The Sneaky Way to Get Discounted Makeup

Well… not really. LOL. As you all know by now, I am a lover of discounts especially when it comes to makeup and other items. During my search for the perfect discount, I have come across a few ways to get really good discounts on popular makeup brands. Some I already have – and others I hope to get sometime in the near future. All of these brands are quite popular with both the beauty junkies and people who live in the real world. So far there have been a few different ways to get discounts, and this guide will help you get them.

Becoming a brand Representative. This allows you to sell the brand to other people. Becoming a Rep allows you to purchase products at a substantial discount.

NYX Cosmetics – You guys HAD to know that this one was going to be on the top of the list. Well, if you sign up with NYX under the “B” Option, then you will get a huge kit with full sized samples. The kit now costs $100, but the kit that you receive is worth over $600 and you get a permanent 50% discount on all NYX products. That makes it a great steal. You can get more information on this program by searching through my NYX posts.

Mark. Cosmetics – Mark. is the baby sister of Avon. A couple of years ago I was talked into signing up with Avon to be a Rep. Lets just say that AVON is not all what it’s cracked up to be, and that being a Rep basically sucks unless you live and breathe Avon. However, this isn’t about AVON and signing up with them as a Rep. This is about signing up to be a MARK. Rep. It can cost either $10 or $20 to sign up with the brand. Mark. Reps get a permanent discount of 40% off cosmetics and skincare and 25% off jewelery and clothes. This is great, because Mark. produces some really great products and it would be very easy to recoup your $10 or $20 investment. I personally plan on signing up to be a Mark. Rep within the next couple of weeks, so that is something I am looking forward to. If you want more information on becoming a Mark. Rep, click here.

Getting a PRO discount. This one is a little bit harder than just signing up as Rep for brand. You have to have some sort of proof that you are a “Professional” Makeup Artist. This doesn’t always mean that you have to have a license, but proof that you have done some sort of makeup application at a wedding or for a play… you get the idea. Some PRO discounts are easier to get than others….

Nixie Cosmetics – Nixie is an up and coming makeup brand that is being heralded as the second coming of MAC. If you don’t believe me – checkout some Nixie tutorials on Youtube. Anyway – Nixie is offering a PRO discount of 40% off all products to anyone who has proof of being a makeup artist. One of the proofs that you can use is having a business card. The discount costs $15 and you can get more information about it here.

MAC Cosmetics – MAC has their own PRO discounts that offer a range of discounts from 20% to 40%. The 20% discount is for makeup students and the 40% is for the professional makeup artists. To get more information on their PRO programs, click here.

VIP or Brand Loyalty Programs. Some sights and companies offer discounts to customers who join a yearly program for a price and then that person gets a preset discount for the entire year. The price and discount differs for each company.

Spell Cosmetics. This is a relatively new mineral makeup company that has a lot of beauty junkies going crazy over. They offer a yearly program called Spell Girl VIP Membership and for $12 a year, you can get free shipping on any sized order and 25% off everything in the store. You also get a freebie with your membership which is either a shirt or a mineral eyeshadow. I personally plan on getting this membership soon! I am looking forward to trying this brand out. You can sign up for this program here.

Whole Sale Companies. Believe it or not, it is possible for regular customers to order from certain whole sale companies, however, the sites that I am going to mention require a minimum purchase amount. However, the sites are completely worth the min. purchase and I highly suggest ordering from these sites.

TKB Trading – This is a popular secret among the beauty bloggers and rightly so. This is a whole sale site that sells mineral makeup pigments and micas for a dirt cheap price. You can purchase TABLESPOON sized samples from this site for $1.50. For those of you who are not quite sure how much product this actually is, a tablespoon could easily fill a 20 GRAM jar with left over product. TKB Trading also sells empty sifter jars in 5, 10, 20 and 30 grams for a low price. There is a $20 min purchase and a $2 flat shipping rate. You can check out the site here.

Auraline Beauty – This is the newest site I’ve come across. This site is a whole sale site, that is believed to be one of the whole sale sites that supplies Coastal Scents with their AMAZINGLY popular palettes. They also sell cheap empty palettes that fit MAC sized eyeshadows. These palettes run about $7 and you can get a 15 slot palette and a 28 slot palette. The slots in the palette are slightly bigger than the MAC eyeshadows. However adding magnets to the bottom of the palette and the eyeshaows fix this problem. This site also sells makeup brushes, and while I have personally never played with them, I’ve heard good things about the quality, and most of the brushes are between $4 and $15, which makes them quite the steal. This site requires a $50 min purchase, so this may not be a normal spot to shop, but there is a $3 flat rate shipping fee, which makes it quite a nice place to shop, especially for the Coastal Scents palettes. You can check out this site here.

Happy discount shopping!

Steal Alert! MAC 25% OFF Site Sale

Through tomorrow you can get 25% off everything (except viva glam) on the MAC Cosmetics website. Just enter this code MACFF9 in checkout to get the discount.

MAC is also offering free shipping on any purchase over $60. No code necessary.  I totally see myself getting one or two things….

Money Saving Tips for ’09

I don’t have as much money as I did in 2007, do you? Well, if you are one of the very lucky ones that has managed to not get hit by the economy, then rock on. But if you are like me and are squeaking by, then hang around and pick up a money saving tip or two.

*Look for the drugstore version of your favorite skincare product.  When going to change products, always look at the ingredient list. The first have of the ingredients listed are the ones that make the product work. So compare those to your favorite more expensive product and choose the cheaper one with the closest ingredient match. One example of this is to look for the store brand dupes of certain products, such as the Walgreens or CVS versions. Same ingredients, cheaper price point.

*Don’t be afraid to try drugstore makeup brands. I am a proud drugstore hoe. I can’t imagine spending a butt-load of money on a lipgloss when something from L’Oreal would suffice. One of my tricks to save money is to go online and buy a lot of coupons for L’Oreal, Revlon, CoverGirl and any other drugstore brand I enjoy. I then wait and look at upcoming sales in CVS, Walgreens, and other stores to see what is going to be on sale, either 40% off or BOGO Free. I then use my coupons in conjunction with these sales to get some really banging deals on some pretty decent makeup without spending a lot of money. Coupons from Ebay seem like a stupid idea, but you can really save a lot of money that way.

* Along the lines of the previous tip, keep your eyes open when you browse these stores, because they have a tendency to clearance stuff out, escpecially when they need to make more room for new products coming out. I have gotten a lot of free products this way, with the use of coupons. I can’t even begin to tell you how good it feels to walk out of a store carrying $40-50 worth of stuff for $2 and change. And that included two bottles of toothpaste that I paid $1 a piece for.

So just because the economy sucks donkey balls right now, doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in some new makeup and skincare, you just have to be smart about it. It definitely takes some practice to get your bargain hunting skills sharpened, but it’s a very enjoyable process!

Happy Bargain Hunting in 09!

Cherry Culture 20% OFF EVERYTHING!

Sally Beauty Supply

If you have a been to a Sally Beauty Supply store in recent months, you would see that they have really upped their game when it comes to their cosmetics section. I used to think that Sally’s just sold knock off name brand hair care for cheap salons that wouldn’t spend the cash on the real stuff. While Sally’s still carries knock off versions of Pureology, Biolage, and other top salon brands, they are also beginning to carry name brands as well.

Femme Couture at Sally’s

Sally’s has recently introduced the mineral makeup brand called Femme Couture, which is exclusive to Sally’s and it is a full sized makeup brand, including the trendy gel eye liner. I personally have not purchased any thing from this brand yet, but so far I’ve heard good things. The brand itself is extremely reasonable in price, the full sized foundations, both loose and pressed go for $12.99 retail and $11.99 for Sally card members. That is the highest priced item, so you can test a wide variety of items from this brand without breaking the bank. Plus, Sally’s will let you return your products if you do not like them. So there is no loss if you do not like these products.

Sally’s has also re hauled their nail care options by bringing in Seche Vite, Nail Life, Poshe and most importantly and most impressively, China Glaze. I for one was SHOCKED when Sally’s introduced China Glaze into their stores earlier this summer, because I always saw China Glaze in the OPI and Essie price point and quality, to see it being sold in Sally’s at a lower price point was either extremely smart on China Glaze’s part or really stupid, only time will tell if they will be successful there. The reason I feel this way is that normally higher end nail polish brands such as OPI, Essie and China Glaze go for $8-9 retail in the stores and salons. China Glaze is $5.99 retail and $3.25 for Sally card holders. Not all of the China Glaze colors are available, but there is 80 different options, which would be sufficient for most people.

