Big Lots Haul - and Reminder

I had a bit of a haul today in Big Lots. I bought a lot of boring stuff: cereal, more velvet hangers, a mattress pad that made me so excited I tweeted about the deal (it's that good), Gatorade, and other household necessities. But there was some fun stuff in the loop. I think I did pretty well, especially since today only Big Lots is having another 20% day for rewards members so everything was an additional 20% off - they do this every few months which is nice. And I was quite restraint considering there was a lot more goodies to be had.

I wouldn't say this is super exciting, but most girls need razors and these are a pretty decent deal at $3.20 for 4. I'm pretty sure these razors are discontinued but I have a few of the "tails" around from when they've been at sale at the local drugstores over the years.

Usually, I don't have the patience to go digging in the cosmetic aisle, but I found a whole bunch of Maybelline for $1.50 a piece (or $1.20 after discount). I picked up 3 of the stylish smokes trios (Lavender Smokes, Plum Smokes, Emerald Smokes) which I believe are discontinued but retailed for around $5 or $6 at the drugstores. If I remember correctly, they were rather favorably received when they were still available for purchase.

Next are 3 blushes that I believe came out in their Spring 2012 Limited Edition collection (per Nouveau Cheap's first look). These were probably around $5 or $6 at the drugstore but once again, they were only $1.50 a piece (or $1.20 after discount) at Big Lots! I picked up Champagne Blossom, Pink Peony and Coral Blossom.

I also found this gem, the Maybelline Eye Studio in Spirited Seas for $1.50 (or $1.20 after discount). These eye studio quads usually retail for $9.99. I was looking for more colors but only found this shade. Very excited about this one.

Last but certainly not least, I picked up a pack of the Epielle wipes in the Green Tea scent which I've never tried. These are usually $1.00 per pack which is a bargain but these were only .80 after coupon. ;)

Have you been to Big Lots recently? What did you score?

How To: Big Lots

It's been awhile since I've had a "How To" post here but with the questions I got on my last post, I would share my tips and tricks for shopping at stores like Big Lots (Dollar Tree, Christmas Tree Shoppes, Family Dollar, etc). Actually, some of my advice will be similar to what I recommended on my How To: Ebay post but since you can actually see the products in stores like Big Lots, you are actually at an advantage.

1. Learn Packaging You are likely not looking out for fakes in stores like Big Lots but before buying your favorite body moisturizer, do a bit of research and make sure you are buying something in current packaging. Both drugstore and higher end lines change their packaging every few years and so it should be fairly obvious what is current stock and what you should pass over.
2. Check Expiration Dates For items that tend to put expiration dates on their products, check them before buying! This includes non-cosmetic items as well. However, I also want to point out that I check expiration dates everywhere, not just at stores like Big Lots. Plenty of regular retail stores accidentally put expired stock on the shelves, or accidentally keep stock that doesn't sell well past the expiration date.
3. Nail Polish Is Safe Unless you are worried about wearing nail polish with the Big-3, you can safely buy nail polish at practically any discount warehouse type of store. Nail polish doesn't expire and if it is thick, can be easily restored with nail polish thinner (not remover!). Scrangie has an excellent post about restoring nail polish which is a must-read.
4. Is It Really A Deal? This is a big one. I think there's always the likelihood to overspend at places like Big Lots because you may think you are getting an amazing deal just because the product is in a store like Big Lots to begin with. But often times, items are not priced significantly below drugstore sale prices and really aren't worth buying. Take a Maybelline mascara, for instance. It might be priced at $4 at Big Lots but the same mascara was just on sale at the drugstore for $4 and you can likely use a manufacturers coupon (manufacturers coupons aren't allowed at Big Lots) bringing the price down further. And recently, I saw a Wet n Wild trio in Big Lots for $2.80 when they retail for only $2.99. Wait for any sale and you'll pay less at the drugstore.
5. Powder Products It takes much longer for a powder product to expire, so I rarely decide not to purchase something I'm interested in if the price is good. Obviously use common sense and make your own guidelines when it comes to taking chances with products that don't have expiration dates. It could have just been overstock from a local drugstore that was recently made or it could be past its prime. If something smells funky after you bring it home, throw it out.
6. Manufacturers Packaging If you see a display (for instance the Epielle wipes I buy come in a display from the manufacturer) rather than random scattered bottles, the products may have been newer or packaged appropriately to keep them fresh. To be honest, not every stores or company is great about packaging or storing products to keep them at the best condition. I've had dried up eyeliner from Sephora and mushed together chocolate covered pretzels from CVS during the summer. Always check before purchasing to make sure things weren't sampled, opened or tampered with. This is true in the cheapest of stores and the most expensive!

