Hot Mama Tips: Beauty on a Budget
By Glinda
Nowadays, it is considered a bit gauche to spend a hundred bucks or more on a face cream infused with diamonds. People are focusing more on their budgets, and rightly so. The efficacy of any cream will be affected if all you are doing is worrying about paying your credit card bills or your mortgage.
So, how can you get beauty on the cheap? Here are some of my favorite tips.
1. Keep your razors longer Did you know that if you simply gently pat your razor dry after every use, it will last up to twice as long, if not longer? What dulls the razor is the buildup of rust, and if you can keep the razor as rust-free as possible, it will stay sharp. I swear I used one disposable razor for at least three months with no appreciable dulling.
2. Lather for less Forget about those expensive shaving gels. Simply use the cheapest hair conditioner you can find. It still smells good, provides a nice slick surface, and leaves your legs soft.
3. Organic on a budget Target sells Avalon Organics, and one of their best products is a citrus-infused day lotion with SPF 15 for about $15.00.
4. Double Duty Go ahead, let your products multi-task! Use your regular gentle face lotion for your eyes as well, just make sure there’s no sunscreen in it. If you buy an angled brush, dip it in a bit of water, then your eyeshadow to eliminate the need for a separate eyeliner. Tinted moisturizers also serve a dual purpose.
5. Vaseline Use a dab on your fingertips to smooth frizzy ends. Combine it with lipstick for a high shine. Combine it with your blush for added shimmer, but just a little! Use a small amount of it with eyeshadow on the browbone for more shimmer.
6. Go natural Many items found in your kitchen have been used for years as beauty aids. Dry skin? Dab some olive oil on it. Combine cucumber and honey for a toner, or yogurt and honey for a mask. A simple Google search will reward you with tons of recipes.
7. Your turn Share with us your favorite bargain beauty tips!
February 21st, 2009 at 10:50 pm
When my hands get really dry, I put about a tablespoon of sugar in the palm of my hand, and then pour in enough olive oil to make a paste, and rub it all over my hands, giving them a good scrub. Then I rinse with lukewarm water, pat them dry, and it’s as though I’ve received a pricey spa treatment. This also works well as a general body exfoliator, but for the love of little green apples, make sure you have a non-slip mat in the tub if you try this.
And baby oil also works well as a shave lotion — but once again, make with the non-slip mat in the tub.
And lastly, give your hair a really good brushing before you get into the shower. You won’t need to use anywhere near as much conditioner, because if you wash carefully, you won’t have many tangles in your hair, and so won’t need to glop the conditioner on.
February 22nd, 2009 at 12:28 am
I buy unscented lotions and add my own lavender oil, etc to them. You can use perfume samples as well, although they’re kinda small and won’t scent much of the lotion.
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I use sugar and honey on my lips as an exfoliant, and I wash my face in olive oil (rub onto face then press a warm rag on there) and sugar when I don’t have castor oil. It actually makes my t-zone LESS oily, believe it or not. At night I rub diaper rash creme with zinc on my hands and top with vaseline and by morning my hands are very soft. I’ll have to try La Petite Acadienne’s olive oil and sugar scrub.
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:50 pm
That is, I want to try olive oil and sugar on the hands.
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:41 am
My newest discovery is elf Cosmetics (eyeslipsfac.com). I’m particularly fond of the powder eye shadows…and they’re only $1 so I can try every shade available!