On the cheap: Beauty
Now a beauty blogger I am not, but I thought as part of my ‘On the cheap’ blog series I’d take a quick look at the topic because over the last few months I’ve made some changes to my beauty routine, not only towards more natural products but also towards cheaper and greener options, as well as trying to spend my money more wisely!
Start from the inside out
I firmly believe that you need to start from the inside out when it comes to beauty. As your skin, hair and nails are affected by what you eat and drink it makes sense to me that you address things there before you start spending £££ on expensive lotions and potions. A generally good diet filled with fruit and vegetables, plenty of water and healthy fats such as nuts, seeds and avocado will mean that you give your beauty regime a massive head start. There has even been research that shows how eating fruit and vegetables makes you glow!
Look in your kitchen
I can remember when I was a young teenager I used to love playing about in the kitchen making natural facemasks using mashed banana, honey and oats and using teabags and cucumber on my eyes, but daft as it may sound it really works! I use a lot of items from my kitchen in my beauty regime now– here’s my favourites:
Coconut oil as a facial moisturiser – I started using extra virgin organic coconut oil as a moisturiser on an evening and it is fantastic! I had worried that it would leave my skin greasy but the oil is completely absorbed and makes my skin glow! I just use a small amount and melt it between my hands before massaging into my face.
Sugar and oil as a body exfoliator – I mix granulated sugar with plain olive oil (not the expensive EVOO) and use it as a body scrub. I sometimes add a couple of drops of sweet orange oil or lavender oil for a nicer smell. You can also use rock salt but I find that too abrasive for my skin.
Nut milk pulp as a facial exfoliator – When I’ve made a batch of nut milk I sometimes use the pulp as an exfoliator for my face. Its amazing and leaves my skin so soft and silky smooth, especially when using almonds! You can also wrap the nut pulp in a muslin bag with some lavender and let it sit in your bath water to help soften your skin.
Apple cider vinegar as a toner – when my last toner ran out I decided to try using raw apple cider vinegar. I diluted it with filtered water in a 1:4 ratio and keep it in a little plastic bottle from Muji. It doesn’t smell great but it does a good job of removing any excess Ultrabland or make up that remains after cleansing my face and I hardly ever get any breakouts.
I also like honey as a face mask and banana mashed with oats makes a great face mask / exfoliator as well. The great thing about these is that they are not only cheap but are very environmentally friendly too.
Decide what your ‘beauty priorities’ are
As I’m on a limited budget I’ve had to decide what products to splurge on and which ones to save on. There’s a couple of key products that are so essential for me I always try and invest in the best quality and can afford and then save on the rest. At the moment my ‘splurge’ items are:
Day moisturiser – I want a good organic, chemical nasties free moisturiser that has an SPF in it and currently I love Green People’s Daily SPF Moisturiser:
Eyebrow powder – I have very fair and sparse eyebrows so a good eyebrow powder is essential for me. Currently I’m loving Benefits Brow zings:
Lipstick – I’m pretty much obsessed with my fave red lips so I invest in good products that won’t end up being smeared all over my face ;-) I have MAC in Russian Red and for day time Korres liquid lipstick in raspberry.
For other products I follow these tips…
Buy multi use products
Products that have multi uses such as lip / eye / cheek sticks etc can be really useful and a good saving on buying separate products. I also include under this heading things like eye shadow palettes. I adore my Urban Decay Naked Palette because you can create so many looks with it and it lasts for ages!
Buy in bulk when on offer
I’m always looking out for offers on my favourite products and when I see them on a BOGOF or a 3 for 2 I try and stock up.
Switch from cleansing wipes to face cloths
Late last year I stopped buying make up wipes and started using Lush’s Ultrabland cleanser and using washable cotton face cloths instead. I got a few plain face cloths for about 99p each and I just wash them all at the end of the week. I was spending lots on the packs of face wipes and the cream cleanser I needed to use afterwards because they weren’t taking all my make up off properly, and this works much better for my skin and saves me money!
Other little things I do to save cash on beauty include colouring my hair at home rather than getting it done at the salon, doing my own manicures and pedicures, shaving rather than getting a wax – a lot of things that most of you will probably also do as well of course!
Do you have any thrifty beauty tips? What products are you prepared to save on and which do like like to have a splurge on?
0 comments:
Post a Comment