How to Save Money on High-End Beauty

So I think we’d all love to buy high-end beauty products if we had the money, right?  I know I would.  Well, I still buy them… when there are sales.  Trust me when I say, almost every cosmetics company has a Friends and Family sale (or Black Friday sale) where all of their products are usually 20% off.  These sales typically occur twice a year, sometimes more.  Here’s a list of company websites that have these sales and what month the sale occurs (this is based on the sales that occurred during 2013):

LARGER SCALE BEAUTY RETAILERS:

Beauty.com:

May, November (20% off)

*Free shipping on min. $35 purchase

Sephora.com:

April (15% off), November (20% off), December ($15 off $50 purchase for BI, $20 off $50 for VIB/Rouge), January (20% off all SALE items)

*Free 3-day shipping on min. $50 purchase <-- this is BEFORE the discount is taken off!

*I believe the April sale might be online only but the Nov. and Dec. sales are in-store as well

*Unfortunately, the November sale is exclusive to VIB & VIB Rouge members

Ulta.com:

February/March, June/July, October, December (20% off)

*I’m not sure which months the spring and summer sales occur but there are definitely 4 sales in spring, summer, fall, and winter

*Excludes Lancome & Clinique <-- I hate that Ulta has exclusions!!

*Free shipping on min. $50 purchase

INDIVIDUAL COSMETICS COMPANIES:

GiorgioArmaniBeauty-USA.com:

June, November/December (20% off + Free shipping on min. $75 purchase)

*Must purchase at least $75 worth of products

NarsCosmetics.com:

November (20% off +Free Shipping, no minimum)

*Usually excludes holiday sets

SigmaBeauty.com:

November – Black Friday (Free worldwide shipping, no minimum)

Smashbox.com:

April/May, October/November (25% off)

* Free shipping on min. $50 purchase during the sale

TarteCosmetics.com:

April, August, December (30% off)

*Tarte does run various sales throughout the year of 10%, 15%, or 20% off

* Free shipping on $40 min. purchase

TooFacedCosmetics.com:

May, November (20% off)

*Free shipping on min. $50 purchase

UrbanDecay.com:

February, October (20% off)

*Free shipping on min. $50 purchase

SKINCARE:

Murad.com:

May, September (20% off + Free shipping, no minimum)

Skinstore.com:

Every other month they have a 20% off promo code, I think

*Free shipping on min. $49 purchase

*Seriously, this website is like a hidden gem.  They have SO many high end skincare and some cosmetics brands!  You can buy the Clarisonic and replacement brush heads from here!

ShuUemera-USA.com:

November (20-25% off + Free shipping on min. $50 purchase)

*Only shopped here once so I’m not sure about a spring sale

These are companies that I’ve shopped with before (except Smashbox).  There’s plenty more that I have not included because I don’t know the exact months but definitely search around the internet for sales from the previous year so you’ll know when to expect another sale the next year.  Also, you can sign up for email newsletters to keep up with the sales!  Be warned though, some companies will bombard you w/ emails so only subscribe to their newsletter if you really love the brand.

Don’t forget to use websites like Ebates.com and MrRebates.com to get a small percent of cash back on all your online purchases!

I hope you found this helpful!

Note: All logos were copied from the retailer’s websites.


Extra Thoughts:
-If you haven't seen Hunger Games: Catching Fire yet, you NEED to!  I'm a huge fan of the books but the movie was definitely an improvement upon the first one!
-It's funny that I made a post about the UD Naked palettes being worth it and then the Naked 3 was released the next month hahaha.
-I usually buy a lot during Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales but there were just too many to keep up with this year...
-I'm about to start a job as a medical scribe this week!  Well, orientation and training starts this week.  I'm pretty excited!
-I have 4 clients right now that I do private tutoring for and it's difficult to keep track of everything :/.
-I know I said I would be blogging often but it's so hard to keep up with when I've got other things going on.  I'll try though!

Haul: Recent Sale/Clearance Findings (Target, CVS, Sephora)

Hi there!  So I found some really good deals recently.  Idk if they’re still available but if they are, I wanted to get the word out!  Even though drugstore prices aren’t crazy expensive, I still love me some good deals.  I mean, why not save money if you can, right? (Please click on the photos to enlarge them!)

