When gas and food prices rise, the beauty budget often gets cut first. This is one of life’s fun twists: Financial stress can leave you craving more personal care, precisely when you can’t afford it.
Fortunately, you can add indulgence to your routine without the price tag of a spa visit or a new cut and color. Try a few of these easy, cheap, and luxurious beauty upgrades to refresh your look without overspending.
Tint your lips
Upgrading your regular lip balm to a pretty, tinted shade requires less than $10 of cash and no extra effort. A hint of added color on those lips can light up your whole face. Plus, some formulations have hydrating oils to keep your kisser feeling soft and luxurious. Look for hydrating formulas with coconut oil, beeswax, or hyaluronic acid. Amazon has tons of options from reliable and up-and-coming brands.
Upgrade your nails
Fresh manicures are super satisfying because you can see and enjoy them. You can also admire a new lip balm, but staring at yourself in the mirror is a bit more inconvenient than taking a periodic peek at your nails.
There are many ways to upgrade your nails on a budget, including:
- Invest $7 in cuticle oil and apply it daily.
- Buy a new no-LED gel polish in a color you wouldn’t normally pick for $10.
- If you’re handy with a nail file, spend $10 on a nail dip powder kit for salon-quality results at home.
- Try press-on nails for $15 or less.
Read next: 6 gel manicure alternatives and which manicure is best for your nail health
Curl your lashes
An old-school lash curler is a surprisingly effective way to brighten your look. Use it with or without mascara for an easy, all-natural, wide-eyed look. Curled eyelashes draw attention to your eyes without color or clumps.
Even better, your cost-per-use on a budget eyelash curler, used daily, is only pennies.
Pro tip: Don’t bother with a more expensive curler, particularly a heated one. I invested in a heated lash curler once and found it to be no better than my cheaper, mechanical curler.
Try a tinted moisturizer
A tinted moisturizer with SPF adds a soft finish and sun protection without extra hassle. Some products also include anti-aging ingredients. You can opt for a standard tint or a BB or CC cream for more impact.
The options in this category are plentiful. You can spend as little as $8 for, say, Maybelline’s Dream BB Fresh perfecting beauty balm. Or, you could drop $80 on Perricone MD’s firming tinted moisturizer with SPF. I haven’t used the pricey products, but I have used the cheap ones — and they do the job. The Maybelline moisturizer recently kept me from getting burned under the Las Vegas sun, so I’m a believer.
Read next: The five CC creams beauty enthusiasts love most
Gloss your locks
At-home gloss and glaze treatments for your hair can smooth damaged ends and give your hair a shiny glow. Some are clear and others have added color — a nice option if you have grays to cover. Glosses aim to add a reflective, glassy quality to your hair. Depending on the condition of your hair today, this can be a big upgrade.
John Frieda’s Luminous Glaze Clear Shine Gloss and L’Oreal’s Glossing Lamination Hair Mask are both available for about $10.
Read next: 10 ways to repair damaged hair
Get a fancy hair tie
Your hair tie doesn’t have to be plain. Upgrading that black elastic band to something more like jewelry is a simple and powerful style move. Your jeans-and-t outfits will look more polished, and you’ll have the option to wear your hair back for dressier occasions.
Thanks to Amazon, you can browse cheap hair ties and clips for hours. Some options I’m loving right now are:
- Velvet scrunchie
- Gold-toned bracelet hair tie
- Silver metal hair cuff
- Faux pearl scrunchie
Make a scented moisturizer
You can quickly and cheaply upgrade a basic moisturizer by adding a heady essential oil. My latest creation is organic argan oil mixed with a few drops of rose geranium oil. I use this mixture as a moisturizer for my body, face, and hair. The geranium oil delivers a soft rose scent, only noticeable by those closest to me. If you like a stronger scent, you could add more essential oil.
Lavender, sweet orange, clove, or peppermint oil are a few good scent candidates, depending on your tastes. Make sure to use therapeutic grade oils in small quantities and test for skin sensitivity before dousing yourself.
Sleep on satin
A satin pillowcase feels luxurious and minimizes friction on your hair and skin while you sleep. Since I started sleeping on a satin pillowcase, my hair has been smoother and less frizzy. Sometimes I can even get an extra day from a blow-dry, which never would have been possible while sleeping on cotton. I don’t think the pillowcase has approved the appearance of my skin, but it sure feels nice to lay on.
This is another beauty upgrade that costs less than $10.
The Budget Fashionista takeaway
Tiny luxuries can deliver big payoffs. A tinted lip balm, a satin pillowcase, a shiny new hair accessory, or a $10 gloss treatment can make you feel more put together without adding much time or expense to your routine.
Pick one or two of these small beauty upgrades and give them a try. See if you feel more confident and comfortable throughout the day. Your wallet will stay happy, and you’ll (hopefully) realize luxury is more accessible than you thought.