9 Budget Beauty Tips for Saving Money on Beauty Products

There is no reason to spend a fortune to look amazing, at home or when traveling. Today I am sharing 9 Budget Beauty Tips for Saving Money on Beauty Products from 9 awesome friends.

Taking care of our bodies isn’t just about looking better on the outside – sometimes it’s the key to feeling good on the inside too. Trying out various makeup styles or indulging in beauty treatments can help you feel more relaxed and confident.

Unfortunately, using products on a daily basis can easily blow our monthly beauty budget, especially if we’re buying the latest high-end products. It’s always especially hard when you add it all up and realize how much of that money could have been put towards a round-trip ticket to our (future) dream destination!

This is why I’ve reached out to nine women around the globe to share their best tips on how to save money on beauty products.

Here are 9 Budget Beauty Tips for Saving Money on Beauty Products

Disclosure – This post contains affiliate links.

 

Track your beauty expenses

Chantell Collins

Do you know how much do you spend on beauty treatments and products per month? You might be surprised by the amount.

First, make a list and calculate the total cost. Now imagine, what else you could do with that money. I bet you’ve got travel dreams you want to make a reality.

Second, go through the list and start crossing out anything that isn’t essential. Do you really need that monthly facial? Is the leg waxing really necessary? For me, it meant giving up my massages, eyebrow threading, and spa mani-pedis. But it was a small sacrifice to make to help afford my current lifestyle.

Consider simplifying your beauty routine and products. These days my skincare involves gentle cleaning with water, applying moisturizer daily, and 50+ sunscreen whenever I go out into the sun. The products you choose, don’t need to be expensive as research has shown that cheap moisturizers work just as well as those pricey little jars.

 

Make your own makeup

Nadine Maffre, The Zero Waste Memoirs

Many people think that making your own makeup would be too expensive, difficult, or time-consuming. But in fact, it’s one of the easiest at-home DIYs out there! Start with simple recipes, such as making your own DIY powder foundation or lip stain and you’ll soon be a convert. Not only will you save a lot of money, but you will also save on unnecessary packaging (that often can’t be recycled).

Many of the DIY beauty recipes also call for far fewer ingredients than traditional beauty products. So, if you have sensitive skin, or you’re just careful about what products you wear on your skin, you’ll be able to gain back much more control. It’s a fun thing to experiment with too. Once you get the basics right, you can play around with colors, scents, and even making cute gifts for your beauty product-loving friends!

 

Use coupons to save money on beauty products

Anika Jindal, What Anika Says

My favorite way to save money on beauty products is using coupons. Whenever I have to buy any beauty product or cosmetics for myself I start looking for coupons in the store’s weekly ads. You can also find coupons on the store’s website. If I have a particular brand that I want to buy, I check their website and social media channels as well for coupons.

As a bonus tip, you can try to use the coupons on top of some on-going promotions to bring the cost of your product even lower.

 

Pick multi-tasking products

Katie Anderson, Love French Style

When it comes to beauty on a budget, the skill of combining beauty products is key. With these three simple beauty basics, you can create your very own spa at home experience and turn three great products into six.

1. Moisturizing cream: Used alone, the moisturizing cream will ensure the protection of your skin’s barrier, particularly during the colder months.
2. Face oil: Just 5 drops of a good quality face oil before bed will deeply moisturize skin, especially when applied using gentle massage to soothe and relax facial lines.
3. Facial scrub: Whilst the AHAs certainly have their place, a good old-fashioned scrub can do wonders for tired-looking skin.
4. Moisturizer + scrub = hydrating glow mask: Combine equal amounts of moisturizer and scrub in the palm of your hand and blend together. Apply all over the face avoiding the delicate eye area and leave for two minutes then rinse off with warm water.
5. Facial oil + moisturizer = intensive night boost: Combine equal amounts of moisturizer and facial oil and apply sparingly to the face and decolletage before bed to plump and hydrate skin overnight.
6. Facial scrub + facial oil = deep cleansing treatment: The combination of a rich facial oil with a small amount of facial scrub is the perfect ingredient for a weekly deep pore cleanse. Combine equal parts in the palm of your hand and massage onto the face. Leave for five minutes then rinse with warm water to reveal a brighter, plumper complexion.

 

Buy travel samples

Jessie Moore, Pocket Wanderings

It’s nice to switch up your beauty and skincare routine every now and then. Trying new products is part of the fun but it can also be an expensive process. One of my favorite budget beauty hacks is to buy travel-sized products. This allows you to try the product and see whether you like it before investing in the full-sized products. Many brands now allow you to buy these travel-sized versions.

