We thought it would be a good idea to share with you our advice, tips, and tricks to make sure you are #1: investing in quality products, #2: not buying a product just because there is a lot of hype about it, and #3 not stuck with products that either don't work or actually cause damage. So here are our guidelines to getting the most out of your money and time when shopping for beauty products.
#1 Do Your Research
The best thing you can do before purchasing a product you are interested in is doing research on it. This will help prevent you purchasing a product you hate or doesn't work for you. Often there will be reviews on any website the product is sold with ratings, comments, or both. Checking these out could give you a better idea of quality, formulation, and if it will work for your skin tone or type. A problem with reading reviews on websites is that a good portion of the time, those individuals that leave a review either love the product or hate it. Because of this, it is good to look to other sites for reference. And this leads into the next rule,
#2 Know Your Bloggers/Vloggers
If you aren't satisfied with the reviews you find, try going to trusted bloggers and/or youtube beauty gurus. A few blogs and youtube channels that you trust is crucial. If you don't already have a few select people that you trust with their opinions on products, try and find someone who has similar opinions to yourself on a few products, have a similar skin tone and/or type to you, and who gives in-depth, honest reviews of products not just whether they liked it or not. Even if you don't have a few channels you have subscribed to, you can often search for the product(s) you are interested in by just typing them into the youtube search and all the reviews of the product will come up.
#3: More Expensive Does Not Always Mean Better
In some cases, you get what you pay for but in others you get the same quality for a fraction of the price. Makeup is affordable at every budget with great brands such as wet-and-wild, NYX, and e.l.f. offering really affordable products that are of good quality. I believe in spending your money on a really good quality foundation and on your skincare but if you don't want to spend a lot of money on high-end blush/eyeshadow/bronzer/lipstick, then look to drugstore brands. Here are some examples of which drugstore brands make great products:blush - NYX, wet-and-wild, e.l.f.
bronzer - NYC, e.l.f.
eyeshadows - wet-and-wild, NYX, Maybelline
lipstick - Revlon, Loreal
lipgloss - NYX
#4: Know Your Return Policies
If you purchase a product that you end up hating or you have a reaction to, make sure you know the return policy of each store you shop at. If you realize you bought a duplicate product or you already have a similar color, then most stores will give you a window of time where you can get a refund if the product isn't opened. If you have an allergic reaction to any cosmetic product, the store you bought it from legally has to return the product. If you hate a product, some stores will let you return it, especially if you are a return customer (more on that later). Other stores have amazing return policies where you can return products for the simple reason that you don't like it. A store like this is Sephora. They have am amazing return policy which makes us more confident buyers because if we don't like a product, we can exchange it for a different one or get our money back.
#5: Try It Before You Buy It
If you aren't sure about a product, you can always ask a beauty consultant to try it on you. Dee does this a lot with foundations because of her tricky skin and also because she is so fair. It really is a shame that some makeup brands just don't make fair-complexion shades :(. But almost any product you can try out in store. For those few that you can't or if your not sure if the lights don't show the true color on you, you can ask for a sample to try out at home. Now, there is a kind of etiquette when it comes to asking for samples. The main one is that you should make a purchase, even a small one, but it isn't a rule. We recently went into Sephora at West Edmonton Mall and a wonderful girl gave each of us three samples of skincare products without us purchasing anything. So if you make a purchase, don't be afraid to ask for samples, especially at Sephora because they can make you a sample of any liquid product. And using a sample at home with the rest of your daily products will give you a better idea of how you like it and will prevent you from wasting your money and time.
#6: Ask For Help
In every store that have skincare or makeup counters there will be specially trained individuals that are there to assist you in making the best purchases. Don't be afraid of asking for help, they know the products better than most and are able to answer most if not all questions or concerns you have. Some will be intimidated by sales staff because they can sometimes be pushy or seam like they just want a sale, but the trick is to find a consultant you like. Try different stores to see if you find any consultants you like or click with. Sephora is always a good choice because they are helpful and are usually really friendly and just want to help. The Beauty Boutique in Shoppers Drug Mart is also an excellent place to try if you live in Canada. The Bay also has some nice staff who are very helpful.
#7: The Benefits Of Being A Return Customer And Developing a Relationship With Your Favorite Beauty Expert.
There are some major benefits to being a return customer at stores and for specific beauty consultants. This is Bee's area of expertise, as well as biggest tip, as she sold cosmetics for years. Often, they can keep a log of the purchases you have made, making it easier to repurchase loved products. They will also get to know your preferences and are better able to recommend products that you will love as well as steering you away from products that just won't work for you. They will also be more accommodating when it comes to returns or exchanges as well as making samples for you or giving you gifts with purchase. They can also give you advanced notice on upcoming sales or exclusive events and will even put away products for you until you can come and purchase them. Overall, having a few key beauty consultants that you like and go to often to purchase your beauty needs will result in products that work best for you, and an overall great experience when purchasing.
#8: If They Have A Reward Program, Buy Your Products There
If you are going to spend the money on beauty or skincare products, and even fragrances, purchase them in stores with reward programs. Higher end products such as Dior, Benefit and Stila are almost always priced the same in all stores and so getting rewards makes them a better deal because you can use the rewards at a later date. Some great reward programs are the Beauty Insider card at Sephora which allows you to collect points on every purchase and when you reach certain thresholds you can use the points to get free deluxe samples or mini products to try out. Another amazing program is the optimum points card at Shoppers Drug Mart. This program allows you to collect points with purchase of almost anything in the store, not just beauty and skincare items, and when you reach certain amounts of point it is converted to a dollar amount that you can use against future purchases, possibly getting beauty or skincare products for free :D. And another great aspect to this program are point specials where you can get enough points for free product with one purchase and also redemption days where your points are worth more money. There are other programs such as The Bay's HBC points, but we are not familiar with this program. But the point is to purchase products at stores with reward programs to get more value for your money. With these 8 tips, you can become a savvy shopper and get the most for your hard earned money.
Good Luck!!
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