If you’ve been wondering how exactly you’re planning to accomplish your holiday shopping goals, here are some smart shopping tips that you can use as you plan your beauty (and heck, all items!) purchase. According to the National Retail Federation, Holiday retail sales are only expected to increase by 2.8% but that means that others are shopping smart too. Experts from MyRegistry.com weigh in with their tips:

• Set a “Beauty Budget”: It is ideal to set parameters; designate 1%-2% of your annual income for holiday spending. This spending should include gifts, travel, decorations, meals, etc. From the total, you can choose how to allocate your funds. For example, if you’re staying home this season, you may have a little extra wiggle room with money for gifts.
• Make a list: Wandering around a mall or department store aimlessly is a sure-fire way to spend more than you intended to. Use online tools to create wish lists and make sure you keep tabs of what you’re searching for online using bookmarks. If you’re shopping on beauty sites like Sephora.com or Ulta.com, bookmark your favorites and revisit when the time comes to making choices. If you want to go the extra mile, even input all the prices into a spreadsheet and get a “bird’s eye view” of the choices. Beauty stores like Sephora and also Allure Magazine both have apps to help you sift through smart choices and on a particular budget.
• Tell your loved ones to do the same – In order to avoid feeling like you wasted time and energy on a gift because the person on the receiving end was underwhelmed by it, ask your family and close friends to make their own holiday wish list and share it with you using social media channels.
• Shop Around – Make sure you compare prices on the go. Simply scan the barcode off a product and chances are your smartphone can give you comparison prices (most smart phones have an app that will help you do this). This way, you can find out if the product you want is on sale somewhere else or simply sold at a better value at another retailer.
• Create a wish list with your children and friends– Spend quality time with your children to understand what they hope to get from Santa!