A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

So, did any of you spendy lot save some pennies last week with Organic Surge’s extravaganza of a sale?  I just thought I’d pop a little PSA up for those of you who missed it… because I logged on last night, and the sale is still live!  According to the brand’s Twitter account, it was supposed to finish last Friday… with most products now out of stock.  Except, they’re not… and it hasn’t!

So my dearest beauty beans, consider this your last chance to stock up on some seriously lovely goodies at up to 75% off.

01: Million Dollar Brown Sugar Body Polish (£32, now £8)

02: Gentle Cleansing Lotion (£5.99, now £1.50)

03: Daily Care Face Wash (£5.49, now £2.74)

04: Super Rich Body Butter (£22.50, now £11.25)

05: Million Dollar Anywhere Balm (£22.50, now £11.25)

06: Super Smooth Salt Scrub (£32, now £8)

I don’t know about you but it’s hard not to see the potential of stocking up not only your own bathroom cabinet but the pressie box for all of those last-minute “oh shite, I forgot to buy her a present!” moments.  Not that we ever have those, I’m just sayin’.

The lovely Fee at MakeupSavvy also reports on a free delivery code (NEWDEL) to make those bargains even more tempting… I haven’t tried it but the comments suggest that it works without a glitch.

Did you splash out on the sale yet?  Fancy a last ditch attempt at bagging the bargains?

Nothing gets me excited like a Space NK sale.

You see, I am not a woman of considerable means so I will always clap like a seal and skip like a munter at the thought of actually being able to afford the kind of treats that usually wrack me with stomach-churning guilt whenever I buy them.

Space NK have just released their (up to) 50% off sale page online, I don't know what it's like in store… our nearest is a 40mins+ drive away.  I also don't know if I'm buying yet… it's my birthday next month and I've already splashed some cash on another Sara Berman bag (my third), plus a cheeky StrawberryNET and Fragrance Direct order.  GOD SPACE NK, YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME YOU WERE HAVING A SALE SOONER!

Anyway, if I do partake… here are my top picks, I wouldn't get all of them… but this is my shortlist!

01: Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow in Mystere looks like an awesome Autumn/Winter shade that would either turn me into Snow White or simply exaggerate my ruddiness… I'm undecided.  I love the formula but the colour may work better on someone less naturally red-cheeked. (£19 £9.50, SpaceNK)

02: I'm a sucker for a neutral metallic and Space have put some lovely Rococo Nail Apparel shades in the sale.  This one in Mysterioso is calling me… especially at that price! (£12 £6, SpaceNK)

03: Everyone sorted for eye-cream?  I'm not.  I haven't found one that I like and as the clock ticks on, it's the one place that I'm really starting to notice a bit of age creeping in you know? I could quite easily panic buy this Reviving Anti-Wrinkle Fluid for Eyes from Skeen… I don't know much (anything) about them but the retinol sure sounds good! (£33 £16.50, SpaceNK)

04: It's always a good idea to buy off-season and there's no harm in preparing ourselves for the (inevitably) cold winter ahead.  Elemental Herbology's Wind and Cold Therapy promises to be the business for hands, cuticles and lips. Fail to prepare and prepare to fail! Or something… (£19 £9.50, SpaceNK)

05: Miller Harris is one of my favourite perfumers and La Fumée is one of my favourite Winter scents.  Gloriously smoky and reminiscent of Bonfire Night it's a cracking EdP and although I don't need to replace my bottle just yet… this price makes me wish that I did!  (£95 £47.50, SpaceNK)

06: It wouldn't be a SpaceNK sale without a bit of nicely-priced ByTerry would it? Now, while more than anything… I would have loved to see some Or de Rose Elixir Extreme pop up on the sale pages… it hasn't.  And so I'd happily content myself with some ByTerry Colour Skin Enhancer instead.  What it does, I don't really know… I just know that I've got the wantsies.  (£64.50 £32, SpaceNK)

07: Finally, and probably my most-lusted-after item from the sale is this Sniff Scented Candle from R Nichols.  A bit of a strange lust perhaps but you see, I bought one of these (not this scent) in their Winter sale and it blew me away.  I want all of the beautifully illustrated R Nichols candles.  And as for this scent, well…. leather and woods… need I say more? (£40 £20, SpaceNK)

None of the free delivery codes I've found work anymore but if I find anything, I'll be sure to update this post… otherwise, there's the standard 6% cashback on Quidco.

What are you lusting after from the SpaceNK sale pages this time around?

Not the classiest way of putting it, but it’s a simple fact of life that people love a bargain.  The killer spring in your step that can only be achieved from walking away with a bagful of goodies you KNOW you couldn’t have afforded at pre-sale prices.  Cheers to that.

