Beauty On A Budget: How To Look Good Without Breaking The Bank

Admit it, we have all spent a good fortune on our looks—buying the latest fashion trend, having our hair professionally done, trying out the new makeup or skincare that’s going to make our skin flawless, and so many more beauty regimens. Not that it’s a bad thing! It’s not shallow at all to care about our physical appearances. Because let’s be honest, when we look good, we feel good.

But looking good doesn’t have to hurt our pockets. Check out these tips on how to look and feel good while staying on a budget!

1. Maintain good personal hygiene
The most important thing about looking good is making sure that you are keeping yourself squeaky clean. So bath, wash your hands, and brush your teeth regularly! Especially with how hot it gets here in the Philippines sometimes, you have to make sure that you are keeping your body clean and fresh! You don’t even have to go above and beyond for this. A simple hygienic kit—like soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, you know, the basic stuff—would suffice.

2. Get your beauty sleep
When you look good, you feel good. But it also works the other way around. When your body feels good, it will show in how you look. Beauty sleep is real, and it costs nothing to do it! Your body deserves it. When you sleep, you give your body time to repair and recover from the activities of the day.

3. Shop smart
How we dress is how we present ourselves. So there’s always pressure to spend some cash on good clothes. But the thing is, you don’t have to! The key is to shop smart. Try to avoid subscribing to fast fashions, as they go out of style quickly. Shop for staple clothes and mix and match them with your wardrobe. Or if you’re really into fashion, go thrift shopping or wait for sales. There are a lot of rare gems you can find on your local ukay-ukays; you just have to look really hard.

4. Invest in good, simple accessories
One way to elevate your look is through accessories. It’s okay, you can splurge a bit of cash on some silver or gold accessories—a pair of hoop earrings or a simple chain necklace, for example—as you can use them for a lot of your looks. We suggest you go for some minimalist designs as they can complement a lot of your wardrobe.

5. Keep your clothes clean and proper
Properly maintained clothes make is astounding. Even the most expensive clothes can look cheap if they’re wrinkled and tucked the wrong way. So keep your clothes clean, neat, and well-ironed. Well-kept clothing can make you look polished and put together.

6. Stay hydrated
This is a sign for you to drink your water, STAT! Drinking water does wonders for your body and is essential if you want to look good every day! But staying hydrated is not only meant for you to have good skin; drink your water because it is also important for your health.

7. Have a simple skincare routine
The skincare industry is growing day by day, with new products launching left and right. At times, it can be confusing to keep up with all the products to use. But always remember that when it comes to skincare, less is more. You don’t have to splurge on the latest miracle healing serum that probably cost you your month’s salary. Most of the time, it’s just a fancy product that you put on your skin. Keep it to a minimum. You only need three essential products for your skincare routine: a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen.

8. Exercise
Exercising not only helps you achieve your desired body, but it also makes you stronger. Exercising doesn’t have to cost you money. You can just keep it simple by going for a 30-minute to 1-hour walk or following an at-home workout video.

There’s a lot of pressure on us to look good. And sometimes, the beauty industry preys on this pressure and our insecurities so they can sell their products to us. But don’t give in to them! We don’t have to spend tons of money trying to be something we already are. Remember, we are already beautiful just the way we are.