Your budget is really tight, and you know that you should make some spending sacrifices in order to save money. One of those spending sacrifices might just be makeup.
Don’t panic — you can still buy, use and enjoy makeup when you’re trying to save money. Read these makeup tips for tight budgets.
Reduce
Makeup isn’t something you should buy in bulk. Why? Your makeup products can expire before you’ve gotten close to finishing them. Don’t waste your money on a large bottle of foundation that you have to throw out before it’s empty.
For products that you’ve yet to try, get samples first. Sample sizes are small and sometimes free. You’ll have an opportunity to test out the product and see whether you want to include it in your routine. If you love it, you can buy the product, and if you don’t, you can comfort yourself with the fact that at least you didn’t waste any money.
Reuse
Stop using disposable makeup wipes to clean your face at the end of the day. They’re wasteful for the environment and your finances. You should make your own makeup remover pads that you can reuse over and over.
Recycle
Keep containers after you’ve emptied them out. Why? Some brands will let you return them as part of their recycling program and reward you with new products or discounts. Fans of MAC makeup can use the BACK 2 MAC takeback program to get a free lipstick, lipglass or eyeshadow. LUSH Cosmetics, bare Minerals, Pacifica and L’Occitane en Provence offer similar programs for their customers.
Go to the Drugstore
You can find plenty of budget-friendly makeup options in your local drugstore’s beauty aisle. And you’ll get an even better deal on those products when you use coupons or sign up with the store’s rewards program.
Play with Texture
You might be tempted to buy new products because the ones you own don’t have the texture that you’re looking for. Before you open up your wallet, you should learn these tricks to fix your makeup’s texture:
- If you want your kohl eyeliner pencil to be smoother and softer, use a lighter to heat the tip for a few seconds. It will get tacky and creamy.
- If your mascara is dry and clumpy, add contact solution inside the tube and shake it up. Or put the tube in a cup of warm water. These should revive the mascara and make it lustrous again.
- If you want to use your powdered eyeshadows as liquid liners, you can mix the powders with primer or eyedrops. This will give you the texture and hold of liquid liner.
Pushing Your Budget
Don’t let your makeup routine push your budget past its limits. It’s not worth it. Having a kit full of high-end products might feel good momentarily, but that feeling will disappear when you take a look at your bank account or get a sudden expense that you can’t afford.
If that sudden expense is an emergency (like a car repair, home repair or medical appointment), and you don’t have enough savings to pay for it, you could try applying for a same business day loan for help. Click here to find out what is a same business day loan and what qualifications you need to apply for one. It could be the right solution for you.
Your love of makeup doesn’t have to make you go broke. Your beauty routine can work with your tight budget.