Makeup on a Budget

[xgoldengurlx]

Hello! I'm Seventeen and only make about $200 every other week and I'm interested into the usual trends that pasted by like the Tarte Bloom Palette and the highlighter stuff, the only thing is that a lot of makeup is expensive and I want to start up getting good quality makeup and building up the usual stuff like the Primer, Setting Spray, Brow Pencil, Mascara, the three lip colors (Red, Nude, and the fun color), the neutrals with the one black, the black eyeliner, and the highlight/contour. 

This obviously is a stretch as getting this stuff on here would lead up to $200 and I'm not willing to go hungry for one week over cosmetics, is there any sort of tips that could help me manage to build up this collection without totally wrecking my credit?

[praiselemonade]

I've used the website Poshmark--people can resell their clothes/accessories/makeup for fraction of the original price. With makeup, most of the time the products have only been used a couple times so you can still get a lot of use out of it.

[HookedOnBeauty2]

I definitely agree with what the ladies here have suggested - shopping at TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack is a great place to find high end products at a discount. I always shop with Ebates online and a cash back credit card (I love getting a check just for shopping)

For makeup, I would check out ColourPop - it is great quality at an affordable price point.

For skincare including foundation and primer, check out The Ordinary 

I subscribe to Sephora Play and Ipsy ($10 month) as well As BoxyCharm (my favorite) and GlossyBox ($21 month)

[Kim888]

@xgoldengurlx In addition to what everyone's suggested you might want to check out hautelook . Com. They have different beauty deals every week and though sometimes I've never heard of them they have had brands such as Bobbi brown, too faced and colored rain as well. You just have to check in every week and see what's coming up.

you also might want to look into boxycharm. It's $21 a month for 5 full size products so it's a great way to grow your collection without spending a ton of money. There's pros and cons. You wouldn't get to pick what you get but the value is amazing ans eyeshadow palettes are often in the box. You could check out my subscription addiction and see if the past boxes have had stuff you'd be interested in 

[suzyo]

@xgoldengurlx You can follow this thread for deals. I feel like I hardly ever pay full price for things, even makeup.

https://community.sephora.com/t5/Savvy-Shoppers/Deals-Too-Good-to-Pass-Up-Volume-Six/m-p/2825669#M22

ETA: I see this link was posted below, sorry!

[annnekim]

Sephora Collection actually has a lot of great products! Their mascaras, eyeliners, shadows, and their lip products are all amazing! All of their products are also very affordable and I love how they have so many different shades and colors. I would recommend trying them out because I have not been disappointed with any of their products I've purchased!

[lipsticklibby]

solid advice on checking out Marshalls/TJ Maxx/Nordstrom Rack every once in a while -- I've found some really great stuff there at serious discounts. one other tip I can give you is that Nordstrom (not the Rack, just the regular store's website) will ship any beauty purchase for free and they'll give you your choice of three free samples with it. you can buy a $3 eyeliner pencil sharpener (honestly, it's a really good sharpener, I've got like five of them) and they'll still give you your samples and free shipping. if you keep an eye on what samples they have available and wait until what you want shows up, you can get some really useful things. they have MAC mascara pretty often, for one. you can also come into Sephora and ask for samples! the salespeople want to help you find stuff you'll like, so if you ask for samples to take home and try out, they'll give them to you if they can. if there's a specific item you want, like a palette, definitely save up and wait for a sale, but also try it out in store to make sure you really like it before you spend a lot of money on it. 

[opalescentlust]

Here are some of my ways of stretching my money:

-Make sure you sign up for Sephora's Beauty Insider so that you get your birthday gift! I am loving the Tarte sampler this year! 

-Agreed about drugstore mascara. My holy grail is L'Oreal Voluminous. They even have a lash primer now.

-Sephora often has really great value sets available! 

-I also use Ebates every time I buy at Sephora.com - I usually wait for at least 8% cash back. 

-Sign up for the Sephora email list. They sometimes send coupons for extra $'s off. I try to stack this coupon with Ebates usually hehe. 😉

-Sephora also shares the deluxe sample promo codes via email. They often have some great mini versions that are not all that mini! 

[starsandbucks]

Try visiting TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack from time to time. Often they'll have high-end products from last season at super discounted prices. Of course there's no guarantee that you'll hit it on a good day but people have found great stuff there (Marc Jacobs, NARS, Lancôme, etc).

[Anonymous]

ELF is an amazing brand that won't break the bank. A lot of their products are comparable to others that are triple the price. You can even find it at the Dollar Tree sometimes.

Also, Pintrest is a great place to find dupes for your favorite high priced products! 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@xgoldengurlx If you are looking for certain products (like Tarte In Bloom), then you may want to sign up for promotions from Sephora and Ulta and look for sales.  You can also look into swaps, like here on  BIC (I haven't done any) or Swapidoo (I used to do swaps when makeupalley had them, and they spun it onto swapidoo).

If you are simply looking for high quality cosmetics, please know that there are good products are every price point.  For example, Maybelline is known for their mascaras and many find NYX to have excellent makeup.  In order to find the best products for your budget, you can search beautypedia or see what the BICers rec.  

Finally, I only patronize stores with good cosmetics return policies.  Yes, Target and Wal-Mart may have lower prices, but that doesn't do me any good if I buy something that I don't like b/c then I totally wasted my money.  Thus, I shop Sephora, Ulta, department stores and drug stores (I believe CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens all have generous return policies).

Best of luck!  I remember being a teen on a budget and it could be challenging!

[SpaceLlama]

@xgoldengurlx The deals thread will definitely help! Sephora also has sales a few times a year where you get either $ or % value off of your purchase. Also keep an eye on the sales section. Sometimes there's really good deals. The holidays are also right around the corner, so many value kits will be released. The Sephora Favourites kits tend to be very good value wise. Hope this helps 🙂

Deals Thread: https://community.sephora.com/t5/Savvy-Shoppers/Deals-Too-Good-to-Pass-Up-Volume-Six/m-p/2825669#M22  

[txcatx]

I would suggest getting a mix of high end and low end products. For instance, Colourpop makes some great, inexpensive lip products, and Maybelline has fantastic mascara (since mascara needs to be replaced often, going the drugstore route is a great option). Then, save up for the items you really want, like the Tarte palette.

[txcatx]

One more suggestion--check out places like TJ Maxx and Marshall's for brands like Anastasia, Bare Minerals, MAC, and even Marc Jacobs--especially when the holiday sets start arriving.

[SpaceLlama]

I second this! I've found so many discounted skin care products from Sephora brands. I've also been seeing a lot of Lime Crime, Paul & Joe, Too Faced and Bobbi Brown recently. Also saw some Chanel lipsticks the other day 😮