Crazy coupons and drugstore deals!

I guess you can say that I'm back with a vengeance after my unscheduled break, because I have found some killer deals for the drugstores this week and I cannot wait to share them with you! Let's get started:

Oh Rite Aid, how I love thee! Do you know about $5 off coupon good toward ANY Physicians Formula product?? Click here to print it out! And since this is a store coupon, you can combine it with any Physicians Formula manufacturer's coupons that you may have for an even better deal!

Next, if you haven't signed up for the Rite Aid Video Values program yet, what are you waiting for? All you have to do is watch short commercials for products and at the end of the commercial, you get access to a printable coupon for that product! And, unless otherwise specified, these are Rite Aid store coupons, which means you can combine them with manufacturer's coupons for even MORE savings (and if you wait and use your coupons during a sale, you're looking at free or almost free goodies!). Also, the more videos you watch, the more points you accumulate, which then makes you eligible for even more savings. Right now, there's a great Video Values coupon for $3 off a $10 Wet n Wild purchase. Yay! And while you're there, be sure to watch the video to get a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase. For coupon newbies, the $25 minimum is your total BEFORE discounts and coupons, so this coupon is like gold if you're planning on doing some hauling.

Attention all Rimmel fans! Follow my instructions and you will be VERY happy! Go to RedPlum right now and print out the $1 Rimmel Moisture Renew Lip Color or Sexy Curves Mascara coupon. Tuck it inside your purse and wait until June 6th, when all Rimmel products will be 50% off. Instead of paying $6.99 (retail price) for a tube of Moisture Renew Lip Color, you'll be paying just $2.49 (before tax). Whoo hoo!

As for this week's sales, Yardley soap is just 69-cents this week (click here to see my love for Yardley soaps). That is a heck of a deal considering the cheapest price I ever see on Yardley soaps is $1 (at the dollar store). Most drugstores charge $1.99 per bar.

Also, Dial body washes are BOGOFREE this week (click here to see my review of the new Nutri Skin body wash--I love it!). If you have any Dial coupons lying around, now is the time to use 'em!

There are tons of deals to had at CVS this week, so this is going to be a long one!

First off, if you haven't taken advantage of the CVS beauty clearance sale yet, now is a good time as there is a $1 off NYC coupon that you can print out at AllYou.com (thanks to several readers for giving me the heads-up about this one!). You can be like me and buy an NYC Color Wheel Eyeshadow (currently 75% off at CVS) for $1.25, but then use this coupon on top of it and you'll be paying just 25 cents. Who doesn't like eyeshadow for 25 cents?

Also at AllYou.com, there is a $3 off Halle Berry Pure Orchid or Halle by Halle Berry fragrance coupon. AND, this week CVS just so happens to have Halle Berry fragrances on sale for BOGO1/2OFF. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know how much I ADORE Halle by Halle Berry (if you like Bath & Body Works Twilight Woods, Halle by Halle Berry is a cleaner, less fruity, and sexier version to my nose--I looooove it).

Also, if you don't have a Walgreens in your town, you can still print out that $1 Rimmel coupon I mentioned above and use it during CVS's sale this week (Rimmel products are BOGO1/2OFF).

If you are a faithful reader of this blog, you know that my holy grail shave cream is Kiss My Face Moisture Shave. I have been using it for about a decade now and I simply cannot find a better product for shaving my legs. If you love it too, then you know the retail price at CVS is pretty hefty ($7.99 a bottle). Well, for the first time ever (at least that I've seen) there is a printable coupon for $1.50 off ANY Kiss My Face product at Coupons.com! So even if you don't want to get KMF Moisture Shave, you can get a lip balm, lotion, anything you want (CVS has a pretty wide selection of KMF goodies). Awesome!

Maybelline eye products are on sale for 40% off this week (yay!) so if you have a ton of those $1 tear-pad coupons lying around (from the Sweet Thing and Collossal Diamonds displays) now is the time to use 'em! That's what I did when I purchased my products from the LE Salsa Sun collection and I got a GREAT deal on them. It's also just a great time to stock up on any of your Maybelline eye product staples.

Yesterday when I purchased my Maybelline products I received a $2 off Maybelline Color Sensational coupon on my receipt (strange that I didn't get this at CVS slot machine). So what did I do? I turned right back around and bought one of the new Maybelline Color Sensational Pearl lipsticks (review to come) and I combined my receipt coupon with a $1 off Maybelline tear-pad coupon I had in my purse, bringing my total down from $7.49 to $4.49. So definitely keep an eye out for that one.

Also, before you head out to CVS, print out these coupons for even more savings. Once again let me remind you that the minimum purchase needed to redeem these coupons is calculated BEFORE sale prices and coupons are deducted, not after! So these extra coupons can really help your overall savings and bring your grand total down to next to nothing!

$3 off $15 purchase

$5 off $30 purchase

$5 off $40 purchase

As an example of how to really maximize your savings, here's what I did for my recent makeup purchase.

I bought the following items in one transaction:

Maybelline Define-A-Brow Eyebrow Pencil (retail: $6.99)

On sale right now for 40% off, bringing my total down to $4.19

I also had a $1 Maybelline coupon, bringing my total down to $3.19

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Palette from the Salsa Sun collection (retail: $8.49)

On sale right now for 40% off, bringing my total down to $5.09

I also had a $1 Maybelline coupon, bringing my total down to $4.09

Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner from the Salsa Sun collection (retail: $7.49)

On sale right now for 40% off, bringing my total down to $4.49

I also had a $1 Maybelline coupon, bringing my total down to $3.49

Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm (retail: $8.99)

I had a $2 Revlon coupon, bringing my total down to $6.99

So adding up my total BEFORE the sale prices and coupons, I was at $29.96.

This is when something called "filler" (a common term used by couponers) comes in handy. "Filler" is a cheap product that helps you meet a minimum requirement needed to use a coupon. In this case, my "filler" was a 99-cent pack of gum, which brought my grand total to $30.95.

So finally, I was able to use that $5 off $30 purchase coupon!

AFTER deducting the sale prices and all of my coupons, guess what my grand total was before tax? $13.75! So by taking advantage of sales and using coupons, I saved over 50% off my total. And you can totally do this too!

OK, sorry for the tangent but I just wanted to illustrate how these extra coupons can really maximize your savings!

And finally, I have a Target deal I wanted to mention. As many of you know, Elnett Hairspray by L'Oreal has a cult following. Until last year, it was impossible to get Elnett hairspray in the US, and I think we've all heard the stories of makeup artists, stylists, supermodels, etc. sneaking bottles of it into their suitcases when returning to the US from France.

But then, Target starting selling Elnett (yes, I know that some people say the formula is not exactly the same as the international version, but I've heard that it's pretty close). You'd think that I'd be first in line to grab a bottle and try it out, right? Well no, because the $13.99 price tag has always stopped me.

Yes, you can now buy Elnett at other retail locations like Walmart (it's actually $14.47 at Walmart, if you can believe that) but to my knowledge, Target's retail price of $13.99 is the cheapest around.

But still, that's pretty outrageous for a drugstore hairspray, right? Well, Coupons.com has a $3 off coupon good toward any full-size bottle of Elnett! This will bring your total down to $10.99, which is waaaay cheaper than anywhere else. Still not great, but if you've been dying to try this cult-favorite, now's a good time!

That's it for now (finally, right?). Happy shopping!