Skin and Juice

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to save money on beauty stuff. One way to do that is by taking advantage of coupons! Before I go any further though, let me drop this little bit of advice. Don’t abuse your coupons. Yes, the coupons are for consumers to take advantage of, but don’t be greedy. You don’t need to buy 15 papers and print off 26 coupons and wipe the store out of their whole supply of whatever it is you want. Trust me, you can’t use a bagillion liters of shampoo and conditioner before it goes on sale again. No need to go off on the cashier for enforcing store/vendor policy. So just chill. That said…

January is the month that most brands put their cleaning products on sale. That includes everything from shampoo to Clorox. If it involves freshening up or making a fresh start then it’s probably on sale. I scanned my newspaper for deals at my favorite stores and on my favorite brands and here are a few that caught my eye:

Ulta

–       $12:99 shampoo/conditioner: Rusk, American Crew, ArTec, and Wella

–       $14.99 shampoo/conditioner liters: Matrix, Redkin, Abba, AG, Joico, Sexy Hair and Brocato

–       $2-$4.99 nail polish – I bought the whole On Stranger Tides by OPI line for $4.99 each!

Walmart

–       $5 twin packs of Crest Vivid toothpaste (plus coupon in the P&G brandsaver!)

Target

–       $8 Venus Embrace razors/refills (plus coupon in P&G brandsaver!); Target is also offering a $5 giftcard when you buy two        Venus embrace products

–       $4 Dove beauty bar 4-pack

Bath and Body Works

–       Semi-Annual Sale! Includes $3 antibacterial hand soaps and seasonal body care

CVS

–       $3 in Extra Bucks when you buy Schick refill cartridges (coupons on Schick’s Facebook page)

Extras

–       Check your coupon inserts from Sunday’s paper! P&G’s monthly insert went out this week and has coupons for all of their brands (Gillette, Pantene, Olay, Crest, Covergirl, Secret, Aussie, Herbal Essences)

–       Office Depot has good deals on storage bins that can be used to organize cosmetics and toiletries

–       Lots of stores have sales on Crest White Strips (plus the P&G coupon)

–       Lots of stores have sales on water filter pitchers, water bottles, and refills (I got a GE pitcher from The Home Depot for only $4.98!)

I know a lot of people advise against making New Year’s resolutions, but I’m not one of those people. I make resolutions every year. Do I stick with them? Eh, sometimes. But I’m a chronic list-maker so making a list of resolutions is like watching the ball drop. It just wouldn’t be New Year’s Day without it. So without further adieu, here’s the list.

1. make a beauty budget and stick to it: I spend way to much frivolous money on skin stuff, hair stuff, lip stuff, nail stuff, etc. I’m just going to set aside some money every month to buy this kind of stuff and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
2. stick to a hair regimen: I don’t necessarily mean specific products, I just mean washing every week, deep conditioning, moisturizing and sealing, and babying my ends a lil better
3. drink more water: this has been a resolution for like, 10 years now *shrug*
4. get rid of old cosmetics
5. organize cosmetics/skincare/haircare/nail polish
6. eat better: when I say eat better, I don’t mean throwing everything out and eating only organic wheatgrass. I mean cutting way back on fast food and takeout and incorporating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. in my diet
7. stop procrastinating: this is always on my list too…it’s a work in progress