femalenetwork.com

Are the latest makeup and skincare finds too expensive for your budget? Looking great need not cost you an arm and leg. There are so many tips and tricks you could use to bring out your beautiful facial features and maintain healthy skin and hair without breaking the bank.

Here are ten budget beauty tips we’ve gathered.

- SavvyMiss.com advises incorporating a "beauty budget" into your lifestyle. On average, this should be just five percent or less of your net income. When you know how much you should spend, maximize this by prioritizing products and services you must invest on, such as a good haircut, which takes long to grow back and is one of the first things people notice about you.

- Invest in all-in-one products, like a lip, cheek, and eye stain or stick. The Body Shop, the Face Shop, and Bloom are only some of the brands that have this great product.

- Stock up on cheap lip liners and use Vaseline as lip gloss over them. Another use for Vaseline is to mix it with sugar and rub on your lips. Once you remove this, you’ll have soft, naturally rosy, and plump lips. Another cost-less way to achieve a “just been kissed” look? Gently scrub your lips with a toothbrush.

- Always use a lip brush when applying lip color, no matter what kind of container they come in. This way, you don’t waste the product since you have no need for blotting, and you can use even the very last bit of the product that only a lip brush can get to.

- Know the items you must splurge and scrimp on. Among the items you must invest on are foundation, face powder, and eye cream, since only quality products (that don’t come cheap) can ensure these essentials really work for you—and not harm your skin. Items you must not spend too much on, meanwhile, are tinted moisturizer, mascara, nude nail varnish, blotting paper, and eye makeup remover since you can get cheaper alternatives of these products that still do their job.

Incorporate a "beauty budget" into your lifestyle. On average, this should be just five percent or less of your net income.

- Needing an instant makeover for a party? Why don’t you visit the makeup counters of really good brands (such as those in Rustan’s Department Store and even Body Shop) and ask for samples or a makeover? Beauty bargain hunters should also take advantage of sales and buy-one-get-one or more promos.

- Sign up for freebies. A lot of beauty and skincare brands actually give out free samples of their products when you sign up—just search for them on the internet. It will save you a lot of money to sample their product first instead of purchasing an entire container of it only to find out it doesn’t work for you. Better yet, accept the free samples given out in malls and groceries.

- Organize a makeup trade day with your friends. Everyone has stuff that they thought they needed when they saw it in the store but ended up not using—maybe because they didn’t like the color after all or they found something else they wanted more. It’s best to trade unused makeup.

- Learn to give yourself a manicure/pedicure. Invest in a home-manicure kit and buy several colors of nail polish from local brands that cost as low as P20—available in drugstores and department stores. Choose a kit with instructions you can follow.

- “How to be a Budget Fashionista” author Kathryn Finney also cited in SavvyMiss that it would save you a lot of money to be a regular customer of a particular salon. They’ll be more than willing to give you discounts or free services once they know you are a frequent visitor. Score brownie points (and ensure more perks) by bringing friends with you to the salon and letting them know you’re spreading the (good) word about their place. Yet being a regular customer doesn’t mean you need to go there each week. You can time your visits a month apart and just be vigilant in maintaining your salon-serviced hair, eyebrows, legs, and nails in between these.

And ladies, always exude confidence. That is the best way to bring out your innate beauty—and it’s free! Shine on!