T J Maxx Cosmetics Haul

While on a recent business trip, I spent an evening perusing the aisles of the local T J Maxx, taking my time and restocking some necessities (read:  underwear) that have gotten a bit worn over the quarantine.

I wasn’t really shopping for cosmetics.

But then.

I ran into Catherine. Sales associate par excellence.

She made all the difference in the world and changed a boring shopping evening into a fun girl’s night out.  Yep, it’s true.

T J Maxx recently upped their game in their cosmetics department.  They used to carry some off brands that were usually in large containers.  Now they have trendy, brand-name, high-end cosmetics. 

But.  If you see something you might want or need within the next year.  Pick it up.  Because they might never have it again. They also don’t sell these products on their online site.

The way their cosmetics and skin care items are priced make the high-end products comparable with what you might get at the drug store.  Not that there is anything wrong with drug store products, by any means.  I buy them too.

This young woman was quite knowledgable about both trendy products and the ingredients one may or may not want to put on one’s face.

I’m not sure if I’m in a rut, or I just routinely order what I know works for me.  I place an order with Nordstrom, it ships for free and I use it forever, because the stuff lasts me a long time.

So I had never even heard of some of the brands she was recommending.  A few of my favorite brands were there too, so I picked them up as well.

At a fraction of the cost from regular retail outlets.

Here’s some of what I got.

Something Old

Some of my old favorites I snatched up included the very popular Nars Orgasm blush, The Body Shop body cream, and Smashbox Photo Finish primer.

I found two of my favorite nail polish brands – CND and Essie in the prettiest colors for spring.

Something New

Catherine guided me with brand recommendations and where she wasn’t familiar with brands, she read every ingredient and compared similar products.  When she didn’t find the exact facial mask ingredients she wanted, she left and went to a different place in the store and located what she wanted to recommend.  Did I say A+ customer service?

She highly recommended Lorac mascara, Simple facial cream and a couple of different collagen products.  I bought them all.

A Few Price Comparisons

Here is what I paid for a few items versus the online prices I found for the exact items.  Which are not discontinued or expired, by the way.

Lorac mascara – I paid $5.99, Nordstrom (my cosmetic store go-to) and Ulta $24

Smashbox  primer – I paid $7.99, Nordstrom $15

Nars blush – I paid $12.99, Nordstrom $30

Essie polish – I paid $3.99, Walmart $8.45

These price savings are so big, it meant I could purchase prior to running out of product and I could go out on a limb and try some new brands.  Score.

A Few Cautions

Again, if you see something, buy it.  T J Maxx doesn’t always carry the same merchandise, so you cannot count on picking it up later.  Actually, that goes for everything cute at Maxx.  See it, like it, buy it.  Don’t go home and think about it, because you’ll miss out.

These upscale brands are so popular, they often don’t make it out of their shipping bins and onto the shelves.  I literally caught Catherine as she was stocking the shelves and she thought she was a kid at Christmas (her words).  She invited me to go through her bins. 

Messy bins are a huge turn off for me and I would have never done it, but her excitement was contagious and she pointed out all the goodies she knew I should not be living without.

Young women are very savvy about this aisle and they are often crowded around fingering everything and scooping it up.  I picked a good time to go after work and the crowds hadn’t gotten there picking stuff over yet.

Cruelty-free has been a goal of mine for the past few years when making cosmetics purchases. Some of these things clearly don’t meet that requirement. Let’s face it, if something has snail or collagen in it, that comes from a living being.

I’m going to have cogitate on that for awhile. But I did purchase and intend to use.

I will always give the Maxx cosmetics aisle an eyeball when I’m in the store, but I probably will never spend an hour there again.  Unless another Catherine appears to help me.

Oh, and hopefully this isn’t too much information, but I did find some Born underwear.  Who knew Born makes underwear?  I’ve bought their shoes for years.  Well, not to worry, I won’t give you a review or take a pic of them for you.

Have a great weekend.  XO