How to save money on makeup
It doesn’t have to be a bank breaking exercise to look your best, despite the impression you might be left with after visiting the beauty section of your local department store. Some beauty stores would have you believe you shouldn’t leave your house before spending a small fortune just to powder your nose. In reality you could get away without using any makeup at all and in doing so save yourself quite a lot of money. However, there are still plenty of times when you want to enhance your best features and give yourself a little boost of confidence and so a little touch up here and there could be all you need. You should look on yourself as being like a sumptuous cake, all its needs to set it off is a little icing on the top. Even if it only makes you feel prettier – go for it.
Be Wary of Slick Salespeople in Department Stores
If you get the feeling that you’ve been going a bit overboard and your spiralling make up costs are getting you down you can do something about it and still look your best, but first of all you must be ready to say no to high pressure salespeople who are paid to sell products, not to make you look better, and don’t allow yourself to be swayed with the offer of a free gift with a certain purchase – this is a sales gimmick to encourage you to spend more than you intended to, or can afford to. Free gimmicks and salespeople have exactly the same goal to encourage you to spend more than you really need to. It doesn’t hurt anyone if you say ‘sorry, but not today’ but it could hurt your budget if you meekly let yourself to be suckered in.
Before going shopping for more makeup products make sure you know exactly what you already have at home. Line up your products and put the ones that are the same together in the one spot. You will probably be surprised how many duplicates of things like mascara, of the same colour and brand, you already have on hand.
Only Buy What You Really Need
When in the shop you must decide if what you are looking at is worth the money. Decide whether you really need it or not. For instance, if you have found that a particular foundation works perfectly on you, it might be worth paying a little extra for it. But other items such as eye shadow are, after all, just eye shadow, and you shouldn’t be swayed with a fancy label that a more expensive type is any better than a low priced one. On the other hand you should probably make sure the mascara you buy is both hypo-allergenic and waterproof. Some women prefer lip gloss to lipstick and remember that if you really want to make your cheeks look rosy, a good healthy complexion is much preferred to a face that is overly painted.
If possible only buy what is being sold at a discounted price. If you know exactly what you have back home you can play the sales as they come around. You might finish up having to double up your inventory a bit now and again but you will save in the long run. By keeping your stocks filled you can avoid having to pay high prices at the last minute if you’ve been invited out to dinner at short notice and your favourite cosmetics are dry.
Department Store Free Demonstrations Are Worth Attending
Be careful where you buy your make up. If you always go to the cosmetic counter of a department store you will always be paying the highest prices but if you look around the budget or discount stores you will be surprised by the difference there is in cost. You can often find the brand name products being discounted at these types of outlets. After a while you will get to know the price of the various items you need and you will know if they are truly discounted or not. Most of the larger department stores will hold free makeup demonstration now and again. If you attend these you will find they often give out free samples. After a while you can finish up with quite a pile of free samples especially if you don’t use a lot of makeup. Free samples can also save you from buying a full sized new product only to find it doesn’t suit your skin and having to throw it out or give it away.
Online sales of cosmetics are usually much cheaper than those you’ll find in the stores, especially sites like eBay. By buying online you will have more of a chance to compare prices and you will not subject yourself to pressure from salespeople. If you do buy online make certain you get free shipping otherwise you will lose any advantage you might have gained from the lower price and also make sure the use-by date hasn’t come and gone.
The main thing to remember when looking for makeup is to be yourself. You will save a lot of money if you use very little makeup or none at all if you’re just going to the shops or to dinner with old friends. If you have acne it might be wiser to change your diet rather than trying to cover it up as certain foods have been known to make acne worse and covering your face with foundations and concealers will just clog your pores and make your complexion worse, meaning you have to wear more makeup to cover your new breakouts – it’s a vicious cycle.
If, however, you have a personality that adores makeup try to cut back a little. For instance, if you have been using a face powder as well as a foundation try using one or the other by itself. You might also find that you won’t need to use mascara when you use an eyeliner to define your eyes. Try cutting out the mascara and only use the eyeliner. You could leave eye shadow for special occasions. Cut out using makeup around the house, if you do you will find it is better for your skin, and the amount you will save by doing this could be better spent on a good facial cleaning product. By doing this you will get a far healthier looking complexion and that after all is what is really beautiful.
Alban has helped many people to save money on skin and health products. When he is not writting, Alban works at Savings Account Finder
