Looking good really doesn’t have to cost a fortune… though you might not know it from walking the beauty counters at a department store, or a specialty makeup store. Talk about sticker shock! (Some of those places need to keep smelling salts by the door to revive folks after they faint from looking at prices!)
It’d be easy to say: skip the makeup entirely and save a ton of cash. But sometimes, a touch of makeup is the icing on the cake! The cake is pretty good already, but frosting goes the extra mile into stunning. If wearing makeup makes you feel pretty, then there’s no reason to stop doing it!
Here are a few ideas to help save money at the makeup counter:
Number One: Be ready to say no to high pressure sales. And that includes corollary One-A: don’t be suckered in by the “free gift with purchase”. Salespeople and free gifts have the same goal: getting you to spend more than you might have intended to. If you know what you want and you only want one thing, be ready to stick to your guns. Saying no doesn’t have to be painful or nasty, either. Try saying: “Sorry, that’s not in the budget this month,” or just “I have to think about it first.”
Number Two: Before you go shopping, know what you have on hand. I was going through my makeup recently and discovered that I’ve got three mascaras. Three IDENTICAL mascaras. Same brand, same color, same everything. And yet for some reason, I went out and bought three of the same — probably because I didn’t bother to look at what I had before hitting the store. Stop to take inventory so you know what you really need… it will save you from purchasing unnecessary duplicates.
Number Three: Decide what’s worth the money and what you can skimp on. If a certain foundation works perfectly and it’s a little more expensive, it might be worth the money. For me, eyeshadow is eyeshadow, and I don’t need the fancy label… but I tend to be careful with mascara and always get a good hypoallergenic and waterproof one.
Number Four: Decide what you really need and what’s not worth spending money on. I haven’t worn blush since I was in high school — my cheeks are already rosy, and I never really got the knack of applying it so I kind of looked like a clown. (In fact, that same first blush pack my mom bought me is still in my makeup kit, barely used!) I don’t wear foundation because it tends to make my sensitive skin break out. I hardly ever use lipstick, because I prefer the look of lip gloss. So those are three things I can just bypass when I’m makeup shopping.
Number Five: Shop the sales. Even if you’ve got a special occasion coming up, you usually have some advance warning and can do your make-up shopping beforehand. If you wait until the last second, you have to put up with whatever the store is asking. But if you keep your eyes peeled for deals, you might save some bucks.
Number Six: Shop for makeup in unusual places. I get a lot of my eyeshadow at the Dollar Store — the selection varies, but you can often find name brands at HUGE discounts there. It helps to have a general idea of what your favorite types of makeup cost, so you know if something’s a good deal or not. Check flea markets and craft fairs — sometimes makeup reps are selling off last year’s colors at a discount.
And by the way? I think you’re beautiful with or without makeup!