I think of places like Big Lots as treasure hunts. You won't always find fabulous bargains and will walk out of the stores empty handed or you may find awesome deals. Either way, make sure you do your research and purchase carefully. I've rarely had to throw products out from these type of stores that have gone bad, but then again, I usually stick to items following the above rules. I'll admit, having an iPhone is handy to do quick google searches regarding packaging and prices but it's not absolutely necessary. And if you bring it home and figure out it's old before opening and using it, you can always return it.

Any other tips you'd suggest?

It's Been Awhile...

I had noticed a serious lack of posts from beauty bloggers that love deals (such as myself) about Big Lots sightings. I figured this was a prime time to spot some fabulous deals that hadn't already been picked over by resellers, beauty bloggers and other makeup fanatics that read beauty blogs! I was right!

 

Bumble and Bumble BB Tonic Shampoo ($6) which as luck would have it, is their shampoo for dandruff and usually retails for $22 at Sephora and other beauty stores and salons!

They also had these discontinued Cover Girl Boundless Color nailpolishes for a mere 50 cents a piece. My guess is these retailed for $4 when they were in stores. The middle one has holographic glitter!

I had a major flashback when I saw these Naturistics Sweet Lips lipbalms in packs of 2 for $1! I used to absolutely adore these and they have been gone for quite a few years now. I wonder if they are still good? I remember the whole squeeze tube lipgloss trend; Stila also did one that is now long discontinued. Glosses in the foil packaging was very popular for some reason.

I also saw a few EcoTools products (though no brushes) including this bath set for $7 (there were also loofahs available from the line). And next to it was a line that I was intrigued by but didn't buy - the Dead Sea Collection. Anyone heard of this? I did a quick search on google while in the store and I didn't find much though apparently the products are made in Israel.

Of course in addition to the photos I took, there were Epielle Wipes, lots of haircare, the makeup section was slim but there was a ton of the moving Maybelline mascara which didn't seem to sell well at the normal drugstore price.

Have you sighted anything lately at Big Lots? Planning to make a trip now if you have one local?

Big Lots 20%

 Big Lots is having their Friends & Family sale tomorrow, Sunday March 6th, which means if you've signed up for their e-mail subscriptions, there should be a 20% off coupon sitting in your inbox right now! If not, they tweeted the coupon so I figure it's fair game. I know lots of people have been seeing items such as Revlon Perplex and other limited edition releases at Big Lots for quite cheap! I'm so happy that this coupon is good all day, I hate when they have set hours for their promotions. I can never get out there during those times!

Personally, I tend to be quite boring during these sales. During the last one I bought no makeup, only some trash bags and Windex.

The Case Of The (Missing) Polish Collector

If you're anything like me, you hate the idea of parting with your nail polishes, even if they may have icky chemicals in them but the thought of missing out on the Zoya nail polish promotion is equally as upsetting. So, therefore I bring you... *cue dramatic music* The Case Of The (Missing) Polish Collector!

Sorry, I'm dealing with an awful sinus infection and thus I probably make no sense. Either way, you all love me so you put up with my silliness.

Anyway, yesterday I went to The Dollar Tree and Big Lots. I don't usually go to Big Lots because it's not in the best area of town and I try not to go there after dark. Thanks to summer, I get a few more hours of sunlight in which to go bargain shopping. Anyway, while I'm not a fan of being wasteful (money and otherwise), I don't see how I could possibly part with many barely used polishes that I likely paid a pretty penny for (my initial plan was to use up - hahahaha so not happening - 6 polishes - the minimum - for the trade in). Nor do I generally like the idea of buying polishes solely to swap them out, but desperate times call for desperate measures people.

Enter my solution:

On the left we have a lovely set from Big Lots containing 4 polishes and an emery board from Markwins for $2 and on the right we have a 4 East Cosmetics french manicure set from Dollar Tree for $1. The first set comes out to $.50 per polish sans emery board and the Dollar Tree set comes out to $.33 per polish.

Here's the deal I gave myself. Before sending these off to be disposed of, I said I would give them a fair shot. If they were crap, fine. If not, I would keep them.

The set from Big Lots contained a rather unremarkable pale pink with shimmer, a red that nearly painted itself (opaque in nearly 1 coat - I used 2 for all these swatches), a silver that left bald spots while trying to add coats and a nice shimmer charcoal color. I'm tempted to keep both the red and charcoal. What do you think?

Note: I didn't swatch the clear
Wow, well these are definitely going to Zoya. Streaky messes, the lot of them. This was 3 coats for each. The white looks like I tried to paint glue on my nails, am I right?

If you're interested in these sets, the Big Lots had a bunch of these near their Mother's Day display (lots of bath stuff too).