Sonia Kashuk Jewel of an Eye Palette

Original $19.99, Clearance $9.98

Back of the palette for additional info

I kept hearing about this Sonia Kashuk palette on blogs.  They had been saying that it contained some really great jewel-toned shades that would be perfect for Fall.  Now the original price was $19.99, which to me is a bit pricey for a drugstore palette.  I heard that it got marked down to $9.98 AND there were Target coupons available for it.  Clearance price + coupon?  I felt like it was practically calling out my name.

Check out coupons.target.com & the new Target Cartwheel app for coupons & extra discounts!  I was able to save an additional $1 on the palette bringing my final price to $8.98! :)

Nicole by OPI Gumdrop Polishes

That's What I Mint, I Lilac Gumdrops, & Lemon Lolly

Original $7.99, Clearance $4.96

Then, I couldn’t help but peruse the beauty aisles and lo and behold, I found nail polishes on clearance too!  I LOVE nail polish and I was extra happy about these particular ones as I’ve never tried the sparkly textured type of polishes before.  I had been wanting to try Zoya’s ($9) & OPI’s ($9.50) sparkle textures but I thought they were too pricey.

Nicole by OPI Gumdrop Polish in Lemon Lolly

I tried out the yellow one (my fave color) and absolutely loved the look of it!  Unfortunately, it’s a bit sheer on its own so I applied 1 coat of WnW’s Wild Shine Nail Polish in French White and 2 coats of Nicole by OPI’s Lemon Lolly.  The texture aspect didn't feel too gritty, which is something I can appreciate.  I kept the polish on my nails for about a week and it held up pretty well!  Very minor chipping and tip wear.  Removal was pretty easy too, definitely easier than a traditional glitter polish.  All in all, I can’t wait to try out the other two I picked up!

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Polish in French White

Original $0.99, Sale $0.59

Physicians Formula 2-in-1 Eye Booster Liner + Serum

Deep Brown, Ultra Black, & Black

Original $10.99, Sale $6.59

Last week, CVS was running 40% off sales on Wet n Wild & Physicians Formula products.  First of all, WnW is super cheap but 40% on top of those prices?  I was amazed!  I couldn’t find anything else I wanted from the line except for the French White polish though.  But I needed to stock back up on my HG liquid liner from Physicians Formula so I figured I’d pick up 3 of them (40% off so why not!).  I’ll do a separate post on these liners w/ swatches & everything in the future.

I know Sephora is not drugstore but I had to mention these.  I’ve been hearing really good things about these shadows for the past couple of months and I was super bummed when I couldn’t find them in stores or on Sephora.com.  A couple weeks ago, they started popping back up on the website & b/c I had a free shipping coupon code, I figured I’d pick some up!

Sephora Collection Outrageous Prisma Chrome Eye Shadows

Outrageous Metallic Grey, Taupe, Bronze, & Lilac

Original $16, Sale $7

Just thought I'd mention: the Grey is called Taupe Silver and the Bronze is called Golden Taupe on Sephora.com but the packaging says 'Outrageous Metallic Grey' and 'Outrageous Metallic Bronze'.

Overall, they’re REALLY good quality.  For $7, you get 0.12 oz (standard eye shadows are 0.05 oz).  The pigmentation is strong w/ 1-2 swipes, the colors are multi-dimensional & metallic, and they can be used dry or wet!  Definitely consider picking these up if you see these in store or online!

Whew, that felt like a super long post!  My advice is that whenever you shop at the drugstore or at a high-end beauty store, always check the clearance/sale items b/c you never know what awesome products you can find.  Also, look out for weekly sales going on at drugstores to save extra money!

Are the Urban Decay Naked palettes worth the money? (Review & Swatches)

Hi there!  I own the Urban Decay Naked 1, 2, and Basics palettes.  I’ve had all three for quite some time now so I think I can give a fair assessment to the ‘Are they worth it?’ question.  How about some swatches first though? (Please click on the photo to enlarge it!)

Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette:

Virgin (Satin)

Sin (Metallic)

Naked (Matte)

Sidecar (Metallic w/ glitter)

Buck (Matte)

Half Baked (Metallic)

Smog (Shimmer) <-- MISSING SWATCH OF THIS -_- . Sorry!

