Save Cash with these Holiday Discounts

Check out these great deals, beauty freebies and free shipping offers that’ll last the rest of this year.

We could all stand to save a few bucks while holiday shopping this year, and these deals will be a major help! We found tons of stuff, from sites offering free shipping, to discounts, cool gifts-with-purchase and more!

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TheFaceShop is a Korean skincare line that’s now being sold here in the U.S. Their products are known for being inspired by by nature, and their latest creation are serum-infused Facial Mask Sheets. The sheets are made out of natural cloth and applied to the face–no need to wash anything off! Perfect for a flight or after a long day. The facial sheets come in six different varieties that fall into two different categories: Fresh Fruit Mask Sheets, which contain vitamin-rich fruit extracts to deliver moisture and nutrients to skin, and Essential Mask Sheets, which provide intense care for immediate skin results.

The company gave me a few editorial samples of masks to try, and for the short term, they left my skin bright, soft and glowy. Be aware, however, that they were a bit perfumy; I thought for sure I would have an allergic reaction, but my skin handled them ok. As far as ingredients go, these little packs have some good stuff. However, some of them do better then others, so I advise you to read the ingredients before purchasing, if you know about that kind of thing. Look for masks with SD Alcohol 40 low on the list–I noticed the Vita B lists it third, and that’s just too drying, in my opinion.

Overall, these masks are a nice pampering treat if you’re doing a spa night or if you’re feeling like being the crazy lady on the plane. Plus, they’re cheap! TheFaceShop Facial Mask Sheets are now available at thefaceshop.com or at Walgreens nationwide. Suggested Retail Price: $2.99.

Lauren Conrad and Kohl’s department stores are launching a new contemporary lifestyle brand for women — LC Lauren Conrad. Debuting exclusively this October in 300 Kohl’s stores and online at Kohls.com. The brand consists of apparel and may expand into additional categories such as footwear, jewelry, handbags, intimates and sleepwear. Retail prices will range from $20 to $60.

“Partnering with a successful national retailer like Kohl’s supports my mission to make great clothing accessible to young women everywhere,” said Lauren Conrad. “The collection is a reflection of my personal style and will offer fresh, California Casual designs at an affordable price.”

What do you guys think? Will you shop Lauren’s new affordable line?

Also, at the launch of her new line this past Thursday night, Lauren told ET that she hasn’t been watching the new season of The Hills. “I didn’t watch, I’m sorry,” she said. “I miss the crew, but I still get to see them and I’m still in touch with a lot of them.”

Wait. Does that mean she misses the film crew? Hee. Also, she totally watched.

As we enter the fall season, it’s important that we do what we can to help prevent further damage that’s already been done over the summer. Luckily, the color trends we will be seeing this fall are conducive to rehabbing your hair – it’s going to be all about giving your natural hair color a chance to shine and staying away from the harsh colors and bright platinum shades that are most damaging to your hair. “The days of striking, contrasting colors are gone this season,” explains Celebrity Stylist for Pantene, Hallie Bowman. “This fall people will be going back to their roots, or at least making it look that way.”

The Color Trends:

• Blonde: Platinum blonde is out and warmer, neutral tones are in. If you’re blonde, Bowman recommends shades of sable, vanilla or mink. However, if you’re not ready to let go of your platinum locks, soften the look by adding some golden highlights.
• Brunette: Reddish or bluish browns are out and warmer browns are in. Shades like deep chocolate and chestnut are going to be all-the-rage; it’s all about making your shade believable.
• Redhead: Two words – true red. The key is to ask your stylist to stay away from blue and copper undertones, both of which reflect orange in the sunlight. One way to avoid orange is to add some highlights to cool down the shade.
• Black: Stay away from blue undertones and go for ebony to keep the shade natural-looking.

Maintenance: Once you’ve achieved the shade you want, keeping your color looking fresh can be a challenge, but it doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot. Bowman recommends using a shampoo and conditioner system that is developed for color treated hair. “I love the Pantene Expressions collection because it keeps hair color looking fresh, and helps reveal the three facets of hair color: tone, depth and vibrancy,” explains Bowman. The Pantene Expressions shampoos and conditioners retail for just $5.49 apiece at national food, drug and mass merchandisers, and online at drugstore.com.

Waxing and shaving can leave you with annoying razor burn, bumps and ingrown hairs. TendSkin is the solution for these unsightly skin issues, but it’s pricey ($35 for 8 oz.) But I’ve got good news! You can make your own TendSkin at home. It’s super easy and super cheap–under five bucks!

