The Glorious Return of the CVS Beauty Clearance Sale (pic heavy)

[UPDATE: I just added a "Things I've Learned About the CVS Beauty Sale" list at the end of this post. If this is your first time shopping this sale, I highly suggest reading this list before you make a purchase--just scroll to the bottom of this post for the details.]

If you've been checking the new feature on my blog, "Great deals YOU have spotted" (on the right-hand sidebar), then you might already know that my lovely reader Jessica commented about how she found the "Get it before it's gone" signs and 50-75% off stickers on assorted makeup products at her local CVS (thank you SO much, Jessica, for posting that!). Well yesterday, another lovely reader, Taj Acosta, informed me that she spotted the clearance sale at her CVS too. Yay!

I also just saw that the wonderful Jeweled Thumb posted yesterday about the sale too (with a fantastic itemized list of everything she spotted--click here to see it).

Well, you know I had to get out there and check my local CVS locations, but to my disappointment, none of my regular CVS stores had anything on clearance yet. Boo! BUT, yesterday, I was out with my brother and we happened to be near a CVS in a town that I rarely frequent. Of course I told him I had to pop in and see if I could spot anything on clearance, but I NEVER expected to see what I saw! It was as if I was the first one to encounter the sale at this particular location, because EVERYTHING was fully stocked, and there were tons and tons of the all-too-familiar green 75% off stickers. It was like seeing an old friend again! (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, let's just say I went a bit nuts at the beginning of the year when CVS had their last huge beauty clearance sale).

I'm not going to get that crazy again (I think I posted every day for a week or two straight about that darned sale!) BUT, I do have to tell you something SUPER cool (that I see Jeweled Thumb noted as well). CVS is currently printing out $3 off Borghese coupons at the slot machine. Well, as you can see in this pic, there are a TON of Borghese shades that are now 75% off, which brings your total down to $1.99. In other words, use that slot machine coupon and you're looking at a FREE Borghese polish!

I also noticed that ALL Sally Hansen Lacquer Shines are now 75% off:

So I bought one Borghese and one Lacquer Shine (and of course used my slot machine coupon):

L: Borghese Roma Scarlet (sale price: $1.99), R: Sally Hansen Flair (sale price: $1.62)

Nevermind the bottle of Cactus Cooler (I never ever drink sugary drinks like this but I had a weird craving for it yesterday). Anyway, as you can see, I got the $3 off my total, and had I not purchased that drink, my total would have been less than a dollar!

Before I go any further, I want to tell you that, during this clearance sale, the regular BOGO sales do NOT apply to clearanced merchandise. So don't even think about. BUT, if you've got coupons (CVS slot machine or manufacturer's coupons) then you are good to go! You can get some SERIOUS bargains if you play your cards right, so definitely gather all your cosmetics coupons together and make a plan to optimize your savings. You could potentially score several items for pennies on the dollar or FREE (even if you don't have coupons, you're still going to get some crazy deals).

So let's play our own little version of "Where's Waldo?" and look for the green 75% off stickers in these pics, shall we?

Remember: the BOGO1/2OFF sale does not apply to the items with green stickers, but who needs that when you're looking at bottles of nail polish for just 50 cents!

If you are familiar with what CVS had on clearance during their last big beauty sale, then you know that a lot of the same products are on clearance this time around. However, I did see some different products on clearance this time, which is great news for those of you who did major hauls last time around. There are new products to choose from this time around, people!

By the way, I just have to show you the gorgeousness that is Sally Hansen Flair. I am wondering why I never tried these Lacquer Shines before (can you believe this was my very first Lacquer Shine purchase?). It's bad timing for me to fall in love with a line that's clearly being discontinued, but at least I can get them for an excellent price ($1.92!), right?

(this color's even prettier when you click to enlarge)

So let me conclude this post by offering you up the things I learned about the CVS beauty clearance sale the first time around:

1) BOGO sales do not apply to clearanced merchandise but coupons DO.

2) If you see something you want, buy it now. It WILL be gone if you leave and come back later.

3) If your CVS location doesn't have the green and pink stickers on any of these products yet, SCAN THEM AT THE RED SCANNER ASAP because the sale price could very well already be in the system. You don't have to wait until you see the stickers on things to take advantage of these prices, so SCAN, SCAN SCAN before you buy.

So, have you found the CVS beauty clearance yet in your town? If so, I'd love to hear about what you've purchased (assuming you've purchased something, and I don't think that's a huge assumption if you're reading this blog!). :)