While we love what the multi-billion dollar-a-year cosmetics industry has to offer, there are some products that just aren’t worth the investment. We all want to believe the beauty promises of our products, but on a student budget, sometimes we have to wake up and smell the marketing ploy.
Steer clear of the following beauty product categories to keep your makeup regime and cosmetics budget looking great.
ALL IN ONE, ALL THE WAY!
Take a look at most girls’ bathrooms and you’ll see an impressive collection of creams and moisturizers: face, eye, neck, décolleté, hands, feet, body, night and day. Even though it might feel like your dry elbows need the special care of a dedicated cream, body-part specific lotions are just a money grab. A good body lotion can be used on all parts of your body! While we do have separate face lotion, a basic cream under $10 is effective on any other dry areas.
FLAKE OFF FOR LESS
We’re getting into the Ottawa winter, full of beautiful snow and painfully chapped lips. If you’re feeling super-flaky or just looking for softer lips, you don’t need to buy a lip exfoliator. Instead, slather on lip balm, wrap a tissue around your finger and rub it over your lips. The flakes disappear, and by being gentler you don’t risk making the problem worse. And if you absolutely need your sugar scrub exfoliator, just use your toothbrush or the sugar you have in your kitchen!
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TONE IT DOWN
Toner is promoted as a “vital step” in your skin care regime that makes your pores disappear and provides matte, squeaky-clean skin. Some girls swear by it, but we’ve found that toners are often more drying than mattifying. The reality is, pores can’t be opened, closed or shrunken. If your face is still dirty or oily after you’ve used your regular face wash, then you need a better cleanser, not more drying toner.
SHAVE THE SHAVING CREAM
Your hair conditioner or body wash will get the job done just as well as shaving cream, and with less mess too. We know shaving cream isn’t pricy – and the foam is fun – but when you’re on a budget any savings help.
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FORGET FIRMING
You know those wobbly, dimpled parts of our bodies so many girls struggle with? The painful truth is there’s no topical treatment that can reduce cellulite. Unfortunately, most experts agree that there aren’t any products currently on the market that can make those places firmer and reduce body fat.
We’ve found cellulite creams are no more effective than regular cream, regardless of the price or special ingredients. Instead of splurging on a deluxe firming cream, save your money and hit the gym with a girlfriend after class.
DITCH THE HAIR STENCILS
There are stencils out there to help you trim, wax and tweeze your eyebrows into the perfect shape, but are they a beauty necessity? If you can’t get the shape you want freehand, it’s probably a better idea to leave your brows to the professionals – or a girlfriend who’s great with tweezers.
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LEAVE THE LASHES BEHIND
Professional eyelash extensions cost a small fortune, and why go to the trouble when you can do it yourself at home? For a fraction of the cost, you can pick up some eyelash glue and individual lashes. They’re fiddly to put on at first, but getting the lush lash look without the hefty price tag is more than worth it.
If you’re currently misty-eyed and hugging your shaving cream goodbye, don’t worry! Everyone has different bodies and lifestyles, and if a product really makes you feel better, then go ahead and use it! But before you snatch your next new beauty product off the shelf, just pause to think if you really need it.
Source:
http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/unnecessary-beauty-products/p…
Image Sources:
http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=separate+creams+for+face+neck+chest&um=1&h…
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/bliss-fabulips-sugar-lip-scrub/3319136?cm_ca…(tm)’_sugar_lip_scrub:565630&cm_pla=skin/body_treatment:women:scrub&cm_ven=GPLACA&mr:ad=20584932113&mr:adType=pla&mr:filter=23001212753&mr:keyword={keyword}&mr:match={matchtype}&mr:referralID=NA&mr:trackingCode=31E905E5-5EAB-E111-8EBE-90E2BA0278A8&origin=pla
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/cm/goodhousekeeping/images/cotton-ball-2…
http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=body+firming+products&um=1&hl=en&client=sa…
http://fabprofashional.blogspot.ca/2011/01/eyebrow-stencils.html
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-apply-individual-fake-eyelashes