Beauty Tips on a College Budget

Beauty tips for the college budget

It can be difficult to look beautiful if you’re broke. One major problem college makeup enthusiasts face is wanting to wear and experiment with makeup, but can’t afford all the glamorous products. Here are 10 must-know beauty tips for the college budget that will still make you feel stunning:

1. Your makeup has more than one use. You can apply pearly white lip gloss to your brow bones and cheekbones as a highlighter, bronzer as eyeshadow and try doubling your cream blush as lipstick.
2. Save cash while you shower. Buying in bulk is the most cost efficient way to shop, so always buy the biggest bottles of shampoo and conditioner because you will get the most bang for your buck. If you do the calculations, it most often is the best deal over the smaller bottles. Also, buy bar soap over body wash, it’s less expensive, lasts a lot longer and creates less waste, so it is better for the environment too!
3. Get long lashes without paying for name brand mascara. Keep using the mascara you normally buy, but dust translucent powder on your eyelashes between coats. I like the brand elf’s translucent powder because can buy a big container of it for a low cost and it is good quality.
4. If your face powder ever shatters, don’t despair! Gather as many pieces as you can and add a few drops of rubbing alcohol, clear or green is ok. It’s going to get tacky, but rub your finger around and shape it back into the tray.
5. Get the most out of the last drops of your favorite perfume. Dump the remaining drops of perfume or body mist into a bottle of unscented lotion to extend its use.
6. Buy a jar of naturally refined coconut oil. There’s just about nothing it can’t do. It can serve as an organic moisturizer, you coat your hair with it overnight and wash it out the next day and it will feel silky and refreshed, swish a teaspoon around in your mouth for 10-20 minutes for fresh breath and whiter teeth, it can help repair damaged cuticles, the list goes on.
7. Get all your product out of squeezable tubes. When you used all your product and the only thing the tube is giving you is the sound of air escaping, cut it in half. Product will be all around the sides and it would not normally come out from squeezing alone.
8. Look for beauty products in unlikely places. My favorite place to search is BB’s in Newburg, which is about a 10-minute drive from campus. They have a wall filled with discount hair, skin and facial products. Dollar Tree sometimes also carries brands like Milani and Almay which can cost around $10 in drugstores.
9. Use baby shampoo and baby oil to clean your brushes. Makeup brush cleaner can run up to $20, but this more affordable alternative will still thoroughly clean your brushes while keeping them firm.
10. Some stores accept returns on opened and used beauty products. This is one way you can try out all different products to see what you do and don’t like. If you are ever dissatisfied with any product, Walmart, Rite Aid and CVS will give you a full refund with no questions asked. Just make sure you bring your receipt!