Guest post from Laura of Life as a Loewen
I’m a girlie girl. I enjoy having my hair look cute and makeup on, even if it’s not totally perfect.
As a mom of 3 little ones, I don’t have much time to primp… but just as Crystal said that getting dressed in the morning does wonders for her attitude and productivity in her Make Over Your Mornings Course, I think the same is true for putting a little makeup on.
I’m no beauty blogger, but I do love feeling and looking put together, with minimal effort (and cost) to match my lifestyle.
Here are some ways I’ve found to save money on cosmetics, so that you’re not pinching every penny just for a swipe of lipgloss:
1. Know what colors look good on you.
Before you can go about purchasing the cosmetics, it’s important to know what colors will be flattering for your particular coloring. What you see on someone else won’t necessarily look right on you, so it’s important to do a little research to save you time and money.
You can take fun and easy online quizzes, like this one, that direct you to some great choices for your personal coloring, skin concerns, and look you’re trying to achieve.
TIP: most quizzes like these will ask if you have cool or warm undertones, which is key in discovering which colors work for you. Looking at the underside of your wrist, if your veins appear blue, you have cool undertones. If they appear green, you have warm undertones. And finally, if you see both, you’d be considered to have neutral undertones.
I have fair skin, dark brown hair and blue eyes. I now know I can’t wear all the same colors that my olive skinned, brown-eyed friends can wear.
When I embrace how I was made and work with it, I can find shades that are much more flattering on me and waste less money constantly purchasing makeup that seems a little “off” on me.
2. Set up a date.
With a professional, that is!
Many cosmetics places are more than willing to help you find just what you need, whether it’s the right mascara formula for your lashes or a total beauty look; the beauty professionals at a lot of makeup counters/stores are trained to help you look your very best.
When I was looking for the perfect shade of bright red lipstick, I went into a Sephora store and asked a lady working there to help me find it. She was super nice and helpful, and gave me multiple options to try on, while giving me honest feedback if a shade of red wasn’t quite right for me. I ended up purchasing a lipstick that I felt really good in, and it only took a few minutes of my time!
3. Keep practicing
I’ve found that watching beauty bloggers’ videos online is super helpful in learning new makeup tricks or how to put together complete makeup looks. I take what I want from them and then leave the rest.
Pretty much all makeup brands have articles and videos online that will help you learn things like how to do a smokey eye or apply lipstick so it lasts all day.
Using these tips and tricks, the key is to keep practicing! You’ll feel more confident with the makeup you do have as well as the color and formula choices you’re making, thus enabling you to spend a lot less on your makeup!
TIP: While the jury’s still out about this, I’ve found that primer seems to help my foundation look more streamline and stay on longer, and a bit applied to my eyelids, along with some concealer, really helps keep my eye-shadow in place.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive makeup to look put together, but it will help if you’re armed with some knowledge to work within the budget and life you have!
Laura is a mama of three littles {and in the adoption process}, delighting in the Gospel of grace. Attempting to be genuine and raw, Laura seeks to find the humor in everyday life. She shares her journey through faith, motherhood, and marriage at LIFE AS A LOEWEN blog. Passionate about issues of social justice, and always up for a Motown dance party, Laura seeks to live with spirited intentionality.
Thanks for this article. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but am starting to experiment more. I do find makeup to be expensive, but this post is very helpful. I will try the color quiz and also check out your blog for more tips!
You’re sweet Wendy, thanks. 🙂
How do I save money on make up? I stopped wearing it! (Ok, I never really wore it in the first place!)
I’m so busy all the time, I don’t usually have time to do anything other than brush my hair and shove it up in a ponytail. I wear lipstick on special occasions, but that’s about it. My hubby likes my “natural” look. And I don’t have to spend time putting it on and taking it off every day! 🙂
Fun post! I will second the Sephora recommendation. I’ve always found their sales ladies to be really helpful (they don’t work on commission).
