Beauty Budget Tips: A Beautiful You Without Breaking The Bank

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the last guest post I had, because I have another one coming your way. This one is from Amanda from the Skincare HQ blog. She's a new blogger and I decided I would love to support her, so lets all give her some love! =)

All women want to look beautiful, whether it be for a significant other, special occasion, or just for themselves. Yet not all women have unlimited funds to pour into their daily beauty regiment. Some women may only have a few dollars to put towards their beauty regiment. That's okay! You don't need to have a ton of money in order to have a full beauty regiment that actually works. Today we've come up with plenty of great beauty budget tips for a beautiful you without breaking the bank!

Tip #1: Go Natural

When I say “go natural” I don't mean no makeup. What  I actually mean is that you should use all natural items that you already have in your house as much as possible. These items are cheap and efficient. Although there are some things all natural items can't help you with, using them for the things that they do work for can save you as much as $100 a month! No, seriously! For example, did you know that diluted apple cider vinegar used in the shower after you condition can keep your hair healthy and shiny? Or that egg whites can be used to correct wrinkles? Did you know that strawberries can help you whiten your teeth? Or that plastic bags make awesome hair curlers? Go natural, and you'll save a lot of money!

Tip #2: It's Not Just Price, But Quantity That Saves You Money

Don't be fooled by something that's a few dollars cheaper but a lot smaller. The price may be lower, but in the long run, it will end up costing you a lot more money. For example, if you had a choice between a 2 oz bottle of facial cream that costs $5 or a 10 oz bottle of facial cream that costs $15, the $5 bottle isn't actually cheaper. $5 for 2 ounces comes out to $2.50 an ounce. But 10 ounces at $15, comes out to only $1.50 an ounce. Obviously, that's the better price. Besides being a better price, the larger one is also going to last you longer. If you used, say, half an ounce a day, the 2 ounce bottle  is only going to last you four days. The 10 ounce bottle, on the other hand, will end up lasting you for 20 days. Remember to check prices and quantities to find out what is really the best deal.

Tip #3: Waste Not, Want Not

I know it's a little cliche, but making sure you don't waste any of your beauty products unnecessarily will help save you plenty of money. In fact, making sure you're careful when squeezing out cleanser, moisturizer, shampoo, or conditioner, can save you as much as $200 a year or more! Everyone spills a little bit now and again, but being conscientious about not spilling can go a very long way.

Tip #4: A Little Goes A Long Way

Yes, here we go with another cliche, but cliches become that way for a reason, right? There is no reason to cake on your foundation, powder your face into oblivion, or use great globs of shampoo or conditioner in order to achieve the desired results. Powder and foundation should be used sparingly. If you have found one that works well for you, just a dab will be all it takes to cover your face. A good rule for shampoo or conditioner is to start off with just enough to place in the very center of your palm. If your hair is very long you may need a little bit more, or if it is very short (ear length or shorter) you may only need half that.

Tip #5: Shop Sales

Instead of running out and buying everything you need all at once, you should wait. Keep an eye on the sales that are going on, and when something you use goes on sale, buy it. If it's a really good sale, buy two or more of each item. Shopping sales can not only save you plenty of money, but it can also enable you to buy items that are usually just a bit more expensive than what you would normally be able to afford.

If you keep these five tips at the forefront of your mind, then you should be able to easily afford a full beauty regiment...and on any budget! What did you think of our tips? Do you have tips of your own that you would like to share with us? Tell us all about it in the comments below! We can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Author Bio: Amanda is a skin care fanatic and author of SkincareHQ.org which features a guide to the Best BB Cream for Oily Skin. Aside from writing, Amanda loves to travel and one day dreams about living in Paris. Questions or comments for Amanda? Connect with her @Skin

Use Supplements Instead of Beauty Products

This is going to be the first guest post featured on my blog! How cool is that? Healthline.com emailed me to ask if they could write an article as a guest post. This is written by Valerie Johnston.

Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in East Texas. With ambitions of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline.com ensures she keeps up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.

Many people know that supplements are good for filling in the gaps in the diet. After all, it can be tough to ingest the essential quantities of certain minerals, vitamins, and nutrients through food alone. This leaves many with the question of whether or not they should use cosmetic products to enhance the look of their skin or hair, or if supplementation is the best path?

In four words: Go for the supplements.

The reasoning is quite simple; just like the best way to get vitamins for purely nutritional purposes is to eat the food sources, and then the supplements - the best way to get beauty benefits is to use an internal source first and then an external one. In other words - you can get beauty benefits from many cosmetic products, but you will enjoy some more immediate results if you actually fill your cells with natural beautifying compounds.

Also, don't forget that some dubious cosmetic makers take advantage of the lack of FDA monitoring on some materials.

For example, some poor quality cosmetic makers use tricky wording to make products seem more effective than others. You can buy a high quality beauty cream, for example, that explains itself accurately or you can buy a product that sounds like a miracle cure and can do so because it doesn't have to "walk the talk".

Just consider that these types of products may claim to be:

● Alcohol free - but just might be free only of the compound known ethanol.

● All natural - this is not the same as organic and can be misleading.

● Clinically proven - some companies design their own tests and this can be unfair.

● Dermatologist recommended - this can be a product that has a single endorsement from a single provider!



This means that someone who wanted to make their skin glow or to truly strengthen their hair or nails may have to become a very detailed label reader. Instead, they could just use a combination of high quality products with clear labeling and the best supplements for the results desired.

The Supplement Path

This means that the smartest choices would be to use compounds that would improve and enhance looks from the inside out. And the following list of supplements includes those that will do many of the things that the cosmetic products promise, but with guaranteed effects and results.

They include:

● GLA - Gamma linoleic acid is a healthy fat that is going to work wonders for the skin, hair, and nails. It is tough to get naturally in the diet, though it does have higher concentrations in black currant and primrose oils. You can safely consume 500mg of GLA twice per day, and in around six weeks you can begin to see radiant skin and extremely healthy hair and nails.

● Fish oil - with its Omega-3 fatty acids, it is a wonderful supplement for strong nails and cellular repair. You can consume it in food sources such as walnuts, flax seeds, and salmon, but a 3 gram capsule each day is an ideal way to improve the nails and hair.

● Vitamin E - this is the classic antioxidant that will help to make repairs by combatting any free radicals and restoring cellular membranes. A daily dose of 200 I.U. can often do the trick.

● L-Lysine - the same protein that hair, skin, and nails are actually made from, this supplement will rebuild any damaged cells and form new collagen to give skin a plumper and younger look.

Now that you know that basic labeling can be misleading and that supplementation is the most efficient way to improve the looks of your hair, nails, and skin, you can make the best choices possible.

If you would like to read more on this subject you can visit http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/reading-cosmetic-labels.

First Guest Post

Carly from Lacquered Lover went on Vacation this week and as such asked if anyone would be interested in guest posting for her. Well, I jumped at the chance and you can see my first guest post here! The post is about the nail polishes I recently received in my Luxebox and my Glossybox this month.