30 Money-Saving Beauty Tips

Source: http://www.realbeauty.com/makeup/how-to/money-saving-beauty-ideas#slide-1

Budget beautistas, gather round! It’s understood that even when you’re trying to be frugal with your funds, looking good is not to be sacrificed. So we’ve scoured our makeup bags, bathrooms, and even our kitchens to find you the most innovative beauty tricks so you can keep your money in your pocket.

Highlight at Home
For pretty, subtle highlights, use a highlighting cap, which comfortably self-seals around the base of the scalp and comes with a rounded steel tool to pull strands to be lightened through the pinholes. This gives you control over how many (or few) hairs you highlight.

Buy Time for Your New Hue
A lot of women spend major cash getting their roots touched up once a month, but the Clairol Root Touch-Up Kit can achieve the needed in-between visit results in the (inexpensive) comfort of your own home. In just seconds you can mix the formula, apply, wait 10 minutes, rinse, dry, and reschedule your salon appointment for three weeks later than usual.

$6.99, drugstore.com

Combine to Save
Are you one of those people that has several bottles of half-full conditioner in your shower? There’s nothing wrong with these formulas per se, but none of them qualify for the ‘good to the last drop’ category? Instead of tossing them in the garbage, squeeze all of the conditioners into one big bottle to create a ‘superconditioner.’

Pay for Polish Changes Only
If you’re squeamish about having someone push back your cuticles or cutting your nails too short, try giving yourself an at-home manicure with this all-inclusive kit from Kiss. Skip buying your own bottles of expensive nail lacquers and head to the salon for just a polish change — most charge under $10 to swap your color.

Kiss Professional Manicure Kit, $9.99; walgreens.com

Conserve Your Product
Natalie DeStefano, makeup artist at the Rita Hazan Salon in NYC, recommends wetting your makeup sponge slightly before you dip it into your foundation. The dampness will cause the sponge to absorb less product, thus leaving more in the bottle.

Cut Your Own Bangs
Some salons charge $5 or less for a bang trim, but you can try to trim them at home if you’re feeling daring. “For a blunt line, use straight shears,” says Donna Zawislak, stylist and field education leader for Hair Cuttery.

Divide and Conquer
“I use Neutrogena makeup remover pads to remove my eye makeup at night. I cut them in half and keep them in a plastic bag, as half of one is plenty,” says celebrity makeup artist Susan Posnick, who’s worked with Cindy Crawford and Diane Lane. “I also find they are perfect when I am just too tired to do my usual night routine, like when I am traveling for personal appearances.”

Pamper Parched Strands
Instead of shelling out $40 or $50 for a salon hair mask to rejuvenate dry hair, try an at-home avocado mask. All you’ll need is a fully ripened avocado mixed in with one egg yolk and a teaspoon of olive oil. After stirring well, apply the mixture to your hair in sections and leave on for 30 minutes or so. Afterward, your hair will feel luscious and healthy.

Preserve Your Hair Color
Extend your hair color and keep it looking healthy and vibrant with this great tip from The Office star Angela Kinsey: “To make my hair color last longer, I wash my hair every other day. On the weekends I give it a break from heat styling and just put it in a ponytail. Once a month I use this deep conditioner. I apply it in the morning, slip on a shower cap, then do the laundry.”

$5.99, amazon.com

Run Damage Control on Your Blemishes
“If you feel a big blemish coming on, take an aspirin and make a paste of it with water,” says Kinsey. “Apply it to the pimple before you go to bed and the next day the swelling will be gone.”

Various Uses for Vaseline
Vaseline is another one of those mega-multiuse beauty tools. Use it as a lip balm, to soften heels, or as a makeup remover.

Big Beauty Bang for Your Buck
Eyes Lips Face (e.l.f.) may be one of our favorite brands for beauty on a budget. This palette comes with 48 eye shadow shades (yes 48!), a built-in mirror, and 1 dual-ended applicator, all for a price that is so good, it’ll make you blush.

e.l.f. Essential Little Black Beauty Book – Eye Edition, $5; eyeslipsface.com

Make Your Own Extensions
No special hairdressing or sewing skills required for this one! All you need is a pack of wig clips, needle and thread, and packages of wefted human hair. “Many human-hair clip-ins will cost you more than $250,” says Daneen Baird, editor in chief of SpoiledPretty.com. “But if you’ve got some time, you can make them yourself for $50-$75.”

E.V.O.O. Everywhere
“Olive oil is actually my favorite beauty secret,” says Real Beauty director Deanne Hess. “It’s great for taking off makeup, calming frizzies in the summer, and moisturizing your skin. I keep a bottle in both my kitchen and bathroom.”

