Here are 5 must-have boots on sale from amazing designer brands for $29-$49!
(click the links at anytime to shop these deals, they will open in a new tab for your convenience)
CATHERINE CATHERINE MALANDRINO CLYDESE FAUX FUR LINED BOOT
DOLCE VITA CARLING WESTERN BOOTIE
LIZ CLAIBORNE POSH ANKLE BOOTIES
We have all scoured the internet scoping out the latest makeup tutorials and products – the ones that seem dreamy enough to be just out of reach financially. Typically, these products are just TOO expensive. However, occasionally we are able to afford ONE product and that product becomes our favorite and lasts forever! But how much was that one product? $50? $60? I have been researching the latest holiday sales and am going to help you build a FULL makeup kit that will last, for under $150. Prior to sales, this kit would have cost your well over $200.
(click on any of the links anytime, they will automatically open in a new tab so you can view them as you continue reading)
So, let’s begin !
Mascara
First, every woman needs a high quality mascara. The Bobbi Brown Party All Night – Eye Opening & No Smudging Mascara gives you just that. This Mascara comes with two tubes meant to be layered for a thicker/longer look. Originally this Bobbi Brown mascara cost $45 but ever since the holidays has been on sale for $22. Click HERE to see this deal.
Eyeliner
The next item for your kit is the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Twilight Night Shimmer. This eyeliner comes in a small jar and can be applied with a thin eyeliner brush for a more natural look or a winged eyeliner brush for a more dramatic look. Although this version is a shimmery black color, it is available in a variety of colors. Originally this eyeliner costs $26 per jar, but right now it is available for $18. A much more reasonable price. Click HERE to see this deal!
Eyeshadow Pallette
We all deserve an amazing eyeshadow palette to bring out those beautiful eyes. One of my favorite is the Bobbi Brown Wine Eye Pallette which features 6 blendable and buildable shades, some are matte and some are shimmer-infused shades. Usually this palette is $60 but right now it is available for $45. Click HERE to see these beautiful shades.
If you would like to save even more money, or usually don’t wear too many shades at a time, Bobbi Brown has beautiful individual shades on sale as well. These come in several colors and you get a lot more of the individual shade. Typically, these are sold for $29-$30 but are on sale right now for $20. Click HERE to see these shade options.
Lips & Cheeks
The next item for your kit is blush. Blush is not an everyday item for everyone, but it is essential in your kit for those days when you do want to highlight your cheeks. Bobbi Brown has a massive selection of shades for blush, and right now you can save $9 on almost all of them. But WAIT this product saves you even more because it is a creamy pot rouge for lips AND cheeks! Click HERE to see this great 2 in 1 product.
Concealer
The Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener is a lightweight eye-brightening concealer that comes in a variety of shades. Bobbi Brown just updated the tube and applicator that goes along with this product, so it is better than ever….and on sale! Originally this concealer cost $32 but right now it is on sale for $22. Click HERE to see this essential eye-brightening product.
Brow Shaper
Brows are a hot trend in beauty right now, so your makeup kit would not be complete without a basic brow shaper. Bobbi Brown Natural Brow Shaper is a clear cream-gel that is easy to use. Bobbi Brown has recently updated this brush so that it is smaller and easier to use for greater definition. Typically this Brow Shaper sells for $26 but right now you can get it for $18! Click HERE to see this great deal.
Originally this kit would have cost you $219 but with these great deals we have brought it down to $146….a $73 discount! Happy shopping!
What great deals have you seen since the holiday?
It wasn’t until after I had my baby that I realized I never really knew what to put on my registry. I was very surprised during the first few weeks home with my daughter to discover how many products I would barely use, and how many products I needed to go get. Here is my list of baby products that have saved my sanity, none of which were on my registry! (You can easily view each of these products by clicking the links within the article.)
Halo SleepSack & Carters SleepBag
Before owning these items I often found myself half asleep struggling to button up footy pajamas after changing diapers. These took away that trauma. Not only do they take the place of a warm blanket for your baby, but the bag shape means you can slip your baby’s legs right in and simply zip it up. Although I prefer the Carters SleepBag because it is long-sleeved, the Halo SleepSack is another great option.
