Beauty on a budget

I wouldn’t call myself vain, nor high maintenance.  However I do wear make up every work day, remaining fresh faced at weekends. I have a manicure every week.  I have my hair trimmed every 6 weeks and my hair dyed every 2-3 months.    Whilst all of this could be quite costly easily over £1000 per year, how do you look delictable and lovely and a little pampered with spending less than a tenth of that?

Well it helps that my make up is free, as my sister always buys me the following each Birthday and Christmas and its lasts me the whole year.   My family know when it comes to gifts I like practicality, things that I will use / need, I am very lucky I know.  It is also quick, it takes me less than 2 minutes to put my face on each day.

I use l’oreal mineral foundation powder, this evens out my complexion, is quick and easy to apply, it is so light you wouldn’t know you were wearing it and you don’t need a separate powder, it is pricey at £14.99 but that will last 6 months.

I then just put on some mascara, Boots Natural Collection at £1.99

Then just some lip gloss again Boots Natural Collection at £1.99. 

I try and keep my makeup light and natural but enough to make me look half human, this makeup lasts me 6 months and works out at 15p a day for the 5 days per week I wear makeup, so not too bad but as I say I am lucky in that it doesn’t actually cost me anything.

Manicure

Obviously this is done by myself at home.  I keep my nails short, neat and well filed and I like Revlon Vixen nail varnish.

At the moment I feel very spoiled as a good friend bought me Chanel Rouge Noir Nail Varnish for my 40^th Birthday and I am using that, however at £17.50 a bottle I would never buy this for myself and appreciate I am very lucky.  My weekly manicure if I buy my own nailvarnish and hand cream costs 51p.

Hair Cuts

For the past 2 years my hair custs have been completely free as I cut my own, brave or mad you decide but it works for me (it helps that my hair has a natural wavy so that hides any and all imperfections.  I now have long hair which I cut into a long layered look doing it exactly as this article in the Mail today demonstrates http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2145423/Is-DIY-hairdo-shortcut-disaster-As-women-skip-salon-save-money-brave-volunteer-tries-cutting-hair.html

I dye my hair every 2-3 months using a dark brown permenant dye from Home Bargains which costs £2.99, so I spend no more than £17.94 per year on my hair.  Equating to 35p per week. 

Tissues

I also like to have a pretty box of tissues on my dressing table.  The box bought about a year ago originally cost £1.65 and it didn’t last very long about 3 weeks.  This is quite a luxury, but how to still have the luxury experience without the luxury price? Here’s my secret cheat J

Once your pretty cube box of tissues is finished, carefully open up the box

Take a toilet roll and slide in

I use a prit stick to glue the seam again – as this glue allows you to easily reopen again, but any will do, pull through the tissue and place back on your dressing table

E-voila a brand new pretty cube box of tissues which costs 20p and lasts 10 times longer Cxx