15 Budget-Friendly Secrets to a Stunning Beauty Routine

woman putting on makeup beauty tips

If you’re new to the beauty aisle or have been shopping there for years, you’ve probably seen prices rise a lot.

Lucky for you, making your beauty routine better doesn’t have to cost a lot. There are many affordable products and DIY ideas that can improve your daily look and help you get a fresh new image.

Making changes to your beauty routine can be expensive. But with a little know-how and creativity, you can improve your beauty routine without spending too much money.

Check out these tips to upgrade your beauty routine and stay within your budget.

Focus on Skincare

A person with a towel wrapped around their head applies a face mask while wearing a white bathrobe in a bright bathroom. Several skincare and cosmetic products are visible on the vanity table.

One of the best things you can do to improve your beauty routine is to take care of your skin.

When you focus on your skin, it will look better for a long time. You won’t need to use many face products or makeup.

Keep your skincare routine easy. Use just a few products because that’s all you need.

You don’t need expensive products to have a good skincare routine.

In your routine, do simple things like cleaning, toning, exfoliating, and moisturizing. This will help your skin look and feel great.

Purchase Generic Luxury Fragrances

Four perfume bottles are displayed on a white, fluffy surface. The bottles vary in size and design, with some featuring labels and unique caps.

You’ll often see prices for luxury fragrances as high as double or even triple the price of perfumes.

If you love a particular luxury fragrance but it costs a lot more than you want to spend, try buying a more affordable dupe. 

Get a Haircut Suited for Your Face Shape

Free Haircut With Donation To Locks Of Love

Before your next haircut, look online and find out which hairstyles best suit your face shape. Surprisingly, getting the proper haircut for your face shape can significantly enhance your natural beauty and help upgrade your beauty routine. 

Everyone has a specific face shape and haircut that would suit them best. If the stylist you regularly go to knows how to take the best advantage of your face shape, you’ll instantly look more put together.

If you’re unsure about yours, you can use a few online tools to help you discover it. You can also ask your friends for their advice. 

If you want to cut back on your beauty routine spending, here are a few tips to help you out.

Mix and Match your Usual Makeup

A white table displays three open makeup palettes and three lipsticks, alongside decorative glass vases containing flowers.

Many makeup palettes have been released over the past few years. These palettes are great because they provide an easy way to transition between seasons with colors and palettes that work with your skin tone.

If you have a couple of different makeup palettes but stick with the same color schemes every time, try switching up the colors and styles of makeup you typically use.

You may also notice a few trends popping up as you get into makeup. You can mix and match these trends to create the signature style that fits the times and is unique.

This can help to create the perfect look for any occasion in any season.

Switch to Budget Beauty Brands

A well-organized countertop displays various skincare products, dispensers, and glass containers in front of a window with an out-of-focus outdoor view.

Many affordable drugstore brands offer high-quality products that rival their more expensive counterparts. Do some research and experiment with budget-friendly alternatives to your favorite high-end products. 

You might be surprised at how well they perform while costing a fraction of the price.

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Get Samples

A white display table holds various skincare and beauty products in a well-lit store. Shelves with more products are visible in the background.

Before investing in full-sized products, try to get samples whenever possible. Many beauty retailers offer free samples with purchases or upon request. 

This allows you to test products before committing to a full-size version, potentially saving you money on items that don’t work for you.

Use a Skincare App for Low-Cost Recommendations

A young woman with short hair and red under-eye patches takes a selfie in her bedroom. She is wearing a pink tank top and sitting on a green blanket-covered bed.

Take advantage of technology by using skincare apps that analyze your skin and provide personalized recommendations. 

Many of these apps suggest affordable alternatives to expensive products, helping you achieve your skincare goals without breaking the bank.

Follow Beauty Influencers for Tips and Deals

Person with curly hair and a nose strip is looking at a laptop screen while leaning on a table in a kitchen.

Stay up-to-date on the latest beauty deals and budget-friendly tips by following beauty influencers on social media. They often share discount codes, tell you about sales, and suggest affordable products.

Be careful with sponsored posts and always check things out for yourself.

Read The Reviews

Person wearing a white bathrobe and towel on their head, sitting against a brick wall, with under-eye patches, looking at a smartphone.

If you are looking to purchase new tools to improve your skincare routine, it can pay to read the comments. You can save big bucks by reading reviews when shopping with large online retailers like Amazon.

The first several products offered on Amazon tend to be sponsored products. This means the company selling the item is paying Amazon to be listed first.

You can save money and purchase more highly rated products by scrolling past the sponsored sales and reading the reviews.

Switch to One-a-Day Lenses

A person with red hair puts a contact lens into their eye while looking in a bathroom mirror.
Image Credit: Pixabay

If you aren’t a fan of wearing glasses and prefer contact lenses, you pay quite a bit. Contact lenses are a hefty expenditure when it comes to your beauty routine. 

Moreover, because they are so expensive, you might find yourself going against the manufacturer’s recommendations and trying to wear a pair of lenses for longer than the prescribed number of days. Such a habit can be detrimental to the health of your eyes.

Switch to one-day lenses to save money and avoid the temptation of making your contacts “stretch” for longer than intended.

This switch will allow you to wear your glasses a few days a week, giving your bank account and eyes a much-needed break.

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Rethink Your Salon Visits

A hairstylist with gloves applies dye to a client's long, wet hair in a salon.
Image Credit: Pexels

Another thing that can eat into your beauty budget fast is your routine visit to the salon.

While you should only try to cut your hair if you are experienced, you also want to avoid heading to the salon more often than you should. 

Instead, space out your visits a bit so you go less often. You can always touch up your roots at home between visits and use a weekly hair mask to keep split ends at bay.

Consider using a different stylist. Less experienced stylists charge significantly less for a cut and style. You might find a great stylist for much less or learn to cut your family’s hair yourself.

Cut Out Products That Don’t Really Work

A person organizing various lip products and makeup items in a clear container on a white dressing table.
Image Credit: iStock

Practically everyone has fallen victim to products that promise the world but ultimately fall short. You might still be using some products that could be a better use of money. 

Popular products like pore strips and toner only do a little to improve your skin’s overall quality. Evaluate your routine to see if any waste can be eliminated.

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Choose the right hair color

A hairstylist, wearing a dark apron, works on a client's hair in a modern salon with bright lighting and mirrors.

If you change your natural hair color, pick a color close to it. This way, you can go longer without needing touch-ups, which saves you money.

If you make a big change in your hair color, you will need to go to the salon often—about every 4-8 weeks. This depends on how well the color mixes and fades.

Create a Beauty Budget

Paper Budget, Calculator and Money on a Table

Finally, set a monthly budget for your beauty expenses to keep your spending in check. Track your purchases and look for areas where you can cut back. 

Having a clear budget helps you prioritize your beauty needs and avoid impulse buys on unnecessary products.

Make Your Own Products

A woman wearing a headband applies a facial mask with a brush while looking into a mirror.

Get creative and try making some of your beauty products at home. DIY face masks, body scrubs, and hair treatments can be made with simple, natural ingredients you might already have in your kitchen. 

This not only saves money but also allows you to control what goes into your beauty products.

Conclusion: How To Save Money On Your Beauty Routine

A person with long hair is applying eyeshadow to their closed eyelid using a makeup brush.

Making your beauty routine better doesn’t have to cost a lot. Many of these improvements are free or cheap and will make you look even better.

These tips will help you improve your beauty routine without spending too much money.

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