If you haven't already seen part one of this series, you can check it out here for the products that you should really invest your hard earned dollars in. But, if you're making ends meet on a retail salary like me, you'll know that sometimes you've gotta be a cheap-skate to get by. So here is the second instalment of my Ultimate Beauty Handbook.
Products to Save on: (aka how to be a broke ass b**** and still look good)
Makeup Remover: This is a product that you don't even need to buy, ever. Go down to your local supermarket and pick up a jar of organic coconut oil for like $7. Slather this bad boy all over your face and wipe it off with a tissue, a cotton pad or even just some toilet paper (clean stuff obviously). Not only does this oily substance remove your makeup but it also acts as a cleanser to balance out the oils in your skin and pull out any impurities or toxins. Pretty neat stuff, eh?
Eyeshadows: Although eyeshadows are a good investment because they last forever, they are also an easy place to save some coin. Unless you're looking for a supermodel finish or doing your wedding makeup, you can often scrape by using really cheap eyeshadows. BYS (the cheapest Australian makeup brand you can think of) and Chi Chi make really pigmented eyeshadows. Granted, they dont have the same quality as Urban Decay or TheBalm, but they sure do the job!
Lipstick: The same rule as the eyeshadows applies here, while MAC make the best lipsticks (my opinion), many cheaper brands such as Revlon and Rimmel have teamed up with different celebrities to release lipstick lines. These lines generally have higher quality (I'm not sure why, maybe to protect the celebrity's reputation) but nevertheless, lipsticks from the likes of Kate Moss or basically anything from Rimmel London have great pigmentation and provide excellent wear.
Lipliner: As my Aunty once said when she bought me my first Chanel lipstick, a red lipstick will always bleed unless you use a liner. While this is always the case with red lipstick, it is often the same with other colours too. So 'invest' in lipliners that closely match all your lipsticks. Brands such as ELF sell them for a couple of dollars and they do a great job, especially when you're going over them with a lipstick anyway!
Mascara: I've fallen for this trap more times than I can count, you hear 'insert beauty guru here' raving about a mascara like the Benefit They're Real and you instantly want to go out and buy it? Only to find out its the same as your drugstore dupe? Yep. You're not the only one with this problem. Im not saying that expensive mascaras are bad, like I'm sure the quality of Benefit, MAC and YSL is going to higher than that of Covergirl and Rimmel, but if you don't have super sensitive eyes, you can easily get away with cheaper alternatives. They're not nasty and usually those super long lashes are more a result of the brush and the application technique than the formula itself. I personally love the Younique fibre lash extension mascara, but I probably wouldn't repurchase it because of the company set-up, but if pushy sales people is what you want, they have a great mascara!
Pressed Powder: This is an easy one for me. Heard of MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish Pressed Powder? Well you can get a virtual dupe from Australis called the Fresh and Flawless pressed powder, if you're buying a quality foundation, like the ones I mentioned here, then you don't need to cover it with an expensive powder, even if it doesn't have great coverage, it'll only be revealing the amazing coverage of your foundation.
So there you have it, a couple of ways to save some money without looking like you let a six year old do your makeup with their crayons.
Products to Save on: (aka how to be a broke ass b**** and still look good)
Makeup Remover: This is a product that you don't even need to buy, ever. Go down to your local supermarket and pick up a jar of organic coconut oil for like $7. Slather this bad boy all over your face and wipe it off with a tissue, a cotton pad or even just some toilet paper (clean stuff obviously). Not only does this oily substance remove your makeup but it also acts as a cleanser to balance out the oils in your skin and pull out any impurities or toxins. Pretty neat stuff, eh?
Eyeshadows: Although eyeshadows are a good investment because they last forever, they are also an easy place to save some coin. Unless you're looking for a supermodel finish or doing your wedding makeup, you can often scrape by using really cheap eyeshadows. BYS (the cheapest Australian makeup brand you can think of) and Chi Chi make really pigmented eyeshadows. Granted, they dont have the same quality as Urban Decay or TheBalm, but they sure do the job!
Lipstick: The same rule as the eyeshadows applies here, while MAC make the best lipsticks (my opinion), many cheaper brands such as Revlon and Rimmel have teamed up with different celebrities to release lipstick lines. These lines generally have higher quality (I'm not sure why, maybe to protect the celebrity's reputation) but nevertheless, lipsticks from the likes of Kate Moss or basically anything from Rimmel London have great pigmentation and provide excellent wear.
Lipliner: As my Aunty once said when she bought me my first Chanel lipstick, a red lipstick will always bleed unless you use a liner. While this is always the case with red lipstick, it is often the same with other colours too. So 'invest' in lipliners that closely match all your lipsticks. Brands such as ELF sell them for a couple of dollars and they do a great job, especially when you're going over them with a lipstick anyway!
Mascara: I've fallen for this trap more times than I can count, you hear 'insert beauty guru here' raving about a mascara like the Benefit They're Real and you instantly want to go out and buy it? Only to find out its the same as your drugstore dupe? Yep. You're not the only one with this problem. Im not saying that expensive mascaras are bad, like I'm sure the quality of Benefit, MAC and YSL is going to higher than that of Covergirl and Rimmel, but if you don't have super sensitive eyes, you can easily get away with cheaper alternatives. They're not nasty and usually those super long lashes are more a result of the brush and the application technique than the formula itself. I personally love the Younique fibre lash extension mascara, but I probably wouldn't repurchase it because of the company set-up, but if pushy sales people is what you want, they have a great mascara!
Pressed Powder: This is an easy one for me. Heard of MAC's Mineralize Skin Finish Pressed Powder? Well you can get a virtual dupe from Australis called the Fresh and Flawless pressed powder, if you're buying a quality foundation, like the ones I mentioned here, then you don't need to cover it with an expensive powder, even if it doesn't have great coverage, it'll only be revealing the amazing coverage of your foundation.
So there you have it, a couple of ways to save some money without looking like you let a six year old do your makeup with their crayons.