How to Score High Quality Clothing/Beauty Products for Guaranteed Cheap (+ Current Deals)

I admit it.  Maybe I am guilty for being addicted to shopping and wanting to find THAT ONE dress I have always wanted (but it ends up being multiple "THAT ONE" things).  Maybe I am guilty for watching 15+ makeup gurus consistently (meaning every video they put up, I watch it.  unless I could care less about the topic, like hair products).  But you know what, that just makes me an experienced shopper.  Right?  Right.

Here I want to summarize (not just for yall, but to keep track for myself too) EVERYTHING i've learned not only from my own experiences, but from all the makeup gurus, fashion blogs, and magazines I religiously follow.  Think of it as summarizing a bunch of expert opinions along with my own frugal motivations:

1) Buy SUPERSIZED beauty products: I calculated on average how much I spend on drugstore facial cleansers, divided it by fluid ounces.  Turns out that the high end brand Philosophy Purity Made Simple facial cleaser (AMAZING BTW) in SUPERSIZE at 32 oz. was actually CHEAPER per fluid ounce than the drugstore face washes.  All because it is supersized.  Though buying the supersized versions will bust your bank temporarily, I haven't bought new face wash in 2 years and i've only finished ~1/4 of the supersized bottle, MEANING I have ~6 more years left of this amazing, high quality face wash (total of 8 years).

Sephora used to have the supersized Philosophy Purity in stores, but I don't think they have them anymore.  I'm sure it will come back because it has in the past.  Otherwise, I know Amazon (eligible for free shipping with Amazon Prime, which yall should have if you are a student at a university.  If you don't know about this, look it up) and QVC.com has it.

2) Buy High End Name Brands IN Dept Stores: NOT online department stores, online name brand stores, or in the actual physical name brand store itself.  Unlike the name brand online/phsyical stores and online department stores (which frequently don't show/update on ALL the items they carry), department stores need to move merchandise as quickly as possible.  This means when the name brand items are on sale, they are usually discounted more than if you were to buy the items on sale in the name brand stores.  Evidence: Today, I just scored a blush pink French Connection bandage dress 90% off from original price tag for a total of $17 (as you read further, you'll see why it's cheaper than usual).  It was on sale on top of another sale going on, which frequently happens at dept stores.

In case you were wondering, this is the dress I scored today.

3) Buy Clothing/Shoes With Fixable Defects: Don't be bummed out if you see a tear, button about to fall off, straps of shoes about to detach from the base of the shoe, etc. If you feel you can alter it with some needle/thread or superglue (minimal alterations), you can score MAJOR discounts by buying the items damaged while still getting them as good as new.  Sometimes, especially dept stores, the stores themselves can do alterations for FREE for you since it is their damaged product.  The dress above was such a case (which is why I got it for super cheap), so the lady at the cashier is putting this dress up for alterations for me.  For free.  And at a discount for being damaged in the first place.  hollerrrr.  (UPCOMING DEAL: Belk, where I got this dress from, is having major discounts on already discounted items starting this Friday, June 3)

4) Drugstore/Non-name Brand Products with Better than or Equal Quality as High End/Name Brand Products: I cannot tell you how much I absolutely love drugstore/non-name brand makeup.  They're affordable and can be just as amazing of quality, if not better, as high end stuff.  Here are some makeup products I recommend to buy at the drugstore (and one that is online, but not name-brand):

a) Mascaras.  If you have stumpy stick straight eyelashes like I do, you will love drugstore mascaras.  They are typically a drier formula, meaning they hold curls better (if you use an eyelash curler, or if you have naturally curled eyelashes.  Dang you long eyelashed people), but you have to buy the waterproof version of the mascara (they usually hold the drier formulas).   I find that high end mascaras are too wet of a formula, so they make my eyelashes I worked so hard to curl...droop.  There are a few high end mascaras that hold curls, BUT read the next 2 sentences. For hygiene reasons as well as the fact that mascaras dry out pretty quickly, it is recommended that you switch out your mascaras every 2 months.  (I personally extend it to maybe 3 months of use) Mascaras, thus, generally have a short shelf life.  So I would rather save my money buying the mascaras at the drugstore while still getting the same or better quality I want in a mascara.  I recommend Maybelline, the KING of drugstore mascaras.  (My personal favorite: Maybelline Falsies)