They are also more than happy to send you home with a little sample of a product you’re interested in. They also have a good return policy.
And with the price of drugstore cosmetics skyrocketing, I really appreciate being able to try on a product before I buy it. That alone is worth it to me to pay a bit more–knowing that yes, I like how it looks and feels and smells.
Walgreens has a great return policy on cosmetics. If for any reason you aren’t happy with an item, you can return it for a full-price refund, no questions asked. Even if it is open and partially used.
Yep, great tip, Susan! 🙂
I fell IN LOVE with e.l.f. cosmetics. Everything is super cheap but great quality. Their under-eye and anti-blemish primers are my go-to and I love their zit zapper. They have great “everything” palettes that I purchased for my daughter so she could dabble and I didn’t have to spend much. I highly recommend them.
Totally. Didn’t EVERY girl want those massive eye shadow pallets starting around age 10-12? I know I did (even if I couldn’t wear it outside the house). 😉
This post is so helpful and fun! One thing I have figured out is to use a tinted moisturizer instead of primer under my foundation. It is cheaper (with coupons and deals at Drug Stores), and it has the added bonus of an SPF in it. 🙂
I actually make my own tinted moisturizer. I use the Great Value knock-off version of Olay with SPF, then I add some foundation and shake it up! Works great.
Thanks, girl. I need a heavy coverage currently so the primer works best for me, but I’m glad you found something that works great for you!
Thanks for sharing the eye makeup quiz. I loved it! I am definitely a makeup loving girl too. I’ll watch beauty bloggers makeup tutorials and then try to recreate the look for fun 🙂
Love it! Glad the quiz was helpful. XO
I’ve been able to swap out some of my higher-end products with drug store ones by searching the product name & then the phrase “dupe” on Pinterest. Beauty bloggers are the best at finding these.
For the products I can’t swap out, I’ve been buying the smaller size versions through Nordstrom. For example, I bought a smaller MAC mascara for $10. The smaller sizes seem to last me just as long, especially with mascara that tends to dry out after so many months. Everything always ships free, you get 3 (good!) samples, & I get $ back through ebates! Win-win-win!
Yes, totally love searching for “dupes” online! Especially when I see what looks like a perfect color in a magazine but then see the lipstick is say, $35. 😉
When you are in Dollar Tree, always look at their makeup selection. Sometimes you can get some great, name-brand stuff, and if it turns out to not be a good color for you, you have only lost a dollar.
I like this idea. I would like to try new make-up colors/ styles but don’t want to spend a lot just to have something not look good.
My Bright Blue House
I don’t wear makeup at all anymore. I stopped about 12 years ago. I’m extremely pale and nothing would ever look right. Even the most ivory of foundations and concealers and powders made me look orange. I also have sensitive skin so they made me break out. Allergies make it difficult to wear eye makeup.
I would add to the list here, to check the ingredients list on any cosmetic. If it goes anywhere near your eyes or mouth, you should know what’s in it. When I did use makeup, I made sure it wasn’t tested on animals.
I love make-up too. I don’t have lots of it, but instead the very basic things that I use daily basis and some extra items for events. I use Manhattan products a lot and I love those. These are so affordable (available in Amazon as well) and what matters the most, there is no need to put a lot of it, because it is a great product.
Great tip, Reelika! I’ll have to check them out. XO
very well-written, helpful post 🙂 thanks!
the only thing I would add is that I’m one of the weird people who can’t follow the warm/cool vein color trick. I have green eyes with gold flecks and hair that looks golden blonde in the summer and dishwater in the winter. My skin is almost orangey fair ivory and my veins appear blue, and I can pull off cool makeup (especially in winter), but my face looks healthiest when I wear warm stuff. Go figure?
Thanks so much for your feedback, Amy. Sounds like a really pretty coloring you have! 🙂 I’m straight-up cool tones so I can’t be of a lot of help there, but maybe a professional make up artist might be able to steer you in the right direction.