5 Ways To Stretch Your Beauty Dollar

To follow on from my previous article, ‘Splurge or Save’, I’d love to share with you some nifty tricks to get the most out of your beauty dollar. Some of them are a super-dooper-freakin’ easy, some of them get a bit physical, some of them require a bit of courage but they are sure worth it to stretch out your cosmetics moohlah.

1. Get surgical

Don’t be fooled by a seemingly ‘empty’ product container. Get a cutting board, a sharp knife/scissors and cut through any tube/bottle that you may have. You will be surprised at the amount of product hiding away in the container’s crevices. Scoop out the product with a clean spatula into an empty glass jar – and it’s ready for use! This is great for liquid products, such as eyeshadow primers, foundations and moisturisers. Obviously, don’t try this idea with any glass bottles, you would probably lop off both your thumbs in the process.

2. Sample, sample, sample!

I am a true believer of ‘try before you buy’. When purchasing any skincare or makeup from department store counters, I always make a note of other products that I’m interested in trying, but not quite willing to shell out the money. Don’t be afraid to ask the cosmetics assistants for samples – more often than not, they’re readily available and it’s always best to try products at your own pace, in your own environment. Many cosmetic products also provide samples for new product launches, so keep your eyes peeled for offers in magazines, emails and Facebook pages. Some companies such as M.A.C also provide samples of products in little jars upon request.

3. Gift with Purchase (GWP)

Ok, I’ll tell you a little secret. 90% of the time I buy high-end cosmetics will usually coincide with a GWP offer. Generally, I make a mental note of which products are running low, and then going for the kill when the GWP offer springs up in my inbox.

Every season, many cosmetic companies offer a generous set of deluxe samples with a purchase over a nominated amount – usually $60-$80. The set often comes with a plethora of items, such as a cosmetic bag, moisturizer, perfume, lipstick, mascara, anti-ageing skincare and eyeshadow palettes. These are perfect to trial the products, a great size to use for travelling, and hell, you have fancy-schmancy new prodz to slather all your face! Win. The most notable brands for Gift with Purchases include Bloom, Natio, Revlon, Estee Lauder, Lancome and Clinique.

4. Double duty

Just like your boss might get you doing the coffee runs as well as the filing, start thinking creatively when using your make-up. I’ve previously used mascara as a brow groomer, lipstick as blush, blush as lipstick (mixed with a bit of gloss), eyeshadow as a cheek highlighter – the list goes on. If the colour is appropriate, go ahead and try the formulation on your cheeks, even though it’s meant for your kissers. And use commonsense. You bet that you would look ultra-weird if you wore blue eyeshadow on your lips. Unless you are auditioning for the cast of ‘Avatar’, in which case, you are ridiculously late.

5. I love lipstick nubs

Have you worn your favourite lipstick down to plastic? Don’t even think about throwing it out. Get a cotton bud, snip off the end to expose the plastic tip, and scrape it all out. I swear there is half a lipstick hiding in there each, begging to be used. Store in lipgloss pot. If you don’t like the messy appearance of mooshed lipstick in a container (I am bringing out the OCD in you, aren’t I?), go ahead and heat the chunk of lipstick in large metal spoon, over a candle. It will melt into a liquid, and then you can pour it right into whichever container that you desire. And it will look absolutely brand new.

What are your tips to ssssttttrrrrreeeettttttcccccchhhh your beauty dollar? 😉