8 ways to save on personal care
You don’t have to spend a fortune to look and feel great—FIRST uncovered the best tricks to help you score beauty necessities on the cheap!
Exchange reviews for freebies
“I signed up to get free beauty products at Influenster.com —in return, all I have to do is review the product on the site or rave about what I like about the products on social media. I’ve saved about $100 on shampoo alone doing this!” —Mandie Mutchie, makeup artist at MandieM.com
Examine the ingredients list
“I’ve been a dermatologist for 20 years and I’ve learned there is no correlation between the cost of a moisturizer, soap or sunscreen and its effectiveness. You just need to look at the product’s active ingredients. So if you use a cleanser with salicylic acid, check the ingredients on high-end and store brands. If they have the same amount of salicylic acid, they’ll work the same and you’ll save $5 or more per bottle.” —Fayne Frey, MD, founder of FryFace.com
Get better free samples
“Most beauty counters offer free deluxe samples, which are larger than one-time-use samples. I find I can get a few weeks of use out of lotions and foundation. And with Sephora’s Beauty Insider loyalty program, you earn points for free full-size products or collections of ‘minis’—a whole set of deluxe samples from one brand. I typically opt for the perfume minis, which last me months. In fact, I never buy perfume anymore!” —Andrea Woroch, moneysaving expert at AndreaWoroch.com
Head to off-price retailers
“I have gotten the best deals on makeup brushes, eye-shadow palettes and more at Burlington Coat Factory of all places. I always find cosmetics, beauty tools, shampoo and more for 30 percent less than the same items at CVS or Target. And I’ve discovered that Marshalls and Ross are good places to find beauty products as well.” —Donna Raheb, founder of ItsAGlamThing.com
Buy the right form of these anti-agers
“For the delicate skin near my eyes, I use Life-Flo Maracuja Oil, an oil that’s commonly used in Brazil, but I always buy it in its pure form. I get a 4 oz. jar at my local health-food store for $17 (Tarte sells a tiny 1.7 oz. product for $48) and it lasts four months. I also use this trick with shea butter, which hydrates skin better than any high-priced moisturizer. I buy Organic Essence Shea Butter, which is half the price of expensive moisturizers but does a better job because there are no skin-irritating preservatives.” —Lyn Tackett, aesthetician and owner of GenesisStudio4U.com
Snap up deals at grocery stores
“Think outside the box and buy beauty products at grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Aldi. When I read that Jennifer Aniston loved a lavender salt scrub from Trader Joe’s, I decided to take a look at what else they had—I found organic shampoo that’s half the cost of similar brands at big-box stores. At Aldi, I snapped up Secret deodorant for $2.50 (which I usually buy for $3.50 at Walgreens) and Head & Shoulders shampoo for $5 (usually $7 at other stores). The selections are smaller but the prices are great.” —Kelly Miller, mom of three, Lincoln, NE
Have coupons brought to you
“The easiest way to save on makeup and other beauty essentials is to download an internet browser extension that automatically alerts you to deals on items you’re considering. I like to use JoinHoney.com. You can download the extension for free and it will automatically find the best coupons available at checkout. With Honey, right before I submit an order a small yellow button appears, and when I click it, Honey checks for coupons or promo codes that I can apply to my purchase. It only takes a few seconds and it often leads to big savings. Recently I saved 30 percent on Bare Minerals makeup and 25 percent on the Neutrogena makeup remover I love.”
—Brenda Wood, Cedar Rapids, IA