Department Store Beauty on a Drugstore Budget

Okay, so I get that we're in a recession, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel on my brand name beauty routine just yet. (A girl's gotta gloss, you know?) The trick is finding premium brands at deep discounts, and I know just the places to look:

1) BeautyTicket.com

Beauty Ticket is where you can find designer brands (like Smashbox, China Glaze, and Sue Devitt) up to 85% off. They only get limited quantities, and once they're out of something, they're out for good. (Nothing amazing lasts forever, right?) The great news is that they get new products and brands in every week (think Ruelala.com meets Overstock.com) so be sure to check back regularly. (You'll be amazed at how much brand name stuff you can get -- nothing over $30 on the site! And the best part is opening the box when it arrives in the mail. Woo hoo!)

2) BareBudgetBeauty.com

College student by day, beauty bargain hunter by night. The blogger behind BBB has recently added a new feature on high-end cosmetics to mix things up a bit. Most of the products she writes about are on sale, some are full price (but a total bargain given their quality.) A fun read if you're on the look out for beauty bargains or if you just love the color pink ;)

3) TheBudgetBabe.com

This gem of a site doesn't sell discounted beauty products, it just directs you to where you can find them. It's written by a bargain-hungry independent fashion blogger, freelance writer, and illustrator fascinated by 'the democratization of fashion' (and beauty, of course!) Bookmark this page for budget beauty finds (some brand, some drugstore.) Or just subscribe in a reader to get the goods served up fresh daily.

4) BeautyCrunch.com

So maybe it's not the most attractive site, but Beauty Crunch is worth checking out if you like kits. They mainly focus on four brands -- Stila, DuWop, Too Faced, and Lola -- moving discontinued items at around 50-65% off MSRP. They also have a community where you can post pictures of your beauty swag (if you feel so inclined) or pics of your dog rummaging through your latest Stila delivery. (But what I really want to see is a picture of somebody's dog wearing some of that cheap eyeshadow. Now that, my friends, would be homepage material!)

5) TheBeautyCounter.blogspot.com

The Beauty Counter has a nice mix of product reviews and coupon codes. Extremely reliable (and often unexpected), the writers behind the blog post updates up to five times a day. They also have amazing giveaways (be sure to check out the current LaROCCA Skincare giveaway valued at $500!)