beauty tips

Budget Beauty: Get More Bang for Your (Beauty) Buck

admin / October 3, 2011/3 Comments

October 3, 2011 by admin on October 3, 2011

If you’ve had to cut down on spending on little luxuries like beauty products, your best bet is to make the most of what you’ve got. Going the budget beauty route is easier than it sounds—it’s simply a matter of learning how to prolong a product’s use. Here are a few tricks that work for us.

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How To Keep Your Skin Moisturized This Summer

AshleyD / May 23, 2011/0 Comment

May 23, 2011 by AshleyD on May 23, 2011

We’re not going to bother telling you to stay out of the sun this summer; we’re not even going to do that. But if you’re going to expose your skin to the sun’s rays and the summer heat, you need to protect it. Keeping the moisture in your skin will keep it young and gorgeous, so while you’re outdoors this summer, keep these things in mind.

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Five Tips for Getting a Haircut on a Budget

LauraJaneKyle / May 21, 2011/5 Comments

May 21, 2011 by LauraJaneKyle on May 21, 2011

Five Tips for Getting a Haircut on a Budget

A good hair day puts you in a great mood, and a good hair day that lasts several weeks, if not months, is pretty much priceless. But don’t tell your hairdresser that. While we don’t suggest you sacrifice your locks to an unimaginative stylist, or cut your own hair (leave that kind of crazy behavior to the boys), we do suggest that you stay on budget.

Beyond donating your hair to charity or going for a minimalist style that you can improve with products, these five tips will get you a good haircut for less.

How to Get a Haircut on a Budget

1. Bring a picture and be clear about what you want. Whether you’re going in for a simple trim or a dramatic change, ask for exactly what you want. That way you can avoid getting ripped off for a la carte services you didn’t ask for in the first place, and you can leave with the look you originally dreamed up. A cheap, cheap haircut isn’t worth it if you have to follow it up with another appointment to fix it, or you have to spend hours every morning taming your hair, or you have to buy a set of hats/wigs to cover up the mess.

2. Let someone practice on you. Get an uber-cheap or even free haircut at a training session. Aspiring hairdressers need someone to practice on and that could be you. Sound scary? No worries, a pro is always on hand to make sure everything goes according to plan. Call your favorite salon or a nearby beauty school to see if there are any opportunities. For starters, check out Vidal Sasson’s promotion page.

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Beauty Advice: Cheap Quick Fixes to Common Beauty Problems

Kathryn / May 19, 2011/4 Comments

May 19, 2011 by Kathryn on May 19, 2011

Your fridge and your medicine cabinet offer tons of quick beauty fixes—without spending a dime. Here are a few of my favorite at home beauty problem solvers.

Quick Beauty Fixes

Zits. Apply a small dab of toothpaste to the zit. Let it sit for no more than two minutes. Not sure exactly why this seems to work, but it does.
Puffy Eyes. Place two cotton balls into 1 cup of cold whole milk. Make sure the cotton balls are well saturated and place on your eyes for ten minutes.
Dull Skin. Use this common household product as a toner: dip one cotton ball in hydrogen peroxide and sweep over skin in a circular motion. Be careful to avoid eye area. You can also dip a cotton ball in a cup of vodka and spread along skin.
Bad Breath. Baking soda works wonders for bad breath. Put a teaspoon on your toothbrush; add a little water and brush as usual, including tongue and gums.
Wrinkles. Whip one egg and spread on face. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then rinse thoroughly.
Tired Eyes. Steep two bags of green tea in 1 cup of water. Chill (make sure it is cool to touch, so you don’t burn your eyelids) and place on eyes for 15 minutes. You can also use chilled cucumbers placed on eyes for 15 minutes.
Wet Nails. This tip I learned from a nail technician. Dip wet nails into ice cold water for quick drying or spray with a pan oil like Pam.

Blemishes. Squeeze 2 tablespoons of lemon juice onto a cotton swab and sweep over face.
Eyebrow Wax Pain Reliever. Apply a small amount of oral topical anesthetic like Ambesol to help reduce the pain of tweezing and waxing.
Dry Skin. If no lotion is available use leave on hair conditioner instead. It works miracles in a pinch. Conditioner also works well as a substitute shaving gel/cream.
Cellulite. Warm dry coffee grounds and work the grounds into the skin to help reduce cellulite.
Dry Hair. In a pinch use a little dab of skin lotion or Vaseline on hair.
Lipgloss. Vaseline (my favorite beauty product) is the perfect lip gloss. Line lips and then add a small covering of vaseline. You can also use it to add shine after you put on your favorite lip color.