Bargain Beauty

Today I have a post from a beauty blog that I really love. Her tutorials are very easy to follow and she makes everything seem super easy. I’ll let her take over my blog now…

Hi, I’m Elle, from ElleSees, a beauty-based lifestyle blog. I feature beauty tips and tricks to get the celeb looks without the price and so much more. I’m on a pretty tight budget, so how do I save money when it comes to beauty products?

Dupes–There is almost always a dupe or knockoff of a more expensive beauty product. Try the drugstore generic of a favorite beauty or hair product. Usually they’re made in the same factory! Not in the mood to treasure hunt and try? Search for ____dupe (ex. Mac lipstick dupe) and you’ll easily find a comparable product for a fraction of the price.Here’s how:

• Drugstore--Most of the products I use are drugstore! The quality of what you’ll find is so much better than it used to be. Try Wet N Wild shadows, Revlon lipsticks, and Covergirl mascara, just to name a few.
• DIY–When I saw a brown sugar scrub for $65 (seriously) I knew I could easily make my own. And I do for many hair, skin, and body products. Check those out here.
• Returns–Is there anything worse than spending your money on a new lipstick only to hate it once you bring it home? Luckily, many stores allow returns, even with opened & used products! Try Sephora, Ulta, drugstores, Wal-Mart and Target. Keep the receipt!
• Monthly Subscriptions–One way to sample new beauty products is to try a monthly subscription service, such as Birchbox or MyGlam. Some are even free–try influenster.com
• Beauty Swap–If you have a lot of good friends who use beauty products, try a beauty swap. What doesn’t work for you might be perfect for someone else! Makeup can be easily disinfected (click here for a post on how to).
• Sell, Donate, or Repurpose–See link above for more details!
• Multipurpose Products–I love it when I can use a product for more than one thing. Conditioner easily becomes shaving lotion, baby wipes make great makeup removers, and lipstick can be blush!
• Choose Wisely–I love drugstore products, but I do spend money on my haircut and color. But drugstore mascaras are always better than high-end brands. If you have finicky skin, a name-brand foundation is a wise investment. Drugstore shampoos work just as well as the fancy ones.

Michelle’s comment: I’ve honestly never even THOUGHT about looking up dupes! That is such a great idea. I’m going to start doing that. And I recently signed up for influenster and received my first box. I love everything that I got, and best of all, it was all free.