Beauty on a Budget: Affordable Tips for a Stunning Look

Open a magazine or click on a fashion/gossip website and you'll see celebrities looking stunning. Take a look at J.Lo, she still looks stunning in her mid-50s! Of course, J.Lo and celebrities like her, have plenty of money to spend on personal trainers and beauty routines. It's easy to feel you can't achieve the same results. The good news is that you can, and it's possible to look stunning on a budget. You simply need to know how:

Styling Your Hair

A good quality haircut doesn't come cheap. You'll virtually guaranteed to be spending upwards of $50 to get a decent cut. However, you don't have to! There is almost certain to be a local school near you, training the beauty specialists of the future. If you check with them you'll find they have students who need to practice their haircutting and styling skills. You'll find they are well trained, a little slower than your normal hairdresser, significantly cheaper, and do a first-class job! You may want to see what else the school offers. They usually have students waiting to practice manicures and pedicures.

Buy Beauty Products Carefully

Most people have a brand that they swear by. It works well with your skin type, creates the right look, etc. Of course, branded products tend to be expensive. There are two ways to get around this issue and save yourself money. The first is to look for your preferred branded product in a discount store. When they appear, buy them in bulk and save yourself money. The second is to purchase a store brand instead. With a little trial and error, and time spent checking online reviews, you'll find store brands that offer the same results as the designer names. No one will know the difference, but your wallet will be happier. It's worth adopting this approach for all beauty products, from hairspray to your favourite shampoo.

Head Online

While you may want to shop locally to help keep the physical shopping experience alive, you should still look online. The truth is, you'll often find the same product online significantly cheaper than in a store. Online businesses have much lower overheads. In other words, their prices can offer a significant saving even after factoring in the delivery cost.

Use Shop Branded Skin Care Products

Several surveys have shown that there is very little difference between high-end skincare products, such as those offered by L'Oreal, and the cheaper versions offered by the store or brands like Neutrogena. It's the ingredients that matter. For example, both brands offer skin care products with hyaluronic acid in them. This acid is very effective on your skin and is exactly the same, regardless of the price of your product. Switching to shop-branded skin care products can save you a small fortune! Remember, what matters is that your skin is getting hydrated and the product has the right ingredients. The cheaper the product, provided it works, the better. After all, when you're out and about, no one can tell what product you use, just whether it's working or not.

Consider Massage Schools

These work in the same way as hairdressing and beauty schools. If you have one close to you it's possible to get a massage from a trainee at a significantly reduced rate. You'll enjoy the massage and its health benefits just as much as normal but save money while doing so! All you have to do is think about which procedures you like the most and then see if your local school offers them.

Do It Yourself

Some beauty treatments need to be done by specialists. However, there are plenty you can do at home. For example, dermaplaning is easy to do at home and will leave you feeling great. It's effectively a small razor which scrapes the dead skin cells off your body. Once you've done it your skin will be smooth and glowing. Best of all, you can do it for almost nothing.

Re-use Your Brushes

You don't need to invest in expensive make-up brushes, the lower-cost alternatives do exactly the same job. To ensure they last as long as possible, periodically wash the brushes with soap and warm water. They are just as effective and save you a fortune.

Consider Timing

A great way to reduce your beauty budget without changing the materials you use is to alter your timescale. Consider changing from daily shampoos to alternate days. Perhaps reduce your manicure to every two weeks instead of every week. Adjusting the frequency of your beauty treatments can literally halve your beauty bill. That's great if you're on a budget.

Summing Up

Beauty on a budget is possible, you can still look as fantastic as your favourite celebrity. All you need to do is decide what budget you can afford, which products to change and which treatments to cut back on. It's that simple to create a stunning look on a budget.