Do you do a lot of beauty shopping during Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

I don’t do much! For the most part, I’m not able to wait too long after a new release to pick up a product, though there are certainly exceptions (very large ranges of permanent products). I am well-stocked on skincare at the moment, too, which would normally be something I might pick up during the month o’ sales.

— Christine

22 Comments

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Natalie Avatar

It depends, but I usually like to get a mix of products I know i like and things I want to try. I often get the holiday sets (sometimes when they go on markdown after the fact hah) to try new things. I’ve gotten new shades of SG eyeshadows the past couple of years and will probably do more this year.

c. blossom Avatar

Not makeup. Promos are treated like inventory plays, which means discounts on things I don’t want. Sometimes I’ll get skincare, if there’s a good deal on something expensive that I already want. Otherwise, I save BF/CM for consumer electronics and small appliances.

Nancy T Avatar

Some years I have taken advantage of it primarily for big ticket items like my Roku TV. And especially when I lived across town and my rent was lower, as was literally everything else up until lately. Due to inflation making it crazy just to get the basics combined with several big purchases near the beginning of this month, this won’t be one of those years.

Ana Maria Avatar

Compared to other people, no. Compared to other months for me, yes.

I keep track of all my beauty items, so I plan big re-stocks from the main brands I shop from (Paula’s Choice, MAC) during that time. Usually I can get 20-30% off during other times of the year, the advantage with Black Friday is that the gifts with purchase and cash backs are more significant.

I do the same with clothing. 😅 I buy from very specific few brands, so Black Friday (and the August sales) are a time when I stagger big purchases.

Dolores Avatar

This is my favorite time of year to purchase makeup with all of the holiday releases. I do look forward to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which will probably end my makeup purchases for the holiday season, and after that, I look forward to the spring releases. Do I need more makeup? Probably not… but it doesn’t seem to deter me from gorgeous holiday collections!

Cara Avatar

I usually stock up on staples during the bigger sales like Black Fri, Cyber Monday and the 2 VIB sales as discounts are often larger than sales throughout the rest of the year.
I have picked up new items from indie brands like Sydney Grace, Devinah Cosmetics and Give Me Glow during their Black Fri sales (and Sydney Grace’s Xmas in July sale) as that’s often the only time of year when they do big discounts.

Genevieve Avatar

It’s not a big deal here in Australia as it is in the States, so I just see what is going on locally. Cosmetic and skincare prices (like everything else) have risen dramatically so you do have to check your prices.
Sephora and Mecca – the two major luxury beauty stores we have here never seem to offer the kind of sales that you have. Usually it’s only on a few items that they can’t shift. And of course the big brands never go on sale….

BrandiD Avatar

I used to do a lot of Black Friday shopping, starting back when the stores would open at 4-5 am on Friday morning. I continued up until the year before Covid, but my interest dwindled each year as the sales reached further into Thursday and my Thanksgiving dinner. At some point in the mid 2010s, all the same deals were available online and all the stores seemed to be repeating their specials anyway so I began to pivot more to online shopping. Now that all my children are grown and primarily want money for gifts, there really isn’t much point. I do plan to watch Ulta’s sales in case they have a deal on my skin care, and I plan to pick up $40 worth of merch at Sephora just so I can hit Rouge for the next year, but then I think I’m going on a low-to-no buy. I just decluttered some old eyeshadows and blushes, and it reminded me that this stuff truly does not last forever.

Laura Avatar

Normally, no. This year, though, I’m waiting to buy a few specific products on sale because I’m trying to be more mindful about spending in general and the sales throughout the year are rarely as good as the ones brands have on their own sites. (I skipped the Sephora sale for the same reason- 10-20% isn’t nearly as impressive when compared to the deep discounts offered if I’m willing to wait.)

Mariella Avatar

Nope. I resent the entire concept of Black Friday sales….this whole artificially fuelled consumerism in a world where, to be honest, most of us have more stuff than we know what to do with even before buying more “stuff”. And I don’t want my American friends to take this the wrong way but, living in Canada and living with the spill over of American culture, this is just such an “American” consumer-frenzy thing that has spilled its way across the border.

Bren Avatar

Hi Christine! Thank you again for your amazing website!!
Since switching to primarily Sydney Grace ‘everything’ and jumping all-in with the Christmas in July sales over the past few years, I don’t need much at all. I do like to find a fun lip set every year. But that’s about it! I am a skincare fanatic at 58yo, but I get great deals from the one-and-only brand I use from their website. And it seems no one around me loves makeup. (I think they are crazy – especially since I have so much I could give away.) LOL
Have a beautiful Thanksgiving and Christmas everyone!

miss.mercurial Avatar

I tend to use price aggregator sites like CamelCamelCamel to track things I want, and I’ll buy if the discounts are good enough, regardless of the time of year. My mom will be in Seoul during the 11/11 sale days though so I’m probably going to spend a bit more this year than usual.

I think I’m most susceptible to yarn sales during BF/CM actually lol. Makeup, not so much.

Caroline Avatar

No, not really. This year there’s going to be a postal strike here in the UK during those crucial times, so that’s another reason not to bother.

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