It’s Valentine’s Day, a day when all ladies should have a chance to feel beautiful and girly. I so rarely get all dolled up that I joke that if my co-workers see me in makeup, they may think I’m headed to a job interview. For this reason, I defer to my gorgeous sister-in-law Shara for my very first guest post. Shara always looks polished and put together, and her makeup and styling stays on trend. You would think she spends a ton of money on salon services and high end makeup – but you’d be wrong. Today she is sharing with us some of her favorite tips and secrets for achieving beauty on a budget.
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Sally Girl Mini Baked Eye Shadow $.99 Sally Beauty Supply
These tiny eye shadows are perfect for trying a new look. Not sure how you will look with electric blue on your lids? Need something to match that new dress? Many times I never make it through an entire eye shadow before it breaks or expires (turns a nasty consistency), so why waste money on a full sized pot, when you can get a mini version you know you will use all of. These eyeshadows come in 24 colors, are baked, for that shimmery look, and can be used wet or dry. I sometimes use an eyeliner brush, wet the tip, and BAM! My eyeshadow is now an eyeliner too.
Cosmetic Company Store
Ok ok, I splurge on designer makeup. I will gladly buy blush, liner, and Mascara at the drug store, but I do like to pamper my lips and my lids on occasion with the good stuff. Please listen when I tell you, Don’t go to the department store and NEVER pay full price. There is an outlet store called the cosmetic company store, and it’s in almost every outlet mall I have visited (check locations online). They carry Estee Lauder, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, MAC, and other Top of the Line brands. What’s nice is you can try on the colors in the store, so you know the shades are right for you. Prices tend to be a bit higher than drug store brands, but not by much. I get my MAC Lipgloss there for $7- $11.
“But when I go to the department counter they show me how to apply my makeup. They won’t do that at the outlet”… I’m getting to that
Makeup & Beauty Tutorials - YouTube
This is great because it’s completely FREE!! I spent my college years and early twenties wearing one shade of eyeshadow, some mascara and fruit punch lipgloss. I had one look, and it was boring. I needed someone to show me how to apply my make up, but I didn’t want to have to buy $50 worth of products from the department store to have someone show me how to put it on.
It’s 2013, and we have a world of information at our fingertips. So, once you’re done Learning French, or how to make a soufflé online, Move your mouse over to the Beauty Tutorial section of youtube. There are thousands of videos for any kind of style, as well as some popular bloggers. My Favorite is MissChievous, I put one of her videos on, take my laptop over to my mirror, and put my makeup on during the tutorial. You can pause, rewind and replay all you like. It’s like you have your own makeup artist sitting next to you, whenever you need her!
Perfect 10 Haircolor $11.97 at Walmart
I love this product. I have tried many at-home hair color kits, leading to doll- head (you know, one color throughout, and kind of straw like), that I had to run to the salon to fix. Perfect 10 gives me natural looking color, it smells really good, and comes with a weekly conditioner that I wish they sold alone.
If you have darker hair, I recommend finding the shade you like, and buying one shade lighter. There are numbers indicated on the top of the box, which makes it easier to find the next lighter shade. I Use 007 dark Blonde, and it comes out as a light brown.
Kiss Everlasting French Real Short $5.97 at Walmart
This is the one all my friends ask me to share. I would love to have the time and money to go to a salon every week to get my nails done. I can, however, look like I do. There is a new generation of “press-on” nails out there, that are not anything like what they had when we were kids. They fit better, look better, only take about 5-10 minutes to apply, and they are glue-on, so they last for a week.
There are a few brands out there that are a bit cheaper than the Kiss brand, but in my experience, they don’t look as good or last as long. Also, the box comes with enough nails that I can usually get 2 sets out of it. So $5.97 for 2 “Manicures”!? You could never get that at a salon. – Guest Content Courtesy of Shara W.
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Enjoy these beauty tips brought to you by one of my favorite people in the world, and have a Very Happy Valentine's Day!
