Money Saving Beauty Tips

The beauty industry is BIG business!! Recent survey Beauty at any Cost revealing U.S women alone spend over $7 billion a year on cosmetics and beauty products. The $7 billion quoted doesn't even take account of the increasing amounts spent on cosmetic surgery and non surgical procedures such as botox injections.

With the dawn of the credit crunch more and more people are looking for thrifty ways for their money to go further. Shaving money off your beauty spend is easily achievable by following my five budget beauty tips.

1. Ditch the designer brands - if you are a designer make up diva ditch those designer brands now. Yes the packaging may be adorable but it's YOU that is paying for it. If you can't do with out a certain beauty product on a daily basis (and with my uneven skin tone foundation is up there!!) investigate alternative cheaper brands.
2. Make make up last - we are all fully aware that there are health hazards associated with keeping make up too long so a certain amount of common sense is always required but there are ways to maximise the usage you get from your cosmetics. I am sure we have all thrown away products when we could have got a few days extra usage from them. I now use a lip brush to use up lipstick remnants and turn foundation bottles upside down to get out the last drops.
3. Dare to share - ever come home with what you thought was a fantastic new shade of lipstick or funky new mascara to discover it doesn't look as great as you thought in the store? Instead of hiding these make up disasters in the bottom of a drawer see whether a friend or relative has a swap.
   
4. Enjoy free beauty treatments - when I was expecting my 4th child money was tight but I found ways to enjoy beauty treatments for free. I enjoyed mini facials, massages and make up sessions all for nothing. So what's the secret? Local beauty schools often want "guinea pigs" for trainees to test their skills on and treatments are available either completely free or at significantly reduced prices. The beauticians at cosmetics counters in large department stores also offer free treatment sessions with a view to you purchasing their products. You ofcourse are under no obligation to do so. If you fancy some free pampering don't be afraid to ring up your local beauty school and ask!
5. To buy or not to buy? - I know make a point before I buy anything not just a beauty product of asking myself, "Do I really need this?" Since asking myself this simple question before spending any money I have eliminated impulse purchases from all shopping areas. One item that I have discovered I can do with out is blusher. I am not some one with naturally a rosy glow so I didn't want to do with out any sort of cheek pigment but by using lipstick as blusher I have a totally co ordinated look without any extra spend.

I hope these budget beauty tips are useful for you and save you $$$ off your own beauty expenditure.