Female Beauty

We all know that the cost of makeup, skincare products, haircare items and other beauty products can really add up.   However, you don’t have to go broke to look beautiful.  Remember, expensive cosmetics may not be better than cheaper ones. Don’t always infer that the more expensive, the better.  Follow these tricks and tips on how to save money on your beauty routine:

Save on eyeliner, splurge on eyeshadow.
Most pencil eyeliners are made of wax, which is not worth $17 when you can get a great pencil eyeliner for $3 from any drugstore. Don’t like the way wax won’t glide on easily? Try a kohl pencil or a liquid eyeliner. You can get either for cheap at your local Walgreens or Target.

Save on mascara.
Buy expensive mascara just once; after it runs out, wash and save the brush. The main difference between mascaras is the wand, not the makeup. Apply new, cheaper mascara with the brush that comes with it, then use your old one to fluff and separate your lashes.

Use olive oil as a multi-tasker:
Truthfully, olive oil is another main ingredient in several beauty products you can buy on the shelf.
To condition hair, rub one tablespoon on scalp, wrap in a warm towel, and let it sit for 20 minutes before shampooing out. For silky skin, pour some into your bath water. To turn it into an exfoliant, just add some sugar.

Make conditioner do double duty.
Replace your shaving cream with dollar-store hair conditioner; it works every bit as well. Or use a brand made for men; they’re usually less expensive. Get an unscented one if you don’t want a “manly” fragrance.

Buy petroleum jelly.
Buy a big jar of generic petroleum jelly. It can serve as clear lip gloss, lip balm, makeup remover, under-eye moisturizer, and foot and hand cream.

Buy products that do double duty
Your body lotion can double as a sunscreen. Your tinted moisturizer can be your anti-aging cream. Products like baby lotion and astringent are great because they have multiple uses. Mineral makeup is another fine choice because a little goes a long way.

Don’t buy a shower gel and a bubble bath; just use one for both. Ladies, ran out of shaving cream? No need to rush out and buy another,simply use your conditioner instead.

Plump your lips for pennies!
Plump your lips for pennies by mixing a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or cinnamon with a dab of petroleum jelly and applying to lips. It will irritate them just enough to temporarily swell them.

Waste not, want not.
Use up every bit of your cosmetics: Get the last smidgen of lipstick out of the tube with a lip brush. Revitalize a dried-out mascara tube with a few drops of hot water. Use a cotton swab to get into the crevices of little pots of eye cream or lip balm.

A dried-out mascara wand also makes a great eyebrow brush.

Home Made Facial toner
Don’t spend a ton of money on fancy astringents to apply after you’ve washed with expensive facial cleanser. After washing your face, squeeze a little lemon juice (or use about 1/2 to 1 tsp bottled juice) into the palm of your hand and gently rub it over your face and neck. Be careful not to get it in your eyes.

Hair brightener:
Many women apply some lemon juice to their hair and let it sit, without rinsing, for an hour or two. Especially if you go out in the sunlight with lemon juice in your hair, it enhances blond highlights and subtly brightens naturally brown hair. You will need to rinse the juice out before you’re seen in public, since dried-in lemon juice will leave your hair sticky.

Travel Frequently? Grab the Hotels Products
If you travel frequently and find yourself hosting friends and family for overnight visits, grab the soaps, shampoos and lotions to keep on hand for your guests. (Or yourself, if you don’t already have everyday favorites.)

This entry was posted on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 11:06 pm and is filed under Beauty, Beauty Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.