This morning, Net-A-Porter started a private sale where you can save 25% off 1000s of items. We’ve been previewing the sale for the past few days but everything is now live. Just log into your Net-A-Porter account look for tab that says 25% Off. The savings will appear once you proceed to checkout.
This year, we are seeing a lot of early markdowns on contemporary items. This particular promotion comes several weeks before most major designer merchandise will go on markdown. The best part is that even the top European designers are included in the sale.
There are even lots of sale surprises among the shoes. Saint Laurent Opyum heels don’t usually hit the sale racks. There are still lots of sizes available and the price after the discount is about $750 from nearly $1000. Here are classic Valentino Rockstud heels that are about $760 from $1045. We all agree that these Roger Vivier shoes are obscenely expensive even after the 25% off but they are pretty. Other shoe options include these Cult Gaia mules, Golden Goose sneakers, and dozens of inexpensive sandal options from Ancient Greek and Veja sneakers.
This Net-A-Poter promotion is a week earlier than last year and most of the same brands are still included. The first real markdown of 40% off will happen May 21st.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, Sephora is starting a beauty sale promotion where you can receive discounts on most anything in the store. The sale starts on Wednesday and discounts range up to 20% off depending on your loyalty level.
VIB Rouge Members, who spend over $1000 a year in purchases, are issued a 20% discount with the code HEYROUGE. The next tier is VIB, which includes customers with outlays over $350 annually and the discount is 15% with the code HEYVIB. All other shoppers will receive a 10% discount with the code HEYINSIDER.
Despite a healthy lipstick addiction–love YSL‘s matt and shine and Pat McGrath— we haven’t been too adventurous with our beauty experimentation. We engaged the expertise of Candice Sabatini, beauty expert, consultant, and beauty director of BeautyNewsNYC.com, the first online beauty magazine. Below are all of her top recommendations:
SK-II R.N.A. Power Face Cream ($230) It’s pricey, but the jar is larger (2.7 oz) vs most other 1 oz brands, and I can cover my entire face and neck with just a little bit. I love the silky emollient feel of this luxurious cream. It’s not oily, it leaves my skin feeling dewy, and my makeup goes on well. It contains Pitera, the SK-II signature ingredient that is used in their treatment essence. Although SK-II has a separate eye cream, I’ve been using this under my eyes without any irritation, which is unusual as my eye area is generally very sensitive.
AmorePacific Vintage Single Extract Essence ($145) When I first heard about using essence, all I could think was, ‘Oh no, not another step in my skin care routine.’ I think this Korean made essence is quick, easy and worth the effort. Since skincare is always used from the thinnest to thickest products, this is the first step after cleansing. The essence is made from hand-picked green tea and is filled with anti-oxidants. and makes a real difference in the texture of my skin. I use it morning and night.
IT Cosmetics – CC+ Cream with SPF 50 ($39) I love the way this all-in-one CC cream. It covers imperfections while giving my skin a natural glow. The SPF 50 is a time saver. It comes in a range of 12 colors.
NARS – Hot Nights Face Palette ($59) I’ve always been a huge fan of Nars eye shadows and blushes. They go on really well, are highly pigmented, and stay put without creasing. This latest palette is a great choice because the colors are spot on with a little shimmer but are not iridescent, which makes them suitable for every age. The colors are buildable. When the highlighter is used in the right spots it’s a perfect finishing touch.
NARS Blush – Orgasm ($30) I almost feel silly recommending this, because everyone already has it. I use other blushes but I always come back to Nars Orgasm. Day or night, Summer or Winter, this blush always looks damn great.
STILA – Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick ($22) This is my absolute favorite lipstick. Looooooong wearing lipstick that goes on like a dream and it stays on all day without fading. It never smudges or crawls. My favorite color is Besos. It’s a gorgeous bright red that I get compliments on all the time.
Dior Diorshow Iconic Mascara ($29) & IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara ($24) For over a decade, no one could even come close to the Diorshow Iconic Mascara. (I’ve tried them all!) A couple of years ago, the IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara launched, and the two are in an eyelash to eyelash race for lengthening and volumizing my lashes. My solution? I wear the Superhero when I want a regular mascara and the Diorshow in waterproof when I know my eyes might be tearing up.
For the past several years we have been heavy into shopping from Luisa Via Roma, a boutique in Florance, Italy. Their designer assortment is great, the customer service is wonderful and they can get an order from Via Benedetto Varchi to the UES in under 30 hours. The highlight, of course, is the great discounts.
