Ever wondered how to get makeup for cheap/free? If you have, then read on. I'll share with you some tips and tricks I've picked up along the way.
1. When buying drugstore makeup, buy it at...the drugstore!
While at first sight makeup at the drugstore seems more expensive than at say Walmart or your local grocery store, usually by a couple of dollars. BUT, the drugstores like CVS, Walgreens and RiteAid generally have awesome sales on makeup, which will make them cheaper in the end. This leads me to my next tip.
2. Watch the sales
Now you've made your way to the drugstore, don't just go in and buy what you need. You'll end up paying more than you should. Instead watch the sales. I generally spend a few minutes every Sunday and go through the weekly ads online for Walgreens and CVS. Generally there are a few brands that will have sales each week. Pay attention and only go when what you want is on sale. Some examples of frequent sales:
40% off
Buy One Get one 50% off
Buy One Get one free
Then there are loyalty rewards...which leads me to #3
3. Use store loyalty reward cards
CVS has an extracare card, Walgreens has a Balance Rewards card, etc. Sign up for them, they are free! With them you will get some awesome deals. CVS, Walgreens and RiteAid have the same general concept for their reward cards. As part of a sale, if you buy a certain product or dollar amount worth of a specific product, the store will give you back a certain amount of store dollars or points that you can use on your next purchase.
Here's a recent example I saw in the last few weeks from CVS:
Buy $10 worth of Revlon products, get back $4 extracare bucks- This means you buy your $10 worth of product, then you will get back $4 to spend on your next visit, which would make your purchase $6! That's a 40% saving.
Sometimes there are REALLY AWESOME deals. Physician's Formula was just at CVS for buy $15, get back $10 Extra care bucks! That ends up being 66% savings!
4. Use coupons
I was one of those people that used to say "ugh I don't want to use coupons". Now, I know better. And you don't necessarily have to buy the newspaper to get them. There are lots of online coupons now due to the online era and you can go to sites like coupons.com, redplum.com, etc and find some great coupons you can print from home.
Just using a coupon will save you money, but using them right is key.
5. Combine sales and coupons!
It's genius I know. Now you know how to watch the sales and how to use coupons. Now, lets add those two together and you have an amazing love child that will get you the best sales and deals ever!
Take the Revlon deal I shared above...buy $10 get $4 back. This deal was a limit of 6, which means you can do that 6 times or get up to $24 back if you spend $60.
There was a great $3 off Revlon Colorstay foundation coupon out. Here is an example of combining a sale and coupon to get the best deal:
Revlon Colorstay foundation was $13.50 at my store
Used your $3 off coupon, making the cost $10.50, and get back $4, making the product $6.50, which is 50% off.
That's a great deal, BUT if it's a product you need more than one of or split with someone else, you can save even more by buying more!
I did this deal, but I bought 3 colorstay foundations (2 liquid, 1 whipped) so I could try them all!
3 Revlon Colorstay foundation @ 13.50= $40.50
Used 3 $3 off coupons = -$9
Total $31.50, got back $16 ($4 for each $10 spent), so the 3 products ended up costing me $15.50 or just over $5 a piece.
If you use those tips, I promise you will get some great deals on makeup and be able to try out some amazing products for a fraction of the costs! If you have any drugstore tips, share below, I'd love to hear them!
~Cammy~
