Glam on a budget

goanmad

My hair's definately my biggest extravagence but money is really tight at the moment and I've seriously considered doing it myself, but as I'm a home-dye virgin I think it might be a bit of a mistake and I'll probably have to pay my regular salon even more to put it right!

One of my friends swears by L'oreal Couleur Expert as a great way of home low-lighting and her hair always looks fab.

Handbag's hair forum has lots of helpful hair advice, Lillibet.I've posted a link for you here http://forums.handbag.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=4

r.mac_2

clothes: I tent to hide away in all black outfits. I have a mixture of cheap and more expensive pieces, but i always go for a classic style that i know suits me. Then I build up with accessories that are cheaper and fashionable. For example, I saw a great belt in tesco for £2.50 in a silver colour and got cheap pumps in a matching silver from peacocks for £10 - there is a whole new outfit when i add a pair of dangly silver earrings i already have in my jewlery box.

hair: also boring although I am growing it at the moment - i took advantage of student deals and only get it cut every 3-4 months as it hasn't a fancy style to it - a couple of layers and thats it. I use john freida chocolate hair shampoo - it's nearly £5 a bottle, but buy it when on special offer and I find that as I only use a 5p size blob at a time, it lasts me for about 6 months. For conditioner I am using the original source stuff i got free last year through a magazine subscription. it's lovely.

make-up: i have to confess that I use a mish mash here again - I like boots number 7, but also have a collection 2000 blusher (best colour I could find) and swear by mabelline mascara. to remove I have been using botanics. more than i would normally sopend, but with boots vouchers I got the cleanser free, the toner free and a tub of mouisturiser free as well.When that begins to run out i will scout around for more deals, if i can't find anything for free i will use up what is in the cupboard of freebie finds then move onto a boots basics cleanser - using rosewater as a cleaner as suggested by OP.

best tips - don't smoke, drink lots of water and classic is better than fashionable all the time in my book!

MinnieSpender

Fab! Loads of brilliant ideas here! Keep 'em coming!

Now then, Vaseline - you might know some of these, but I've done a bit of research and found some excellent beauty uses:

1. Eye makeup remover.

2. A remedy for chapped lips. Slick on then using a toothbrush massage the Vaseline into your lips. Bye-bye dead skin, hello soft lips!

3. Apply a good amount of Vaseline to your hands or feet, wrap them in hot towels for five-ten minutes and then remove. Leaves them lovely and soft.

4. Apparently beauty queens take a small amount of Vaseline and smear it on the gums above their front teeth to help them smile more easily. May give this one a miss!

5. Mix with the dog ends of an old lipstick et voila! Coloured lipgloss!

6. Slick it on unruly eyebrows. *note to self - tell the Gallaghers*

7. Eyelash conditioner! Also makes them look longer.

8. A cuticle moisturiser.

9. Elbow grease! Well, elbow smoother then...

10. A balm for sore noses - useful for the upcoming hay fever season.

11. Home hair dyers! Slick it round your hairline (hell! go for a thin layer all over your face and around your ears). Any splashes will wipe off easily and give a professional finish from day one.

12. Removes chewing gum from hair! (Not tried this one out, but give it a go).

13. Rub it on your nips before you go jogging to prevent friction burns! (I can't believe I just typed that!!! :rotfl: )

Lucky 13 and all for a couple of quid!

arkonite_babe

Olive oil for dry skin

Porridge oats in the bath (tie em up in a small mesh bag first and hang it over the taps as you put the water in) to help soften skin

Neat lemon juice to help zap spots and blemishes

Eyebrow shapers from chemist for £2.50 per pack, lasts for at least 3 eyebrow waxings and it doesn't hurt

Dobie

A little dab of toothpaste will help get rid of spots (I'd suggest bedtime only for this one).
If you use tubes of stuff eg foundation, when you can't squeeze any more out cut the end off the tube & you'll find there's loads left. Keep it in a poly bag to stop it drying out. I've got one at the moment that I've stretched for 2 extra weeks so far & still going strong.
Keeping your hairstyle simple & learning to cut your own fringe keeps costs down. So does having a dry trim, they still spray with water & I can't tell the difference, I prefer to style it myself anyway.

r.mac_2

MinnieSpender wrote:

Now then, Vaseline - you might know some of these, but I've done a bit of research and found some excellent beauty uses:

1. Eye makeup remover.

was just about to buy some of this as run out - have been researching the cheapest etc etc.

now I am going to try this first as have a big tub in the cupboard

thanks

Essex-girl_2

moiracm wrote:

I used to have a bikini wax, legs and eyebrows wax once every few weeks at a very posh local beauty salon - tonight I have just tried Immac shower cream for bikini line, legs and under arms and it has worked really well. It only cost £4.99 for a tube that will last months, that doesn't even equate to the cost of one eyebrow shaping!!!!! Also bought a pair of tweezers for £1.99 for that (ouch). But in the long run it will save about £200 a year

Thanks for this - I havnt had a bikini wax for ages and thought about booking one up - but I hate it - embaressment not financial reasons so will go and try this.

MinnieSpender

I haven't tried this one (yet) but apparently :cool: , if you put your tights or stockings in the freezer overnight before you wear them, they are less likely to ladder.

Probably wise to defrost them properly before wearing! :rotfl:

I'd love to know if this works! I'll try it with my 10 deniers next week and let you know!

kittiwoz

I bought a a set of "special value" Windsor and Newton paint brushes (for acrylics) which I use as makeup brushes. They're much better than cheapo sets of makeup brushes which I think are a false economy. Decent brushes give a much better finish than sponge applicators and they last longer and are easier to clean (and so I think more hygenic). You definitely shouldn't use sponges to apply foundation since they don't give a very good finish, soak up loads of foundation leading to wastage, and are breading grounds for bacteria. Use your fingers or a foundation brush, the cheapest foundation brush I've found was in Superdrug but I can't remember the price. Baby shampoo is great for washing makeup brushes.

I use Barry M Dazzle dust which comes in a fantastic range of colours and is £4.50 per pot. They are very versatile because they can be applied dry and smudged, mixed to a paint with water for extra accuracy and drama, mixed with vaseline for a gloss or with moistursing lotion for a subtle finish. You can also mx the colours. I know you can get eyeshadows much cheaper from C2K etc. but the Barry M dazzle dust is very highly pigmented and has fantastic staying power.

I think the biggest money saver is to feel comfortable in your own skin and develop your own individual sense of style. It stops you wasting money on "miracle" cures for supposed imperfections that no one else notices and also stops you rushing out to spend more money every time the fickle winds of fashion change. You are also less likely to buy things that you'll regret later if you don't just blindly follow trends.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

I never pay attention to the magazine articles that tell us to throw makeup out if it's more than x weeks/months old. I started wearing makeup in the '50s and have never thrown anything away because of age. So far I haven't been struck down by some dreadful disease, wracked with germs or died. The cosmetic companies would love us to throw everything out that was older than 6 months, but I prefer moneysaving.