On beauty: Get online for Cyber Monday and save yourself a pretty penny

Across the pond, Black Friday and Cyber Monday mean only one thing: slashed prices and amazing “one-day only” deals on everything from computers to cosmetics. Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving, and the date when bricks-and-mortar shops discount goods, while Cyber Monday is the online equivalent.

On these days, retail giants battle it out to shift as much stock as possible. This year, Black Friday is on November 28th and Cyber Monday is on December 1st, so it is likely that many retailers will use the opportunity to create a four-day weekend of sales.

We might not celebrate Thanksgiving here, but Black Friday deals are becoming more popular. Asos and Argos, which both stock beauty brands, will participate enthusiastically in the Monday free-for-all, so watch for big discounts.

Strawberrynet.com has been plugging even bigger savings than usual for the whole of November and is offering 70 per cent off some brands. Feelunique, another beauty superstore,.com will give big discounts from Black Friday.

Amazon is gearing up for a shopping frenzy that might see you glued to your laptop for the weekend. This top performer in Cyber Monday sales sold 4.1 million items on the day last year. Its Black Friday teaser section went live weeks ago and promises more lightning deals, savings and all-round excitement than you can shake a stick at. Amazon is a huge beauty retailer; the biggest beauty savings will be made on electrical equipment such as hairdryers, hair straighteners and professional manicure kits.

Boots will get in on the action with a sales extravaganza in store and online for the weekend, beginning on Friday and running until Monday. Look out for discounts of up to 50 per cent on everything from healthcare to luxury beauty products.

The Body Shop will have 30 per cent off all products in store on Friday.

Hqhair.com is busy planning a range of discounts on such brands as Nars, GlamGlow and Real Techniques, while on Beautyexpert.co.uk you can achieve savings on such premium brands as Alpha H Liquid Gold, Jurlique and Elemis.

Mankind is keen to give you goodies and gifts (Molton Brown and Clinique gift sets will be up for grabs), plus 25 per cent off most of their brands.

Irish online beauty stores are offering some of the best deals. Cloud10Tenbeauty.com will be discounting everything by 20 per cent from Thursday to midnight on Monday. A series of flash sales with huge discounts on selected Christmas gifts on Monday will keep the excitement high. Beauty features.ie will have a 25 per cent discount across the entire store from Friday to Monday when you spend more than €50 and use code CYBER25. This is your chance to snap up bargains on such brands as Moroccan Oil, Ren, Decléor, Trilogy and Cowshed.

So get online this weekend and save yourself a small fortune.

More at beaut.ie

Twitter @aismcdermott

beauty@irishtimes.com

AISLING’S PICKS OF THE WEEK

Philosophy Hope Favorites Christmas Gift Set (€38): A gift set that any skincare junkie will love: five Philosophy bestsellers to cleanse and comfort skin all the way through the excesses of Christmas and beyond.

AnneCo Vegan Make-up Brushes (from €4.95): Soft vegan brushes are difficult to find. This line contains everything from eyeliner to fat blusher brushes.

Max Factor Excess Shimmer Eye Shadows (€7.99): For a perfect shot of party season shimmer, these little pots of cream shadow can be used as a wash of colour or built up to provide deep sparkle.

Nude Progenius Omega Treatment (€76, Space NK): Radiator season is a curse that leads to dry and dehydrated skin. This rich oil is expensive but you only need a couple of drops mixed with moisturiser to keep skin soft.

AISLING LOVES . . .

The Body Shop Schoolbook of Love (€23): Four frosted cranberry scented treats – body butter, lip balm, shower gel and a tiny soap – make this a little box of delights.