Mission: Get The Most Bang For My Cosmetics Buck!

It's the time of year when I need to update and revitalize my makeup drawer. No matter what anyone says, I can tell the difference between discount store makeup and finer department store makeup. My makeup favorites are Lancome and Estee Lauder. My haircare favorites are Ojon and Aveda. But my skincare favorite cannot be beat: Clinique! Clinique is expensive but if you are a saavy and frugal shopper like me there are ways around spending more than you bargain for! One great way is online codes. If you sign up to receive Clinue.com emails, about once a week or so you should receive a code in your inbox for free deluxe samples or free shipping. Another great way is to get the Gift With Purchase at your favorite fine department store's Clinique counter. Don't have a Clinique counter nearby? The stores also allow you to order Clinique products on their sites and receive the GWP with a qualifying order. To see a list of GWP events for Clinique and some of my other favorite products, visit my favorite GWP Blog: www.mygiftwithpurchase.com.

Now that I've given away one of my biggest shopping secrets, let's get to business-at-hand: if you need to replenish your Clinique stock or need to buy a gift for a Clinique fan you've probably notice that the closer you get to Christmas, the fewer the codes Clinique sends out. Don't despair! There are ways around THAT too! Right now, Bloomindale's and Saks Fifth Avenue are BOTH in GWP and you can shop them online!

Bloomie's Gift:

Special offer with any $25 Clinique purchase! Receive a Youth Surge SPF 15 moisturizer, Dramatically different moisturizing lotion, Pair of shades eye shadow, Long Last Lipstick, Lash Doubling Mascara in Black, and 2 Cosmetics Bags (medium, small) http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/gift/index.ognc?GIFTID=515154&PROMO=3695&SOURCEID=516680

Saks Fifth Avenue Gift:

Receive this 9-pc. beauty gift (a $100 value)* with any $35 Clinique purchase. Includes travel-ready tote plus Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder with Brush (3.4g), All About Eyes (15 ml), Different Lipstick (4g), Blushwear Cream Stick (2g), Instant Lift for Brows Shaper (0.12g), Highlighter (0.4g), Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser (1.7 oz./50ml), High Lengths Mascarhttp://www.saksfifthavenue.com/main/ProductDetail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524446395302

COMING SOON: Lord and Taylor's GWP for Clinique begins December 4th-19th, so if you can't order Clinique right now, try www.lordandtaylor.com after the 4th!

Being frugal doesn't mean settling for cheap discounted cosmetics, although in some cases discount cosmetics is the way to go...more about that in my next blog! You deserve the best, so buy the best...just EXPECT more for what you pay for! Happy Shopping, ladies!

The Mission: The Perfect Outfit For A 20-Year High School Reunion

I was, and am, a TOTAL geek. I can admit it. My favorite TV Shows are on the Science and Discovery Health Channels. To me, its the people like Dr. G Medical Examiner who are real celebrities in this world! I can admit high school wasn't much fun for a nerd like me, but my life is GREAT now, and I wanted to wear an outfit to my 20-year high school reunion that said "I'm living, and looking, better than ever before" but I was in the process of building a new home and I wanted a fully-equipped gym in the house too, so what to do, what to do?! It was time to don my cape as the REAL Frugal Fashionista (all others are just poor imitations trust me) and find a complete outfit for under $100, my limit for this event! This "budget" had to cover the dress, the shoes, the jewelry and the handbag. Mission impossible? No, but not probable either!

Right away I scored a great dress...an Anne Klein unique, one-shouldered purple number that fit like a dream for $24.99 at Ross. I know, I know, it is a poorly lit store, very cramped and always crowded....but it was worth it! I tried on several great buys and was amazed at the amount of cute short dresses you can buy at this store. Some were so cute and so cheap I thought to myself "I can play Diana Ross here...where it once and give it away!" For under $80 bucks I could

buy 4 dresses for the next 4 events and never wear them again. But that's crazy talk. Who wouldn't want to wear a cute dress twice?!

When selecting the shoes for this outfit I wanted sexy and unforgettable...so I scoured the local shops and found a bridal store called The Bridal and Pageant Connection in Fayetteville that had an assortment of wild shoes for semi-formal and formal events. Among many incredible shoes I fell in love instantly, I found these black high-heeled sandals with straps that reach mid-calf and fell in love. The shoes are covered in rhinestones, well-made and surprisingly comfortable. I scored the displays for $39.99! Yummy!

The final items (the evening bag and the earrings) were both last minute buys. The cute evening bag was a $5 buy at a consignment store in Southern Pines (I loooove a millionaire's wife's hand-me-downs). I found the rhinestone drop earrings for $12.99 at my favorite jewelry spot...MHR designs in Hope Mills, NC. If you want jewelry for any event (fun and casual or formal and fancy) this is the place. I get all my pageant jewelry there and you can find colorful pieces to match any outfit!

I work hard for my money. I didn't want to spend a ton of it, I just wanted to look like I did. And I wanted to be able to mix-and-match the pieces with the rest of my wardrobe. Well,

the Frugal Fashionista was able to make it happen...I got TONS of great compliments everywhere I went that evening...especially at my high school reunion. Total amount spent on this outfit: $82.97!