Even better, you may not even have to buy them. These sample products are often given out for free as part of promotions or thrown into an online order. If you have a specific brand or product in mind, you can often just ask for samples from makeup and beauty counters.

Once you’ve gathered your samples, don’t just pop them in a draw and forget about them. When you’re looking to refresh your routine with some new products, give the samples a whirl and choose only your absolute favorites to invest in. Not only will this approach save you money, but it’s also a lot less wasteful.

 

Opt for no-name brands

Vicki Franz, Sweet Vida Home

Beauty products are, unfortunately, almost always expensive. Especially those who value good quality will find that they spend a lot on their beauty and health. To save money on make-up and beauty products, it can be helpful to use a no-name product instead of the typical pricey brand products. Depending on the category and producer, no-name products can perform just as well in quality tests as the expensive branded products.

But before you buy a product, you should definitely search online for reviews. In forums, blogs, or quality tester sites, you will undoubtedly find what you are looking for. Many large drugstore or supermarket chains already offer their own product line, which is often many times cheaper than comparable products from well-known brands.

In Europe, for example, the lotions of the supermarket chain Lidl are very well rated and sometimes even perform better in tests than well-known brand lotions. As you can see, it can be worthwhile to look for no-name products when you go shopping at the supermarket.

 

Join beauty-themed Facebook groups

Sophie Marie, Baby Toddler & Kids

As a busy mum, I don’t have time to be traipsing around endless shops or trawling the internet on the hunt for bargain beauty products. Over time I’ve learned that it’s much easier to let other people do the bargain hunting for you!

To keep on top of all the latest product discounts I’ve found that joining Facebook groups very specifically targeted to my needs works like a charm. For example, I have a wild mane of curly hair that needs specialized products and routines to tame it, As I currently live in Australia, I joined every Facebook group I could find that is aimed at curly-haired people living here.

Not every group you join will be great but you will likely land on at least one that is a gold mine. One of my curly hair groups is full to the brim with people who are much more dedicated to finding the right products than I am and put a ton of time and effort into finding deals on specialized products. They ALWAYS post in the group to let us know when they’ve found things on sale and I shoot straight out to the shops to stock up!

In fact, it’s one of these groups that I learned about the Garnier Fructis Endurance hair gel that costs just $6 and is now my go-to hair styling product – replacing the $15 one I was previously using!

 

Subscribe to beauty subscription boxes

Ingrid Norris, Fabulous and Fun Life

Beauty subscription boxes are boxes full of beauty products that are delivered to your door every month, or every season, for the life of your subscription. Usually, they consist of deluxe-sized samples but sometimes also including full-sized products,

It’s a cost-effective way to try out different beauty products at a substantial saving. The value of the beauty products in the box is usually at least double the cost of the box and the value can be more than four times the cost of the box, depending on which beauty subscription box you choose and the length of your subscription. The longer the length of your subscription the cheaper the boxes usually become. Annual subscriptions offer the best value for money.

Choose a beauty subscription box that matches your beauty needs and wants. There are natural beauty subscription boxes, makeup beauty subscription boxes, lipstick beauty subscription boxes, and skincare beauty subscription boxes, as well as combination boxes. Some beauty subscription boxes ask you to complete a brief questionnaire of your needs and wants so they can adjust the box’s contents to suit you. Thus there is no wastage of products that aren’t suitable for you.

Whichever beauty subscription box you choose they are a great way to save money on beauty products.

 

Use DIY conditioner and face masks

Vrushali, Mumbaikar Mom

The best way to save money on beauty products is to opt for DIY alternatives. Most of the popular beauty products found in expensive showrooms and malls can easily be substituted with homemade alternatives.

One way in which I have personally saved lots of money is by substituting hair conditioner with diluted apple cider vinegar. Conditioner seems to weigh down my thin hair and also costs me a lot of money. However, this simple trick of using apple cider vinegar has been life-changing. I fill some apple cider vinegar in a regular spray bottle and dilute it with water. After shampooing my hair, I quickly spray the vinegar onto my hair and leave it on for a couple of minutes. I rinse it off thoroughly to get rid of the smell but the shine and smoothness of the vinegar keep my hair looking good even after.

The other hack that has been my life-saver is that of using homemade face masks. My favorite one is this Ayurvedic face mask made using honey and milk. I mix some honey with milk and get it to a runny consistency and then apply it to my face with a soft towel or cotton ball. I let it stay for about 15 minutes and then rinse it off completely. This magical mask keeps my skin free of blackheads and dryness and costs me almost nothing.

 

There is nothing wrong with indulging in beauty products and treatments, but by following these nine methods, you can still feel beautiful while saving money. Amazon also offers great prices on many beauty products.

 

Have you do you save money to spend on travel? Tell us about it below!

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