on-line!
Swapping
A newer trend in beautifying on a budget is swapping makeup. Websites like MakeupAlley.com are places where you can swap your new or barely-used beauty booty with others. To be honest, I think it's gross. I don't advise it because you don't really know what you're getting or where it's been. But, swapping unused makeup with people you know is a safe, wallet-friendly idea that I am okay with. We all end up buying something that we never even opened or you get a gift that isn't exactly your style. Swap it with your family and friends for the stuff they've never gotten around to using (and never will!). That colorful eyeshadow you regret buying is perfect for your niece or sister and the shade of foundation that you thought looked right when you saw it at the store is the same shade one of your friends wears.
Returns
Last, whenever I'm buying makeup products, I like to check the store policy on returns before I make a purchase. Some stores will take the product back and give you a full refund (with the receipt) if you find out you don't like your purchase. If you make a habit of buying from these stores when trying something new, you can save yourself the worry of wasting money if you absolutely hate the shade of red lipstick you bought.