Formula Dispensers
When you are waking up every couple of hours, or more, every minute counts! The lack of sleep will affect your mood and patience more than anything. It only took one night before I started using these. Instead of running to the kitchen to make a bottle, simply keep pre-measured baby bottles of water, and pre-measured formula inside the dispensers, next to the bed. Then you are ready to mix a new bottle right away without the struggles of sleepy measuring and mixing! The Munchkin Formula Dispenser is a great option, and can even be used to hold snacks as your baby gets older.
Changing Pad Liners
These liners go on top of diaper changing pad covers to keep them from getting soiled. Initially, I did not have these and found myself washing changing pad covers constantly. I even purchased more changing pad covers before I knew these existed. Thankfully, my sister-in-law gave suggested the liners and my life became much easier! You can buy these in inexpensive packs here, and toss them in the washing machine when you need to!
Baby Anti-Monkey Butt Diaper Rash Cream
Initially, my fiancé purchased this because he thought the name was funny. However, we soon discovered this was the only diaper rash cream that worked for our baby! I received so many containers of Desitin from my baby shower and had been using it, but it was not getting rid of my daughter’s rash. So, I tried the Anti Monkey Butt on a whim, and the rash cleared right up. Thank goodness her daddy has a sense of humor! I believe that this cream worked because, unlike Desitin, it contains calamine and calendula. It can be difficult to find Baby Anti Monkey Butt in some stores, but it can always be found easily on Amazon.
Red, Black, and White Colored Baby Toys
For several months red, black, and white are the only colors that babies can see. So, that pile of colorful toys that you have at home is not very engaging for your baby. Out of all the toys we received from the baby shower, only one was red, black, and white colored. I had tried waving colorful toys in front of my daughter, however she never seemed interested. I realized at our two month check-up that this was because she could not see those colors. Then I tried the red, black, and white colored toy and she was obsessed with it! Now I can give her a toy that she is excited by and learning to entertain herself with, giving me a few spare minutes every now and then! After discovering this I found Baby’s First Sight Gift Box, an awesome pack of toys, books, and accessories all geared towards these colors for young babies.
Exercise Ball
Yes! That’s right, an exercise ball! I had used an exercise ball throughout my pregnancy for fitness, and later on to help induce labor. After my daughter was born, I wasn’t sure how to soothe her or put her to sleep quite yet. My mother-in-law told me a story about how her daughter used to like when she sat on the edge of her bed and bounced, so that got me thinking! I put my daughter in my arms and gently bounced on the exercise ball. She went right to sleep! Now this is my main method of both soothing her and putting her to sleep, not to mention it is a great workout.
Baby Bouncer
The baby bouncer is one of the products that I use the most. Not only does it have toys, vibrates, and can play music, it is also extremely lightweight. Which makes it easy to move from room to room. Whenever I need to shower, put my makeup on, or do my hair, I can bring the bouncer with me and put my daughter in it. It easily fits in the bathroom, and is so light that you can easily carry it up and down the stairs if needed. They are relatively inexpensive as well, Fischer Price has one for under $24 here.
K’Tan Baby Carrier
I use this carrier both around the house and out of the house! It is lightweight, easy to use, and fits easily in a bag or purse. Since it is a wrap-type carrier there are no buckles, straps, or buttons, only fabric. It is so much easier to use than traditional carriers, and is very comfortable-comfortable enough to complete chores around the house while wearing it! Although there are many different brands that make the wrap-type carrier now, the K’Tan Baby Carrier was one of the first and is the brand that I use and trust.
What baby products help save your sanity?
As mothers, we are constantly busy and in search for the best deals. Diapers, wipes, and other baby products are a huge part of our expenses. Amazon is a great place to search for deals on a variety of products. Typically, I have found that Amazon matches the competitive pricing of Walmart. However, Amazon Family is a great way to get additional savings. Amazon Family is an Amazon subscription that gives you an additional 20% off diapers, exclusive coupons/deals, free two-day shipping, and much more. Check out examples of how Amazon Family compares to other stores below!
