7 Beauty Hacks To Get Beauty Products For Practically Nothing

You are probably getting ready to read this next article on 7 Beauty Hacks To Get Beauty Products For Practically Nothing because you are like me – you want to save money, while pampering yourself…or at least making yourself presentable…on a dime. I get that and that’s why I am sharing this article with you! 

But before we get into the article – I have two teen girls. They saw me writing this post and had their two-cents to contribute to the ideas. 

If you want to get beauty products for practically nothing… you..

1. Ask for it for your birthday
2. Ask for it for Christmas
3. Ask grandma
4. Then ask grandpa
5. Ask dad with caution (you know the healthy skincare products part)

Although their ideas work, this article is meant for the non-teen. 

Women know the value of beauty. As we are growing up and experimenting with our looks, we learn that many of the things we have to do to meet the standard are quite uncomfortable. We burn ourselves on hot flat irons, we pluck away stray hairs, we squeeze ourselves into outfits that are too tight but look fantastic. It might hurt a little, but the payoff is something that many of us are open to taking on in order to achieve that look we have been dying for.

“Beauty is pain” is a phrase many of us women become well acquainted with as we tweeze, pluck and wax ourselves into a new look. We become accustomed to the idea of bearing a few seconds of pain just to look a little more presentable, but the lasting pain can hit our wallets. People are spending more on beauty treatments than they ever have before, with some even financing the cost of the latest palette, or the next big thing. Beauty may occasionally be painful, but it doesn’t have to hit your wallet so hard.

Try these hacks to save big bucks on beauty, and make it a little less painful!

7 Beauty Hacks To Get Beauty Products For Practically Nothing

#1 – Look for the Coupons To Speciality Stores

Many, many stores like Ulta, Bath and Body Works, Sephora, and even Sally Beauty Supply run great bargains throughout the year, and you can absolutely get the best deal if you are willing to take a look. Like all of your shopping ventures, do your research ahead of time and make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck. You can search coupon sites like Savings.com or RetailMeNot for current coupons. Many can even be used from your phone once you access it. 

Another great way to get the coupons is by signing up for your favorite beauty stores’ email mailing, snail mail lists or text messaging. This is a great way to get those coupons because these stores pander to their loyal customers first – the snail mail, email and text subscribers. 

Most of these coupons for the specialty stores are generally for money off your entire purchase – like $5 off $20. So once you have those coupons wait for those blowout sales to stock up on what is going to help you get the look you’ve been longing for. This is a great way to snag super savings! 

#2 – Use Cash Back Apps

Even better, just download a shopping App like Ibotta where you can frequently get $5 off a total purchase too! I recently shopped at Sally Beauty Supply and used a coupon off my total order, but I also got $5 cash back from a $25 purchase. I got a TON of high quality beauty items for $25 that day! 

You can get a $5 cashback bonus for signing up for the Ibotta app through this link here. It is my referral link, which gives our readers that extra cash back. You will get the $5 cash back once you use the app and get your first rebate. 

Dosh is another favorite cash back app. I love this one because all I have to do is make a purchase in-store (not even online) and I get cash back on my purchases, without having to take a picture of my receipt. I just used it yesterday to get 5% back on my purchase at Payless Shoe Source. It records it within minutes and you can cash out at any time! This link for Dosh includes a free $5 cash back for you once you claim your first rebate. 

#3 – Use Cashback Rebate sites for Online Shopping

I have to admit – Amazon kinda ruined online shopping for me. If I can’t get free shipping, I rarely make an online purchase. But it does happen. However, that is just me. 

So I wait for the free shipping from my favorite stores, and then I will make my purchases on the sale/deal items (and even use those coupons if I can), and get my products to me right from the comfort of my own couch. But I can also get a percent of my purchase back simply by clicking to my favorite beauty sites through a site like TopCashBack or Ebates. It’s that easy, just one extra click and money comes back to you!

If you want to use cash back sites for ANY online shopping ANYWHERE, then our two favorite sites are TopCashBack and Ebates. They both are very reputable and we’ve been getting checks from both for many years. Nearly every online store is listed on these two sites for cash back from 2% – 15%. 

Example from TopCashBack

Example from Ebates

 

TopCashBack will give both you and us $5 if you sign-up using this link. So we would sure appreciate it, but I am sure you won’t turn down a free $5, once you get your first rebate. 

Ebates will give you a gift card for joining through this link. 

#4 – Play the Drugstore Game

The drugstore game is one of the most profitable, nearly guaranteed ways of getting everyday beauty products for practically nothing. 

In fact, we played the drugstore game for a few years between 2009 – 2012. Our pantry was filled to the brim with nearly free, free or better than free (meaning we made money buying it!) with toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream, makeup, soap, other hair care products and everything in between in the personal care department. 

