Seal The Deal!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner. Starbucks holiday cups are out. Light-up Hanukkah sweaters have been singing in Target stores everywhere. We all know what this means…

PRESENT TIME!

While the holidays are a time for family, friends, and gatherings, it would be a lie to say that most of us are not at least a little bit excited for the gift exchanges. After all, who doesn’t love a good present after a long, arduous year? Now whether you’re on a tight budget or have a trust fund big enough for Lord Disick to fund his own airline, there is nothing that should stop you from getting great presents for the people you love and from the people you love. Here are a few shopping tips I have for your holiday season!

IN CLOTHING STORES

Remember that beautiful watch your boo was drooling over at the store way back in October? Remember when he didn’t buy it because it was overly expensive?

The beauty of the sale section is that many items in previous seasons are often marked down by the time Thanksgiving rolls around. So when you’re shopping in stores, don’t be afraid of the sales section. Sometimes, the best bargains are hidden there. The only thing I will say is don’t bother digging through sales bins. Those usually contain reject items that people toss in for convenience purposes when ditching them last minute on their way to the registers. Just comb through racks carefully, as fumbling through may cause you to miss something special. You might even be able to find that very watch he wanted! I know I have before. And always remember this: the gift doesn’t need to be limited edition or expensive for it to be perfect for someone you love!

ONLINE SHOPPING

Mesdemoiselles et Messieurs, it’s a crime to pay full price and shipping. In the battle between your wallet and the click of a button, here are the five steps to my Art of War:

1. Sign up for Ebates and UNIDAYS! Then install the Ebates button extension into your browser!
   • Ebates is a cash-back website that offers you rebates on over 1,200 online retailers. If you are on a website that Ebates is partnered with to give you rebates for, it will prompt you to activate your Ebates shopping trip. Think about it… You’re basically being paid to buy gifts ;). Kind of.
   • UNIDAYS gives great discounts to students on many popular websites. Do it.
2. Monitor your favorite items using Shoptagr.
   • This site lets you download a free button as an extension on your browser as well. You track the availabilities or price changes of products you are interested in. Not only will it notify you if something you want goes on sale, it will notify you if a new color or size is available!
3. Check in with designer websites often or sign up for their newsletters to receive emails about sales and deals. Check in with their “factory” or “outlet” stores as well. They often have flash sales and additional sales for their factory, outlet, or sale items. After a while, you start picking up patterns and predicting future sales events.
   • Note: I have a friend who just purchased $1,170 worth of clothing from BCBGMaxAzria for only $168 because there was a 30% off sale and an additional 50% off sale for their factory items. It’s a magical place to be, mes chéries…
4. Always Google search for promotional codes when on popular online shopping websites, like Tobi, Lulu’s Missguided, Asos, Colourpop, NuMe Products, and so forth. Not only do they sneak in a few codes in your emails or at random websites online, they also give many YouTubers promotional codes as well. Comb through some of your favorite gurus’ and bloggers’ description boxes. I guarantee you’ll find yourself a coupon code.
5. Group orders will save you plenty of shipping costs. This is, as long as the items in your order are not gifts to anyone in the group order. Think about how many of you can get Kylie Lip Kits without paying for shipping… Think about it.

LUXURY SHOPPING

Ever heard of LGS? Well. You’re about to be the greatest best friend there ever was. LGS, or Luxury Garage Sale, is an online (and in-store) consignment store that sells both new and lightly used designer items. While some items are still full-priced, many are very lightly used and marked down to a much more affordable price this season. If you’re looking for a special something for a special someone, be sure to browse the site or stores nearby if they’re in your area. You definitely won’t be disappointed at their large inventory.

If you’re shopping in Sephora, Ulta, or any department store because you hope to buy a luxury good for someone without having to eat chicken nuggets for the rest of the holiday season, be sure to check out gift sets. Not only will your loved one get a package of mini luxury items, they can truly try each product to see if they think it’s worth the price tag before splurging. If you’re purchasing sets at Sephora, many of them come with a voucher for a full-size product of any of the items in the set as well!

As you can see, I love my luxury perfume sets…

If you’re strictly looking at makeup products for gifts, palettes are great way to gift something expensive and luxurious to someone at a cheaper price. While the price tags are usually between $30-60, you are guaranteed a gift that is long-lasting, abundant, and high quality.

I wish you all the very best this shopping season! Prepare for battle out there. It’s about to be a clicking and rack-raiding war.

Happy Thanksgiving and bonne chance, mes chéries ;)!

 

-E.