Beauty Hacks: How to Get High-End Products for Less

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Look beyond department store makeup counters to save money on high-end beauty products. Learn four tricks for getting beauty products for less. 

Beauty isn’t cheap — a fact you’re no doubt painfully aware of if you frequently buy skincare, hair, and beauty products. In fact, the average American adult spends $722 each year on their appearance, according to a survey by Advanced Dermatology.

Buying beauty products doesn’t have to break the bank, though. Follow these four tips to get high-end products for less.

1. Sign up for a beauty box

If you want to score samples of high-end beauty products, consider a beauty box subscription, like Ipsy (starts at $14 a month for five personalized “deluxe-size” samples) or the Allure Beauty Box (starts around $18 a month for at least six products, including three full-size items).

You can check out new products without shelling out full price. Each box usually includes special promotions for the items featured, so if you find something you like, you can get it for a generous discount.

2. Buy hair extensions from Amazon

Hair extensions and wigs are growing in popularity, both among people who want a quick way to update their look and those who have hair loss due to a medical condition. But buying and installing hair can be expensive. Even buying clip-in or tape-in extensions (typically the cheapest options) directly from your salon will set you back between $100 to $200.

But Amazon has a pretty good selection of clip-in and tape-in extensions in a variety of colors, hair textures, and lengths that are far less expensive than you’d get at a salon. For example, I pay about $64 for two packs of extensions, which is about $100 less than I paid when I bought them directly from the salon, and no one has ever noticed the difference. It’s still a luxury, as I pay my hairdresser around $150 to install them, but I save substantial money by buying them online.

3. Hit up T.J. Maxx and discount stores

Discount retailers T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, and Nordstrom Rack frequently have steep discounts on high-end hair and makeup brands. I’ve found normally expensive brands like Clinique, Milk Makeup, Giorgio Armani, and Stila at T.J. Maxx for a fraction of what I’d pay at a beauty counter.

Stores like T.J. Maxx and Marshalls typically buy high-end products when department stores order too much of a certain item, though occasionally, cosmetics manufacturers will design products specifically for these retailers to test whether customers like them.

These stores aren’t ideal if you’re seeking a specific shade, so they aren’t great for finding the perfect foundation or concealer. But you can find plenty of steeply discounted lipsticks, eyeshadows, mascaras, and skin creams. I’ve also had good luck finding hair-styling tools, like straightening irons and hair dryers, often for less than 50% of the regular price.

4. Use shopping apps and browser extensions

When I’m shopping for anything online, I always use a few shopping tools to make sure I’m getting the best price. Here are a few that have helped me score good deals on cosmetics recently.

Ibotta: Use the Ibotta app to find mostly store-specific offers, then scan your receipt to earn cash back. I recently earned $5 cash back on the $25 moisturizer I regularly use by clicking on an offer for Publix supermarket and scanning my receipt.Rakuten: The Rakuten browser extension and app lets you earn cash back when you shop online at more than 3,500 retailers, including several cosmetics giants. For example, as of this writing, you can get 4% cash back at Ulta Beauty.Capital One Shopping: The Capital One Shopping browser and app will search thousands of coupon codes to ensure you’re getting the best deal on purchases and also offers anywhere from 1% to 10% cash back at a host of retailers. You can’t use both Capital One Shopping and Rakuten at the same time, but it’s worth adding both extensions to your browser to see which one gives you the best deal.

One thing I avoid when shopping for beauty products

When you make a purchase at a department or beauty store, it’s practically inevitable that you’ll be asked to open a store credit card. Though it’s occasionally tempting, I always decline because store credit cards — even ones with a Visa or Mastercard label that you can use practically anywhere — tend to have limited rewards on purchases that you don’t make through the issuing retailer.

Consider using a rewards credit card that offers a higher overall cash back rate on all purchases, even if that means earning a lower rewards rate on beauty purchases.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Robin Hartill, CFP® has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2025 $370 calls on Mastercard and short January 2025 $380 calls on Mastercard. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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