Tips for being a Smart & Savvy Makeup Shopper!

I know, I know...what do I know about being a savvy makeup shopper? I collect super expensive makeup and I am an impulse buyer! Well, you can learn from my mistakes. Here are some tips for being a Smarty and Savvy Makeup Shopper!

• This may sound like a no-brainer, but if the seal is broken, you shouldn't buy it. There are tons of bacterias and germs that can collect on makeup. Even if someone opened it, swatched it (aka: ran it across their hand to test the color) and put it back on the shelf, it maybe infested with whatever bacteria was on their hand. If you buy it and rub it all over your lips, face, eyes, etc. you are just subjecting yourself to nastiness. 

• Beware of Testers! This one goes along with the first Smart & Savvy Tip. Germs, bacteria, etc. When was the last time you saw an employee at a makeup store cleaning the makeup? Um, how about never! I mean, seriously!? Who'd want that job? Every single time a person touches that tester, they leave behind bacteria and germs. If you then test it all over your face, you're just asking for acne or breakouts OR worse - AN INFECTION! Ahhh! Just watch this video from Enkore Makeup if you don't believe me! 

 

•  Compare Price and Product Sizes. A lot of people love to tell me how expensive Mac makeup is and how its really not practical for everyone to go out and purchase a Mac eyeshadow, lipstick, etc. Well, that would be true if Mac didn't actually give you more bang for your buck with some of the popular products. How's that, you ask? Well, more product for less money is a deal, right? In a few instances Mac actually does just that.  Here are some examples of where your money goes further with a more expensive brand...
• Revlon Mineral Blush:
• Revlon Color Stay Blush, Retails for $13.99 ; Ounces per package .04
• Mac Blush, Retails for $18.50; Ounces per package .21
• Same amount of product with Revlon as Mac Blush: $69.95; Mac Retail Price: $18.50. You Save $51.45 with Mac!
• Mac Mineralize Blush, Ounces per package .11
• Same amount of product with Revlon as Mac Mineralize Blush: $41.79; Mac Retail Price: $21.00. You save $20.75 with Mac!
• Revlon Eyeliner:
•  Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil, it retails for $17.00 for .04 ounce pencil at Sephora.com. 
• Revlon Colorstay Eyliner in Black (My favorite drugstore eyeliner) retails for $7.49 for a .01 ounce pencil at CVS. 
• That means I get three times the product when I purchase an Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil. I would have to buy 3 Revlon Color Stay Eyeliners to equate to my ONE Urban Decay. How much do three Revlon Color Stay Eyeliners cost? $22.47! You save $5.47 with Urban Decay!
• Here is a video to best illustrate this surprising result by PurseBuzz. Revlon is not always the most expensive, it was just the only brand I could find to show you the mistake many consumers make about makeup! Pursebuzz was able to get her long wear lipcolor on sale which made price more reasonable. If it's not on sale though, why not just buy the Mac?

 

• Find a Dupe! What the heck is a "dupe" - is that like a "dope"? No! The term "dupe" means duplicate! If you're really crushing on Nars Blush in Orgasm, then why not try Milani's Blush in Luminous! Or, let's say you're crushing on Mac's Up the Amp listpick, why not try Revlon's Berry Haute! What about my ultimate go-to summer shadow favorite Mac's Eyeshadow in Woodwinked? Try Sephora's Hawiian Beach (#52)! 

Mac Eyeshadow in Woodwinked

Mac's Lipstick in Up the Amp

NARS Multiple in Orgasm (Blush, Lipstick, etc.)

• How did I know these were dupes? Well, there is a *secret* site called The Dupe List which provides makeup fanatics with affordable "dupes" for the products they are crushing on. Ok, it's not that secret...but look how many awesome products you are admiring are so easily "dupe-able"! Yay!

• Get with the Program! Both Sephora and Ulta have rewards programs that provide frequent buyers with awesome discounts. Sephora's buyer program is called Sephora's Beauty Insider and Ulta's program is just referred to as the "Ulta Card". You can sign up for both programs in store. Ulta sends out great coupons almost twice every months that include 20% off sales and great discounts. Sephora has a yearly 20% off sale and provides great discounts for VIB or Very Important Beauty Insiders (those who purchase $350 worth of merchandise within one calendar year.) I highly recommend both programs if you are a beauty enthusiast!

• After it's clean, test it out! I'm horrible at picking my shade with foundations and concealers. I always think I purchased the wrong color and then regret my purchases. The plus of purchasing a more expensive brand is that you get to try the product on before you purchase it. A lot of the more expensive brands will provide you with samples to try out to see if you'd like to make the purchase. I highly recommend taking the opportunity to try it before you buy it. The downside to more affordable products is that the stores those products are sold in often won't let consumers test products before they purchase them. It's very difficult to purchase the correct foundation color in fluorescent lighting on a dreary day in a crowded grocery store. Just remember, if it doesn't look right, you can always take it back. Don't waste your money on something you won't use. At the end of the day, every penny counts. If you're going to keep products you won't use, you'll find out the hard way you would have been better off buying the more expensive product and actually wearing it. Just my two pennies. 

Don't pull a Beyonce, it isn't pretty.