Photo courtesy of Trostle on Flickr.

My mom always says that you should spend money on your hair because, unlike certain clothes items, you wear your hair everyday. And while I think that may be true, I’ve also learned that I spend way too much money on beauty products. I wouldn’t bat an eye on a $100 Sephora trip because I was considering beauty items a “necessity.” But let’s get real people, beauty products aren’t a necessity. I don’t need them to live. (Even though I want them all!) Here’s 21 ways I’ve saved money on my beauty routine.

1. Double-duty makeup products
   Use your lipstick as creme blush, use a dark eyeshadow to fill in your brows and use foundation on your lips to create a nude lip. The list goes on and on. Experiment and try to use your makeup in different areas on your face. Just don’t go out of the house if you end up looking crazy. This is one of my favorite tips because it also works when you forget something at home. And I forget something at home on a daily basis.
2. Kitchen beauty products
   When my beauty budget has been tapped for the month, I scrounge in my kitchen for traditional food products that can also work as beauty products. I love to exfoliate with coffee grounds or a sugar and honey paste. It’s win-win-win. I’m using stuff I already have on hand, I sloughing off dead skin and I end up smelling fabulous. 
3. Medicine cabinet beauty
   I’m a firm believer in the wonders of Pepto. It cures any kind of tummy issue. But did you also know Pepto-Bismol also works as a salicylic acid? Put a little on a cotton ball, smooth it over your face and rinse off when dry. It tightens your skin and reduces redness. So crazy.
4. Recycle!
   I love M·A·C lipstick. Their colors are always so flattering and on-trend. AND M·A·C accepts returns of used packaging. By returning 6 M·A·C primary packaging containers to a M·A·C counter or M·A·C Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M·A·C lipstick of your choice. Read more about their program here.
5. Bar soap
   I must admit using bar soap after using body wash for so long was difficult to get used to. Bar soap doesn’t lather the way body wash does, but I adapted to it and I’ve come to actually like it more than body wash. I doesn’t dry out my skin and bar soap is so much more economical.
6. Makeup remover
   Makeup remover is an elaborate plot to steal your money. Seriously. Baby shampoo works wonders as a makeup remover. And to get that often sticky mascara off, Vaseline is a miracle. I even read somewhere that Vaseline helps your eyelashes grow. The jury is still out on that one, but it definitely takes my mascara off in a simple swipe.
7. Mix it up
   Have you ever opened a new makeup package and put it on only to walk outside and find out that it’s the wrong color?! Ugh, this has happened to me far too many times. Some stores will take your makeup back even after it’s been opened, but if they don’t, consider mixing the wrong color with another color. It’ll make your makeup last twice as long. And you won’t have to throw away that wrong color. For example, I recently bought the wrong color foundation. Too dark, ugh! So, I bought another, lighter shade, mixed it with the dark shade and my foundation lasted me twice as long. And my mixed shade worked better with my skin tone, to boot!
8. Drug store brands
   Did you  know L’Oreal owns and manufactures the drug store brand Maybelline and the department store brand Lancome? The formulas of their products are similar and may be exactly the same in some cases!
9. Dollar stores
   Dollar stores are amazing for picking up beauty tools. Their cotton balls, makeup sponges and makeup brushes are super cheap. I recently forgot my makeup brush on a trip, bought one at the Dollar Store and I actually like it better than my usual $40 blush brush!
10. Samples
    Good god, I love a good sample and beauty products are no exception. Most beauty stores will give generous samples of their products so you can try before you buy. Sites like Total Beauty will even send you free beauty product alerts when samples are available.
11. Ombre trend or darker color
    Coloring your hair can get expensive– even if you go the DIY route. By dying your hair darker instead of lighter or embracing the ombre hair trend, you’ll spend less time and money on hair color. Last time I got my hair dyed darker at the roots and it’s projected to last four months, instead of the month and a half my lighter color lasted.
12. Get more out of that mascara!
    When your mascara gets dry, don’t pitch it just yet. To get a little more out of a tube of mascara, stand it in a glass of warm water. It loosens up the rest of the product and gives you a few more applications.
13. Reuse mascara brushes for eyebrow grooming
    Ok, I admit it. I have wild eyebrows. When I wake up in the morning, my brows are in 5 different directions and looking quite muppet-like. Using an old, cleaned mascara brush for grooming my eyebrows is one of my favorite tricks.
14. Keep it clean
    Brushes last longer if you keep them clean. Plain and simple. And you don’t even need that fancy brush cleaner. Just rinse your brushes with warm water and clean them with a dab of baby shampoo.
15. Squeeze it out!
    Get that last bit of makeup out of the tube by cutting the package open or dipping a brush into the container to get that last little bit. There’s always at tiny bit more in the container.
16. Beauty schools
    I’m a big fan of the power of community college education. Many community colleges have cosmetology programs. Just recently I got a manicure for 5 dollars! There’s also cosmetology schools all over the country that provide all kinds of beauty services at a discount rate. The services are supervised by a seasoned professional, so your hair won’t be burnt to a crisp. Don’t be frightened by the prospect of a beginner!
17. Use sparingly
    We almost always use too much product. I’m guilty of it too. It’s so easy to squeeze out a handful of shampoo and lather up. But did you know, you really only need about a dime sized amount of shampoo for short hair and a quarter-size dab for long? Wild, huh?
18. Recap it!
    This tip may seem like common sense, but I can’t tell you how many times I forget to recap my face lotion and it dries out. By remembering to recap those beauty products, it creates a more sanitary environment and doesn’t allow your product to dry out.
19. No ‘poo
    I’m a big fan of cutting down on hair washing. I only wash my hair once a week. Sometimes I even go longer, if it is looking particularly dry. Giving up your daily hair washing routine can be a scary proposition at first, especially if you work out a lot. But I’ve found that merely rinsing my hair after workouts works just fine. If you are really concerned about hair washing, you can  dilute 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup of water and use this mixture as a shampoo.
20. Baby powder or rice flour as dry shampoo
    When my hair is looking a little flat, I grab the baby powder or rice flour and a makeup brush, then dust it into my hair’s part. Next, I brush it out and boom! Instant dry shampoo without the high cost.
21. Keep Learning!
    Youtube is amazing for makeup tutorials. I learned how to do my makeup for my wedding from Youtube. Seriously. Gossmakeupartist’s channel on Youtube is amazing. I’ve learned so much from his videos. He uses a million products and brushes that you don’t need, but his application and knowledge is so valuable. And it’s free! Ain’t the Internet great?

What tips do you have for saving money on your beauty routine? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie