Good Morning, my fellow beauty novices!

It’s been a while!  I missed you all! Don’t worry, I wasn’t buried somewhere deep in the heart of Mogadishu! I was off….living life. You know…family, friends, job, etc. etc. Yep. That’s right. Living.

Today I wanted to talk about a topic that I think is incredibly important in the world of beauty which is not discussed ad nauseam NEARLY enough: budget.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Yes, we do! We even named a whole sector of the beauty market after that very thing (Here’s looking at you, budget skincare!).” But in all honesty, we really don’t. So I’m going to share my personal philosophy with you, and then delve into tips you can use to simplify your strategy when it comes to buying your personal care products.

My personal philosophy is quite simple: I only have one face, and I’m going to spend money on it. So when I look to purchase products, I test a LOT of a specific product before I commit to buying one. (I’m currently in the middle of a testing phase…and it’s showing. Breakouts galore.) You see, I was raised by people who were older, and the number one lesson I learned from ALL of them was this: Higher Rate of Investment=Higher Rate of Return. They were always willing to spend a little bit more in order to get something that was going to last them for a longer period of time. And in my case, it was true. So that’s how I’ve lived my life. I don’t necessarily live for Saks, but I will invest in key staples to last me quite a while every season.

With that in mind, here are the rules that I use when buying my beauty products:

1. Set Your Limit: This one-the key to it all. Do some digging in your budget and figure out what you can afford to spend on your desired product. Figure. Out. Your. Limit.
2. Invest First: What do I mean by “Invest First?” It’s pretty simple: I invest the majority of my beauty budget on the items that I use at least twice a week. So I invest in my skincare (duh), and the makeup I use on a daily basis. No matter what your budget is, always cover the NEEDS first. You don’t NEED the latest Naked palette. But you do need sunscreen. If you wear make-up, invest in a good foundation, concealer, corrector and powder. It’s worth spending the extra cash on those items to ensure that you have a perfect match on your skin. If you know that you like a good neutral eye every day, invest in a good palette that has a variety of neutral shades to choose from.
3. Learn What to Save On: This is something that not a lot of people know, but it’s incredibly important because it can save you a TON of money in the long run. If you know that you like to change up your look everyday with different eyeliners, blushes, eyeshadows, mascaras, etc. then don’t be so quick to buy the latest social media sensation that costs enough to feed a child for a month in a war-torn country.
4. Realize that low-price doesn’t mean low quality. I’ll readily admit this-in the field of make-up, the best eyeliner that I ever used was a L’Oreal H.I.P eyeliner. That jet black stayed put throughout prom night. You can find great deals at Target, Ricky’s, Ulta, and any other place that sells lower-priced skincare and make-up. I may not use many drugstore products in my routine, but I am aware of their reasonably-priced deals at the very least.

So those are my top four tips for figuring out when to save and when to splurge.

What are some of your tips? Share the love!