b) Lip Products.  Many drugstore lip products have amazing color payoff and are not drying on the lips!  My personal favorites are Maybelline Pink Please lipstick, Revlon Smooth Nude and Peach Colorburst lipstick, Revlon Colorburst and Super Lustrous Lip glosses, and Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain in Flame (I don't wear lip stuff often).  Other brands I know are amazing quality (but I personally haven't tried on myself) are NYX lipsticks/lipglosses, E.L.F. lipsticks and liquid lipsticks, other Maybelline and Revlon lipsticks, L'Oreal's infallible collection, Rimmel lipsticks, and Wet n' Wild lipsticks.


c) Liquid Foundation: I can see where people may want to invest in a high end liquid foundation since products for the face may be something worth investing in.  But I recommend checking out Revlon, the KING of drugstore liquid foundations.  (Side note: If you're looking for a good mattifying powder/setting powder, I am loyal to the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder.  Otherwise, I personally am not a big fan of powders in drugstores.  But I do recommend one brand online....look at letter "f")


d) Eyeshadows and Eye liners: I live off of my Maybelline quads and NYX single shadows.  AMAZING pigmentation for a great price.  For gel liners, Maybelline (Eye Studio Gel liner) and L'Oreal (H.I.P. cream liner) came out with great ones recently.  For liquid liners, L'Oreal Linear Intense Felt Tip Liner is famous among the makeup gurus.  For pencil liner for your waterline, Milani Liquif Eye Metallic Eyeliner will stay on forever (at least for me).


e) Concealers: for under eye area, I love the convenience of Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector and the non-cakiness of Covergirl's Simply Ageless Concealer.  For the face blemishes, Sonia Kashuk for Target makes a great concealer palette that color correct different types of blemishes.


f) Powder Foundation: everydayminerals.com is comparable to the overhyped Bare Escentuals brand, and you can even get free samples from the website!  The only downside is that you have to purchase online :(


If you want great quality, fashionable leather products (handbags, belts, gloves), I am obsessed with the non-name brand  Wilson's Leather.  The store that used to be in Knoxville (went out of business...so sad) knew me by name because I went there for gifts so often.  In-store deals and styles are better than online, just to give you a heads up.


5) Buy Collaboration Stuff: I'm talking about when a luxury brand pairs up with a dept store or Target, which means you can get cute designer items for less.  Some collaborations going on right now (that I know of) are CALYPSO St. Barth for Target, Vera Wang for Kohl's, and MANGO for JCPenny.  If you know anymore, leave it in the comments below!



6) Score Free Samples: You can go to the department cosmetic counters and get free samples, especially if you're not sure whether you want to buy the item or not.  I know Lancome is great about this, and I even have lived off of only samples and never have bought the full-sized products (don't advertise this to Lancome).  Also, many beauty sites, like Sephora and Ulta, give great samples if you make a purchase online.  If you get free shipping, it's kind of like you went to the store and bought what you wanted PLUS you got free samples.


7) Free Products from Free Gift Sets: If you plan to buy high end department store skincare/makeup products (or in my case, if your mom plans to buy high end stuff), wait until they have special deals with free gifts.  Usually with some purchase, you can get numerous free items including free cosmetic case/tote bag, eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, anti-wrinkle lotions, foundations, serums, mascara, etc.  Lancome is launching their Riviera Gift Set from 6/14 to 7/4 with a purchase of $32.50, and you can even reserve your items now before it's launched!



