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Spring is around the corner. After all this cold and dry weather our skin is ready for a change, not to mention our hair. What do you have planned for a fresh spring look? Bangs or no bangs, what color highlights? So many choices, not to mention costs. A trip to the salon every six weeks can certainly add up. And trying all the season’s new eye and lip colors certainly isn’t cheap either. So what’s a girl to do?
Her is how to look fabulous for less and where to find beauty on a budget.
Hair
Your current salon – Ask about specials and get on the email list. Many salons have specials they run depending on the day and time. They offer discounted rates when you book your appointment during a slow day or time. Sometimes they run promotions based on the season. The key is to be in the know. So continuously ask about special promotions and check your emails.
New stylists – New stylists learn the latest cutting and color techniques and many join nice salons once they graduate. While they build their clientele at these salons, their services are offered at a nicely discounted rate. For example in metro Atlanta, Van Michael Salons have their New Talents program and 124 Salons have their Genesis program .
Stylists in Training – For free or nearly free hair services you can visit cosmetology schools. The services are performed by students in training that are closely supervised by their professional instructors. The cost of the service is based on the student’s level of training. The most notable programs available across the country is the Aveda Institute.
Nails
Trips to the hair salon every six weeks is one thing, but trips to the nail salon every two weeks can certainly affect your budget. So if you want pretty nails that don’t cost a pretty penny try the services of the International School of Skin and Nailcare based in Atlanta. The services are provided by students supervised by their instructors. And they offer quite a range of services to choose from.
Face
Just like fashion, makeup changes every season. Keeping up with the latest colors and trends can be expensive, but here is how to save.
Drugstore – Drugstore brands are very popular these days. Not only do they cost less than department store brands but they can work as well and sometimes better than their more expensive cousins. Even Oprah has taken notice; highlighting many brands in her O Magazine and Oprah’s Favorite Things program. Combine store sales, store coupons and manufacturer coupons and you can end up with a makeup bag full of product with little money out of your money bag.
Department Store Brands
Go High End – I will be the first to admit that while you can pick up a great mascara at a drugstore, there are still some products you want to buy from a department store. And this will shock some people when I say to save money by going high end. Buy your products from high end department stores like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus when they are running gift promotions and semi-annual beauty events. The free gifts with purchase at the higher end department stores are bigger and better than at the lower end stores, so you get more bang for your buck.
Buy Online – Department store and prestige cosmetic brands heavily regulate their prices and require all authorized retailers to charge the same price. You are not going to see discounted products at your local department store, but you can find them online. Beauty.com and Sephora.com periodically offer 20% off promo codes. These are reputable websites you can trust to sell the real product. Buy during their promotion periods, and you can beat the prestige brand price lock. They usually throw in some free samples too.
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