What you need to make homemade TendSkin:

• Uncoated aspirin
• 70% alcohol
• Witch Hazel
• A measuring cup/bottle
• 2 bottles used to shake mixtures
• 1 8oz or more bottle to keep finished product

What to do:

1. Pour 5.5oz of 70% alcohol into one bottle.
2. Drop 18 uncoated aspirins into the alcohol. Cap bottle and shake.
3. Pour 2.5oz of witch hazel into the second bottle.
4. Drop 8 uncoated aspirins into the witch hazel. Cap bottle and shake.
5. Wait (30 minutes to a whole day) for the aspirins to dissolve in the liquids. Shake periodically to help dissolve aspirin and mix. (NOTE: not all of the aspirin will dissolve. That’s OK–some of it never will.)
6. Now combine both the alcohol and witch hazel mixtures together in one bottle. Make sure you shake both mixtures before you combine them so you get the aspirin residue into the new bottle.

This last bottle is your TendSkin. Use 1-2 times a day. Reduce usage if you experience dryness, flaking or irritation. Make sure you shake well before each use. Do not use if you are allergic to asprin.

This fall Hard Candy cosmetics will be sold exclusively at Walmart stores across the U.S. The beauty brand is typically seen at high-end retailers such as Sephora, but now has an exclusive deal with Walmart. The cosmetics will retail from $5 to $10. An international roll-out is planned for spring 2010.

According to WWD, The new line consists of 261 items ranging from shimmer lip glosses (Plexi Gloss, Lip Tattoo), baked eye shadow duos (Kal-eye-descope), glitter liquid eyeliner (Walk the Line), volume mascara (Ginormous Lash) and eyeliner pencils that double as hair sticks (Take Me Out Eyeliner). Several iconic Hard Candy items will return, such as the Fortune Telling Lipgloss and the Eye Candy sliding compact with glitter eye shadow and coordinating glitter eyeliner. According to Lauren Kahn, Hard Candy’s senior brand manager, the brand has exited its current retail partners and sephora.com is clearing out its existing Hard Candy inventory.

I like that more high-end beauty brands are making affordable lines. However, I don’t see myself purchasing anything from this line since I never shop at Walmart. I wish they’d gone with Target instead!

For a span of many years, my go-to drugstore mascara was L’Oreal Voluminous, now it’s Maybelline New York Great Lash Waterproof Mascara. (It’s America’s #1 mascara!)

I’m always sceptical when trying out new mascaras, because I am super picky, and also because I’ve tried so many over the years, only for them to either collect dust in my closet or go right back to the store. Frankly, most mascaras suck, or at least suck for me. I have longish eyelashes, but they aren’t super thick. So I’m always looking for a super black mascara that goes on clean and doesn’t clump. I want it to cling to each individual lash and dry quickly. And I don’t want it to make my just curled lashes droop. Also, I want it to stay put until I take it off.

That’s why waterproof mascaras seems to work best for me. The one’s I love are: Maybelline New York Great Lash Waterproof Mascara, Bare Escentuals Weather Everything Waterproof Mascara, and Shu Uemura Mascara Basic. Shu Uemura is not waterproof, but it’s similar in texture and it’s awesome stuff. I only buy it when I’m feeling like a rich lady, though, because it’s pricey!

Anyway, onto my review of L’Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen. I don’t understand why a lot of new mascaras make their wands so big these days. I always end up getting mascara on my eyelids, when I’m applying product. Another problem with the large wand is that it collects a lot of product in clumps on the brush. At first, I didn’t wipe the brush off when I applied it, and I got major spider lashes. But even when I did wipe off the wand, the mascara was too heavy for my lashes. It immediate weighed them down and took out any curl I put in with my Shu Uemura eyelash curler. My eyelashes looked flat, and it made them stick together and feel heavy, like I was wearing false eyelashes! Honestly, I removed this mascara because the feeling bugged me so much.

There are much better drugstore mascaras on the market, so do yourself a favor and avoid L’Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen! Pick up a tube of Maybelline New York Great Lash or even L’Oreal Voluminous or Bare Naturale Mascara, which I’ve heard good things about.

P.S. I have to add how lame it is when mascara ads use models (or in this case celebs like Eva Longoria) who are obviously wearing false eyelashes? It’s a mascara ad! We might want to see how the mascara makes the model’s eyelashes look.

