Saving Money on Beauty Products

     Since I'm writing about beauty on a budget ( shameless plug) I'm going to tell you some of the things I do to save money on beauty products. I admit I have a little bit of an advantage because I get blogger perks, a few pro discounts and a company discount. But before that, and currently 75% of the time, I am still buying items without any 'perks' whatsoever.
Here is a list of the things I do, to bring you all the dirt on a variety of products.

1. Don't be afraid to ask for samples. Lots of places provide samples, especially Sephora. They WANT you to ask for samples! At makeup counters it's a little bit harder. You have to be a little charismatic and don't directly ask "hey can I have a sample?". Act interested, be polite, say you're interested and try the product if they offer.

2. Sign up for all company newsletters. In my Gmail account, those newsletters are actually filtered out into their own tab, which makes them easy to locate and filter though to actually find the RIGHT deals. Signing up for company news letters lets you know about deals and new products.

3. Ebay. I go on Ebay to search for lots of things to fit my makeup needs. I'm not saying buy makeup, but things like brush keepers, empty palettes, spatulas, storage, mirrors, bags, etc. will probably be cheaper on Ebay. PLUS if you buy things in bulk like, brush keepers/guards or mascara wands, they come out, cheaper in the end.
* with brush guards/keepers-I cut some in half and use them for my eyeshadow brushes. There is no need to use a full sized one on a smaller brush head.*

4. SALES! Personally, I only buy during sales...except at Sephora, where there are no sales. I also use coupons at ANY place that accepts coupons. During the holidays, I bought enough stuff to last into the new year. 50% off to me, means I can buy twice as much :)

5. Buy More! WHAT? how does this make sense? Usually sites offer free shipping when you spend a certain amount. So if you need to spend $50 to get free shipping and your order is $40, and you have to pay $10 in shipping, just spend those $10 shipping bucks on more products to get the free shipping!

6. Social Media. Follow your favorite brands, enter every contest! Even if you don't win you, didn't lose anything. I've only won 2 contests in 2 years and one was like 2nd or 3rd place. Sometimes when you enter you might receive a free sample.

7. Sign up for rewards. Ulta and Sephora both have rewards programs that cost 0 to sign up for.

8. Sample/Travel sizes. If you are not sure about a product, or just want to try it for yourself, but don't want to commit to the cost, buy the smallest size.

9. Beg, Borrow...but don't steal. I'm pretty sure friends and family members have a lot of products that you can sample for FREE! Maybe you can even trade products that you have no use for.

10. Get more for less. I love the deals when you buy a certain amount and get something free. Be smart about it though! If you need to buy $40 worth of products to get an additional $40 in free products, it's worth it, but if you get a foil packet of hand lotion for spending $120, that's no good.

11. Beauty Boxes. Some of my favorite products came from beauty boxes. Companies like Ipsy and Birchbox will send you a box of samples for $10 a month and you can cancel anytime.

12. Apps. There are apps for almost everything, including shopping! Get the Wrapp app and the Retailmenot app.
* with the Wrapp app you can get coupons for H&M to use on anything in the store (I recommend the makeup brushes) I've also gotten free Julep boxes.
* Retailmenot app gives you coupons to use in store and online.  I used one at the Body Shop, so not only did I get my brushes 50% off because of the sale, I got an additional $15 off for spending $30.

13. Check unusual places. I went in a store that pretty much sold stripper/hoochie clothes. I saw a hat in the window that I wanted (on sale of course) so I went in and noticed they had a huge display of NYX products. Of course they were overpriced, BUT they had NYX brushes,  3 for $12 for face brushes and 3 for $5 for eye brushes...I bought all they had.

14. Don't need it, It doesn't match, it's not for you, so don't buy it. Prime example, I've heard people rave over Smashbox BB cream, but they don't make a shade that matches me, so I'm not buying it. If you don't need anti-aging properties, don't buy it! If the color doesn't work for you, don't buy it.