8) Shop Off Season (Check), Shop on Holidays/Post Holidays (Check), Shop Mainly in the Summer and Winter (...What????): So I'm pretty sure yall know about major discounts on winter clothes in the summer and vice versa, and to shop on memorial day, after Thanksgiving, and after Christmas.  But did you know that many stores discount the most during the summer and winter months (especially when the season is about to end)?  This is because summer and winter are major break seasons, meaning people vacation and relax during these months.  Stores know that statistically, more people come out to shop during these months, so that means more sales and discounts!


9) Target:  I think I'm just biased (if you can't tell that I friggin love Target by now, ....), so ignore this tip if you feel like.  They have (and have had) so many collaborations lined up, so keep your eyes out for them in the future (Missoni is coming out this september)!  I know they had William Rast (ahhh I can't believe I got a well-made, super soft leather jacket for $69.99!!!! <3 Target), Rodarte, Mulberry, Dolce Vita, Alice Temperley, Isaac Mizrahi, Temple St. Clair, Tucker, Proenza Schouler, and Zac Posen collaborate with them before.  They also have cute jewelry, bags, scarves, belts (neon skinny belts!), shoes, dresses, tops, and more from their own permanent lines.


10) Buy Makeup from Walgreens, CVS, and Sally's Beauty Supply: If you're already a CVS member and buy makeup, you're automatically enrolled in the Beauty Club, and you can get HUGE discounts on beauty products.  (Testimony: If you know DulceCandy87 on YouTube, she paid $30 for $100 worth of stuff through the CVS Beauty Club!)  All 3 of these stores sometimes have deals like buy one get one free, buy one get one half off, buy 2 sets of Ardell lashes and get a free China Glaze nail polish, etc.  So keep your eyes out for them, because you can get makeup for cheaper than Walmart or Target.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Some of these tips may be ones you know already, but hopefully you learned at least one thing :)  This post was not meant to turn yall into shopping frenzies but to be aware of deals around you.  Great quality, budget-friendly buys (or freebies) DO exist.  Guaranteed.
_______________________________________________________________________________________


I have some other tips, that did not quite make my list but (some) are worth mentioning.  I'm just going to breeze through these:


Tips for High Quality Clothing/Beauty Products for Not-as-Guaranteed Cheap


1) Marshall's, Kohl's, TJMaxx: It's a hit or miss for me.
2) Hautelook, Ideeli, RueLaLa: They have deals on designer clothing/makeup for a certain time frame, but I never found it to be cheap enough for me.  You can sign on with the links I gave or go on the actual website to sign up; it doesn't matter.
3) Ebay: if it's a highly desirable item, it may not always be budget-friendly
4) retailmenot.com: if you online shop, this is your best friend.  They don't always have discount codes.
5) Outlets: I highly recommend the Cosmetic Company Store/Outlet, where they have name brand beauty products at ok discounts (brands I've seen at my CCO: Bobbi Brown, MAC, Origins, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden).  The clothing stores are ok too.  I love the Wilson's Leather, J.Crew, and Banana Republic outlets!
6) Sign Up for Store Email Lists: Usually when you sign up, you get a discount bonus for signing up or being a first time online customer.  I recommend getting a separate email account especially for this because the amount of emails they send can be hefty.
7) Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale: occurs mid-June and early January.  still kind of pricy sometimes.
8) H&M and Forever 21: their quality is hit or miss so I wouldn't completely call it "name brand", but their stuff is freakin cute and cheap!
9) When you go shopping, Bring a Friend Who Has a Lot of Luck: No seriously.  Someone who is always lucky.  I think this is the main reason why I got that French Connection dress for cheap today.  Thank you WENDY!!!!!


<3, alice

Target Haul ft. Calypso St. Barth for Target

Everyday I am just AMAZED at how Target is becoming one of my affordable, fashion pitstops, and literally, i'm obsessed with Target.  So I'll just get right into the haul.  Disclaimer: I did not by all of these at once.  I bought these over the span of May and April. I am not trying to show off things I bought, but I wanted to let yall know about my fashion/makeup inspirations (that you can go buy right now!  most are still in stores and available!), the good deals I found and wanted to share, and what really got me excited to the point of actually investing in these items.