I just read an amazing review of TRESemme 24 Hour Body Foaming Mousse on LuckyMag.com:

It’s humid and rainy in Miami right now–generally, my perfect style-deflating storm. Yet no less than four people have told me how thick my hair looks. Me–whose mere presence compels even the politest women to point out, “You know, MY HAIR is fine, but not as fine as YOURS.” Stylists have tried everything to give me body and volume–mousse, volumizing sprays, hairsprays, dry shampoos, Ziggy Stardust teasing–to little avail. But now I’ve truly found the definitive solution: TRESemme 24 Hour Body Foaming Mousse. I could go on about it forever: The formula is really thick and luxurious; it makes my hair feel amazingly plump yet soft and non-sticky; it has a delicate fruity-floral scent; the price kills me; and the volumizing effect lasts and lasts.

Wow. Volumizing effect that last and lasts? Leaves your hair thick and luxurious without being sticky? Smells delicately fruity and floral? And is under five bucks?!

I might have to check this stuff out, since I’m always looking for products that add volume. Have any of you guys used this mousse? If so, leave me a comment!

A while back I wrote about Stila’s site being down for “routine maintanance“. Something no one in the beauty blog stratosphere seemed to be buying.

Well, Stila fans, things are looking up because Stila’s site is back up! And it seems there are plenty of positive changes taking place at the much-loved company, according to Sarah of Style Online and Amber of Beauty Blogging Junkie who sat down with Stila’s new owner Lynn Tilton.

Upon first meeting Lynn, you realize she is one tough chick. From her tanned skin to her shiny blonde hair to her love of boots, she seems to be every bit the opposite of what you would think a savvy businesswoman would look like. But within seconds of speaking to her, you realize she has her sh*t together, and she knows what she’s doing. She may not be able to write the encyclopedia on Stila’s vast product history, and she’s okay with that. She is open to becoming every bit the Stila girl, while focusing on the company’s distribution and customer retention. She was so eager to purchase Stila that from the time she heard the brand was for sale to the time the deal closed took all of 10 days.

Sephora may currently be Stila’s biggest door, but Lynn is making strategic moves to entice the Stila girl to StilaCosmetics.com. The ink is barely dry on the contracts and you can already see evidence of her savvy.  Stila has just launched the Stila Love rewards program.

It is similar to Sephora’s Beauty Insiders, but with a much better points system. When you spend $100 on StilaCosmetics.com, you receive free shipping for the remainder of the year. At $250, you receive $50 to spend on the site and at $500 spent, you receive $100 to spend on the site. It’s a pretty great incentive program for a brand whose customers have such a passion for the product.

According to the interview on Style Online,  Lynn is also toying with the idea of creating a drugstore line of Stila cosmetics called Simply Stila. It would be made up of similar products for half the price. I, of course, think this is an AMAZING IDEA.

Do it, Lynn!!

Thanks to all my HOTB readers who entered the Avon Advanced Techniques giveaway. The contest is now closed and the lucky winner will be notified shortly!

If you didn’t win the awesome prize package, you should check out some of the Avon Advanced Techniques products anyway. They are amazing and super reasonably priced.

I’ve been testing out the Avon Advance Techniques Smoothing Shampoo, Advanced Techniques Anti-Frizz Capsules, and the Advanced Techniques Volume & Texture Instant Recharge Treatment.

I have to say, I am very impressed. Avon’s prices are in-line with today’s economy. Most people aren’t looking to over pay for some “anti-frizz capsules” no matter how well they work. So good thing Avon’s are on sale for $3.99!

The Anti-Frizz Capsules smooth the frizz while keeping your hair soft and manageable. And they don’t leave your hair greasy or weighed down like other smoothing serums do. I have fine hair and often shy away from serums for that very fact, but these Anti-Frizz Capsules left my hair feeling light and silky and had a nice scent.

Avon Advance Techniques Smoothing Shampoo is a solid shampoo. If you’re looking for a budget brand, you really can’t go wrong here. My hair was left smooth, soft and smelling great.

The Volume & Texture Instant Recharge Treatment was my favorite Avon product I have tried. It comes in little tubes like those old VO5 hot oil ones, but you don’t heat these up, you just use them like a regular conditioning treatment. I really liked the way my hair felt after using this stuff. Very soft and smooth and super shiny. I’m not sure that it increased the volume, but the day that I tried it, I was running late and couldn’t blow dry it all the way. But it was bouncy and shiny and everything else that I love my hair to be, so I was plenty happy with the results. And it lasted into the next day as well!