Budget Beauty – How to Save on Beauty Essentials by Andrea Woroch
When it comes to shaving our budgets, most ladies put beauty products in the “need” category. A study commissioned by Mintel validates this assumption, reporting consumers spent $2.32 billion on shampoo and $1.71 billion on conditioner in 2010 alone.
So what’s the best way to save on essentials without resorting to dollar-store cosmetics? Check out these nine tips from Andrea Woroch, a nationally recognized consumers-savings expert, that keep both your beauty and your budget intact.
1. Hair Products
Consider extending the life of your shampoo (and hair color) by using dry shampoo or baby powder in between washes. When using shampoo and conditioner, check out these great tips and best bargain buys from DailyFinance.com.
2. Hand Soap
Foam hand soap is all the rage these days, and one of the easier beauty products to DIY. Refer to EHow.com’s recipe for specific instructions, but ultimately all you need is a lot of water, a bit of soap and a few drops of essential oil.
3. Makeup Brushes
In addition to extending the life on pricey makeup applicators, regularly cleaning your brushes is just the sanitary thing to do. And if you really need replacements, consider a tip given to me by a MAC Cosmetics artist; buy art brushes at craft stores for a fraction of the price!
4. Foundation
Whether you’re a liquid, powder or mineral foundation girl, you can use less of this beauty staple by applying a base before application. The Magic Perfecting Base by L’Oreal is a favorite among top fashion magazines, and is available for less than $12 from Walmart and Target.
5. Fragrance
Let’s be honest — designer fragrances are among the most expensive beauty purchases, with $80 buying less than 6 ounces of product. If you can’t part with your signature Chanel scent, buy gift cards at a discounted rate for retailers selling your fragrance and enjoy immediate savings.
6. Body Lotion
Moisturizing is a must for anyone who wants to avoid the shar pei-look at 50, but lotion gets pricey when you see the words “illuminating,” “firming” or “age-defying” on the label. Unless you have a serious skin issue, consistent use of most drugstore moisturizers is sufficient.
7. Hair Color
Prolong your color-treated hair between salon visits using household ingredients. Brunettes can use a strong pot of cooled coffee and blonds can use a lemon juice-water mixture. Apply the treatment after shampooing, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse, condition and style as usual.
8. Hair Accessories
Today’s trendy hair accessories can be homemade for a fraction of salon and department store prices. Channel your inner domestic goddess and create one-of-a-kind hair candy with beads, feathers and artificial flowers found in craft stores.
9. Less is More
There’s no need to wear your entire cosmetics collection every day of the week. Consider giving your wallet a break by opting for the basics during mellow workdays or lazy weekends. For tips on how to pull off the “au natural” look, refer to Real Simple’s step-by-step instructions.
SELF Exclusive Makeup Survey Results & Best Beauty Tips
It is no secret that ladies love their beautifiers, but what you may not have known is now much. Women are purchasing a lot more makeup then they even realize. As a beauty editor and cosmetics junkie, I can definitely attest to this! In this exclusive SELF survey, 2,000 readers revealed their makeup addictions and blunders—the truth about what they are spending, using and more. Check out the below information from the October issue of SELF magazine:
General:
- 1 in 3 women admitted they would rather gain 10 pounds they could never lose before giving up makeup.
- 91% of women splurged on new makeup last month
- 52% own more than 20 makeup products (not including skin and hair products)—and 25% own between 10 and 20
- 58% up their makeup routine when you’ve got a hot date
- More than half surveyed touch up makeup once a day.
- 40% put on between 5-10 makeup products every day. And only 4% don’t wear makeup at all.
- Over 35% of women are motivated to buy a new makeup product because they saw it in a magazine story, tear the page out and buy it
- 91% expect makeup to multitask as much as you do
- When looking for a “double duty” makeup product, 40% say sunscreen is the second aspect that’s most important
What they wear the most:
- 78% use mascara every day
- 66% say foundation is a daily makeup must
- 57% brush on bronzer without fail
- 54% say lipstick or gloss is a necessity
- 59% have 5 to 10 lip colors in your makeup bag right now
Where they shop:
- 48% prefer to shop at specialty stores.
- 41% buy makeup at drugstores
Bad Habits:
- 56% have gone months without replacing their mascara
- 55% admit to going to sleep with makeup on
- 53% never remember to wash makeup brushes
Why They Wear It:
- 31% reach for makeup to feel sexy.
- 27% say it makes you look professional.
- 24% wear it to show off confidence.
- 11% use makeup to get a mood boost.
What they want to work on:
- 82% admitted they need to go back to beauty school
- The three tricks they want to master: Applying liquid liner straight; layering eye shadows; choosing the right foundation
What do you think about these stats? Do you agree or disagree with these points? Let me know in the comments!
To see more tips and tricks from SELF Magazine, click here.
Bridal Makeup Tips from Makeup Artist Susmta Patel
Ahh, summer weddings. The perfect time to have a gorgeous outdoor ceremony, complete with sunny photographs and lush landscaping. However, all that sunshine and heat could wreak some havoc on your bridal makeup. These tips from Makeup Artist Susmta Patel will help you get your makeup in tip top shape for your beautiful summer ceremony.
Practice Makes Perfect
Take the time to practice putting on your makeup prior to the big day and have a camera handy. Snap away after completing the look and study the photo critically. Don’t put it to rest after one try— if you are not a professional makeup artist, experiment until you get it right!