1. Pampers Swaddlers Diapers: Size 1 – 216 Ct.
BuyBuyBaby- $45.99
Target- $39.99
Walmart- $39.97
Amazon- $39.97
That is a savings of $7.99, and no trip to the store!
2. Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers: Size 1 – 276 Ct.
Target-$39.99
Walmart-$39.09
Amazon-$39.09
3. Pampers Sensitive Wipes: 576 Ct.
Babies R Us-$18.99
Target-$15.99
Walmart-$15.17
Amazon-$15.17
4. Huggies Simply Clean Wipes: 792 Ct.
Babies R Us-$15.99 (648 ct./unscented, most comparable size)
Target-$14.99
Walmart-$14.96
Amazon-$14.96
Amazon Family also offers 20% off of baby food from brands such as Gerber and Earths Best Organic, exclusive baby registry deals, coupons tailored to your baby care needs, and discounts on toys and maternity products!
Did I mention that Amazon Family even comes with all of the benefits that are included with Amazon Prime? Yes! That means free two-day shipping, unlimited streaming on thousands of free movies/shows, and Amazon Prime exclusive deals.
The cost to subscribe to Amazon Family is $99, and with the ability to save 20% off of diapers, wipes, and baby food it is well worth it. Amazon does allow you to try it free for 30 days, click here to check it out!
1. Ceremony & Reception
Many times the perfect venue is quite costly. One way you can cut down that cost is to ask the wedding coordinator if you can have your ceremony and reception in the same space. Often, the coordinator will not offer this as they will lose significant money since you will not be renting out two spaces from them- that is why you will need to ask. For example, for my wedding we could have rented a lakeside space for the ceremony and a tent on the adjacent lawn for the reception. This cost would have been over $12,000. However, we noticed in the photographs that some people had used the lakeside space for their reception, so we could asked if we could use that space for both. The new cost? $5,000.
2. Make Your Own Centerpieces
Wedding centerpieces tend to go for a high cost. Vendors know that you want perfection, and that many are willing to pay. However, many centerpieces are really quite simple to make. There are thousands of ideas for centerpieces at your disposal on the internet, use them ! Even if you do not have the time to make your own, perhaps a crafty member of your family would agree to do it in place of a wedding gift. All you need to do is pay the cost of material, saving you on marked up centerpiece prices! For example, say you have a nautical themed wedding and are envisioning woven baskets filled with sand and shells as your centerpieces. You could find woven baskets at the store for $10 each, or you could create your own using twine, glue, and balloons (to give shape until the glue and twine drys). These baskets would average less than $1 each!
3. Choose the Buffet Option
So, you have chosen the venue. Since most venues will not allow outside food, you will need to choose one of their endorsed caterers. Many caterers will present you with a menu containing detailed options and pricing. Food is usually one of the largest expenses at weddings. Save yourself some money and choose the buffet style! Not only will your guests be able to choose which options they want, but you could save anywhere from $5-$20 per plate on the same food. I chose the buffet option for my wedding and the cost was 40% less than my original estimate!
4. Cupcakes, Cupcakes, Cupcakes
How many people do you know who spent in the thousand-dollar range on their wedding cake? You can get the same exact taste, but save big bucks, with cupcakes! Cupcakes can feed the same amount of people, save you on the dreaded cutting fee, and still be decorated with your theme. For my wedding, we ordered standard frosted cupcakes, and will be adorning them ourselves to save even more money. Don’t want to miss out on the classic “cutting your cake” picture? Order a small custom cake just for the two of you!
Click here to check out elegant cupcake decorations.
5. Design Your Own Save The Dates/Invitations
Some companies that specialize in wedding invitations can cost a fortune! However there are several free online templates that can help you design your own. All you need to do is purchase quality paper from your local office supply store, or find unique paper online. Even websites such as shutterfly.com have great tools to create your own invitations, and they almost always have a sale going on. After you design your invitations, you can always make them appear more expensive and unique by adorning them with ribbon, decorations, or fun confetti inside the card/envelope!
Click here to check out classic wedding invitation paper options.
