Beauty Budgeting Tips: How to Save Money & Look Great!
If you’re still feeling the post-festive season pinch, you’re not alone! January may be over, but some of us are still facing the reality of over-spending during the holiday season. Luckily, I’ve come up with a couple of clever ways that you can save money while still ensuring you can keep up your beauty regime.
Saving money on your beauty budget can be as simple as making some smart shopping choices to help you stretch your salary a little bit further, while still looking your best. Here’s how to shop the beauty essentials you need and save money in the process.
Choose multi-purpose products
Any good multi-tasker will tell you; it’s important to focus on quality over quantity. Investing in multitasking products is a great way to save money on your beauty budget. But, rather than opting for a cheap-as-chips product, invest in a good quality product that will not only kill two birds with one stone, but also offer visible results.
When shopping for makeup on a budget, the key is to find good quality multi-use products that can be used on more than one area of the face. An eyeliner pencil can double up as an eyebrow pencil provided it’s the right shade, but be diligent about disinfecting and sharpening it regularly so that sweat or impurities from your eyebrows do not get into your eyes. I love Wet n Wild Color Icon Khol Liner Pencils (R24.95). They are hyper-pigmented and glide on smoothly, plus they’re ultra-affordable!
The right shade of bronzer or highlighter can double up as a pretty eyeshadow, eliminating the need to buy both. Try: MSLondon Cosmetics Mineral Highlighter Powder (R300) — shade Pink Gold is gorgeous for both the eyelids and face. The versatile loose powder can be used for highlighting under brows, high cheeks, nose rim and top of your cupids bow or for just adding golden, pink glow to your shoulders, neck and chest! Or, give MSL Mineral Powder Bronzer a try (R350) for a sun-kissed glow. These multi-use bronzers can be lightly dusted on the forehead, chin, nose and cheeks for that straight-off-the-yacht look.
Looking for blush and highlighter in one? Wet n Wild MegaGlo Blushlighter (R129.95) instantly sculpts, defines, and highlights in one application. Plus, the pressed powder duo delivers maximum colour that compliments any skin tone, so it’s a must-have in any makeup bag.
On the skincare front; the Lulu and Marula Nourishing Mask and Polish (R350) is another multi-tasking wonder. This two-in-one mask and exfoliator is a god-send for dry skin as well as mature and damaged skin types. Created from nature’s finest clays, botanicals and enzymes, it is the ultimate facial rejuvenation product for days when your skin is feeling a little worse for wear. The 70g jar will last you ages, and you don’t have to worry about splashing out on two separate mask and exfoliator products.
Do It Yourself and Save
Professional treatments are great, but when you’re on a tight budget, you can maintain your polished look by taking matters into your own hands. Love a golden glow but can’t afford a spray tan? Do it yourself at home. Skinny Tan offers salon-quality tanning products that you can apply at home for a natural-looking tan. Easy to use with no mess, no streaking, and gentle on the skin, the brand has a self-tan solution for every need. For super-quick results, try Skinny Tan Moisture Mousse Express R439.
The easy-to-use mousse is Skinny Tan’s fastest, darkest express tanner yet. I love it because it works fast and is customisable for whatever shade you want. This rich, velvety mousse glides effortlessly onto the skin and develops into a perfect golden tan in as little as 1 hour. Faster or darker? You decide. Choose your shade from 1 hour for a medium tan, 2 hours for a medium-dark and 3 hours for the darkest, deepest shade. Just rinse the tan off after your desired time and watch the colour develop over the next 8 hours. It’s as simple as that.
Get a salon-worthy manicure or pedicure at home without spending hours trying to perfect your nail polish skills. Kiss’s wide variety of press-on nails for hands and feet will leave you looking salon-fresh at a quarter of the salon price. Kiss Gel Fantasy Ready-To-Wear Gel Nails start from as little as R140 and have an ultra-smooth finish and gel effect that mimics a salon gel manicure. Or, dive in and try a DIY at-home gel dip manicure with the Kiss Salon Dip Professional Dipping System (R359,99) and Kiss Salon Dip Color Powder (R190 each).
With these at-home dip powder kits, you can take your nail appointments to the bedroom and save money and time on salon visits. You can easily get the same results as you would with a gel or acrylic manicure in a salon, and you don’t have to worry about having a steady hand or being an ace at painting your nails.
Want to give your hair a home treatment but not too keen on the DIY avocado and mayonnaise recipes flooding the internet? Give the kitchen ingredients a miss and treat your hair to an affordable yet powerful deep conditioning treatment. Doing it at home means you can indulge in a bubble bath (and maybe a glass of bubbly) while it gets to work!
Curly hair? Try The Perfect Hair Mango & Marula Detangling Deep Conditioner (R89.99) enriched with mango butter and marula, coconut, and castor oil to condition and soften the hair with an intense moisture boost. The conditioner is sulphate-free and leaves your hair feeling wonderfully soft and manageable after every wash. What’s more, you can also re-apply it to clean, damp curls as a leave-in cream for a little extra oomph.
No budget for lash extensions? Fake it with Kiss Blooming Lash kits (R148). The kits are available in a range of different styles including Daisy, Peony, Lily, Jasmine, Tulip, and Camellias. My favourite, ‘Peony’ arranges variable-length lashes at multiple angles on a single lash band to create depth, dimension and fullness. Apply them to your lash line to add drama to your eyes on a nightout and save big on expensive lash extension appointments.
Less is more
When it comes to skincare, less is more. Rather than invest in a complicated skincare regime with a multitude of different steps, keep it simple by selecting a good quality cleanser and serum or moisturiser containing active ingredients, that addresses your needs. If you thought skincare with active ingredients was only for the wealthy, think again! It is possible to care for your skin with high-quality active ingredients without breaking the bank.
The Creightons Vitamin C Superfruits collection brings you the power of vitamin C (for a brighter and more even complexion), at a steal. Try the Vitamin C Skin Radiance Moisturiser (R89.95) and Serum (R139.95) for a radiant complexion.
Are spots getting you down? Salicylic acid is the answer and Creightons Salicylic Acid Clay Cleanser (R75.95) offers the wonders of Salicylic acid at a price you will love. The product combines kaolin clay with salicylic and lactic acids to help absorb excess oil and maintain healthier, clearer looking skin every day. Follow with Creightons Salicylic Acid Soothing Lotion (R69.95) to soothe skin and help heal blemishes faster.
