It seems like every day there’s a new beauty brand, collection, or collaboration dropping. We’ll admit it can be hard to resist their allure when they hit shelves (you gotta love those limited editions), but they can quickly wear out your wallet if you’re not careful.
“With the start of summer, shoppers are eager to get the latest and greatest beauty products from some of their favorite brands and retailers,” Sara Skirboll, RetailMeNot shopping and trends expert,says. “Prices tend to drop after new collections have been on the shelves a few weeks or months, so waiting can save some dollars.”
For Skirboll’s best tips to save big bucks, keep reading.
1. Time to get shopping. Meaning that those summer collections that hit shelves in April are likely to be discounted right now as well as any of the spring essentials you might’ve missed earlier in the year. In fact, there are even more opportunities to score more discounts toward the end of the month. “With the seasonal switch to summer, retailers will have already started to roll out deals on older collections and items by June,” Skirboll says.
RetailMeNot’s data notes that the third week in June (aka now) is a great time to buy things like eyeshadow palettes, beauty tools, and even beauty devices like Clarisonic brushes (the brand offered 40 percent off select devices last year). And if you need to stock up on summer skincare, Skirboll says your best bet is to wait until the end of the month in order to save.
2. Shop in-store holidays. While we might mark our calendars for the release dates of the latest collaboration to drop, it’s also important to add in alerts for retailer holidays “where shoppers can score deep discounts on products and members get exclusive access to limited time offers on the site,” according to Skirboll. Think the Victoria’s Secret semi-annual sale, which is slated to kick off this month, and, of course, Amazon Prime Day 2018, which is expected to kick off on July 10 but whose offers tend to pop up as early as this month. But that’s just a few of the many ways you can save before adding an item to your cart.
3. Follow your favorites. Skirboll suggests following your favorite beauty brands on social media to score exclusive discounts. “They oftentimes share exclusive offers for their followers and post about sales ahead of time,” she says, noting that you also sign up for their emails to get notified about their sales and score additional discount codes.
“Additionally, we recently launched in-store cash-back, which allows shoppers to redeem in-store cash-back offers by simply downloading the RetailMeNot app and displaying the cash-back offer to cashiers at any of RetailMeNot’s top retailers,” Skirboll explains, pointing out that stores like Macy’s, H&M, Home Depot, and more are participating in the cash-back program.
4. Stack your savings. Another way to get what you want for way less: Stack your savings. “Combine offers or coupons with discount gift cards for your favorite retailers,” Skirboll says. “For example, purchase a $100 gift card to Macy’s for $90. That’s $10 of savings you can pair with an existing 30 percent off your entire purchase offer.”
With all of those savings available, there’s debate on where the discounts might show up the most: the sales themselves or the shipping. “If you are making a large purchase of a combination of different kinds of products (e.g., makeup, skincare, fragrances), a 40 percent off sale will get you a lot further than free shipping will,” she explains. “On the other hand, if you are making a smaller purchase of less than $30, free shipping is a great way to save an additional $5-$15 on that purchase.”
So whether you’re snapping up the season’s major must-haves or even getting your holiday shopping started extra-early, you can consider this month to be the start of savings season.
What beauty buys are you planning to pick up this month? Let us know @BritandCo!
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