Cyber Monday

The holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year, but they can also be the most stressful when it comes to holiday shopping. Fear not with the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday beauty buys. Find out where to get the most bang for your buck when you keep reading.

Cyber Monday only involves the click of a button — technically — but to get the best deals, it requires just as much planning as Black Friday shopping. Read on for strategies that will help you be on your best cyber game and save big.

• Cover all your bases. If you're up to speed on the different ways to research Cyber Monday deals, then you'll be way ahead of the curve. Bookmark sites like CyberMonday.com, download apps like TGI Cyber Monday, sign up for newsletters to alert you on the upcoming sales, and follow stores on Twitter and Facebook for potentially exclusive social-media deals.
• Research products, not just prices. It may sound obvious, but researching items is essential before the big day rolls around. One of the downfalls about the Cyber Monday is that you can't test or see a product in person; knowing as much as you can by talking to friends who own the items or reading vetted online reviews is key.
• Take advantage of reward points. Last year, many companies offered ways to maximize travel reward points on Cyber Monday. Shop certain deals to get you that much closer to a much-needed vacation.
• Remember shipping costs. When you spot an amazing deal, it's easy to forget about the shipping fees. Make sure you know ahead of time which sites offer free shipping, or compare shipping prices so you don't overspend.
• Beware of scams. Cyber Monday isn't just a holiday for shoppers — scammers love it, too. Only give up your credit card information to trusted, established sites, and don't fall prey to any fishy emails that offer too-good-to-be-true deals.

On Black Friday, you can find me curled up at home with my friends and relatives, enjoying Thanksgiving pumpkin pie for breakfast and avoiding the crowds. I do shop Small Business Saturday — I perhaps enjoyed it a bit too much this year, as my bank statement may attest. But what I really enjoy is shopping Cyber Monday. Here are a few of my favorite reasons for shopping today.

• In my opinion, shopping with your feet on the coffee table is a lot better than pounding the pavement — or hitting the malls — to try to get your hands on that coveted sale item.
• Some of my favorite independent online shops don't have actual physical stores, which means their Cyber Monday sales are even more exciting, as online is the only place to get their deals.
• You can also shop Etsy for Cyber Monday. Just plug "Cyber Monday" into the search box to see what deals await you.
• I like to browse through my Twitter stream to find tweeted and retweeted Cyber Monday deals. Even better? Most of the tweets link directly to the sales. A click or two is all it takes to get shopping.
• It also helps to get a little help from your online friends. Today, we're letting all of our Facebook friends know about last-minute Cyber Monday sales by posting about the sales on our Facebook wall. (Are you following CasaSugar yet on Facebook?)

Source

Ready or not, the holidays are here! We're teaming up with YourTango for three hours of gift-buying advice for everyone on your list — naughty or nice!

Join us today, on Cyber Monday, for our gift guide Twitter party. We'll offer advice and product suggestions for your significant other, siblings, girlfriends, and more. Plus, we're giving away fantastic prizes from boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith every hour, ending with a grand prize $500 gift card that can be used towards a stay at any of the 850 worldwide properties on www.MrandMrsSmith.com.

Here are the party details:

• When: Today! November 28, 12-3 p.m. EST (9 a.m.-12 p.m. PST)
• Where: Twitter.com
• Who: You must follow @TresSugar and @YourTango to join the party
• How: When the party starts, search for #27DaysLeft in the Twitter search bar, and you're in (make sure you select "All Tweets" to see everyone's tweets)! To ask a question or post a response, include #27DaysLeft in each of your tweets, or we won't see them.
• Why: There are only 27 days left before Christmas! We'll help you figure out what gifts to buy before time runs out.

Plus, we'll be giving away fun prizes from Mr & Mrs Smith throughout the party including their award-wining hotel guidebooks, with a final grand prize of a $500 Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel Voucher, to randomly selected party participants! To be eligible to win any of these prizes, you must follow both Twitter accounts listed above and tweet at least once using the hashtag #27DaysLeft. We'll be contacting the randomly selected winners post-party via Twitter Direct Message.

See you later! And don't forget to follow us on Twitter!

See Official Rules.

No point in losing that shopping momentum, right? Now that you've got your Black Friday strategy mapped out, it's time to canvas the Cyber Monday landscape for the best retail deals and steals starting now. Luckily, the shopping madness will be confined to your computer screen and the speed and precision with which you can click "purchase" on that cyber cart of goodies. All you'll need to do is tap into your tech prowess to navigate these fabulous designer discounts. To help you along the way, we've broken down everything you need to know to have a stylishly savvy and successful Cyber Monday. Just keep reading for all the best bets from around the web. Happy clicking!

Cyber Monday Deals

• Madewell: Enjoy an extra 30 percent off sale items and free shipping with exclusive promo code ENJOY.
• Bloomingdale's: For purchases of $250 or more, take $50 off plus, free shipping when you use FREESHIP11.
• Intermix: Take an extra 15 percent off sitewide 15% off with promo code CYBER15.
• BHLDN: Shop the coolest selection of wedding dresses and bridal accessories now through Wednesday 12 a.m. EST. With promo code THANKS, you can take an additional 30 percent off all sale items on the site.

For more online steals, just keep reading.

Cyber Monday is the savvy, 120 word-per-minute typer's day to shine in the same way that Black Friday is the former roller derby champion's. Both require speed and cunning, but one is far, far more civilized than the other. There are plenty of amazing beauty deals to be had without leaving your armchair, so to see our big list of guaranteed deals and top-secret promotional codes, just keep reading.

Cyber Monday is almost here, and if you're sitting at your desk cruising the sales right now, beware: dangerous viruses abound. Now that you're in shopping mode, a few reminders can go a long way to keeping your identity and computers safe from virtual disaster.

• Beware of unknown links — Just because something shows up in your inbox or on your Facebook wall doesn't mean it's not spam. If you don't know where the link came from (or it looks suspicious), don't click!
• Don't give out user names or passwords — If you've been asked to enter your user name and password anywhere else than a legit online store, back away slowly.

Check out the rest of our tips after the jump.