beauty products
beauty products

6 Tricks To Make Your Beauty Budget Go Further

Just a few simple swaps and changes can save you £100s on your beauty routine.

Keeping up your beauty regimen doesn’t have to be costly, which is why it’s important to make your beauty budget go further when cash is low. To get started on saving cash on your beauty products, you need to take a good long look at what you currently have. Do you really use that toner at the back of your drawer? Has a “miracle cream” been doing more harm than good? Either way, your currently-owned products are a good place to start. You’d be surprised just how much of your monthly budget goes into your self-care and makeup!

And while we’re absolutely not about sacrificing any of that, we think there are ways to make it better (and cheaper) in the long run. From baby powder dry shampoo to subscription services, here are six tricks to make your beauty budget go that little bit further.

1. Simplify your routine

Do you have a multi-step skincare routine? The more steps you have, the more you’ll spend. Have you ever thought about condensing your skincare routine into two, three, or five steps instead? 

It’s worth asking yourself if you really need to have as many products as you do. In fact, the amount you use could be doing more harm than good. All we really need is a good cleanser, sunscreen, moisturiser, and serum for any targeted skincare needs. While it’s incredibly tempting to follow some of the top beauty gurus out there who swear by long multi-step routines, for students, it’s just not feasible from a budget perspective. Plus, what works for one person, doesn’t necessarily work for another and could be causing your skin more harm than good.

the ordinary multi peptide serum with amino acids and hyaluronic acid

The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum — £14.30

That’s why we’re huge fans of products that combine multiple ingredients like this one. It combines peptides, hyaluronic acid and amino acids to fight fine lines, wrinkles and smoothens out your complexion. Instead of buying the ingredients separately, you can get it all in one at a fraction of the cost.

Get a LOOKFANTASTIC student discount

2. DIY beauty

DIY beauty boomed in the pandemic, and while some of us are back to going to the salons, we’ve all picked up some neat tricks and saved cash on DIY beauty treatments.

We do advise being careful here though. Some DIY routines can cause more harm than good if they’re not made right. There are tons of fads out there, so do your research.

In terms of services you can get in a salon, such as manicures you could literally save hundreds a year just by investing in the right nail polishes and beauty products to give yourself a luxury spa treatment at home. For manicures, all you really need is some high-quality products. It could save you time, money, and trips to the salon.

mylee gel nail kit

Mylee Multi Mani Gel Kit — £76

We’re huge fans of this Mylee gel nails set. It’s got everything you need including various coats for different stages, a Salon Series PRO LED Lamp, and gel remover.

Get a Boots student discount.

3. Premium doesn’t always mean better

Has your fav influencer told you to invest in a three-figure skincare product? It may have worked for them, and it might be the ultimate product, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t similar products for a fraction of the price.

When paying high prices for beauty products, you typically pay for the brand name. It’s possible to get high-strength retinol products from brands like The Ordinary for less than £7, as opposed to La Roche Posay’s that’s around £30.

bottle of the ordinary retinol 1 percent

The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane 30ml — £6.90

Get a Boots student discount.

4. Use longer-lasting treatments

We’re not suggesting expensive treatments like eyebrow tattooing (though you should go for it if you want to). We’re talking about things like eyebrow tinting at home, as opposed to pencilling them in daily.

If you trust yourself enough to give it a go, it could save you cash in the long run because you won’t need to buy as many pencils or eyebrow kits to fill in your brows.

mylee brow kit

Mylee Brow and Lash Tint Kit (Various Shades) — £15.

This set contains everything you need to get your brows looking bold, including:

  • Brow and Lash Tint (15ml)
  • Tint Activator (50ml)
  • Dappen Glass Dish
  • Tint Brush
  • Spoolie Brush

Get a LOOKFANTASTIC student discount.

5. Try a subscription service

Don’t want to ditch your current routine but need a cheap way to test out new products? Subscription services are the way to go.

You usually pay annually or monthly for a beauty box and it’s the same price each time, So instead of spending money on a product everyone is hyped about, you can probably get it in the beauty box for far less cash.

flatlay of glossybox subscription service

Generation GlossyBox — subscriptions from £11.75 per month.

Every box you get is different, but just to give you an idea of the number of items you get for a small price…

  • Luna By Luna clear brow gel
  • Feather & Down Sweet Dreams All Purpose Skin Balm
  • Karina beauty blender sponge
  • R.E.M. Ariana Grande

Get a GlossyBox student discount.

6. Baby powder your hair

Dry shampoo is our friend. Not only does it help for a quick touch-up on oily patches, but if you wash your hair just one day less a week, you could save some serious cash on your utility bills (and your hair will thank you for it too).

johnsons baby powder bottle

Johnsons’ Baby powder — £2.50.

But what if we told you dry shampoo isn’t the only way to blot out oily hair? Baby powder does the same thing! All you have to do is pop a bit of it in your hands and scrunch it into your scalp. While it’s a slightly messier way of doing it, it literally does the same thing as a dry shampoo bottle does. Plus, it’ll save you around £5-£6 and lasts way longer than a can of dry shampoo too!

Get a Boots student discount.

And that’s our tricks to help your beauty budget go further! Do you have any tricks of your own? Sign up to Student Beans to get discounts on the products we mentioned and other beauty student discounts to save even more cash on your beauty regimen.

Last updated: 30/12/22.