By Ann Nicole Ng
As a self-professed makeup fiend, I sometimes fantasise about receiving plenty of PR boxes from makeup companies. However, I know that I am no beauty influencer. Additionally, it is not financially feasible or responsible of me to spend all my coins on makeup. Nonetheless, I needed to find a balance between my desire to own a truckload of makeup (yes, you may judge me) and my reluctance to part with my hard-earned money (#teamkiamsiap). Hence, I embarked on a quest to find the cheapest ways to buy makeup, and these are the most useful tips I have discovered.
Wait for the Sephora Private Sales
This tip is pretty much a no brainer for fans of Sephora. The private sale occurs twice a year and is usually 20% off all items, exclusively for Black and Gold Card Members. I will usually compile all the items I wish to purchase from Sephora beforehand and then splurge online when the sale arrives. That way, I get to save 20% and not beat the crazy crowd while deciding what to buy during the sale. I know, it takes a bit of patience to wait, and it can be hard if you are dying to try out a newly launched product right there and then. But hey, you can save a lot with 20% off!
Image: Sephora SG Facebook page
Buy Makeup Directly From Brands’ Websites
I know that most of us count on Sephora for our makeup product needs. But sometimes, it is cheaper to purchase directly from the makeup brands’ websites, especially if there is a sale. For instance, a single M.A.C lipstick in Singapore stores costs SGD33. On the contrary, a M.A.C lipstick on the M.A.C United States website costs USD18.50, equating to about SGD25.20. That is SGD7.80 in difference! Once again, it takes patience to wait for the processing and shipping when you purchase products online, but it is always worth the time when money can be saved.
Check Out Website Sales on Instagram
Nothing satisfies me more than stalking an Instagram account that shares makeup brand sales and finding out that a brand I love is having a 30% storewide sale. Some sales occur pretty randomly – long weekend celebration, brand’s anniversary etc – and if you are lucky, you just might encounter a 10-20% sale. Personally, I wait for major holidays (4th of July, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas etc), where companies start to become more generous with their sales. I recommend checking out Instagram accounts like @budgetbeautyguru and @trendmooddeals for the latest updates on sales.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BliV3-7AYA6/?taken-by=budgetbeautyguru
Purchase from International Drugstore Websites
This tip is specifically for those who wish to buy drugstore makeup. To be honest, drugstore makeup in Singapore is not exactly cheap at all, compared to prices in the United States. And because I refuse to spend too much money on drugstore makeup, I looked up U.S drugstores online and am so glad to have found Walgreens – a website that carries tons of popular drugstore makeup brands. To give you a comparison, the L’Oreal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Foundation costs SGD30.90 in Singapore pharmacies, while it only costs USD10.49 = SGD14.30 on the Walgreens website.
Furthermore, there are frequent sales on the website, so you can save even more when you encounter one! It also annoys me when I want to buy a heavily hyped up drugstore product only to find out that it is not available in Singapore. When that happens, I buy it from Walgreens. (I swear I am not paid by Walgreens at all.) For instance, I bought the L’Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara from Walgreens a year before it was released in Singapore.
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