1. Shop online
If you still want to shop for makeup then taking your purchases online is the way to go! Websites such as Fragrance Direct, Nail Polish Direct and Xtras are all amazing sites where you can save a lot of money. My personal favourite is Fragrance Direct as the website stocks so many great brands (Essie, L'Oreal, Elemis, Bourjois, OPI to name a few) and I generally find I spend £20-30 for around 8-10 items, which is very good indeed. I also love to save money by shopping on eBay, however fake makeup is endless and you really need to be careful. My main tips are to check that the seller isn't selling the same product over and over and if it's a high end branded product but it's coming from China then total avoid. I mainly stick to buying from UK sellers for branded items but for extras such as makeup brushes I do shop internationally to grab a bargain!
2. Organise a makeup swap with a friend or fellow blogger
Makeup swaps are not only fun to arrange but it literally feels like free shopping! For a good swap I think it's important to set out rules of how many products you will be swapping, whether the products will be low or high-end, if the products will be new or used and what makeup products you'd like to receive the most - lipsticks, blush, skincare etc? Alternatively meeting up with friends, each with a huge stash of unloved makeup to delve into to and swap works well and definitely keeps makeup spending at bay.
3. Create a box for products you want to start using more
We all have products we once loved but for some reason no longer use, so by placing a box on your desk and filling it with said products you will re-discover past loves! Which is turn will make you want to spend less on makeup... well that's the idea! This is something that's worked well for me in the past especially when I select 1 foundation, 1 lipstick, 1 blusher etc so that I'm not rummaging around and still avoiding using products.
4. Look out for clearance sections
Of course this isn't about stopping buying makeup all together, that would be a very sad blog post to write! But it's about spending less and saving money. My next favourite way of saving money other than shopping online is seeking out the clearance section in a shop if they have one. My favourites are easily the clearance sections of TK Maxx and Boots. Every TK Maxx store has a clearance beauty section along with all the other discounted beauty items though the cleanliness of the products/area can be hit and miss from store to store. In the past I've picked up some amazing beauty bargains from TK Maxx but as for current stock you can find Ciate Olivia Palermo products for £6.99, Essie Nail Polishes £2.99 and even Nars products from £6.99! As for Boots clearance sections, these are a little harder to find in stores but they are there! Generally at the back or somewhere obscure but often full of bargains - my latest bargain clearance buy was Tous H20 50ml fragrance reduced to £5!
5. Use money-off coupons
Okay, so I may have been watching too much Extreme Couponing lately but there are still money-off coupons to be had in the UK... just a lot less, sadly. The best money-off coupons for beauty products I'd say come from Boots and are generally handed to you with your receipt or can be print out from a kiosk with your Boots Advantage Card. However you can sometimes find coupons to cut out in magazines or can be found inside products for money-off when repurchasing a similar product from the brand, I know Garnier often do this with their hair dyes as do Soap & Glory.
6. Try out cheaper alternatives
The internet is rift with dupes for popular makeup products and I'm so glad for this! Whether you've been lusting after a specific MAC lipstick shade or want to repurchase a luxury product there will be a dupe for it, so get searching before you part with your money. But on a day-to-day basis you can easily swap out essentials for cheaper ones, for example miccellar water, nail polish remover, toothpaste and face wipes can all be purchased at £1 instead of £3-4 each.
7. Re-organise your makeup collection
Having a good organise of the makeup you already own can make such a bigger difference to what you feel you need/want to buy. I personally like to make sure most of my collection is visible with acrylic storage but if you don't own any clear storage then de-cluttering drawers and even placing a few items out on your desk can help you use what you've got and not make you lust after more!
8. Sell unloved makeup on eBay, social media sites or Depop
Once you've de-cluttered you may want to sell a few unloved items to be able to treat yourself to dare I say, more makeup, or something else entirely. For makeup in bulk or gift sets, eBay is the place to sell it but if it's been used selling it on Depop or Instagram/Twitter is probably the better option, though it's important to show and state how much of each product is left. When sending larger packages of makeup (for people that buy more than 1 item) I highly recommend Hermes over Royal Mail as you will pay under £3 and it will be tracked.
I hope I've given you a few ideas here!
I will certainly be taking my own advice and spending a lot less on makeup for the next few months.
I will certainly be taking my own advice and spending a lot less on makeup for the next few months.
Fee xo.
