Monday, November 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
MJK beauty blog Entry 2: Beauty for less
Hi everyone! Here are some ideas for enjoying the luxury of beauty without spending a lot (and in some cases, nothing at all).
1. Suggest a swap with friends. We did this at my work. Me and Bri do a nailpolish swap. Chances are one of your friends owns a nailpolish you'd love to wear and vice versa. Instead of buying the color, just have a swap. Borrow the color and let her borrow yours. This way you get a color you love and you don't have to spend any money.
2. Get a cheap "manicure" or "pedicure". I read in Cosmo (and I've noticed this while at the nail salon myself) that when you just go in for a polish change the cost drops. Usually you end up paying $5 for a "manicure" and $10 for a "pedicure". Or you can inquire about specials, too.
3. DIY. Give yourself a mani/pedi. You can buy a bath bomb (via Lush :) and use it as a foot/hand soak. Then file and exfoliate. You can buy a pumice pretty cheap and you'll use it more than once. Also, a nail buffer can usually be purchased for $2 or so, and you'll use it for months. You can also refer to the first option and do a swap with a friend to avoid spending money on a new polish.
4. Have a makeup exchange. Just like the nail polish swap, you'll save yourself some money. Amongst your group of friends, have someone host a makeup exchange and bring all your unused makeup or fairly fresh makeup that you don't wear anymore. Obviously mascara probably shouldn't be included but other things such as pigments, blushes, glosses, and polishes are a great idea. I know there are proper ways to sanitize makeup, so you can google it if you need to.
5. Inquire about sales. Ask your favorite stores if they're having an upcoming sale or check online to see if they're offering things like free shipping or discounts.
6. Check out value sets. Usually around the holiday season brands will have sets with multiples of items such as lipglosses, eyeliners, etc. You and a friend or two can find sets you like and split the items. This way you only get the colors you want, and you're splitting the cost.
1. Suggest a swap with friends. We did this at my work. Me and Bri do a nailpolish swap. Chances are one of your friends owns a nailpolish you'd love to wear and vice versa. Instead of buying the color, just have a swap. Borrow the color and let her borrow yours. This way you get a color you love and you don't have to spend any money.
2. Get a cheap "manicure" or "pedicure". I read in Cosmo (and I've noticed this while at the nail salon myself) that when you just go in for a polish change the cost drops. Usually you end up paying $5 for a "manicure" and $10 for a "pedicure". Or you can inquire about specials, too.
3. DIY. Give yourself a mani/pedi. You can buy a bath bomb (via Lush :) and use it as a foot/hand soak. Then file and exfoliate. You can buy a pumice pretty cheap and you'll use it more than once. Also, a nail buffer can usually be purchased for $2 or so, and you'll use it for months. You can also refer to the first option and do a swap with a friend to avoid spending money on a new polish.
4. Have a makeup exchange. Just like the nail polish swap, you'll save yourself some money. Amongst your group of friends, have someone host a makeup exchange and bring all your unused makeup or fairly fresh makeup that you don't wear anymore. Obviously mascara probably shouldn't be included but other things such as pigments, blushes, glosses, and polishes are a great idea. I know there are proper ways to sanitize makeup, so you can google it if you need to.
5. Inquire about sales. Ask your favorite stores if they're having an upcoming sale or check online to see if they're offering things like free shipping or discounts.
6. Check out value sets. Usually around the holiday season brands will have sets with multiples of items such as lipglosses, eyeliners, etc. You and a friend or two can find sets you like and split the items. This way you only get the colors you want, and you're splitting the cost.
MJK beauty blog Entry 1: Holiday Shopping for less
So, I decided I would try and update my blog at least once a week.
I also read in Cosmo about Free shipping day. Free shipping day is December 17 and there are more than 1,000 sites which participate. Visit http://www.freeshippingday.com/ for more info.
I also read about a great and inexpensive gift you can make for someone. It said if you go to the dollar store and get a few spa items (ie: a loofah, spa towel...) and a small basket, you can make a cute spa gift. I thought it was a great idea because it's thoughtful but affordable. Also, a bath bomb from Lush (yea, sorry I did have to mention Lush :) is a great add on to a small spa gift. Most of the holiday bath bombs are as cheap as $3.95!
I also really love the idea of a tea gift. A girl I work with said she was thinking of going somewhere you can make your own ceramic mug and make one for all her family members. Then she wants to go somewhere you buy tea (example Teavana) and get everyone their own special tea. http://www.teavana.com/.
I thought this was an adorable idea. If you wanted to go a more inexpensive route you could get mugs from the dollar store and get their favorite supermarket brand tea bags. If they're a coffee drinker you could get them a mug and their favorite coffee blend. These are also great and inexpensive secret santa gifts.
Candles are also a great gift. You can find great deals on candles at yankee candle because they always have a candle of the month, and the candle of the month is always on sale for at least 20 % off. http://www.yankeecandle.com/cgi-bin/ycbvp/retail.jsp. Another great place to visit is candles by Victoria, which is an online candle store. They often have deals as well. http://www.candlesbyvictoria.com/cbv/main.html
Another idea: If you have a group of friends and you exchange gifts every year (with all of them) try and get them to do a secret santa. This is where you pull a name from a hat and you get that person a gift. This is more economical because you're not getting several gifts for several people. Then, one of the group members can play hostess and have the group over to exchange gifts. Everyone can bring something for food or drink so you're not spending too much money on going out to eat.
This is the end of my first entry. Hope you enjoy!
Holiday Shopping
So, I thought I would do a blog on holiday shopping and how to score deals, etc.
First, Cosmo (magazine) has very helpful tips on scoring deals online. They first mention cyber Monday, the Monday after black Friday. Lots of sites will offer extra deals and are often greater than black Friday deals. This will be November 29.
Check out these sites for more info:
I also read in Cosmo about Free shipping day. Free shipping day is December 17 and there are more than 1,000 sites which participate. Visit http://www.freeshippingday.com/ for more info.
I also read about a great and inexpensive gift you can make for someone. It said if you go to the dollar store and get a few spa items (ie: a loofah, spa towel...) and a small basket, you can make a cute spa gift. I thought it was a great idea because it's thoughtful but affordable. Also, a bath bomb from Lush (yea, sorry I did have to mention Lush :) is a great add on to a small spa gift. Most of the holiday bath bombs are as cheap as $3.95!
I also really love the idea of a tea gift. A girl I work with said she was thinking of going somewhere you can make your own ceramic mug and make one for all her family members. Then she wants to go somewhere you buy tea (example Teavana) and get everyone their own special tea. http://www.teavana.com/.
I thought this was an adorable idea. If you wanted to go a more inexpensive route you could get mugs from the dollar store and get their favorite supermarket brand tea bags. If they're a coffee drinker you could get them a mug and their favorite coffee blend. These are also great and inexpensive secret santa gifts.
Candles are also a great gift. You can find great deals on candles at yankee candle because they always have a candle of the month, and the candle of the month is always on sale for at least 20 % off. http://www.yankeecandle.com/cgi-bin/ycbvp/retail.jsp. Another great place to visit is candles by Victoria, which is an online candle store. They often have deals as well. http://www.candlesbyvictoria.com/cbv/main.html
Another idea: If you have a group of friends and you exchange gifts every year (with all of them) try and get them to do a secret santa. This is where you pull a name from a hat and you get that person a gift. This is more economical because you're not getting several gifts for several people. Then, one of the group members can play hostess and have the group over to exchange gifts. Everyone can bring something for food or drink so you're not spending too much money on going out to eat.
This is the end of my first entry. Hope you enjoy!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
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