The Truth About Buying Makeup Online

Unless you are a complete makeup junkie (like myself) I always advise people against buying makeup online for a few reasons:

1) Unless you are buying from a trusted authorized seller or the company itself there is no way to prove you are not getting counterfeit merchandise.  If the price sounds too good to be true most likely it is.  EBay is the place most people get burned.  The only exception to this rule is NYX because it is so hard to find in stores.  I do buy that on ebay but only from one seller.

2) The color often is not what it appears on the screen.  If you wear almost every part of the rainbow and don't so much care if a color is off from what you thought you can skip this reason.  Many however stick only to the colors they are comfortable working with so any slight change totally ruins their makeup routine.

3) Sizes of products actually appear different in real life.  Lets get real the average person does not know what .17 oz of product looks like compared to .37.  Get my drift..

4) Never buy MAC from anywhere but the store itself, their website www.maccosmetics.com, or the high end department store counters & website.  9/10 it will be fake from anywhere else.

If none of these rules apply to you, by all means go and save those few dollars by ordering online.  Some of the best places ( and really the only places I shop) are:

HauteLook which is an invite member only daily sale network. They usually have deals you could NEVER beat anywhere.  Join here for free: http://www.hautelook.com/invite/NSci154 . You always know that the items are fresh, authentic, & order will come correct.  The downside is the shipping time (usually no less than 2wks) and the sales only last usually 2days and then its new products & they tend to sell out very, very fast (there is a method to HauteLook that I have perfected that I will share in another post, stay tuned this week)

Ulta- It is just like Sephora however the only difference is they sell both prestige cosmetics and drugstore brands so you get the most out of your shipping cost.  Also, they ALWAYS have good sales...and samples with every order..YAY!!

Sephora- Speaks for itself.  Authentic, great customer service, fast shipping, and pretty decent deals....lets not forget the samples

MAC- some people love and worship MAC.  Yes, the products are great but they almost NEVER have sales...so unless its the holidays or they have a new product I must have, its usually a deal-breaker for me.  I have found dupes to most of their items so I'm happy. 

ROCK AND REPUBLIC COSMETICS 80% OFF MAKEUP SALE TODAY (link bellow)!!!

Yes, ladies the makeup Gods are being extremely good to us this week.  We not only have had the Vincent Longo sale now we have Rock and Republic.  For those unfamiliar with it...lets just say its a few steps up for all you MAC fans.  We all love MAC and they do produce some of the best products but the key to a great makeup collection is variety.  What's better than variety at a bargain price. 

Their all natural brush set which retails for $301 yes, over three-hundred dollars is now on sale on HauteLook for $60
Eyeshadows retail $28 now $8.40
Their individual brushes that range from over $60 to about $30 are now on sale for steal prices as low as $6.01 a brush.  I mean you really can't beat that.

As you guys know I'm the queen of cheap but quality so I just thought I would share for all you makeup lovers.  Follow my link to get in on the members only savings... and yes the queen of cheap speaking: ITS FREE...http://www.hautelook.com/invite/NSci154

I promise Rock & Republic will never let you down.  Warning: these items do go extremely fast

Until next time divas :)

How to get MAC quality brushes for less

So everyone doesn't have the money to fork out $20+ per brush, but don't worry there is a solution.  Check out your local craft store.  Yup, you heard right the craft store.  There are many complete dupes to MAC brushes and guess what most are under $5.  Here I will tell you 5 essential brushes that will completely take your makeup look to a new level.  Loew-Cornell are the best painting brushes on the market so of course it would be the same quality for makeup.  They are made from 100% natural hair and the same quality (if not better to your MAC brushes).   So you ask what is the difference in the MAC brush and the Loew-Cornell Dupe...only one thing the handle is about an inch longer...the quality of brush still the same.

(on top regular makeup brush & below Loew Cornell for you to see small length difference)

5 Essential brushes:

Loew-Cornell Maxine Mop 1' (known as the dupe to MAC 134 or 136) great for your mineral makeup $11.99
Loew-Cornell Maxine Mop 3/8 (known as dupe to MAC 139) eye brush $3.99
Loew- Cornell Maxine Mop 1/4 - (MAC 228 dupe) Mini shader brush good for eye and can be used for conceler as well $3.49
Loew-Cornell 3/4 (MAC 216 dupe)- multi purpose brush - good for mineral blush, concealer, and can be used on larger eyes $4.99
Loew- Cornell 1/2 (MAC 252 dupe)- eye brush $4.99

(Loew-Cornell brushes)

When I went to purchase they were sold out of many of the other dupes as well as the Maxine Mop 3/8 (listed above).  I also purchased and got 40% off one and buy on get one free on 2 others...so the price at Michael's is always lower than the listed price just go with a coupon.  In total for the 4 brushes I own I paid $22.24 including tax...at MAC I would only have gotten 1 brush for that price. 
Below I will list some of the other known dupes you can find in your local craft store, but the ones below I have not tried for myself.

(L) loew cornell 277 round mop wood handle- MAC 129

(XXL) loew cornell 277 round mop wood handle- MAC 150

#8 American painters 2500 filbert clear w/glitter handle- MAC 194

#4 American painters 2200 fan clear w/glitter handle- MAC 205

1/4 royal soft grip sg160 clear w/blue tip handle- MAC 208

10/0 American painter 2650 spotter clear w/glitter handle- MAC 209 or 311

#6 royal soft grip sg255 clear w/blue tip handle- MAC 211

#6 American painters 2450 chisel blender clear w/glitter handle- MAC 212

1/4 loew cornell amm mini mop green handle- MAC 217

#10 royal soft grip sg255 clear w/blue tip handle- MAC 219

(M) royal soft grip sg999 clear w/pink tip handle- MAC 225

1" royal soft grip sg1400 clear w/pink tip handle- MAC 227

(S) royal soft grip sg995 clear w/pink tip handle- MAC 231

#10 royal soft grip 3020 clear w/orange tip handle- MAC 249 

3/8 royal soft grip sg160 clear w/glitter handle- MAC 263

1/4 American painters 2440 angular clear w/glitter handle- MAC 266

3/8 American painters 2400 angular clear w/glitter handle- MAC 269

1/4 royal soft grip sg393 clear w/pink tip handle- MAC 272

3/8 royal soft grip sg393 clear w/pink tip handle- MAC 275

#8 royal soft grip sg170 clear w/blue tip handle- MAC 316


Until next time divas... :)