Sunday 30 October 2011

Budget Beauty Tips.

I had planned to do this post for a while now and luckily it is a nice precursor to Le Professeur Gothique's Monthly Homework Assignment which is all about skincare and make-up removal!

I am a firm believer that you do not need to spend a lot of money to look good. Over the years I have spent SO MUCH money on products when I didn't need to. My recent beauty routine (and my best one so far) is ridiculously cheap and hugely effective. Enjoy!

  • I use olive oil to remove my make-up. I also use it as a moisturiser. It really helps tone down the redness around my nose and evens out my skin tone. Plus, it's epic at removing stubborn eye-liner in a pinch. It's very very good for all kinds of skin types, especially oily skin. I wish I knew about it during my acne ridden teenage years! If you run out of make-up remover in the future, give this a go!
  • Instead of spending money on exfoliators, just mix up some sugar with your moisturiser. I mix mine with olive oil, obviously. Gently massage it into your face, allowing the sugar to take off dead skin cells. Rinse and pat dry. You're done! Sweet, eh? (Sorry...)
  • Want to give your skin a lift but can't afford an expensive face mask/don't trust those ones they sell for 1euro? Use an egg instead! Break an egg, separate the yolk from the white and keep both.  Beat the egg white until it bubbles and rub it onto your face. Allow it to dry and rinse it off. Next, do the same thing with the egg yolk. Egg white brightens and tightens the skin whilst the yolk is a great moisturiser. My skin feels AMAZING after I do this treatment!
  • Instead of spending lots of money on nail hardening products, use Vaseline instead.  A small amount rubbed on each nail a few times a day makes a big difference. Seriously, my nails are noticeably stronger after just one day!
  • Expensive hair conditioning masks aren't always the best. I have spent a lot of money on deep conditioners. My favorite? Boots Intensive Conditioner with Cocunut and Almond. Its about 2euro people. I have spent ten times that much on lesser products. The best way to discover a cheap but effective product is to google 'cheap x,y,z products and go from there. Stalk beauty and hair forums! 
  • Run out of perfume and can't afford another one right now? Try out some body sprays. They're cheap, smell delish and they last for ages!
  • If you bought a lipstick which is a nice shade but too glossy for your liking don't buy a mattifier just yet. Instead dab a small amount of translucent powder over your lips. This does change the colour slightly but not much.     
  • Similarly a tint dab of concealer on the eye-lids and lips makes a great primer for your make-up. Blend it in really well though to avoid any clumpiness. Primers can be expensive, especially if you're on a budget.
  • An effective treatment for dark circles is to squeeze some juice from a cucumber slice and dab it lightly into the area twice a day. I really like this treatment but always forget to get cucumbers when I'm out! 
My basic skincare products! Sorry it's blurry. 

I hope this was useful to someone out there! Do any of you guys have any beauty tips to share that I haven't mentioned here? Don't be afraid to let me know! Also, don't be afraid to disagree with me on any of these points! I would love to know your thoughts on this!

Until next time!
Miaow. 

10 comments:

linnea-maria said...

Nice tips! I make my own face cream. I get breakouts from others and it's much cheapier to make cream with the same ingredients as the expensive ones.

Kamyria said...

Wow! Wonderful post! I'm definitely going to try some of your tips! :) I would never guessed olive oil can be such a great make up remover... I'm trying this tonight.

Miss Morgan said...

I use coconut oil instead of olive oil to remove my make up, Actually, I use coconut oil everywhere,it's great for the skin and the hair. And it smells real nice too.

The Phantom Cat said...

@Linnea-maria thank you! I never thought to do that actually, what a great idea!! How do you do do up the mix? :)

@Kamyria- thank you, I'm so glad you liked my post! Oh, I would love to hear how it goes for you! Less is definitely more with olive oil, it took me a few go's to figure out how much I should use! There are loads of articles online about using olive oil so you should def check those out! :)

@Miss Eve yeah I've heard of that also which I must try out sometime! Though my fave way to us coconut is with plenty of chocolate and tea! ;)

Thanks for the comments everyone! x

VictorianKitty (Sophistique Noir) said...

These are such great tips. I've heard some of them before but never from someone who actually uses them and can vouch for the results. :) I'm going to try the egg mask this weekend!

I've been trying baking soda to exfoliate. It seems to work well, but tastes horrible if you accidentally get it on your lips. :) Can't wait to try the sugar!

Like Miss Eve, I use coconut oil to remove makeup, and occasionally a light coating as an all-over moisturizer before my regular lotion. It feels heavenly!!

The Phantom Cat said...

@ VictorianKitty Did you try out the egg mask in the end? I would love to know what you thought of it.

Thanks for your comment! :)

Traicetrak said...

I recently started using a mixture of brown sugar, olive oil, honey, & lotion as an exfoliator and LOVE how soft my skin feels afterwards. Looking forward to trying the egg mask, and hope I can remember to get cucumbers for the under-eye circles, too.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how I haven't managed to pop over to your blog before! Great stuff! Awesome post :)

The Phantom Cat said...

@TraiceTrak that sounds heavenly, I will def have to try out that combination!

@Boots hehe I'm glad you like my blog and this post! Thank you for your comment and follow!

Eloia said...

Thanks for great tips!
I use almond and burdock oil for my hair. You can also add other essential oils to them.