It is mid-2018 and we stopped playing the drugstore game sometime in 2012 because we had so much – 6 years ago. We are a family of 8 and during that time, we started finally running out of nearly everything, except we still have some lotion on our shelves!  This was even with giving a ton of it away in our homeless kits, gift baskets and others in need. 

During our pregnancies and after baby was born, we also played the drugstore game for diapers. 

It can be a process to learn how to pull it off, but once you do, the beauty rewards are priceless, literally….

#5 – Look Online for Some New “Online Only” Companies

Just like the internet has been able to help other avenues evolve, the web has helped to revive the beauty industry. Stores like Colourpop and Coastal Scents have major online followings, and they are creating beautiful products at a fraction of the price of department store makeup. Indie brands and startups too have major rewards for following their brand from the very beginning. Take the time to search and find exactly the brand that suits your needs. But you might want to give some of these independent beauty makers and suppliers a good glance to save some big bucks mindlessly! 

#6 – Look for the Dupes

Brands are well aware that everyone is trying to save a buck, and because of that, you see a lot of big name brands being imitated. There is a huge market for online “dupes”, that is makeup that will produce the same effect of what you see in the major brand’s arsenals. That blush that everyone is talking about? Give it a little time, and there will be a dupe out there for it. A palette that all the vloggers are talking about? Shortly after the release, you’ll see the copycats coming out. How do you know if the duplicate is worthy of your time? Youtube! That’s right, there is a huge market for people out on the web doing these types of videos, and you can find their recommendations very helpful.

#7 – Grab a Beauty Box Subscription for an Automatic 75% off (plus extra discounts on the discounts!)

I have to be honest. I don’t like subscription services. You can forget and get caught in a cycle of paying for something you really don’t need. 

However, I tried a beauty box once… It was awesome and I felt like a queen. The value of the products compared to what I paid, really made the items well over 75% off. I truly loved it! I wanted to continue because it was such a nice treat filled with high-end products I would likely never buy myself unless I found them through one of these other tips. But they were also products I didn’t know I needed…err wanted in the first place. That’s the second danger of a subscription box! Discovering new things that you now think you need regularly. 

Despite loving it and despite getting amazing products for 75% off… it still cost me money that I really didn’t need to spend. I like buying exactly what I already use for a high discount – and it is not high-end, but practical. 

So I only got the subscription one time to try a box and see what all of the fuss was about. I believe there are several dozen companies that are offering beauty box subscriptions. As much as I would love to try all of them, I won’t. 

But I tried FabFitFun because it combined beauty with fitness. Again. FANTASTIC! I LOVED it the one quarter I got it. It is actually one of the best boxes from what I read online as you get full-size beauty products, jewelry and fitness tools or products and the price is not bad at only $49 every quarter, compared to companies that send samples for $10 a month or others that have a $25 a month box of just beauty – some samples, some full-size. So I really think I personally picked the best box and averaging only $16ish per month since this one only comes out once a quarter.

However… another reason why I only got one box was that my first box was only $19.99 with coupon code GOALS through this link HERE not $49 (quarterly). THUS it was an amazing deal. So you can try it too and at least spoil yourself for one quarter. 

It was an enjoyable treat for that one quarter. If we didn’t have other financial priorities, this might be one of the first things I would do for myself. 

Here’s some pictures of my one and only box FabFitFun (for $19.99) box which was truly fabulous and fun!

 

If you want to get some high-end beauty products for 75%ish off and try some new things regularly, then here are some popular subscription boxes (some with first time discounts):

• FabFitFun HERE and take the price from $49 down to $19.99 with coupon code: GOALS
• BirchBox is one of the top favorites from many reviewers as it is only $10 a month, but all of the products are sampler size. However still a great value. Get BirchBox HERE and the first month use coupon code: BLENDME for a BeautyBlender with your first month.
• Play! By Sephora is a popular one that comes from Sephora with tons of beauty samples for $10 a month. This one claims to have in-store coupons too. Get Play! By Sephora for $10 HERE. 
• I really think I would like this next one – Glossy Box looks like just the beauty part of FabFitFun. It’s a monthly service for $21 and you can get the first month for only $16.80 at GlossyBox HERE with coupon code: JET20
• Julep is another one that many rave about. It includes full size products like FabFitFun. If you commit to three months, you can get it for $19.99 a month HERE, otherwise it is $24.99 a month. 

Again, all of these claim that you are getting a 75% off value. I’ve only tried FabFitFun, but I would love to hear your thoughts on this pampering, easy way to save and splurge on beauty! 

In the end, your look doesn’t have to come at the expense of financial health. Do your research, find a coupon or cash back, get on YouTube, and find out what is going to give you the most bang for your buck. Before you know it, you’ll be styling AND saving.

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