My favourite brand for killer sales is Paul & Joe.  Specifically in the Fenwicks store on Bond Street – which in itself, is one of my favourite places to shop in London.  Come sale time, I will physically not leave the city until I’ve walked around it seven times and once more for luck.  I’m still haunted by the fact that some HORRIBLE woman beat me to the last sale bottle of Calamity Jane (JHAG) when I was last in-store.  It all happened in slow-mo — in fact, I think I may have let out a slow-mo “Noooooooooooooo!” as I watched her walk away with my dream.  Bitch.

Anyway… where was I?

Oh yeah, sale goodies.  Some brands are tight as…  while others announce their sales with great flourish.  My favourites are the ones that just silently slip last seasons goodies into a little box on the counter and let you get on with it.  Guerlain are awesome at this.  Lancome, getting better.  The rest?  Well, you can pretty much forget it.

Is it just the case that the brands who don’t put aside last season’s items simply don’t have any stock left?  Or do you think it’s a status ‘thing’.  Do you think it cheapens a brand’s image as ‘high end’ if it discounts their products?

I think it is undoubtedly a question of status but in these cash-strapped times, a real shame that some brands don’t have the foresight to be clever enough to attract new customers in this manner.  There’s no need for all ‘bargain bins’ to look like the ones in Superdrug — you know, you need a hazmat suit to go near those right? — I strongly believe that all brands can do discounts without cheapening the brand image.

And would it pay dividends for the brands in question?  I think so.  From a personal point of view… I started small.  I lived in my local chemist, hoovering up the bargain pencils from Collection 2000, a few months later… as my interest in beauty grew, I moved onto the Revlon.  It’s like drugs.  You know you’re gonna eventually end up on the hard stuff (Chanel) with a bit of puff (BarryM) inbetween to keep you high*.  You just need your dealer to give you that first taste.

And just because drugs and porn** go so delightfully well together (so I’ve heard), I’ll leave you with a little makeup version.  Three exquisite Paul & Joe beauty items, under £25…

Which brands get you running for their sale items and which brands would you give your eyeliner-applying arm to see throw some old stock in a discreet discount box?

* in my experience, brands absolutely love being compared to class A drugs.

** pornography works well too.

I’m on a little self-imposed no buy… it’s not time-limited, it’s more ‘sale’ limited.  I’ve splurged over the last few weeks.  First in the Harrods Beauty Hall (whoop, whoop sales!), then at MAC (bloody In The Groove) and then courtesy of some lovely Shu Uemura on Goss’ blog.  Yeah, I’ve been a little too tempted recently… and that doesn’t even include a few online shops and 1 or 2 sneaky counter stops.

So, what’s the best cure for a woman with shopaholic tendencies?

A great big internet-wide Summer Sale of course!!!

Nnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

That’s the sound of me physically restraining my fingers from whipping out the debit card.

Seeing as I’m not allowing myself to physically “checkout” the various things in my basket, I’m putting them here instead… it’s therapy.

Here’s my top buys from the various Beauty Sales around at the moment.

1. The only thing that tempts me on HQHair at the moment is this Urban Decay Preen Palette marked down to £12 from £18 – That’s £2 a shadow, not even including the 24/7 pencil!  You gotta love beauty spending justification maths right? 😉

2. Second up is an item from one of my favourite beauty sites BeautyBay.com, they mostly have awesome sales and I’m not disappointed this time round.  Becca eye shadows with a 70% saving?  I’ll have Chintz, Jacquard and Shantung please… no one wants the white one.

3. Another BeautyBay.com temptress is this Paul & Joe lipstick in 20.  I initially though, “Oh… it’s one of them dark, grungy colours that no one really wants”, but it’s called Milk Chocolate… and I reckon it’s probably a nice sheer cocoa.  Probably.

4. BeautyExpert only had one thing I’d take a flutter on… (get it!) – Every girl needs a pair of Shu Uemura feather lashes right? RIGHT?  This pretty pair can be yours for a very reasonable £13.50…. again, I say… NnnnGGGGHHHH!

5. ASOS, YOU BASTARDS!  Oh my god… I’ve been checking your sale pages for weeks and now I’m on a nooooooooo-buy, you go and update!  Check this out!  Everyone wanted a bit of Illamasqua Jo’Mina Nail Polish right?  Well, now it’s on sale at nearly half price!  Well… nearly…

oh… Baptiste is also up there… *bites knuckle and sobs*

6. Also reduced on ASOS… By Lauren Luke… £10 off each palette.  My Vintage Glam was the one that caught my eye back when they were released.  £25 was a teeny bit too steep for me… £15?  Rip your arm off.

So there’s my virtual shopping list… I’m so freakingly dreadfully tempted by the ASOS stuff… even some of the BarryM lippies are up there for £2.50 each.  I may console myself with one of those instead.  Or you may be seeing a slightly larger haul post next week.  Stay tuned.

If you buy anything, let me know…. I can take it!