Beauty Deals in Unexpected Places

You never know when you'll find a beauty deal, especially in unexpected places.

On a recent Sunday, the Diva and I were killing time while we waited to pick up Roo from a birthday party. We decided to go to Borders for coffee - Seattle's Best - and book browsing since, like her mommy, she is the girl who loved books. After hot chocolate - with whipped cream of course - and a latté, we took a look around and found some significant markdowns on Paperchase merchandise. And, voilá!

Marked down from $9.99 to 98¢. What a steal! Lip balm for the winter in yummy flavors and colors.

Sweet!

Stila Online Warehouse Sale

Holy smokes! Stila is offering huge discounts at their online warehouse sale. The prices are INCREDIBLE.

It's no secret that stila is one of the best cosmetic companies on the planet, and a personal favorite of mine, especially their gift sets.

Take a look at these screamin' deals:

Blissful Lip Glaze Set - $10 (regular price $20)

The Makeup Player - $25 (regular price $69) - not only does this set include a cosmetics train case, but it also includes built-in portable speakers!

Refillable 8 Pan Compact - $12 (regular price $30) - an eco-friendly option.

Seriously. These are terrific deals. Hurry! Sale ends December 3, 2010.

Stocking Stuffers Extraordinaire

Christmas stockings are one of our best family traditions. I enjoy stuffing stockings more than any other part of the holidays, even decorating. It's like a mini-parade of gifts.

Each year I include some old favorites:

Terry's Chocolate Orange - available at drugstores such as Rite Aid and sites like Polyvore, $2-$3

Gingerbread cookies from Germany - Germandeli.com, $2 

SmartWool socks - Sierra Trading Post, $9

Prepaid gift cards - VISA gift card available at grocery stores such as Safeway, $10+

Hammond's candy canes - multiple flavors, large size $2.75 ea.

And new finds:

Fun gifts from fredflare.com - tootsie luggage tag, $8; jolly rancher nail polish, $5; Urawaza: Tips and Tricks from Japan, $16

Small items from The Container Store - Hello Kitty toothbrush holder, $6; mini microfiber fuzzy finger mitt, $3; Klipo cutlery set, $5; iStand, $5

I'd love to know what you find; make sure to leave a comment!

The Shopping Beast vs. Black Friday

Since I started this blog my inner shopping beast has risen. Not. Good. For. The. Pocket book.

Let me give you a little background. I come from a family of shoppers. My mom is a shopper. My sister is a shopper. Even my dad is a shopper (sorry Dad, the secret's out).

The Diva is on board, too. As a toddler of 3 and 4, my mom, sister and I frequently took her to the mall. Nice indoor activity on a rainy Northwest day. Like any diva, she strutted around like she owned the place. And never, ever sat in the stroller; the stroller was along for the ride simply to carry the bags.

My husband, on the other hand, is the anti-shopper. His mantra is to go in, buy what you need, and leave immediately. He has tried to impart this wisdom to the Diva. After each shopping trip with Grammy, Auntie and yours truly, he told her, "Shopping is not a hobby. We go in, get what we need and go home." I could tell from the look in that child's eyes that Hubby's words would go unheeded. Sorry, dear.

Now that the holidays are just around the corner - only 37 days 'til Christmas - everyone's bombarded with shop, shop, shop messages. What's a girl with a bad case of the shopping bug to do?

First, do not buy on impulse. Write a list before you shop; it's a good idea and it helps you practice restraint. Peruse online shops before you go and make your decisions before you leave the house.

Try not to buy things your gift recipients won't use. Boulder Locavore and I got together earlier this week and she reminded me of this important rule. It's not thrifty or green to give something that won't be used or appreciated. She also gave me a copy of the current issue of Real Simple full of tons of gift ideas under $50. You know I'll cover these ideas later.

I'm a big fan of gift cards, especially for teens. They usually want big ticket items that I'm unlikely to buy; a gift card can help them fill in the blanks. The additional beauty of gift cards is that you can buy them right from home with a steamy, rich cup of coffee nearby (makeup and PJs are optional).

Now to the Black Friday thing. It's a formidable enemy in the attempt to tame the shopping beast. Who wants to go to Target at 4am, anyway, no matter how funny the side ponytail wearin' blonde is in the current round of commercials? Personally, I miss the last round of ads with awesome 80s music.

The alternative is to give the beast a tiny bit of satisfaction, quiet her down and shop online (don't forget the restraint thing). Many of the deals are just as good as those in the brick-and-mortar shops, but I have found discrepancies in the past in stores like Target. I never buy anything from Target's website because an order for a Christmas present for Roo was 'lost.' When I tried to re-order, the item was out of stock. I went to purchase the item from amazon and it was late. Bad Santa.

notice Roo's Last Airbender tattoo on his forehead

The other thing in the buyer's favor is that retailers are getting desperate for sales. Since the economic meltdown (I will NOT say recession; don't even get me started on that one), most buyers have severely cut spending. The trend seems to be holding even though economic recovery is slowly taking shape. As a result, in addition to Black Friday, we now have Black November. Prices on current holiday items have been slashed; clearance items from fall inventories are even lower.

It's a buyer's market, but keep your wits about you and stay thrifty.

I'll Take benefit

The bags and dark circles under my eyes seem to get worse every year (duh). Chalk it up to heredity since I generally get enough sleep and use anti-dark circle products.

My discovery from benefit, though, is easing my anxiety about the issue.