Moisturize
The camera tends to capture oily skin. Be sure to moisturize with an oil-free moisturizer. Let it sink in for a minute and then start applying makeup. Also, do not experiment with a brand new/newly-tested, moisturizer on your skin to avoid any surprises.
Blend and Match
Wearing a beautiful strapless gown? Room lighting may be tricky. Look hard and close, and make sure your neck and chest match your face color. Pat some powder on your chest and neck to even out your tone. Before doing so, insert paper towels securely into your dress and let it cover your neckline to avoid a powdered messy dress! Be sure to blend the foundation around your neck and hairline to avoid apparent multi-colored skin in photos. Steer clear of shimmery bronzers and blush; they do not translate well on camera.
Paint Those Lips
Natural lip color or applying sheer gloss is a no-no for the big day. Color on your lips will bring life to those still photos. Lip gloss should be applied on top of color, not substituted for lipstick. To make your lip color last, prior to applying lipstick, line and fill in your lips with lip liner.
Touch-Up
Bridesmaids are girl’s best friends and “foundation”, in more ways than one. So pass along a wedding day touch-up kit to your favorite girl. Be sure to include the essentials—lipstick, eyeliner and powder/foundation. Have her keep it throughout the night and remind you to refresh your makeup so your photos look good— from beginning to end!
For more info about Susmta, check out her site, here.
What do you think of these tips? Feel free to add your own in the comments below!
Attention Couponers: Rite Aid Beauty Coupons Available Now!
In honor of my latest obsession with saving money (inspired by TLC’s Extreme Couponing), I am pleased to bring to you the following information. Check out the below special offers from All Things Beauty at Rite Aid!
1. Available now, there is a coupon good for $1 off Pure Spring bath & beauty creams, gels and sorbets, which you may recognize as an Editors’ Favorite from the July issue of Allure magazine. Pure Spring is Rite Aid’s newly revamped premium line of private brand of bath & beauty products. To get this free coupon, simply visit Rite Aid’s All Things Beauty tab on Facebook.com/riteaid while the offer is live and “like” Rite Aid. If you save this coupon until next week, check your July 3 circular for details on a $5 +UP Reward that can be earned with the purchase of $15 of select Pure Spring products (limit four +UPs per household; some areas are not offering this promotion).
2. At some point today, there will be a coupon good for $2 off any $5 purchase of NY Color Cosmetic products. There will be 10,000 of these coupons, so check out the All Things Beauty tab on Facebook.com/riteaid while the offer is live and “like” Rite Aid.
Are you a Rite Aid fan? Excited about these coupons? Let me know!
Where to buy discount cosmetics – Beauty deals at BeautyGroupie.com
I just signed up for BeautyGroupie.com, a website like Groupon that offers deals and steals on premium beauty products. I wanted to pass the info on to my readers, in case you guys are interested.
Check out more info, directly from BeautyGroupie.com, below:
What is it:
A free to join group-buying site that helps beauty enthusiasts purchase the premium beauty products that were before out of their financial reach.
“Beauty Groupies,” our term of endearment for our customers, have long been taunted by ads that feature the ultra expensive premium products that the celebrities use. What is Julia Roberts skin secret? Why doesn’t Jennifer Aniston have eye wrinkles? The reality is that celebrities can afford $150 eye serums and $200 moisturizers, if they pay at all. However, the rest of us with day jobs have been relegated to second tier products and grocery store brands. Beauty Groupies have long wanted the opportunity to try ultra premium products without trying the ultra premium price. As an example, our launch deal is Crème De La Mer, normally $135, Beauty Groupie price $27. Don’t ask how we do it, we just do.
How does it work:
It’s no secret that the trend today is product efficacy at value pricing. The challenge for Groupies is that everyone’s skin is different and it takes a lot of experimentation to find the products that are right for them out of the seemingly endless array of beauty products. It takes experimentation. However, experimentation is expensive. For a Groupie to discover their perfect fit could cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. We’re here to fix that.
Now, by leveraging group buying power (similar to Groupon), Beauty Groupies can band together and get the group buying power that makes untouchable premium beauty products up to 80% off. And since Beauty Groupies love beauty products, they can now explore and discover what brands and products work for them without the high trial cost.
Types of deals:
Beauty Groupie offers incredible deals on all types of beauty products-from cosmetics to skin care. Beauty Groupie features deals in three types of categories.
- “Greatest Hits” or well-known super premium brands like La Mer.
- “New Releases” or new up and coming brands (like La Vin or Olavie)
- “Golden Oldies” or top quality closeouts.
How to sign up:
Visitors can become a Beauty groupie by simply stopping by www.beautygroupie.com and giving us your email address. It’s that easy. As deals become available, Beauty Groupie will email the deals to our customers for convenience. It’s never been easier to have fun exploring premium beauty products. Get started today!
What do you think? Would you join?
Makeup Survey: Do you make an effort to use products that aren’t tested on animals?
I’m curious to see what my readers think about this subject. Of course, I hate the idea of animal testing, and appreciate cosmetics and skincare lines that don’t test on animals. Do you make an effort to look for “No Animal Testing” on your product labels?
I don’t think I go out of my way to find products that don’t test on animals, but if I found out that a brand I am loyal to was testing on animals (like, say, in a big news scandal or something), it would certainly make me think twice about using their products.
What do you think? Is animal testing a big issue to you? Let me know in the comments!
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