Right now, Luisa Via Roma is hosting a promotion where sale items are an additional 30% off. That brings the total markdown to over 70% on several great items. Just use the code LC30 at checkout to engage the additional savings.
Over this way, we found Sanayi slides are $455 from $1300, a Prada print blouse is $280 from $788, and a JW Anderson miniskirt is $190 from $1365. (That last one is actually closer to 80% off. It’s a size US4 or it would otherwise be mine,) Take some time to explore some new designers. It’s surprising what you can find when you get outside our of our mass media bubble. Look at this Vita Kin embroidered top that’s $890 from $2122.
As previously mentioned, Luisa Via Roma offers great customer service. Most of the time, shipping and returns are free and there are no duties that need to be paid by the customer.
Over Spring Break we found ourselves starved of an authentic shipping experience and stumbled into a local Saks Off-Fifth discount store. Inside, we found a quarantined area of top designer fashions that were reduced an additional 30% off and then an extra 10%, which brought the entire discount to nearly 90% on some items.
Inside the store we found a great assortment of McQueen blazers and coats that were reduced nearly 80% off. The promotion is also taking place online but the assortment isn’t as electic. Here is a highlighly orgnate McQueen dress— might even be Met Ball worthy– that comes to $630 from $6600. This ruffled skirt is $400 from $2765 and a classic blazer is $660 from $2500.
We normally wouldn’t advociate buying jewelry at a discount departnet store it’s a pretty safe bet as long as you keep it simple, keep it under $1000 and save your reciept.
Century 21 is starting to institute a Supreme-esque “drop” strategy to its website. This week the discounter announced it will be offering a large assortment of Balmain for deeply reduced prices.
Once you finish browsing the Balmain selection, head over to the kid’s department. There is a large assortment of Pucci and Versace for that’s reduced about 60% off. These classic print Pucci shorts are $60 from $150 and this Versace floral print dress is $300 from $800. There are also a lot of Versace bikinis for $99 from $350.
As a matter of fact, we suggest you browse through the Century online assortment before you dive into Lester’s and Denny’s for full-price camp clothing. There is a great vareity of Fiorucci tees and sweatshirts that are reduced 80% off. They are perfect for older girls. There are also lots of denim shorts and Butter shorts options that are nicely discounted.
Century 21 always feels like a hike into the wilderness, which is very apropos when shopping for camp or Balmain.
Shoppers seem to have very strong feelings towards Intermix. Most people reminisce about the “Old Intermix” and recall a time where you can find lots of affordable new designer merchandise. Other customers claim total loyalty for its ability to wardrobe the entire East End of Long Island.
Personally, we like Intermix for its great sales. Where else could you score a Canada Goose Down jacket for 40% off on Black Friday? Most of our denim collection is curated from the Intermix sale section, along with a few key Balmain and Brandon Maxwell pieces– of course.
Right now, Intermix is hosting one of those special sale moments where you can save an additional 40% off reduced merchandise. Most of the discounts come to 65% off but some are even higher. A Rag & Bone denim skirt for $50 from $300 is basically a no-brainer. Here is a Ronny Kobo dress for $190 from $460 and this Love Shack Fancy frock is $150 from $425.
The sale contains a mix of the current season and holdovers from the Winter. If something is priced well enough, like those suede boots, we suggest you buy them now and open them in November as a Fall treat. This extra 40% off promotion runs through Friday.
For the fast few months, we have been tracking lots of reward shopping incentives, sale-on-sale discounts and friends and family promotions. Sale season is about to get real serious as stores begin their markdowns on contemporary designer merchandise. Bergdorf Goodman just started its newest markdowns, which translates to the first markdown on contemporary labels.
We looked through the shoes and handbags but didn’t see anything outstanding. On the “bright side” there are lots of sunglasses markdowns. These Dior quilted glasses are $280 from $400 and Fendi Iridia sunglasses are $330 from $470.
This is still the very early stages of sale season. We would expect that more merchandise will be added to the sale section over the next week and the real first break will come on May 7. For now, you can price check Neiman Marcus, which also just started early access its First Call sale.
Online retailers don’t quite run sale season the same way traditional store calendars negotiate markdowns. Shopbop for example just started its first full markdown on Summer clothing, shoes and accessories. Meanwhile, most retailers won’t start markdowns for at least a few more days.
If the item you’re watching isn’t included in this markdown it is likely to be added in the next sale drop. Usually, the site adds batches of merchandise every few weeks.