Introducing boi-ing 'industrial-strength' concealer, my new best friend. I love this product, it makes a noticeable difference to my dark circles and other skin imperfections. Just pat it on gently with the pad of your ring finger and you're camera ready. Or at least ready for school drop off and errands.

A miracle, I tell ya.

It's Your Birthday, It's Your Birthday

Today is the big day. It's been great!

We started the day with a quick trip to the gym, then the Diva made pancakes. Hubby and the Diva stacked some up and put a candle on top. Roo turned out the lights and everyone sang "Happy Birthday." Very sweet.

Yesterday I forgot to mention another of my favorite birthday deals. Sephora has a fantastic rewards program that includes a birthday gift. Add that to your purchase and the daily free sample and you've got yourself a little party for your face. No need to go in on your birthday, either. Just pop in during your birthday month and enjoy. Last year I received an adorable set of three different shades of fresh gloss from the Sephora Collection.

I'm already thinking about next year because my birthday will be on 11-11-11. AND my age will be a multiple of 11. If I don't send some spectacular feat out to the universe that day, I'm a fool!

Other November 11 Birthdays

Abigail Adams

Feodor Dostoyevsky 

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Henry IV

Eduoard Vuillard

Leonardo DiCaprio

Calista Flockhart

Jeff Buckley

George Patton

Finders Keepers

I found another deal at Target. It's Wizard of Flaws by Soap & Glory. Originally $17.59 and a steal at $8.78.

If you've never tried Soap & Glory, I urge you to try it. It's been available exclusively at Target for the past three years but I was not an early adopter. I thought it was just a Target brand and probably not that great. However, as soon as I found out that the founder of bliss, Marcia Kilgore, was the creative force behind Soap & Glory, I had to give it a try. Both bliss and Soap & Glory make products with fun names like steep clean and Clean on Me. What's not to like about a clever play on words? Okay, good products. Trust me, these are fabulous.

But, hurry! Soap & Glory is only available at Target until the end of September - TODAY! Or until they run out of product. Soap & Glory is changing strategy and is in the process of inking deals with retailers that focus on beauty. No details yet - stay tuned.

Another Deal from benefit

The gals at benefit have another great deal - badgal mascara duo, including tubes of both black and plum mascara. The price is $29 - a bit expensive for me - but you save $9 off the regular price.

It's hard for me to resist when the savings is almost $10! You can also get free shipping if you spend $50. Enter PRETTY50 at discount.

My Post at Studio Ten Twenty Two - stila

My friend Dawn of Studio Ten Twenty Two recently asked me to post on her blog once a week about beauty and style. Check out my first post on her blog.

Buh-buys From benefit

Benefit is a fun and cheeky cosmetics company from San Francisco, started by twin sisters in 1976. Their most famous product, benetint, has an interesting back story (at the bottom of the page). See what I mean? Cheeky!

The packaging is fun, fabulous and irresistible. If you've never used benefit products, it's a great time to start. One of my favorite products, besides benetint, kitten classic, is currently available as one of benefits' buh-buys. Still a bit pricey at $19 (a savings of $7) but it lasts FOREVER. Seriously. The lipsticks are a more reasonable $9, sheer and buildable. Silky finish lipstick - hold it! looks great in deep raisin.

Thrifty is Beautiful

I have a few shopping rules I try to live by - never go grocery shopping when you're hungry (or with your children if you can help it), don't buy more than you need or you can use, and don't by items displayed on the endcaps of aisles.

However, most rules are made to be broken. At Target, the endcaps, on the sides away from the main aisles, are where you find clearance items.

Yesterday, I found a lip palette by e.l.f. on the cosmetics endcap.

I've seen it at Target before, but wasn't in the market. I do need lip junk now and the palette was on clearance (you'll notice that it's still full price on the Target website). Nice!

e.l.f. is a drug store cosmetics brand touted by magazines such as Allure, Elle, and Lucky. Some of the products, like lip gloss, only cost $1. I don't know about you, but I don't have much success when I try to look for new lip colors. A palette like this is a great way to go - you can try lots of colors without breaking the bank!

Beautiful

I LOVE beauty products. Cosmetics. Skincare. Hair products. You name it. Recently I discovered a company called mark. It's fun and fresh. The products are also moderately priced.

My current fave is Get Bright Hook Up Highlighter. It's lightweight and comes in gorgeous, skin matching colors. Since I'm fair, I like Light or Natural. I use highlighter on my brow bones, at the top of my cheekbones and the inner corner of my eye near my nose. It's amazing what a little highlighter can do. It really brightens my eyes and lifts everything up. Not bad considering my age. . .

Helpful Hint

Sometimes static cling is an issue. We've all suffered from it one time or another.

You know you have. . .

My quick and frugal solution to static cling? Hairspray. That's right. That good old can of hairspray you already have in your beauty den (aka bathroom). Just spray a little on the underside of the clothing and your undergarment and you're good to go. No need for fabric softener or dryer sheets (I've never been a big fan of either) or a bottle of static guard.

Now get spraying!

A Good Place To Start

Thrifty. . .frugal. . .smart. But never, ever cheap.

Creating a fabulous life requires style, brains, research and patience. As you navigate the marketplace, whether it be for cosmetics, home decor, fashion or groceries, sometimes you need a savvy guide. Come along as I share my thrifty picks; some tried and true, others new and fabulous!

A taste of things to come. . .

The Cardinal Rules of Thrift
NEVER buy retail
DON'T forget outlet malls
SHOP drugstores and discount stores like Target for cosmetics
CONSIDER coupons and website promotions
INVEST in quality goods; it's not always about price

Share your ideas and tips. The more the better!