Can one really work out a good beauty job on a budget? I mean, let’s start with the cost of the face – talk about the makeover, the accessories, jewelries, and all of that. Those things don’t come for cheap.
Then there’s the cost of making one’s hair. As you know, hairstyling can eat deeply into your purse unless you’re lucky to find a good budget-friendly hairstylist (here is one such beauty parlour in Mumbai for folks living in Mumbai. For others, filter the search to check for your location).
We haven’t even looked at apparels and accessories yet. I mean, stuff like your top, shirt, gown, jeans, scarf, cap, sunglasses, shoes, etc. The prices of those could run one crazy at times. Then there are fragrances (perfume oils, colognes, body spray, mouth wash, etc.), body cream, hair treatment solutions, and other skin maintenance regimens you need to spend on.
Picking apart each of the above, one can see why most ladies claim it costs a fortune to look good. To make matters worse, some of these items even need replacements after only a few weeks.
Can you see how much it really costs to look good?
A stride to look good on a budget
Looking at your wallet and how much you still need for other things, it’s easy to get to that point where you question the costs of your beauty game.
You start asking yourself, “should I buy this product or go for a cheaper one or maybe I shouldn’t buy any at all.”
Once you reach that point, it’s obvious you’re struggling to keep up with the financial demands of looking good. And who can blame you? Who spends hundreds of dollars on cologne when you’ve got a freezer lying in wait to be stocked with foods? One thing has to take priority over the other.
Or maybe not. We want to tell you it’s very much possible to look your best every time without overstretching your budget. In other words, it’s possible to look beautiful on a budget.
Let’s show you how.
How to look good and stay beautiful on a budget
Haircare
The head is the crown, right? So, let’s start with that.
First and foremost, you really need to stop buying hair care products because a stylist told you to or because you saw a nice ad on IG. That’s one of the first culprits of your overspending.
You look at some ladies’ storage room where they keep a zillion hair care products, and you’re wondering, what the heck are you doing with all these?
If you need to live on a budget, go for only those products that are crucial to your everyday needs. If you only use a product anytime you’re wearing a certain hairstyle, then maybe you shouldn’t make that style in the first place. That way, you wouldn’t need to buy the product.
When it comes to hairstyling, expensive doesn’t always equate to the best results. Many hair salons could make your hair for half the price you’re currently spending. It’s all about your research.
Earlier, we hinted how Mumbai residents could find the best salons in Mumbai on a pocket-friendly budget. Such opportunities aren’t limited to Mumbai alone. You can find similar opportunities in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Delhi, and other parts of the world. The site in the link above is called NiceLocal. Use it to find affordable hairstylists near you anytime you need one. Interestingly, hairstylists and beauty parlor owners can also leverage Nicelocal for free business advertisements.
Makeup
After the head comes the face, right? Yes, we’re taking it systematically.
As far as your makeup goes, it’s true that most ladies end up with products they rarely use in their kit box. I know this because I’m a victim myself. I go to a store and find an eyeliner I like. But because I can’t decide which color or shade to buy (call me Oliver Twist), I opt for a palette instead. Fast-forward one month later, I come to realize I’ve only been using the heavy black shade all this while. I haven’t touched other shades. Ooops.
I bet a lot of ladies can relate to this.
Unfortunately, if you want to stay beautiful on a budget, you can’t live like that.
Go to your room right now, bring out your makeup box and separate the items inside into three parts. One part should be for your everyday products – the eyeliners, lip liners, eyeshadows, settling powder, etc. That is, the stuff you wear every day.
Second part should be for your occasional items – products you really love but have reserved for special occasions. Then the last part should contain those products you rarely use. In the example I gave above, those would be my other shades of eyeliners.
Now, you want to dash out your category C products – i.e., those products you rarely or have never used. However, if you think you will ever have a reason to use them someday, you can keep them safe somewhere. Just know you’re never spending your money on such items again.
Now, the final piece of the jigsaw is keeping your kit minimal from now on. How do you do that? It’s fairly simple. Make sure you only buy products you know you’ll likely use every day. In fact, forget about buying for occasional use cases. If you need to look outrageously beautiful for a special occasion, you can find a pocket-friendly beauty parlor near you on the NiceLocal site. That way, you won’t have to stockpile makeup products you rarely use (and waste money in the process).
Finally, when you need to buy your everyday products, ensure to test them first to be sure it’s what you really love. Makeup products can be strange at times. You may like an eyeliner from the outside looking in, but when you wear it, it’s a different story. Also, ensure to buy single products in almost all cases rather than palettes. They cost less and are less likely to end up sitting in your storage room unused.
Body and skincare
Let’s make one thing clear. You will end up spending your entire paycheck on a skincare routine if you don’t know how to do things on a budget.
For starters, most of your skin regimens are things you can learn about on YouTube with free video tutorials. Talk about facials, rubbing, deep cleansing, extractions, and even exfoliation.
In fact, you don’t even need to spend hundreds of dollars on the items you need to perform these procedures. Some of them can be home-sourced. Again, that’s one of the things you’ll learn on YouTube.
For instance, if you go on YouTube, you’ll see how to make your own anti-aging paste, anti-spots cream, and other stuff like that using basic kitchen items like honey, oils, aloe vera, fresh fruits, etc.
Besides, you can find information about skin cosmetic treatments from various reliable sources. For example, you might be wondering ‘Does red light therapy work for cellulite? useful articles and research studies on this topic can come in handy.
The point I’m trying to make here is you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars monthly at a beauty parlor before you get the necessary treatments you need. Most of these things are stuff you can DIY. It will only take your time and a little bit of creativity.
Nails and Manicures
Manicurists will tell you there’s no better way to get great-looking nails done except by them. But, hey, those of us who have DIYed our nails a number of times know better.
You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to get your nails fixed. A simple YouTube video can guide you every step of the way. I mean, what have you got a smartphone for? Put that pocket-sized robot to good use. Make out a free time and learn how to get creative with your polish. If you’re into stick-ons, there are tons of videos for those online, too.
In short, you’re just a video away from saving yourself hundreds of bucks.
Finally, as far as nail products go, you want to follow the same advice we gave earlier regarding makeup kit de-cluttering. Identify those polishes, gel, powder, or acrylics you only use once in a while and those ones you use often. De-clutter the former and spend your money only on the latter.
If you MUST use a nail salon at all, make sure you’re doing your research on the NiceLocal site. There, you’ll find the best manicurists and nail salons for your exact budget.
Clothes, apparel, and accessories
How much has this cost you so far?
About a million, huh? LOL.
Maybe yes, maybe not.
One thing you should know is clothes and accessories are where you can cut costs easily the most. Mostly because your options are limitless.
Unfortunately, I can’t begin to give you tips on how to cut costs for the different clothing types we have. Even if I wanted to, where do I begin?
Instead, I’ll be giving you generic hacks that work in almost all clothing purchase scenarios. These include:
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Picking a fashion style: this trims down the kinds of clothes you get to buy. For example, if you’re the sexy person, it means you’ll never be tempted to buy that vintage crop top staring at you at the mall
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Think present: this means buying clothes for the present and not the next three years
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Buying quality always: the better the quality of the clothing material, the more durable it will be.
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Only shop on discount deals: clothes are one of those things you can buy anytime you wish. There’s never pressure to buy ‘NOW.’ In that case, why not buy only when you can find discount sales or coupon deals?
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Make your mind up to only buy clothes you truly love: if you do, you’ll see that you’ll end up buying clothes only once in a while.
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Forget the trends: You can’t target the trends if you’re on a budget. Trends come and go almost every year. Imagine the number of clothes and the amount you’ll need to spend to keep up.