4 Bargain Beauty Hacks For Busy Women…
One of my lesser spoken about skills is my ability to get ready, in a hurry. Time is precious to me, but regardless of this, I do like to take some pride in my appearance. Now, you won’t see me paying someone to pluck my eyebrows, booking regular facials or spending £50.00 on a single pot of cream. Nope, I have more important things to pay for and if there’s a DIY option, well you can be confident that I’ll be giving it a try.
My morning routine often sees me getting ready to go to work at the gym, I like to maximize my workouts and enjoy some gentle relaxation in the spa (if I have the time) before facing the day. Therefore, my focus is on getting ready as efficiently as possible, whilst maintaining a reasonable outward presentation. I don’t have time to carefully blowdry my hair, I certainly don’t contour and guess what, I don’t take 105 different products into the shower.
With all this in mind, I thought that it might be helpful to share some of my favorite products, which help me along the way…
Nailed It…
I’m a huge fan of gel nails, they offer the ideal solution for people like me, due to the fact I don’t like my nails too long and as soon as I’ve chipped a nail, it’s game over. Which brings me to my latest discovery, press on gel nails by im-Press. Hear me out, you can save time on booking nail appointments, money on paying for said appointments and/or the fuss of applying gel nails yourself. I went from nail zero, to nail hero in less than 5 minutes and they lasted through swimming, washing up and weightlifting, for 7 days. I’m a huge convert, plus for only £7.99 it’s a purse friendly option too!
Watch Out Elizabeth…
Growing up, every time I was let loose in Duty-Free, I’d always consider buying some Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream, known for its ability to work magic on the face, lips, and hands. I never did, because undoubtedly I’d be distracted by perfume, food or quite simply, running late. When I saw that Aldi had created a dupe, I took my chances and spent £3.99 and frankly, I’ve never looked back. Whilst admittedly, I think they are playing a dangerous game by making the packaging look so similar to the original, it’s a wonderfully efficient cream and I thoroughly recommend it.
Beachy Waves…
When I cut my hair, I quickly realized that I simply didn’t have the time to maintain that perfectly blow dried and straightened look. So, I welcomed my new found volume with open arms and spent the grand total of 99p reliving the 80’s with these bendy rollers from Primark. When I used these in the gym changing rooms, I’ve learned to quickly accept an array of amused looks. I simply towel dry my hair, brush, quickly roll and leave in whilst I’m applying my makeup and getting dressed. I then quickly blow-dry (whilst the rollers are intact) unroll, spritz with hairspray and voila.
That highlight thou…
Okay, Okay, Okay…
I have had several people try to teach me to highlight and contour, the finished result is not unlike an Xmas decoration and I just don’t have the time for all that blending. Alas, a little touch of highlight and bronze can really boost my appearance on these winter days, with the added bonus of doubling up as an eyeshadow. I spent the huge sum of 50p (Yes, when I said budget I meant budget) on this, again in Primark. If you’re feeling slightly more spendy, Benefit High Beam is fabulous too and I found a dinky version here for £8.93.
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Whilst I’m certainly not converting to a beauty blogger anytime soon, I hope you found this helpful, please feel free to share any hacks you might have with me!
Katie
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