Bueno Striped Canvas/Tote in Black/White ($29.99 bought online)

Story: Ever since the huge error on the Henri Bendel website where one of their normally priced $298 bag was being sold at $2.98, I have been on the search for a cheap, nice striped bag, much like the stripes that Henri Bendel's bags are so famous for.  I never thought I was into such a pattern, but seriously the Henri Bendel bag I almost got for $2.98 has (UPDATE: THERE'S A BAT FLYING AGAINST MY WINDOW) gotten me intrigued with striped bags.  Sooo when I saw this one on Target by Bueno, I couldn't resist:

With the adorable gold lock and decent purse size, I think this was definitely a steal.  I kind of prefer the brown and white stripes by Henri Bendel, but the black and white stripes seemed to appeal to me as well in this bag.  Tell me what you think: is this a hit or a miss?

CALYPSO St. Barth for Target® Multi Chain Drop Earrings - Silver ($14.99 bought online)

Story: I have been loving the tassel earrings trend, and the collaboration with Calypso St. Barth (a luxury brand) and Target (which I have been wanting to check out for a while with all their cute summer clothing and accessories) created this beautiful metal tassel-like pair of earrings:

It's all silver, and their luxury brand has not even made one like these, so I feel like these were also a steal.  I highly recommend checking out the Calypso St. Barth for Target collection, especially the accessories and shoes.  I was not too fond of the clothing.

CALYPSO St. Barth for Target® Straw Tote With Sequins - Silver ($24.99 bought online)

Story: I mainly got this bag for the free shipping and was curious to see what it would look like in real life.  I know straw tote bags are in and yada yada, but straw tote bags have never really appealed to me as something to invest in, but this one had a nice bag shape and top buckle.  Most likely I will be returning this item (I haven't received it in the mail yet) if I don't like one thing about it:

I can definitely see this as a potential beach bag or picnic bag, but otherwise, I am not sure if it is worth getting overall.  Again, I only got it for the free shipping and I wanted to check out more Calypso St. Barth for Target items.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ($7.19 bought online)

Story: I would like to make it clear that I have NEVER been into reading books until this summer.  I know i know, I am not a well-rounded student and that's why I think I suck at the verbal section on every single dang standardized test.  BUT I am actually into reading books now for a change!  I really don't know what came over me, but I think it may have to do with Elle's Glitterature YouTube series where she makes reading sound so interesting and fun and relaxing and she goes over books she recently finished.  The Hunger Games series: I heard had a lot of good reviews from various sources, even though it is targeted to a teen crowd, but if it is well-written and engaging (I read the summary on amazon), then I'm willing to try the series out:

I am still finishing up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (I know I must be WAY behind the cool train since this was popular several years ago), but after that, I'm going to start this one.  Go read the summary on Amazon and maybe you'll get intrigued (or grossed out?) too :)

Metallic Gold/White Floppy Hat ($12.99 bought in-store)

Story: I bought a black floppy straw hat from Target a few months ago because I fell in love with the floppy-slightly-hide-your-eyes-seductive-look I got from it.  I thought I was going to use it for China with the sun beating on you for hours on end, but when I told me mom this, she made a good point that the black hat is going to absorb the heat and make you hot anyways.  I was not so bright on that purchase.  Sooo I saw this one at the store and loved the radial stripes!  I wish it wasn't so metallic-y, but I couldn't resist the striped effect (again, going back to my stripe obsession).  Since this is hat is not sold online and I forgot my camera cord in st. louis and I found which designer Target copied, here is a picture of what the hat sort of looks like:

The picture above is actually Juicy Couture's version, and the design is very similar!  With the metallic gold and white radial stripes and size, they are similar.  BUT the target one doesn't have that awkward transition at the seams (on the left image, you see an awkward white strip in the gold stripe), the target one flops over your head/face cuter than this one, and the target one has shinier gold stripes than this one pictures.  My mom approved this one for china (she doesn't want me to get premature wrinkles) and I am loving this hat as well!

