My Favorites

I love trying new products. To do this, without spending a lot of money, I take advantage of several beauty programs.

What I love about it: I make a majority of my makeup purchases from Sephora. Sephora carries a wide variety of high-end cosmetics along with their own brand – which is very reasonably priced and good quality. They also have  a customer rewards program where you can earn points for every dollar spent. Points can be exchanged for a sample products (100 points per product). They usually have 2-3 samples to choose from. Additional perks come once you become a V.I.B. Program members also receive a free birthday gift. I also like that they carry a lot of sample size items (conveniently located near the check-out counter) which is another great way to try a product without spending a ton of money.

What I love about it: Ulta carries many high-end cosmetic brands (although not as many as Sephora) but also carries brands typically found in drugstores – Maybelline, Revlon, etc. Like Sephora, Ulta also offers a customer reward program (they are launching new program at the end of February). They mail out store flyers frequently and they usually include a $3.50 off coupon (on qualifying purchases) – who doesn’t like to save a little money! Ulta also has a great selection of top-of-the-line hair care products and tools. Like Sephora, Ulta carries a lot of sample size items (also located near the check-out).

Ipsy

What I love about it: It’s like Christmas every month with Ipsy. Based on the profile you establish, Ipsy sends out a cosmetic bag full of goodies (five to be exact) to fit your skincare, hair care and makeup needs. Ipsy requires a monthly subscription of $12 per month. I’ve had the opportunity to try some great products via my Ipsy, and the value of all the items exceeds the monthly subscription fee. Ipsy is a great way for me to try products before I buy them. Of course, some of the products I get are not really of interest to me (not my color or preference). I save all the items I’m not interested in trying and donate them to a local non-profit – so I know they are still going to good use.