Ways to save money when buying cosmetics (or any personal care item):

• Use coupons & combine them with store sales for maximum savings
• Always look for coupon codes when you make a purchase online
• Enter giveaways on YouTube & blogs (can also enter contests on Facebook by liking certain brands)
• Swap makeup you don’t use with a friend/family member 

A few examples of what I bought this week as well as the coupons/deals used for each:

I bought all of these things at Target (top row) and Ulta (bottom row).

• Ulta
  • I used a $3.50 off $10 purchase coupon so I had to make sure my purchase totaled $10
  • The Physician’s formula matte eyeshadow palette was $6.69 & I used a $5 off any Physician’s formula product so this ended up being $1.69
  • Ulta was having a 40% off sale on Nyx this week so each of the 2 jumbo lip pencils were $2.69 apiece (normally $4.50 apiece), the Nyx lipstick was $2.39 (normally $4.00)
  • I had to buy the trial sized body wash for $0.69 to get my total to $10 & not go over by very much (it was on sale from $1.25)
  • Total came to: $10.15 & I used my $3.50 off a purchase of $10 coupon so I ended up paying $6.65 before tax
  • I paid: $6.65, Retail value: $20.94 (68% off)
• Target
  • I had a $1.50 off 2 NYC products coupon. NYC nail polishes are $0.97 apiece at Target so after the coupon I only paid $0.44 for both so they were $0.22 per bottle.
  • The Physician’s Formula eye makeup remover was $4.24 & I had another $5 any Physician’s Formula purchase so I used that & it ended up being free.
  • I had a $0.75 off any pack of Orbit gum that I printed from the Target website. The gum retailed for $0.99. I got it for $0.24
  • I paid: $0.68 before tax, Retail value: $7.17 (91% off)

I bought all of these things at Walgreens & Target.

• Walgreens
  • I had 2 coupons for the Clean & Clear body wash (1 Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupon from the Sunday paper & 1 $2 any C&C product coupon from the C&C website). The body wash was $5.99 a bottle regularly so after the B1G1F coupon & the $2 off coupon I only paid $2 per bottle or $4 total for both bottles when it would have been $12 without the coupons.
  • Walgreens had a special this week for Buy 1 Get 1 Free Schick Hydro products. The shave gel was normally $4 per bottle so I used 2 $1 off coupons I printed from Schick’s Facebook page. Therefore, I only paid $2 total or $1 per bottle. Retail value: $8
  • The Carefree pads were on sale at Walgreens for $0.99. You get a Register Reward (a gift card you can use on your next purchase at Walgreens) for $0.99 so it was free.
  • I paid: $6.99 . Retail value $20.99
• Target
  • The Dove body was was on the clearance rack for $3.48 & I had a $1 off coupon from the Sunday paper so it was $2.48. Retail value: $5
  • The Listerine mouthwash was on clearance for $1.48. Retail value: $3
  • The Suave shampoo was on sale for $1.84 a bottle & I had a 2 $1 off a bottle of men’s Suave haircare. I paid $1.68. Retail value: $3.68
  • I paid: $5.64 . Retail value: $11.68

How to get the most out of using coupons:

• Make sure you know what different stores’ coupon policies are
  • Walmart
  • Walgreens
  • Rite Aid
  • Target
• Sometimes you can stack a store’s coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon on the same item (it will say at the top Manufacturer’s coupon if it is)
• Some sites where you can print coupons online
  • Coupons.com
  • RedPlum.com
  • SmartSource.com
• Look in your Sunday paper for coupons to clip 
• Always look at weekly ads on the stores’ websites every week so that you can see if their sales match up with the coupons you have