Almay Clear Complexion Blemish Healing Liquid Foundation (unsure I think around $7-8? bought in-store)

Story: After graduation, I realized that I probably should have used heavier coverage for a special event like graduation, so it inspired me to get my first ever liquid foundation.  I actually hate the feeling of most liquid foundations (too cakey, too stuffy, and too thick) and was perfectly satisfied with my simple not heavy routine using my Sonia Kashuk (Target) concealer palette and Lancome matte powder foundation.  But I decided to give at least one liquid foundation a try in my lifetime (since I don't plan to buy anymore in the future).  I definitely headed to drugstore for my liquid foundation search because honestly I am not going to wear this foundation that often and it's not an investment item for me.  After spending hours researching on a good light-medium coverage foundation, I ended up with this one.  I was tempted to head to the Revlon area, since Revlon is clearly the KING of drugstore foundations, but I stuck with the positive reviews I saw for this foundation.  Plus, Almay is like the cheaper version of Clinique, so I'm comfortable with a dermatologist-approved formula:

My thoughts:

PROS: 1) It was pretty light and can be buildable to a medium coverage which I totally liked!  2) Since it has salicylic acid in it, it even helped clear out some about-to-develop pimples.  3) The color I chose matched perfectly to my face, but that was kind of a given since I knew I was a pretty perfect beige color, and the color I got was called Beige (BUT that is not to say that all foundations work this way!  this just happened to work for me in this one instance!).

CONS: 1) it gave a semi-matte finish (i prefer a matte face) so it wasn't quite dewy and it wasn't quite matte.  but once I put a setting powder over the liquid foundation, I resulted with a matte face.  So this is not really a con, but whatever.  2) The packaging could be better with a pump since I definitely have over-poured foundation out on the back of my hand.  3) They don't have that huge of a range of colors, especially dark-toned faces, which is unfortunate.

Overall, I was very impressed with this foundation!  I still don't think I will be using it often over my concealer+powder routine, but I think this is a great liquid foundation for all you first-time users (and even normal users!) with combination/oily skin (my skin type)!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Mint Sorbet (unsure, but it was definitely between $2-$3, bought in-store)

Story: I don't know why I keep going for nail polishes because my nails are the weakest, most brittle things ever, especially in the winter even though i put lotion on my hands constantly.  But this one caught my eye as being a cheap nail polish and a color I have been wanting for a while.

PROS: 1) The uniquely wide and flat brush definitely makes the application easy and smooth.  2) the color is so fresh and my hands just look CLEAN and FRESH and....i just love it.  3) doesn't chip too easily even on my brittle nails!!!!

CONS: 1) Seems like there's less product than other nail polishes I've owned??

Overall, I am loving it and I wish I could show you guys what it looks like on my nails.  but still no camera cord on me.

Essie Nail Polish in Tart Deco (unsure, but I think it is around $7? bought in-store)

Story: I have been a huge fan of Essie nail polishes for the past few years or so because they go so smoothly and don't chip for a LONG LONG time and, as i mentioned before, that is an important consideration for me due to my brittle nails (makes nail polish chip easily for some reason).  I got really excited when Target recently put Essie nail polishes on their shelves, so I checked it out (not for the first time) and loved Tart Deco.  I wanted the perfect coral color for the summer, and this one is the bomb dot com.

PROS: 1) again, I love the Essie formula.  2) the color is an opaque coral pink :D.

CONS: NONE

Overall, great nail polish.  I know coral is not really too trendy, much like the Essie Braziliant collection's nail polishes, but I love Tart Deco nevertheless.  It doesn't matter if it's trendy in the end, as long as it looks good on you!

Thanks for reading through my first non Fashion for Japan post!

<3 alice

PS This was the bag that inspired me and is now properly priced at $298, though I almost bought it for so freakin cheap. So sad the purchase didn't go through: