Thursday, November 25, 2010

SHOP SMARTER: Makeup Shopping for the Shopping Impaired

Smart(er) Makeup Shopping

In these EXTREMELY difficult economic times, we all have to be much smarter about spending our hard-earned money.  Cosmetics are one thing that are not usually hurt too badly during a recession (ie: Who can't afford a new lipstick??  I crave a new lipstick!  I DESERVE a new lipstick!)........ 

Yes, we can go buy an item or two of Department Store makeup for what seems like only a few dollars more, but my recommendation is that we instead go to buy more items for the same amount of money at the drugstore.  DUPES!

THEY ARE EVERYWHERE, 
and WE CAN ALL HELP EACH OTHER FIND THEM!

Yahoo in an article about saving money agreed that a great way to do so is to use drugstore cosmetics. Yahoo said that most of it is made in the same factories, with the same ingredients as prestige brands, implying that it is the same thing. 

Well, here's a news flash for us, it's not! Does that mean it is inferior? 
NO WAY ! 
Let's look at Lancome and L'Oreal. 
Does L'oreal own Lancome (OR VICE VERSA?)? Yes!
Do they share product information? Yes !
Do they share certain common ingredients? Yes !
Are you paying twice as much at the department store for Lancome when you could be getting the same thing at CVS for mere pennies? YES???   NO??? 


The correct answer, my lovelies, is SOMETIMES !!!

Here's why...drugstore brand makeup is now getting so much more pigmented,  you DO NOT need more of it to get the same look. 
You're NOT using more, so there are big savings there!!

Secondly, re: skincare...yes, drugstore brands can claim fancy sounding ingredients all they want, but the fact is that they are cheaper because there are generally less of the active ingredient(s) in it.    READ THE LABELS!!!


SOMETIMES THAT DOES NOT MATTER! 

You really are paying for what you get, and you should really ONLY get what you NEED. 
So, check out the OLAY Pro X and some of the newer lines that contain ingredients such as coffeeberry, etc.  
  
We may have to use more to get the same effect, (or NOT) and with skincare, it could take longer to see similar results and the results will, most likely, be more subtle than if you were paying for that really expensive prestige brand. 
I'm not telling you to go in to buy the $300 moisturizer vs. the $70 prestige one, vs. the $40 DS one....you can decide what you need and what you can afford yourself :)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Saving money with GWP's

Best GWP's Going On Now

www.macys.com (online only) - Laura Mercier 5 piece gift with any $75 LM purchase

Check for your stores - Lancome GWP with any $32.50 Lancome purchase. This one is fun because you can choose between two sets of products for your gift, one focusing on skincare and the other on makeup! Which ever gift you choose you are walking away with 6 or 7 pieces...SCORE!

Nordstrom and www.nordstrom.com - interestingly, Lancome is having a gift at two stores at once. With this gift too you get to choose between two gifts with any $35 Lancome purchase. I love  free gifts!! Also, if you spend $65 you also get a three piece travel brush set!

www.beauty.com - with any $40 Pop Beauty purchase you get a precious three drawer make-up cabinet with 12 eye shadows, 6 lip colors, and 4 cheek colors. Plus, the box is pink, I think we will all be getting this one:). In even better news from beauty.com, spend $100 and get an adorable train case filled with deluxe free samples and free shipping!!! I was going to be pissed when I figured this one out because I just spent a small fortune on Shiseido and the best I could do was order from Sephora for a few freebies. However, I also just figured out that beauty.com doesn't carry any of the products that I ordered to, whew!

www.ecosmeticworld.com - Clinique bonus with any $21.50 Clinique purchase. Pretty standard Clinique gift but it definitely beats going to your local counter and getting no extras:) ENDS MARCH 21. Also in the Clinique world, GWP at www.boscovs.com. This one is kind of cool in that is contains two bronzing items, yum. Again, if you need two Clinique items, order one from each place for twice the fun!! This is the same bonus that Dillard's is having right now...ending the 22nd.

Several of these are ending on the 21st or the 22nd so you better go on it!!

Even if you don't want all of the items in your free gift I have found that these pieces can serve as deal makers on Makeup Alley and/or Ebay!