Beauty on a Budget: Look Great For Less This Season

We all like to look good. A bit of glitter here, an extra swish of eyeliner there – it makes us feel really glam. Sometimes our commitment to beauty can start adding up however. Whether it’s extra make-up, skin products or nail varnishes, it’s easy to spend a large portion of your December salary simply on looking great. So it’s worth looking at how to cut back on your beauty spend. Here are our top tips to look great on a budget – from styling ‘fros at home, to getting good as new products from your friends.

Make your own beauty treatments

The best way to say a bit of cash when it comes to beauty regimes is to find ways to do the things you’d pay for at a salon at home. For example if you’ve got gorgeous curly hair and are used to steaming it for added moisture, try a bit of DIY hair styling by steaming it in the shower instead of at the salon.

Products that do lots of things

Another important principle when it comes to saving money on your beauty budget is to invest in products that are going to do more than one thing. For example, petroleum jelly is a bit of an all-rounder in your make-up bag. One pot can act as moisturizer, lip gloss and eyebrow tamer. Likewise, try using black or brown eyeliner as eyeshadow by simply applying to your eye lids and gently smudging for a smoky look.

Swap items with friends

Our third top tip for beauty economy is to do a swap party with friends. Not only could this save you some hard-earned cash, but it’s also a fun evening in with the girls. Set up a date and invite people to bring round products that they no longer want, but are still useable. This takes a bit of care as you don’t want to be sharing things like eye makeup (due to its potential to spread infection), but most of us have moisturizers, perfumes and bottles of nail varnish at the back of our cupboards that we no longer use. By swapping items with friends you’ll not only clear out your unwanted stuff, but acquire some fun new beauty products without spending a penny.

Whether you’re a curly-haired lady steaming your own ‘fro or arranging a beauty-swap party with friends there’s always a way to save money on your beauty spend. Follow these tips and work out how much you could save, all while still looking glam!

Written by: Joana Teixeira
Main Image by Alex Holyoake