Shopping The (blog) Sales: A Guide

Blog sales are a great way for trying out products you may be unsure about without having to pay full price, you can also pick up high end products cheaply in blog sales and in my experience I haven't yet had an issue with buying from bloggers.

I'm crazy for blog sales. Buying beauty products at discounted prices from like minded people? You can't go wrong. Recently I've picked up a MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, two OPI polishes and a Hoola Bronzer (actually from a bloggers Ebay but I wanted to show you which bronzer I opted for after THIS post). 

MAC Paint Pot in Vintage Selection. 


The top has barely been dented in this baby, yet I only paid a fiver for the whole tub! Should I have purchased this new, it would've cost me £9 more than I paid.... 


Another good thing about blog sales is you can pick up discontinued or limited edition shades. 'Vintage Selection' was released in a collection in January 2011, however I never managed to get my paws on it. You can imagine my glee when this gem popped up in a blog sale.

OPI Nail Laquers in 'Isn't That Precious?' and 'Parlez-Vous OPI?' 


These full sized bottles set me back a mere £3 each, which considering both bottles are over 3/4s full, is a bargain of gigantic proportions! 


Can wait to try these Spring babies out!

Benefit Hoola Bronzer


Okay, I actually got this off a bloggers Ebay, but I still wanted to show you as I wouldn't have found it without blogger and I also wanted to sum up which bronzer I chose after my 'Battle of The Bronzers' post.


I paid £8.50 for this genuine, benefit Bronzer NEW with the brush.... Win.

Blog Sale Pros:


+ Cheap products which have often been barely touched.
+ Can pick up discontinued or Limited Edition shades.
+ Easier than the stressful bidding on Ebay!
+ Easier to contact seller should there be an issue.
+ More reliable than Ebay in terms of brand genuineness.


Blog Sale Cons:


-If its gone, its gone.
-No buyer protection
-Products are second hand
-Products may have been used. 


My Tips:


1) Use hash tags on twitter, tags on Tumblr and Key Words on Hellocotton to track blog sales. This way you can be sure you'll be first in line for any products.


2) Don't buy something you may not want or need, purely because its a good deal- someone else may REALLY want it and you'll save yourself some pennies.


3) If a blog sale is international, check the conversion rate and P&P to ensure you are still getting a good deal if a product is coming from abroad.


4) Check the usage of a product- is it still worth it?


5) Make sure you wash any brushes, lip or eye products before applying to skin. You can do this by dipping applicators or lipstick bullets into alcohol solutions and rubbing away the top layer. For pan products simply wipe away the top layer using a cotton pad dipped in alcohol solution.




Enjoy!


Amy x