With the dressiest season upon us (and endless Insta-opportunties ahead), now is the time to start thinking about stepping up your beauty game. With the swipe of a brush, there’s no quicker way to look and feel like a million bucks. But wowing a crowd with a smoky eye or bold new lip colour doesn’t have to break your budget. Here are five ways to get more beauty bang for your buck.
1. Gain Counter Intelligence
With their fantastical ads and coveted collabs (RiRi Woo, anyone?), M.A.C Cosmetics sets the bar high for makeup artistry. And while the products are a staple for any makeup pro worth her gloss, the brand is eager to educate anyone looking to put their best face forward. To that end, they offer a menu of in-store one on one demo’s, such as how to master the art of face contouring or the techniques needed to create a trend-driven eye look. And they’re free! Perfect for the holidays is the False Lash Application. Available with the purchase of M.A.C lashes, the customized tutorial takes the trickery out of fake lashes and shows you how to choose, fit and properly apply them. These walk-in services are available everyday in independent M.A.C stores (i.e. not in Hudson’s Bay) and based on artist availability, so during a weekday is ideal and avoid the lunch hour rush if you can.
2. Join the Club
With illuminated aisles stocked with the latest makeup, skincare, fragrance and more, it’s hard not to feel like a kid in a candy store once you’re in Sephora. Plus, we appreciate any place that’s happy to provide samples and accepts returns should that concealer or acne cream turn out to be a less than perfect fit. For even more thrills it pays to become a Sephora Beauty Insider. The points-based rewards program is free to join and gives you access to free beauty classes as well as seasonal promotions (the latest featured an incredible array of eight free samples and a chic clutch with a $35 online purchase). Points are redeemable for deluxe samples or special collectibles, but the best perk has to be the Birthday Gift: a set of fun and fab samples that you can pick up during your birthday month.
3. Spend A Little, Get A Lot
Raise your hand if you like to get more than what you paid for. Yup, thought so. When it comes to extra beauty booty, consider gift sets or gift with purchase offers. On the modest end of the scale, you’ll find products in trial size products housed in a stylish bag. This can be a smart way to dabble in new colours, like Clinique’s Party Tips that includes mini bottles of three gorgeous nail polish hues and a cute pouch for $25. For something more extravagant, check out the Estée Lauder Limited Edition Premiere Colour Collection or Lancôme Holiday Beauty Collection. Both sets include multiple eye, cheek and lip colours, full-size tubes of mascara and makeup remover, and much more. Total values for each set ring in at well over $300 but purchase an Estée Lauder fragrance or spend $35 on anything Lancôme, and you’ll only have to shell out a fraction of that to get all those goodies.
4. Shop Now, Save Later
With different cosmetics items on sale at any given time, you can always find a deal at Shoppers Drug Mart. But choose to shop during Optimum point blowouts and you can rack up serious points, which add up to significant future savings. The next not-to-be-missed promo runs from November 23rd until December 6th: spend $30 or more on any Quo cosmetics and get 15x Optimum points.
5. Discover a Secret Source
Shelling out $30 for designer mascara isn’t always in the budget, but now you don’t need to splurge for a prestige quality product. Seek out Essence, an award-winning European-based brand that is committed to top quality products at next to nothing prices. Haven’t heard of them? Not surprising, going without splashy ads is part of how they maintain low prices. And we mean low. Adding must-haves like the I Love Punk Jumbo Eyeliner Pen and Colour & Go nail polish in #113 Do You Speak Love?, a rich red, to your shopping list will set you back a whopping $5. Another option for a guaranteed deal is Winners. At select locations you can find an assortment of makeup, skin and hair care and beauty tools from big names, at small prices.
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