'I'm a beauty editor and this is exactly what I would (and wouldn't) buy in the Black Friday sales.'

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As someone who's worked at a beauty retailer and in-house at a skincare brand, I can tell you right now: your marketing, digital advertising and e-commerce friends are not OK.

Just a wild guess, but your inbox is probably not OK either.

That's because we're in the thick of the biggest shopping month of the year. I'm talking about Black Friday sales, Cyber sales, Click Frenzy sales and 'sales for no reason' sales.

Anyone else getting emails and text messages from brands you've never even heard of, screaming at you NOT TO MISS OUT on this ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME DEAL?

Capitalism aside (that's a discussion for another day!!), these big sale periods are actually pretty amazing for us consumers.

Brands and retailers don't want to go on discount. They're in a tricky spot because they've trained us to shop during sales and seek out the best offers.

It's a conundrum; there are legitimately only a few weeks a year in which brands can actually sell their products at full price, and even when they are on sale, 20% off just doesn't cut it anymore — we need to be wooed with unique GWPs (gifts with purchase), competitions, loyalty perks, free express shipping etc.

This is all to say: if you're going to do some beauty shopping, do it in November and do it strategically. Forget newness; I'm all about using these sales to stock my routine for the entire year.

After nearly a decade working in beauty, this is my official Black Friday beauty shopping cheat sheet, complete with your sale shopping game plan, and the best Click Frenzy and Black Friday skincare, makeup, haircare and fragrance to shop on sale right now.

Watch: The NTW experts reveal the truth about sales shopping. Post continues below.

Beauty sale shopping game plan.

Step 1. Go into your bathroom and make a list of everything you use every (or every other) day in your skincare, makeup, haircare and bodycare routine. Think about the products you often repurchase (or would if it were in the budget) rather than 'sometimes' items or trending stuff.

Step 2. Group your products by where you can buy them (e.g. The Iconic, Adore Beauty, Sephora, Priceline etc.) to see if you'll need to shop from more than one place.

Step 3. Subscribe to those retailers' newsletters — most places will tease their sale, so you'll usually have around two to four days' notice to get your list ready.

Step 4. If you buy more than a few products from a single brand, sign up to their website's newsletter and their loyalty program.

It's usually free to join, and they might offer extra member perks such as early sale access, an additional discount, free express shipping, or epic GWPs like full-size products, branded merch, or partnership gifts from like-minded brands.

Step 5. When it's time to shop (depending on your disposable income or budget):

• Buy two or more of things you use often, like serums, moisturisers, shampoo and body wash

• Upgrade to 'professional' sizes – you'll  effectively get a double discount, because these products already have a saving worked into the RRP!!

• Just make sure you aren't buying 'close-to-expiry' stock; anything listed as 'clearance' could fall into this category

• Buy the high-value items you've been pondering, like hair tools, fragrance, LED masks; and even skin treatments from reputable clinics

• Don't forget to log in to your account to rack up loyalty points for future perks, or redeem members-only benefits

• I tend to avoid buying affordable chemist-brand products because they will be on sale at other times

Finally, don't forget to breathe and stay calm. It's better to miss out on buying a product you use and love all the time while it's on sale than panic-purchase a bunch of random crap that'll collect dust.

My Click Frenzy and Black Friday beauty sale picks.

ghd Chronos Curve Max Wand, $256 (usually $320)

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SkinCeuticals Vitamin C & Niacinamide Routine Set, $356 (usually $445)

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Christophe Robin Purifying Scalp Scrub, $57 (usually $72)

Dyson Airstrait™ straightener and dryer, $499 (usually $749)

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Virtue Recovery Shampoo 500ml, $88 (usually $110)

Omnilux Contour Face + SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic 30ml, $653.60 (usually $847)

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Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm, $55.96 (usually $69.95)

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Mermade Blow Dry Brush, $76.30 (usually $109)

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Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Trio Bundle, $113.10 (usually $174)

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WHO IS ELIJAH HIS|HER 100ml, $125.30 (usually $179)

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L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil, $36 (usually $45)

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Dermalogica Smart Response Serum, $196.80 (usually $246)

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Gucci Bloom Eau de Parfum 100ml, $216 (usually $270)

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Philips Lumea IPL 8000 Series Hair Removal Device, $700.95 (usually $999)

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Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System, $299.99 (usually $399.99)

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For more tried and tested beauty recommendations, listen to the You Beauty podcast or watch You Beauty on YouTube.

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Feature image: Supplied.