Darkhorse (Satin)

Toasted (Metallic)

Hustle (Satin)

Creep (Matte w/ tiny barely noticeable glitter particles)

Gunmetal (Metallic w/ glitter)

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette:

Foxy (Matte)

Half Baked (Metallic)

Bootycall (Satin)

Chopper (Metallic w/ glitter)

Tease (Matte)

Snakebite (Satin)

Suspect (Metallic)

Pistol (Metallic)

Verve (Metallic)

YDK (Metallic w/ microglitter)

Busted (Satin)

Blackout (Matte)

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette:

Venus (Satin)

Foxy (Matte)

W.O.S. (Matte)

Naked 2 (Matte)

Faint (Matte)

Crave (Matte)

I’ll start by saying that for me personally, the Naked 2 was not worth it.  I really like some of the colors in it but I find myself hardly reaching for it as I don’t think it’s a great stand-alone palette.  I always have to grab my Naked Basics or other matte colors to use along with the Naked 2, which kind of defeats the purpose of a larger palette – I mean, you’re supposed to be able to use it completely on its own.

The Naked 1, on the other hand, is most definitely worth it.  While I’m not overly fond of the 2 glittery shades, it’s a great stand-alone palette with essential neutral eye shadows that anyone would need.  There’s no wonder it’s been Urban Decay’s best-selling palette since its release 3 years ago and it’s still one of the most talked about beauty products in the industry.  I even saw it being used on a behind-the-scenes look at the set of House, M.D. by the makeup artists!  That is one of my favorite TV shows of all time btw.

As for the Naked Basics, it depends on the person really.  Yes, the 2 lightest matte shades, Foxy and WOS, are a bit redundant but I use those shades to blend out the edges of eye shadow looks all the time.  Then I use the med-dark brown shade Faint to fill in my brows sometimes anddd I use the black shade Crave to set my lower lash eyeliner and create an outline for my winged eyeliner (blog post coming eventually for this).  You probably could find dupes of these shades in other palettes but I love the fact that I have these important basics all in one palette.  It’s so convenient!

In terms of packaging, they're all quite sturdy.  Naked 1 is made of durable cardboard with a felt exterior, which looks nice but picks up lint like crazyy.  Naked 2 is made of metal tin, which feels heavy and feels the most durable of the three.  (It's like those metal pencil tins kids used to use in elementary school.  Remember those?  Or am I getting too old?)  Naked Basics has that rubberized plastic feel, which reminds me of Nars' packaging but it's less prone to fingerprints.  I actually like the packaging on the Naked Basics the best as it doesn't get dirty that easily and isn't so heavy but still feels solid enough for safe travel.

Also, has anyone noticed the price increase of the Naked 1 and 2?  It went up to $52!  I paid $50 (also had a 20% off coupon though) for mine.  It sucks how high-end beauty products have price increases every 1-2 years.  I will tell you though, it is possible to save money on those products and I’ll let you know how to in my next blog post.  Stay tuned!

Bottom line:  Excellent textures overall, great longevity, and good packaging.  Naked 1 and Basics are totally worth the money!

A Bit About Me

First, here’s a little about me.  I graduated from college already and I have plans to become a physician in the future.  Aside from all the academics, I love all things beauty from skincare to makeup to nail polish.  I’ve been following beauty blogs and YouTube beauty channels for almost 2 years now.  While making videos isn’t really my thing, I’ve always been interested in starting a blog.  Why not start sooner?  Well, honestly, I just didn’t have the time while I was in school.

So here I am now to talk mostly about beauty but I might throw in some stuff about baking, books, and even superheroes (random? Yes, that’s how I roll).  I hope you don’t mind.  Most of all, I hope you find something intriguing and possibly helpful from the standpoint of someone whose career isn’t necessarily in the beauty industry.

On this blog, you’ll find reviews, swatches, lots of photos, and probably some rambling as I have a tendency to talk a lot.  I’ll be applying to medical school next year and I may even talk about that, if you’re interested in reading about it.  Anyway, I’ll be posting regularly from now on.  Please join me and give me feedback on anything you like or that I can improve upon since I’m new to this! :)

Sincerely,

Katrina