Beauty on a budget

Be a bombshell without breaking the bank

By Mercedes Deutscher, Staff Writer

Nice new clothes, well-done hair, and makeup can give you a confidence boost that will turn a good day into a great one. However, as a college student on a tight budget, it can be frustrating trying to find money for good looks when you’ve got rent, food, bills, and tuition to worry about. Fortunately, by following these tips, you can still have beauty without going bankrupt.

The first rule of frugal fashion is discount cards: they aren’t just for grocery stores anymore! Let’s talk about the Student Price Card. The Student Price Card gives you discounts at many favourite clothing, beauty, and food stores. A majority of these discounts are 10 per cent off your final purchase, and that adds up after a while. This card costs $9, but the savings you’ll get will easily pay it off.

Another important discount card you should have is the Sally Beauty Club Card. Sally Beauty can be found at several outlet centres, and offers salon-quality hair dye, hair products, nail products, and make-up for a good price—especially if you opt in for the $5-Club Card. The card gets you even lower prices than regular price. As a club card member, you can also receive exclusive coupons, discounts, and special offers! Many individual retailers have their own discount cards as well (such as Sirens and LaSenza), so ask if your favourite retailer has one.

Learn to bargain shop: shopping on sale can majorly cut down on beauty costs. When you enter a clothing store, start at the discount rack, and take a few moment to peruse the deals. That way, you can save large amounts of money, or be able to justify treating yourself to a $70-jacket every so often. Learn to love thrift shopping. A large retailer like Value Village or Talize has tons of lightly used clothing. If you look carefully, you may find something designer for as low as $5. Just make sure to wash the clothes when you get home.

Cheap tricks: if you’re someone who doesn’t mind cutting their own hair, here’s a substitute for expensive salon scissors: a pair of sharp Fiskars scissors. They function all the same at a quarter of the price. Just make sure you designate them for hair only. When shaving, instead of spending money on shaving cream, use some frothy soap instead. As well, body lotion works as an aftershave.

There you have it: being beauty-conscious on a budget isn’t as hard as it would seem. Stay fabulous!