Step One

Register your e-mail address with your favorite department store cosmetic companies. They periodically launch short term sales promotions that are only made available to their registered customers. E-mails will pop up about twice a month in your in-box.

Many times, the sale will offer free shipping on ANY purchase and include bonus gift with purchase (GWP) items as well. This is when to buy.

Unless your purchasing several items, pass up offers on "free shipping with any 50.00 purchase" & wait for the "free shipping on ANY purchase" sales. They rotate promotions quite frequently.

Step Two

Clip cosmetic coupons and hair care items in the Sunday newspaper. 

Scan though your local drug store sales ad circulars (in your Sunday paper) for cosmetic sales. Loreal, Revlon, Rimmel, CoverGirl, Max Factor & more are big on promotion coupons.

Match up coupons with sale items and save 50%- 90% on selected items. You can buy something fresh each week that won't effect your budget like retail prices will. You can also try new things and update.



Step Three

e-Bay is an awesome avenue for buying cosmetics in lots. This can be fun! You will save up to 75% shopping like this. I buy cosmetic and hair care lots and split them with my daughter. A word of caution: Make sure the cosmetics are new and sealed before you bid. Make sure you are buying from a reputable seller by checking their feedback.


Step Four

There is a website called Makeup Alley you might want to try. It is a swapping site where you can trade your unused & unwanted cosmetics with other members for cosmetics/perfume/haircare items they have for trade. This is great for your surplus, unwanted, never used or tested things. Check to make sure that who your swapping with has a good trading history. http://www.makeupalley.com/