The beauty and cosmetics market in America represents one of the most lucrative financial markets in the world. In 2016, it generated approximately 84 billion U.S dollars in revenue.

Whether you’re looking to update your look or give yourself an entire beauty makeover, it’s normal to worry about the cost.

However, with the right planning, strategizing, and money smarts, you can achieve your aesthetic dreams- no problem!

Let’s get into what you need to know!

Upgrade Your Hair

Whether you’re curly or straight, focusing on your luscious locks is often one of the easiest (and most effective) ways to give yourself an awesome beauty makeover.

Nourish with a DIY Mask

Skip the overpriced, fancy hair masks and head to your kitchen pantry. As it turns out, a combination of honey and coconut oil can make a great at-home hair mask for hair dryness and split ends.

All you need to do is mix equal parts of honey with coconut oil (about 1/4 cup total). Apply to your dry hair and leave on for about 20 minutes. Wash thoroughly with shampoo and condition.

Do this once a week- you’ll feel like you’re at the spa and your hair will look gorgeous. Total win-win!

Get a Blowout

Got a fancy party or night out ahead of you? Today, many pop-up stores and salons offer blow dry services.

For a nominal fee, you can get gorgeous, glossy hair and look like a total celebrity. No trims, no colors, and no styles. Just a simple, sexy blowout. Consider this next time you’re tempted to drop serious coin on your hair beauty makeover.

Sleep on Satin

Want to feel like a total queen and preserve your hair? Get a satin pillowcase!

Satin allows your hair to slip smoothly over the surface (especially if you move around a lot during your sleep). While it will not prevent tangles altogether, your hair will be significantly tamer than it would be if you slept on cotton.

Get Some Cute Accessories

Headbands. Knitted hats. Neon scrunchies. In today’s day and age, you have more permission than ever before to style your hair boldly!

Don’t be afraid to explore different hairstyles and accessories. You’ll be sure to turn heads while you do it!

Practice Makeup Smarts

Do you have unused makeup just lying around? Colors that you’d never wear? Foundation shades that don’t match your skin tone?

If you wear makeup regularly, it’s a total myth that you need to spend a fortune on cosmetics. Consider the following tips for maximizing your beauty makeover on a budget.

Avoid Commitment (Until You’re Positive)

Have you ever watched a makeup gurus Youtube tutorial and felt tempted to drop your hard-earned cash on some new product just because she recommended it?

You’re not alone. There’s a lot of really good advertising out there, and it can feel hard to make decisions with all the options available.

Consider the 48-hour impulse rule, whether it’s for an eyeshadow palette or new mascara. No matter what the makeup is, you must give yourself 48 hours before buying it.

If you still want it, you’ve earned it. 48 hours is usually enough time, however, to ward off any emotional, impulse buys.

Practice Quality over Quantity

Even though it may seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to save money, it can pay to actually spend more on quality products.

That’s because you often tend to need less of the product (like eyeshadow or concealer), which preserves its longevity.

Rather than buy ten lipsticks, consider buying 2-3 amazing, long-lasting lipsticks that you love.

And, remember this: quality can be the difference between looking good and having a total beauty makeover.

Take Advantage of Free Samples

If you join rewards programs at makeup stores like Sephora or Ulta, you can secure free mini or deluxe samples just by accruing regular rewards.

Samples are a great way to actually test if you want to buy the product (before forking over your hard-earned money). They also are incredibly convenient for travel.

Take Care of Your Body

Beauty doesn’t just come in a bottle or makeup palette. What’s more? A beauty makeover doesn’t actually need to cost a single cent if you can implement these basic healthy living skills.

Wear Sunscreen

You know you should be wearing sunscreen on a regular basis, but are you actually following through?

As it turns out, wearing sunscreen is critical for preserving your skin, warding off sun damage, and preventing wrinkles. The best anti-aging treatment isn’t in a fancy cream; it’s in your sunscreen.

If that’s not giving yourself a beauty makeover (on a budget), we don’t know what is. Try and aim for covering your body with about 1 oz (the size of a shot glass) sunscreen each day (yes, even if it’s gloomy outside).

Make sure to reapply every 2 hours, and you should still practice sun smarts when outside. This means staying in the shade and wearing sunglasses.

Drink Plenty of Water

Ever been dehydrated? It turns out, you can often see the telltale signs just on someone’s skin.

Dehydrated people tend to look tired and weary. They may also look more bloated! We all know that water has numerous health benefits, but it can also give you a natural beauty makeover.

Drinking enough H20 can clear up your skin, reduce belly boat, and boost your metabolism. What more could you want?

Eat a Healthy Diet

Want great skin? Gorgeous eyes? Shiny, luscious hair? Rather than focus on just the products, why don’t you focus on what your eating on a regular basis?

Eating healthy will not only make you feel better, but it can also make you look physically healthier.

Focus on eating dark, leafy greens (spinach, kale), fresh fruits (berries), healthy fats (olive oil, avocado) and lean protein (chicken, turkey). You’ll have more energy, and your appearance will likely reflect the positive changes, too!

Exercise Regularly

Exercising releases feel-good hormones that can enhance your confidence and happiness. Not to mention, exercise tones your muscles and can improve your physical appearance and make you look even better in your clothes.

If that’s not a beauty makeover, we don’t know what is.

Make it a point to move your body on a regular basis. No, this doesn’t mean you have to log hours and hours at the gym. Exercise can be done anywhere- from a dance workout in your pajamas to a hot yoga class.

The best exercise for you will be the one you can do consistently, so make sure that you’re clocking in the hours to sweat!

Sleep

Want that healthy glow? The secret lies in how rested you are. If you’re pulling all-nighters on a regular basis, it’s going to take a toll on your skin. It’s also likely to take a toll on your eating habits- which, therefore, will likely take a toll on your weight.

You need to rest! We all need to rest!

Get in the habit of falling asleep and waking up at the same time every day. Aim for about 7-9 hours of sleep (everybody is different).

Own Your Definition of Beautiful

Beauty reflects from the inside out. That means if you’re taking care of your self-esteem, making positive decisions, and surrounding yourself with loving people, you’ll likely feel more beautiful in your own skin.

Besides, nobody should be breaking the bank in order to feel attractive. Taking care of your mental well-being? That’s beautiful! Taking care of your financial house? That’s also beautiful (check out this lender if you’re in need of assistance).

After all, physical beauty doesn’t carry much weight if you’re not able to emotionally, physically, or financially take care of yourself.

Mind Your Media

It’s easy to get caught up in society’s definition of “beautiful” in a world that’s inundated with social media and filtered images.

With that said, it’s important to realize that marketing is designed to sell a product or service. Photos are manipulated in order to evoke feelings. The beauty isn’t real; it’s often airbrushed, pixelated, and severely edited.

Instead of turning to television ads or social media, consider looking at real-live women for inspiration. We’re talking the women who flaunt it all, who maybe have imperfect skin or curves.

The more you can expose yourself to realistic beauty, the more beautiful you will feel- quirks and all!

Final Thoughts on Your Beauty Makeover on a Budget

Looking good doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming, either.

With the right planning in mind, you’ll be well on your way to looking fly without any major impact on your bank account.

Interested in learning more about the latest beauty and wellness trends? Be sure to check out our blog today!