When thinking about cosmetics, we think of opulence. We think of beauty. We think of spending a fair amount of our hard earned money trying to appear beautiful. When women hear the term “bargain cosmetics” they tend to turn up their nose and grimace. While it may be true that, once upon a time, bargain cosmetics were cheap and horrendous products that turned out goopy and more of a pain than anything, these days the term “bargain cosmetics” is a positive thing. With so many cosmetic companies competing for your dollars, many are offering great products at lowered prices.

Here’s something to consider when buying bargain cosmetics: Did you know that most “exclusive” department store cosmetic companies have “sister” companies that sell the exact same products under a different name, at a lower price, in drug stores and discount stores? It’s true. Bargain cosmetics are no longer the cheap and inferior products they used to be. Finding bargain cosmetics is now comparable to finding a diamond in the rough.

That leads to question, just where can you find bargain cosmetics? Surprisingly, you can find some great bargain cosmetics in drug stores at lower prices. Drug stores often have sales going on where you can receive discounted prices, great 2-for-1 deals or “points” for buying their bargain cosmetic products.

Another great place to find bargain cosmetics is to look online. The internet offers a fair amount of quality make up products at a fraction of department store and even drug store costs. You just have to know where to look when you are online.

One option is to visit websites that are specifically devoted to selling discount or bargain cosmetics. There are several of them out there; you can find ones that are tailored to your particular brand preference or even color preference.

Another great way to pick up bargain cosmetics online is to target the online auction sites. These websites feature sellers who either need to unload some product they have purchased, or sellers who have a store near them who were having a discount make up sale and they have been smart enough to flip the sale and sell the product to you. Auctions are a great way to buy, but you do need to use a bit of caution. Most auction websites offer some sort of feedback or “rating” system. Always be sure that you:

Check the feedback rating! If there is a percentage rating, the percentage should always be more than 98% for a good seller. Read reviews on the seller and make sure that those within the last 3 months are all positive and blowing reviews

Ask for additional “real” pictures of the product. If the images offered in the listing are from the product page, ask for them to take pictures of the actual product and to take a picture of the expiry date (if applicable). You don’t want to spend your hard earned cash on a product that’s going to be no good when it gets to you!

Ensure that there is some sort of litigation or third party service available if there is a dispute or if the seller takes your money without sending the product