I’ve been searching lately for the most time effective, budget friendly and generally accessible beauty care techniques.
Lashes
While I was never one to spend hours on my hair and makeup each morning, applying makeup before leaving for the day did take up the majority of time in my personal morning routine. Not to mention, the inconvenience of then having to remove that makeup before bed at night and reapply the next morning. I’ve tried magnetic lashes that came with the promise of ease of application and removal. The problem for me was that I had to apply a thick layer of eyeliner for the lash to stick to. With this, I was never able to achieve a natural makeup look. I have gotten the very expensive semi-permanent eyelashes done (sometimes costing upwards of $200 depending on your fill) and I loved the look of them, how long they lasted and how effortless they made getting ready each morning, but ultimately I couldn’t justify spending that much money each month (or every three weeks) on refills. Similarly, I have also attempted to do these semi-permanent lashes on myself and I just don’t have the skill.
Finally, this leads me to what really does work for me. In my opinion, this is the most budget friendly, natural looking and time effective move you could make for your lashes. I purchase lash clusters off of Amazon for a little over $10. The tray of clusters that I get provides me with enough lashes for 6 sets (that includes both eyes). For those of you who are unfamiliar with lash brands such as Lashify and Flutter Habit, essentially they make clusters of lashes and adhesives. You can construct your own personal set of lashes by mixing and matching different lengths and thicknesses to achieve the lash look that you desire. It is an at home kit and application that, depending on your lash prep and ability to place the lashes properly, will last for about 7-10 days of wear. I don’t subscribe to either of the above brands. Lashify is expensive, starting off at $145 for just the control kit which includes the applicator tool (which alone is sold for $65), 2 sets of lashes (in styles which you can select before ordering online) and some different glues. The cost of lashes per set is $20 depending on the style I do order the glues from Lashify which are around $25 depending on what adhesive you choose to work with. “Whisper Light” is what is recommended for beginners and that is the adhesive that I chose to start with as well.
So, I use the Amazon clusters that I order for around $10 with the $25 Lashify Whisper Light adhesive. This method ends up being a fraction of the cost of using full Lashify products.
Brows
Everyone has that one one makeup item that they simply will not leave the house without applying. For me, its my brow pencil. I should say was my brow pencil. To me, brows frame the face, so having well kept eyebrows makes a world of difference on your overall appearance. I had been filling in my brows each morning, which really doesn’t take that much time, but I noticed myself getting sloppy and lazy when I was tired after just waking up in the morning. I had heard about eyebrow tinting and a friend had mentioned eyebrow henna to me. All I could envision was having bright orange oompa loompa-looking eyebrows at the thought of eyebrow henna. Nonetheless, I tried it anyway. I ordered some off of Amazon for $12 that had some great reviews (with pictures of non-orange eyebrows) and decided to give it a go. It took me three applications to get the shade of brow tint that I desired with each application being left on for 10-15 minutes (or until the henna had dried). I love it! It looks incredible, I don’t ever have to use a brow pencil EVERY morning and it is waterproof! These henna brows last for about 2 weeks before the next application is needed.
The process is simple. The pack I ordered came with several little packs of henna inside the box. One pack of henna can do around 8 separate brows. Meaning one brow, even after applying 3 different times, only used up one of those 8. You use the little spoon that comes in the box and shovel out half a spoon of henna powder. You add in 8 drops of water and then mix until all the little lumps are gone and you have a smooth consistency throughout. I apply the tint after plucking and waxing my eyebrows to ensure that I am applying in the shape that I want. I also make sure that my eyebrows are free of any makeup and dead skin before application. I wash my face with a facial cleanser and spoolie and dry my brows. I then use a very thin angled makeup brush, dab the henna onto it and apply it to my brows, using a Q-tip to wipe away any mistakes before it dries. Once I have waited 15 minutes, I use a wet cotton pad to wipe off the layer of henna and repeat until I get the desired strength of tint!
Nails
Getting your nails done at a nail salon can be extremely therapeutic for some people. For me, while I like going to get my nails done, it is difficult to justify the amount that I would spend on a simple mani/pedi. A typical gel manicure usually costs between $35 and $80 and you can expect to spend similarly on a gel pedicure as well. I have recently started doing my own gel nails from the comfort of my own home. I purchased a pack of 6 gel polishes (I opted for the Gellen brand which they often use in nail salons) for $14 on Amazon. The foundation and top coat pack that I purchased was $9 and it included a base coat, shiny top coat and matte top coat. I purchased the lamp from Amazon as well for only $18. And Finally I purchased the polish remover for $8.75. I got all of the stuff that I need for around $50 USD which is less than what you would spend on having your hands and feet done just once in a nail salon!
This process however, may be the most involved yet. It typically takes me around an hour if I am just painting my nails, but if I have to remove the prior polish, I spend about an hour and a half. I begin by cutting and shaping my nail with a nail file (if I am beginning with bare nails). I also make sure to run over the surface of my nail with a nail file — my goal though, instead of smoothing it, is to create a rough surface which will help the polish adhere to my nail. Next, I rinse off any debris that was caused from filing, dry my hands and apply Vaseline on the cuticles and let that sit for about 5 minutes. You can use a special nail tool to push back your cuticles but I honestly just use my thumb nail and I press all of my cuticles back then use a cuticle cutter and remove all of my cuticle skin leaving just a clear nailbed. You’ll want to use rubbing alcohol to remove any oils (especially the Vaseline) from the nail, leaving a dry and clean nail to paint onto.
Let the painting begin! Start with your base coat, only paint a very light layer, you will want to make sure that all of your layers are thin so that they cure properly under the light. Once my hand is complete, I pop it under the light for 60 seconds. I do 60 seconds between coats, some people only do 30. I then move on to apply between 2 and 3 layers of whatever color I am working with, again, curing between coats. Something you will notice about gel polish is that it is extremely easy to work with because it doesn’t dry until it is cured under the light. This makes retouching extremely easy. On this note, for each layer you do you want to make sure that A: you are covering the nail but making sure not to touch the skin around the nail. If this happens by accident, clean it up right away before curing. If you end up curing part of the polish to your skin, your polish is likely to peel and it won’t last as long. And B: with each coat, cap the end of the nail by painting the very tip of the nail with the smallest amount of polish on the brush. This too will ensure longer lasting wear with minimal to no chipping. Finally, once all of your color coats are complete and cured, apply the top coat and cure under the light for 90 seconds (I cure mine for 2 minutes 15 seconds which is probable overkill).
To remove…
To remove a manicure or pedicure that I have been wearing for a while I cut cotton pads into quarters just large enough to cover each nail. I then cut sections of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around each individual finger. I wet the section of cotton pad with the soak off remover, place it on top of my nail, wrap a piece of foil around and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This uses less of the soak off solution than pouring the solution into a bowl and leaving your nails in there to soak the polish off. After that, I push all of the nail polish off using my thumb nail (but again, you can use a nail tool for this step). The old nail polish should be dry and flaky at this point and should fall off quite easily. Any stubborn polish that isn’t coming off can be filed with a regular nail file once your nail is dry. Once I have finished using this solution I always wash my hands with soap and water. Since it is a harsh chemical, I don’t like leaving it on my nails or skin for more time than I have to.
Budget Buys and Beauty 