Lots of us will be watching the pennies right now.
But having a budget doesn’t mean your beauty regime has to suffer…
Follow these ten top money saving tips and you can be perfectly preened for a fraction of the price.
1) Put a crumbling eye pencil in the freezer.
Place your eye pencil in the freezer for fifteen to twenty minutes before use to firm up the tip of the pencil. This will help you in achieve sharp thin lines rather than not so desirable smudgy panda eyes! The added bonus- you’ll save money by not splashing cash on a new eye pencil!
2) Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil As Makeup Remover.
You’re bound to already have some olive oil lying around in your cupboards so instead of putting it in your frying pan, try it on your face! This means less money spent on expensive makeup remover and a treat for your skin too. Olive oil contains vitamins A and E and lots of antioxidants which help to protect and smooth out skin! So simply grab a cotton pad and massage it into your skin and watch your makeup glide off! Be careful not to get the oil in your eyes to avoid irritation and avoid your hair if you don’t want a greasy barnet!
3) Brush your lips with a dry toothbrush.
For lips to rival Angelina Jolie, simply use your toothbrush! Apply lip balm if you have some in your makeup bag, then rub your lips with a dry soft -bristled toothbrush using a circular movement. This will remove dead skin cells and stimulate circulation by increasing blood flow to your pout. The result- naturally plumped smooth lips without splashing out on expensive lip plumpers!
4) Drink eight glasses of water a day.
This may seem like an obvious one but it’s probably the best and the cheapest beauty tip out there. Keeping yourself hydrated will give you clearer skin, brighter eyes and shinier hair. Drinking water flushes toxins from your body and helps remove the dirt that clogs up your pores. So reach for that H2O!
5) Reduce puffy eyes with teabags.
As well as making the perfect cup of Rosy Lee, tea bags can do wonders for tired, puffed out eyes. Grab two teabags of your standard black tea for each eye and soak in warm (not boiling!) water for five minutes. Then lie back, relax, place the teabags over closed eyelids and let the tea work its magic. Remove the tea bags after twenty minutes. Tannic acid which is responsible for the flavour in tea also stimulates blood circulation and reduces eye puffiness, leaving you with bright, beautiful eyes!
6) Heat your eyelash curler with your hairdryer.
Save money on an expensive heated eyelash curler, and grab your hairdryer! Place metal eyelash curlers under your hairdryer and blast them with a low heating setting for a few seconds. Check the metal isn’t too hot before use to avoid burning your eyelid. Then clamp lashes close to the roots with the curler for fifteen to thirty seconds for perky peepers.
7) Clean make-up brushes with white vinegar.
Most of us are guilty of not washing our make-up brushes enough, but the accumulation of dirt and bacteria in brushes means we should aim to wash them about once a week. Transferring this bacteria to our skin also clogs our pores and contributes to acne and blemishes. Make-up brush cleansers can often seem like yet another beauty expense, but there is a simple solution…make your own!
See the steps to follow below:
– Add two parts warm water to one part white vinegar in a large bowl.
– Stir the brushes in the water and move them around until all the product in the brushes has been removed. (Your water will be very dirty at this point!)
– Rinse the brushes under running water
– Lay the brushes down on a clean towel (to avoid adding more bacteria to the bristles).
– Leave them to dry overnight.
– When you wake up you’ll be greeted with clean, product free make-up brushes to apply your make-up expertly.
8) Use beauty products for multiple things.
You don’t have to use your make-up just for what it says on the tin! Be creative and save money by using beauty products for multiple things!
Check out some ideas below:
– Use foundation to prime eyelids before applying eyeshadow to provide a smooth, even neutral base for application.
– Lip Balm has several uses beyond softening lips. Use it on brows for a sleek polish look, on cuticles to soften them for the perfect manicure and smooth over eyeshadow for a shimmery effect.
– Use berry tinted lipsticks blended on cheeks as cream blush to pull of the rich-toned winter look.
– Use pale eyeshadow as highlighter to accentuate your features.
9) Place your mascara tube in warm water.
Place a tube of in-date mascara into a mug of warm water for a few minutes. This will soften any mascara clinging to the side of the tube and give you more use out of what you thought was an empty tube! When your mascara is well and truly used up, you can also wash the wand and use it as an eyebrow brush!
10) Scrub nails with toothpaste to remove yellow staining
Pick up your toothpaste (whitening toothpaste if you have it) and scrub into nails with an old toothbrush. Leave on for five minutes and then rinse off with water.
Have you got any money saving beauty tips you swear by?
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to what 2014 may bring for you!
Alice In The Looking Glass 