I know how easy it is to get caught up in the consumerism that is the beauty industry. It’s inevitable, we’ve all been there. You see something that you just HAVE to have, you saw your favorite guru talk about something and you immediately order it or go out and buy it. But sometimes you just don’t have the coin to keep up with your beauty wants and needs.
Last year I quit my job and took a severe pay cut. Everything was cool because emotionally I was happy, but I didn’t have the means to keep up with all of my standard beauty maintenance. I knew I had to make something work, so the next year was an eat pray love journey of sorts figuring out a new beauty routine and budget for myself.
I put a halt on it all. Hair, nails, brows, waxing. ALL OF IT! I quickly started thinking, I mean I know I’m not destitute (and everyone’s finances are different) but how were so many women affording their maintenance?!?
So in my mind I was broke, but I survived. I followed a few personal guidelines that helped me get by. A broke beauty survival guide of sorts. Look and feel like a million bucks on a budget.
PLAN AND PREPARE
Create a budget for yourself. Take a really hard look at where all your money is going, and for what. See what can be eliminated. Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Set the stage for yourself. Do you have room to treat yourself once a month? If so, write that down and know that you can’t spend more than that on your treat. Don’t see anything you like this month with your treat budget? Stack that and get something bigger the next month. But your budget is your budget and don’t go outside of it.
PRIORITIZE
If you can live without it, let it go. That add on service may feel great, but now is not the time to splurge and indulge on things that are necessary. If I already had mascaras that worked, I didn’t need to try a new one.
WHAT YOU CAN DO YOURSELF, DO IT!
So maybe it’s something you can’t live without, but you don’t have to pay to get it done. For example, a year without going to see my brow specialist at PRMP Beauty Studio was torture. But we thank God that makeup is my ministry and I was able to make do.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Be an educated consumer. Don’t buy anything unless you know all about the product. If you’re going to open your wallet it needs to be worth it. Every single penny. Don’t buy something just because someone said you should, buy it because you need it and you will benefit from it.
SAMPLE, SAMPLE, SAMPLE!
If you can get a sample size, do it. Don’t abuse the system, or just be smart about. Find a different associate. Go to a different location. Or just build a relationship with associates to where when they see you, they don’t mind providing you with samples. One tip I can give you is to make sure you ask associates questions about the products, let them explain it to you. You’re not wasting their time by just asking for a sample then leaving, and in turn you learn about the product and if its even worth you getting a sample of.
BUY IN BULK WHAT YOU CAN
If it’s a product that you love and know that you will be using over and over, when you have the money, buy it in bulk. And take advantage of sales! A great time to get your favorites and stockpile them. Just make sure you check the expiration/shelf life of your products. There is nothing more annoying than running out of something, and then at that particular moment it’s not in your budget to replenish. You can also run the risk of buying something cheap just to have it, then you’re unsatisfied or it doesn’t work. (See next point)
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Just because you’re on a budget, doesn’t mean that every thing you buy has to be cheap/inexpensive. When it comes to beauty products, the cheapest thing won’t always work. Do your research (as mentioned above). If there isn’t a comparable inexpensive alternative, you need to stick with what will work. On the other hand, buying cheap products can either look bad, or not last, and you will have to replace them so often, you could have just invested in a better product. Over time you’ll end up spending the same if not more than investing in the quality product.
