Want to look glam but also go easy on the budget? Make your beauty spend work harder with these simple ideas.
When the budget is squeezed, beauty spending can often take a back seat. It’s worth taking stock of your priorities and then seeing how you can make your money go further. Everyone’s priorities are different and for some a fresh hair cut or colour makes a world of difference, while others can forgo a trim but find a touch of mascara or a bright lipstick is an essential pick-me-up. The good news is there are plenty of savvy ways to save.
Where to spend
There are always exceptions but in general if you can, spend a bit more on hardworking products you use every day like foundation and skin serum, as impressive innovations in texture, performance, and skin-improving active ingredients are more commonly found at the higher end.
Spend less on more ‘fun’ colour cosmetic items like lipstick or eyeshadow as accessible price points, even as low as a few dollars, are easy to find. E.l.f, a popular vegan beauty brand from the US available at Kmartis well worth checking out, as is Australia’s MCoBeauty at Countdown.
Products used around your eyes like mascara and liner can have a short shelf life (three months if you’re playing by the rules!) as they can become contaminated with bacteria that can impact your eye health, so that is useful to also consider.
One advantage of considering more expensive products from makeup counters or bigger beauty stores is that you have the opportunity to try the product before you buy (unless it’s an item like mascara). For cheaper products in supermarkets and
chemists there are few testers and though they are cheaper it’s a false economy if you end up with a shade that doesn’t match or product that doesn’t suit.
At a counter, always ask an assistant to try the product on you. Check things like foundation by leaving the store and looking at your skin in natural light before purchasing. Generous samples are also usually available with a couple of days worth of product for you to try at home.
Useful multi-taskers
Increasingly in focus in the beauty world, products that provide more than one solution are hot property.
Skincare benefits like vitamin C or niacinamide are being added to makeup and ‘stick-format’ colour can be used as lipstick, eyeshadow and a blush. Concealers are now more fluid and spreadable and can be used as blended-out spot coverage rather than applying a full face of foundation.
New Urban Decay Stay Naked Quickie Concealer has a built-in brush tip that helps colour go further so you don’t always need a separate foundation.
Cream and stick products like Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge or MECCA MAX’s Off Duty Blush Sticks you can use on eyes, lips and cheeks saves time and money.
Even if it’s not marketed as multi-use, you can always get creative with your regime, using your existing products for other purposes, too.
Two good options are using a touch of lipstick blended into cheeks with your fingers for a creamy coordinating blush and using bronzer as a flattering, tonal eyeshadow as well.
Another benefit to stocking up on overachievers? You can pack light when travelling.
One area to beware of is relying on moisturisers with added SPF, which studies show may not provide enough daily protection or you may not apply enough, when compared with using a dedicated SPF correctly.
Ways to save at the salon
Visits to a salon can be expensive, but the results are usually worth it. However, there are some ways to minimise what you’re spending.
Professionals we’ve spoken to say if you’re honest about the fact you may not be able to afford regular visits, they can often tailor what they do for you to help, as well as suggest care and styling products to tide you over in-between times. For a cut, this might be helping transition your style to a lower maintenance look i.e. growing out a blunt fringe or bob and embracing a longer or more layered style that doesn’t need regular trims.
For colour, avoid a block colour permanent dye and try a semi-permanent colour or blended highlights that are less likely to create an obvious regrowth line.
The pros can advise on a toner that helps refresh colour without having the full works. Another idea is to ask to see a junior stylist, as they are usually a cheaper option than a senior stylist with years of experience.
Skipping extras like conditioning treatments or even leaving with wet hair and skipping the blowdry can also trim your bill slightly.
Asking for a clear quote that details what costs are involved before your service starts will also ensure there are no surprises at the till. At home, it’s good to remember the more you wash and heat style, the faster colour-treated hair will fade.
A colour-depositing shampoo (e.g. purple shampoo for blonde or grey hair) can help keep your hue fresh or prevent yellowing and the occasional hair mask will help keep strands looking smooth and healthy for longer.
If you colour at home, choose a semi-permanent box dye that can give a rich, full-bodied look but washes out after a number of shampoos.
Permanent hair dye can be tricky to ace the hue you want and repeatedly using it can result in build-up in your strands. A $10 box can quickly become a $150+ fix in the salon when the chemistry goes awry.
Go mini
Mini-sized versions of popular products are plentiful at beauty stores like Sephora and MECCA and even Chemist Warehouse, often filling whole aisles. While not economical when you compare their pricing per millilitre or gram to the same full-size product, they are a good way to try a product you haven’t used before to ensure you like it. They can also offer a small amount of a product when you aren’t likely to use all of the full size.
We like small eyeshadow palettes with only two or four shades instead of 12 or more from high-end brands like Natasha Denona that offer fantastic pigment and colour payoff.
It’s also far more common now to find 10ml purse-size or rollerball perfumes. These are easy to carry or travel with and you can move on to a new scent without being stuck with a full-size bottle.
Make your own
A surprising number of pantry items can be used in our beauty routine.
Apple cider vinegar is good for an occasional wash to deep cleanse your hair and scalp and re-balance its pH, leaving locks feeling soft, clean and shiny afterwards.
Coconut oil can be used as a treatment to soften and tame thick, dry hair. Its fatty acids and Vitamin E help to nourish and smooth. Honey and oats can be used as a face mask that helps cleanse, hydrate and calm skin, while milk and honey offers a slightly more clarifying mix thanks to the lactic acid in milk.
To rid your body of dry flaky patches, combine 1 cup of sugar with 1⁄4 a cup of olive oil (adjust to your texture preference) and store in a jar in the shower. Use a small amount and massage into skin before rinsing away. For a slightly less abrasive scrub try, using brown sugar or coconut sugar instead of white sugar.