China Glaze at Sally’s

So the next time you guys head into Sally’s check out their new offerings, you won’t be disappointed.

As a Bonus, Sally’s has some coupons for China Glaze, buy 2 get 1 free, these expire on 9/30 so you have plenty of time to use them. They also have a Femme Couture coupon, you get the makeup remover for free when you purchase any of the makeup. This one also expires at the end of the month.

You can get them here

Enjoy!

CVS Deals: Aug 17-23

**Be sure to check your local CVS for these deals before heading out**

BOGO Free:

• Gillette Foamy
• Stridex
• Revon Cosmetics
• SunSilk Hair Care

BOGO 50% Off:

• Lumene Skin Care
• NXT: Face Wash, Shave Gel, Post Shave, Moisturizer
• L’Oreal: Foundation, Powder, Blush, or Concealer
• Sally Hansen

Other Deals of Interest:

• $29.50 La Roche – Posay: Anthelios SPF 40 Sunscreen Cream, Anthelios SX Moisturizing Cream w/ Sunscreen
• VARIOUS DEALS ON NEUTROGENA W/ CARD
• $5 Off Women’s or Men’s Fragrances
• Get $3 in ECBs when you buy Dove’s Skin Vitalizer
• $6.99 Dove Body Wash
• $4.99 Dove: Facial Cleaner, Daily Lotion, Cleansing Pillows or Cloths 30 ct
• $5.49 Pond’s Skin Care: Cleansing, Dry Skin, Cold Cream, Towelettes 30 ct
• $2.99 Caress or Lever 2000
• $5.49 Caress, Dove, or Lever 2000 Bar Soaps
• $3 Off on Bio – Oil
• Get a free Be Fine 3.4 oz Gentle Cleaner when you buy Be Fine Food Skin Care
• $6.99 L’Oreal Lip Color
• $5.99 L’Oreal Telescopic, Voluminous or Bare Naturale Mascara
• Get $2 ECBs when you buy Revlon Lash Fantasy Mascara
• Get $5 ECBs when you buy $10 in Milani Cosmetics
• $2.99 TRESemme Hair Care
• 2/$5 Revlon ColorSilk Hair Color
• $4.99 Ellin LaVar Hair Care
• 3/$10 L’Oreal Studio or Vive Pro
• $4.99 Organix or FX Hair Care
• Get $10 ECBs when you buy Nexxus Hair Care

Walgreens Deals: Aug 17- 23

These are the deals now available at my local Walgreens. Please check your own Walgreens before going to the store .

BOGO Free:

• Wet N Wild Cosmetics or Tropez Cosmetics
• Sally Hansen Lacquer Shine Lip and Nail Color
• Queen Helene: Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream, or Mint Julep Masque
• Ban Deodorant
• Dove Hair Care

BOGO 50% Off:

• Clean & Clear Skin Care
• Almay Cosmetics
• Caress Body Wash
• Dove Body Wash
• Lever 2000 2 Pack
• Caress Bar Soap
• Dove Bar Soap

Other Deals of Interest:

• 30% Off Revlon ColorStay Lip or Nail Color
• 2/$5 Colgate Toothpaste: Total Advanced, Max Fresh, 2 in 1
• 2/$8.23 Sensodyne Toothpaste
• 2/$8 Listerine Mouthwash: Purchase 2 and get $2 in Register Awards, good towards your next purchase
• Get $10 in Register Rewards When You Buy $30 in Clean and Clear Skin Care
• $10 Off Adidas Dare EDT Spray
• $5 Off Mariah or Usher Fragrance
• $1.99 Degree or Dove Deodorant
• $5.99 Ponds Skin Care: Dry Skin Cream, Cold Cream
• 2/$3 Dial Complete or Yogurt Hand Wash
• Tone Bars 2 Pack
• Dial Bars 3 Pack
• 25% Off Biore Daily Recharging: Lotion, Scrub or Cleanser
• $9.99 Dove Skin Vitalizer Facial Massager. Also get $3 Register Rewards w/ Purchase
• $3 Off RoC Skin Care
• $23.99 Olay Definity Facial Moisturizer
• $5.99 Herbal Essences or Head & Shoulders
• $2.99 SunSilk Hair Care