Midday Oil Slick Fix
“I tend to always have a tissue toilet seat cover in my bag,” says Hess. “You can rip off pieces and use them as blotting papers. The brown napkins from Starbucks work well too.”

Squeeze More Swipes
Get a few more uses out of an almost-gone mascara by standing it in a glass of warm water or heating it up with a hair dryer.

Save Your Mascara Wand
Wash it thoroughly and use it to tame unruly eyebrow hairs or to separate and de-clump lashes. Oftentimes, great mascara application comes from the brush. If you aren’t too keen on a newly purchased formula, use the wand from your tried-and-true to see if it makes a difference.

Make Your Own Exfoliating Body Scrub
Combine 1 cup coarse sea salt with 1/2 cup baby oil. Stir the ingredients together in a bowl and put into a screw-top jar. Leave for 24 hours, then stir the mixture and apply to any areas of the body you wish to smooth out. Massage into the skin for a few minutes, then shower off and pat your skin dry. (Makes multiple applications.)

Deodorize Your Kicks
Stinky soles can ruin a good pair of shoes, not to mention smell up a room whenever you kick them off. To get rid of odors, sprinkle some baking soda in your shoes and vacuum up before you slip your feet into them.

Use Coffee Grounds on Cellulite
Mix dry grounds with your body lotion and rub into your problem areas. This stimulates circulation, making it easier for trapped fat to surface and be broken down. Plus, the caffeine tightens skin. Leave this coffee-lotion combo on your skin for about 30 minutes, then wash off.

A Bee-utiful Blemish Fighter
Honey has powerful antioxidant and antibacterial properties, making it perfect for curing dry or acne-prone skin. Make sure you start out with clean skin, then spread some honey on and let it sit for up to 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.

Deflate Puffy Eyes
If you wake up in the morning with under-eye bags, apply two chamomile tea bags, chilled spoons, or cucumber slices to your lids. Expedite the process by sitting up with your head back; this will help drain the fluids around your eyes more quickly.

Give Yourself a Gift
Believe it or not, post-holiday and seasonal shopping can be a huge boost to your makeup bag. Gift sets (which are discounted deeply at the end of the season) don’t just have to be just for gifts! Check out sephora.com, beauty.com, and ulta.com for steals and deals.

Get Smooth in a Flash
Celebrity makeup artist and star of What Not to Wear Carmindy puts her face primer on her arms to make them extra-smooth when she doesn’t have time to exfoliate. This formula includes skin-smoothing cork oak and olive leaf, plus has tiny micronized pearl to give your shoulders a sexy shimmer.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty by Carmindy Luminizing Face Primer, $9.99; cvs.com

Relieve Sunburn the Healthy Way
Sunburn-relief sprays can contain artificial ingredients like parabens and benzocaine, which can irritate skin even more. First, sooth sunburn by soaking a washcloth in black tea — the antioxidants and tannic acid will calm fiery skin. Be sure to keep skin hydrated so the inevitable peeling process won’t be as harsh in the end. We recommend trying Jason Natural Aloe Vera 70% Body Lotion.

Use a Lip Brush
Slathering on your lipstick may cause you to overapply, which you’ll only blot off onto a napkin. Use a lip brush and you’ll save product, plus get a more even, precise color.

Save Now, Splurge Later
“My one beauty commandment is to buy an inexpensive, but effective, foundation,” says American singer/songwriter MoZella. “This one is under $10 and I always get compliments on my complexion. I love it because it gets into every crease and line to smooth out my entire face, and it never looks too heavy. Then I can splurge on a pricier bronzer later, and not feel so guilty about it!”

DIY Recipe: Banana and Honey Facial
Fruit is the best ingredient for your skin. The vitamins and minerals help clear up blemishes and leave you feeling soft and smooth. Each fruit has its own benefits, but for a quickie DIY facial, grab a banana from your fruit basket and try this recipe:

Mash a ripe, medium-sized banana and mix with 2 tablespoons honey. For a thicker consistency, add 2 tablespoons plain yogurt. Apply to your face and neck for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse off.

DIY Recipe: Triple Citrus Pedicure
Soak your feet in a combination of warm water, sea salts, sliced lemon rounds, and a few drops of any essential oil. Use a pumice stone on your heels and balls of your feet to slough away calluses.

In a mixing bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar, the juice of a grapefruit, lemon, and lime, and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil with a splash of warm water. Exfoliate your feet and calves with the scrub, then rinse it off with warm water. Finish by applying a rich body cream to your feet and calves to keep them soft and hydrated.

Save on Dry Cleaning
Although this last one isn’t entirely beauty-related, it can save you a ton on your laundry bill. This hand-held, portable steamer heats up to 212°F, which sanitizes and kills odor-causing bacteria. Plus, its smaller-than-a-book size allows you to store it easily or bring it on your next trip.

Available at haanusa.com