Save and still be beautiful

By Gail Vaz-Oxlade on March 18, 2011
Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Women spend a fortune to be beautiful. As a group we blow about $7 billion dollars a year. Individually, we’re spending about $600 a year on average. From hair colour and extensions, to make-up, facials, and cosmetic surgery, staying gorgeous can kill your savings.

Can’t go without a weekly mani or pedi? Wouldn’t dream of heading to a date without stopping for a blow-out? Girls aren’t the only ones dropping big bucks on beauty. Guys are getting into the swim in a big way. Hair styling, skin care and the pursuit of the rock-solid abs is no longer strictly the domain of the double-x chromosome crowd. Ys are jumping in with both feet.

Here are a few tips to help ensure that your savings aren’t suffering for your self-esteem:

DIY-dye
Head to the salon for a touch up and you’ll drop $60. DIY with a box from the drugstore and not only won’t you have to pay for parking, you’ll save about $40. Do that six times a year and you’ve got $240 to save.

Pedi-me
Depending on where you go, you can spend from $10 to $50 touching up your toes. (Ditto your fingers.) DIY or have a pedi-party where you swap services with your sisters.

Drugstore deals
Some of the most popular skin care and make-up products live at the drugstore. If you’re paying top dollar for skin care at the mall, you’re a sucker. Even the fanciest dermatologists and skincare specialists recommend basic drugstore cleansers and moisturizers to their clients.

Make it last
Do you have four or five lipsticks that are almost done? Scrape similar colours into a clean container and mix. If you add a little Vaseline, you’ll have a gloss. Using a lip brush lets you get right down to the bottom on the lipstick. And if you use disposable mascara wands, you won’t have to throw away your mascara as often because you won’t have to worry about the six-month rule for mascara safety.