Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2018 Tips + Picks

It’s officially Christmas in July!! My favorite sale of the year has arrived and I couldn’t be more excited! I can’t wait to share all the amazing deals with y’all! The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale can be overwhelming, so I wanted to give y’all a little survival guide with all my tips from shopping in years past, as well as the hottest items that you’ll want to snatch up quick. So let’s start with a little break-down of the sale.

So what is the N-Sale exactly?

Basically, Nordstrom releases thousands of brand new fall pieces every July at majorly discounted prices. These items go on sale before the season, rather than afterward if that makes sense. So once the prices go back up, they won’t be discounted again!

What all is included in the sale?

There are pieces from every category Nordstrom sells: clothes, shoes, jewelry, handbags, beauty, home, etc. There are also a TON of designer items in the sale! It includes everything from cashmere cardigans to diamond necklaces and everything in between.

When is it?

For Level 4 Nordstrom cardholders, there was a private sale on July 11th, then the sale opened to all other Nordstrom cardholders on the 12th and will be exclusive to cardholders until the 20th. The sale will then be open to everyone from July 20th-August 6th. After that, prices go up!

Now that we have all the details out of the way, I’ll share some tips I’ve learned from shopping the sale for the past 5 or so years.

Download the Nordstrom app so you can make a wish list within the app (trust me, it makes life easier), and then make a separate short list of your must-have items in your phone. Things sell out crazy fast and are never guaranteed to come back in stock, so make sure you know what you want most and can get it before it sells out.
There are some items exclusive to online, so always use the check in store feature before you run out to your closest store. It’s a bummer to get there and realize it’s online only (speaking from experience here!).
You can shop in store or online, whichever you prefer, but personally the crowds terrify me! Nordstrom has the BEST return policy, so I feel totally comfortable ordering online without trying something on. Just remember that you may not be able to exchange it if they sell out of that item.
If something sells out, it’s not the end of the world. Keep checking back to see if someone returns your size or it comes back in stock.
Don’t stress! This sale can be so dang fun, but it’s so easy to get caught up in the madness of it. It’s also easy to buy something just because it’s on sale, even if you don’t really need it or think you’ll wear it. Look through your wish list and ask yourself what occasion you’ll wear each item for, how often, and how many outfits you can create with it.

Now for the fun part! I was able to shop the sale on the 12th, and I’ve been scouring the site every day since they put up the early access so I could find all the best pieces. Stay tuned for a separate post with all my beauty picks!

*Most of these items will go out of stock at some point, so check my other posts and my Instagram for in-stock goodies!

PS Check out my Instagram @monogramsandmascara for a super exciting giveaway! But hurry… it won’t be open long!