There’s little debate around the statement that beauty is expensive as numerous women satirically take a moment of silence to remember all the makeup items that were added to cart and never made it to check out. Whether it’s regular waxing, new makeup items, hair products, lash extensions, nail services or tanning, these little rituals that we love to use for a confidence boost all add up and become burdensome on the wallet. While it’s fine to splurge every now and then on a high-end perfume you’ve been saving for or a spa day with a girlfriend, maintaining an expensive beauty routine can drain your bank account and halt your savings progress.
Thankfully, beauty for the frugal girl is absolutely possible and made simple by our 4 hot tips below.
- Use one product for multiple jobs
There are certain ingredients or products that have more than one function that will both minimise space in your beauty cabinet, and save you money in the long run. Coconut oil for one can be used as lotion, make-up remover, moisturizer, and as a pre-wash hair treatment.
- Do it yourself
Challenge yourself and your creativity by creating your own products, rather than buying them. It will give you a sense of capability as well as be a fun and creative venture, not dissimilar to the arts and crafts you fondly enjoyed as a child. You can mix baking soda with activated charcoal to create a whitening toothpaste; combine epsom salt and coconut oil for an in-shower skin scrub; use apple cider vinegar as a facial toner and replace your expensive under eye cream with green tea bags to help eliminate tired bags.
- Take care of your items
You know what they say, if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it. Taking good care of your existing cosmetics whether that be by sorting them into appropriate drawers, into cupboards or on shelves to ensure they don’t get dropped, lost or damaged or by keeping them in a dry area so that they’re not affected by the heat and humidity of the bathroom. This ensures you won’t need to be throwing out and discarding these items before their time and allowing you to re-purchase much less consistently.
- Ration the amount
Have you ever watched a child line their toothpaste three times over on their toothbrush to the point where there’s so much product in their mouth that it’s overflowing? Adults do it too. Ask yourself how much conditioner you’re using multiple times a week on your hair and re-evaluate how much foundation you’re using. Not only will your hair be less flat and your skin less congested, but your items will still perform their jobs correctly while the bottles last noticeably longer.
