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If I’m buying a LOT of a line, e.g. 20 lipsticks at $38 each, and if it isn’t a “drop everything” kind of priority level, then I will try to wait for some sale – like $50 off $250 or 10% off.
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I have a lot of makeup at this point, so something has to be an item I will absolutely use and fill a niche I don’t have or need to replace. List price makes a difference – the lower the price, the less likely I will wait for a sale. I try to buy staple products during sales to make higher end products more affordable.
And I’ve been “burned” by not waiting – I bought an eyeshadow palette from NARS not too long ago that everyone raved about, but I didn’t “need.” I eventually bought it (and enjoy it), but it went on clearance shortly after I paid full price, which reinforces only buy what you NEED at full price for me.
Sales are so common now that I wait for a sale or coupon for everything.
But I always buy on sale… 😅
There’s a 20% off or more sale on most website I purchase from every 2-3 months. Since I track my cosmetics, I just plan around those and stock up.
But theoretically I would wait for a sale for items I don’t consider mandatory or essential. If I’m out of foundation or mascara, I’m buying one full priced ASAP. If I need to replace a blush shade, I’m using others in my collection until the next sale.
Mainly, willpower. Which is something I lack most of the time when it comes to whatever it is that I’m obsessing over at the moment (makeup, perfume, books, tarot decks, musical instruments…). If I suspect something I really want will not be available for much longer, then I will buy it without waiting for the price to go down.
I can’t afford to buy products at full price, so I basically have to wait for a sale if I’m going to buy anything. And if there is no sale for what I’m needing, I go without.
Mostly just for Luxury or other very expensive products; ie, PML Mothership or large Natasha Denona palettes, my HG Paul Mitchell S & C, or Drunk Elephant Protini Peptide moisturizer.
And sometimes, also something that I love the look of, but perhaps it didn’t get the best reviews or it’s gotten wonderful reviews, but is quite basic? Hope that makes sense!
Everything. I’m aware of the ludicrous markup on products that are made, essentially, out of inexpensive filler. I don’t purchase things at full price because they simply aren’t worth it.
I’m confused and concerned. There are fillers in my cosmetics? What are they? Are there ingredients that should be of concern that constitute ‘fillers’ ? Can you explain more because I’ve googled fillers and I only find injectable fillers. Thanks !
I think about my budget vs how much I’ll use the product vs how much the product costs vs if I think its worth the price at all. A lot of brands have a lot of sales these days, sometimes even if I think a product is worth it at full price I’ll still wait for a sale. But if something is absolutely over priced in my eyes I wont buy it unless it goes on sale and the sale brings it down to what I think is a reasonable price. The new Haus Labs highlighters are a perfect example of a product that is so extremely over priced for what it is but I was really impressed by the shades when swatched that if they eventually go on sale for around $30 or less I might be tempted.
I do sometimes wait for a beauty product to go on sale before I purchase it if it is really expensive – like a PMG palette or skincare item. Quite often our budget beauty shops here in Aus (which only have the DS brands of cosmetics, but have quite a range of skincare items) have major sales and I do stock up on skincare items – Weleda, A’kin, Trilogy, Antipodes etc.
I also purchase my foundation preferences when on sale as well (they are quite expensive here too) – L’Oreal’s True Match foundation and Flower Beauty. Occasionally Sephora has a sale here – but nothing like the Sephora sales in the US and I may purchase something there too.
My favourite Maybelline lipsticks and mascaras – I stock up when on sale as well. Ozsale, an Australian online retailer often has cosmetic bargains – that is the way I purchased my Shiseido Visionary Gel lipsticks -$14 each as agains $43 in Mecca.
For the majority of my eyeshadow palettes – most of them have been at full price because I just didn’t want to miss out.
I wait for the Sephora sale to buy Gucci lipsticks or if Tom Ford has one I have an eye on, I’ll wait.
If it’s something I want to try but I think the brand is overpriced, like Patrick Ta for example, or if the item is expensive because it’s a jumbo size or a set then I’ll wait for a sale/discount code.
Everything will be on sale at some point, and I never need anything so urgently that I cannot wait for it. Even products that were so hyped up and would allegedly never go on sale ended up on sale at some point. What helps me is to remind myself that it would not change anything in my life if I had this specific product a couple weeks earlier or later – I don’t wear makeup everyday, and rarely use the same product every time I do my makeup, and right now for example I want to get a blush that I’ve heard people say needs a bit of time to figure out the best way to apply, so I would probably also not use it for work since I’m lazy in the mornings. So best case, I wear it maybe five times before I can find it for a better price. These five times are not worth paying more than I have to to me.
Also I don’t buy on sale if the sale is not real. Some shops increase the price just before sales to trick consumers which is one of my biggest pet peeves. For more expensive products that I repurchase often I check the lowest prices in the last months and compare with what I paid last time etc.
Seems like a lot of work but it helps to keep my spending down – I used to spend a lot of money on makeup which is fine if you have the budget. But I definitely did and do not lol
If it’s very expensive and I don’t really need it (but REALLY like it).