Cheap tricks that will save you big bucks at the beauty counter

So we all love a good product splurge. But sometimes paying the electricity bill has to take precedence. (Course, there was that time when I went without power for a week to buy the new Chanel lippie. Dear God it was worth it.)

So if you need to scrimp for a while until you can afford the good stuff, here are some dollar-saving secrets from the beauty editor bag of tricks…

Trick one: Your lipstick is happy to live a double life.
Just dab over the apples of your cheeks and gently blend. It’s just as good as cream blush and saves you in handbag space too.

Trick two: Vaseline does everything (well, almost everything).
If you’ve been cursed with sparse lashes, rub a little in at night as an eyelash conditioner to promote growth – it really works! Also use it on chapped lips as a treatment or over your lippie as a gloss. It’s equally good for shaping brows or substituting as mascara. Out of makeup remover? It will do that too.

Trick three: Toothpaste: your teeth ain’t all it’s good for.
Got a big red spot but out of pimple gel? No worries! Rub a little toothpaste into your zit before bed – the toothpaste will dry out that pesky pimple overnight so by morning it will be a thing of the past!

Trick four: Hair salons are so passé.
If you can’t afford to cough up the cash for an exxy salon treatment, nourish your dull strands with a homemade hair recipe. Mix an egg with a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of honey and leave on freshly washed damp hair for 20 minutes before rinsing out. You’ll wonder why you ever bothered with the salon at all.

Trick five: Aloe Vera gel is good at acting expensive.
Most good anti-ageing serums cost a small fortune. Cheap supermarket variety after-sun aloe gel is one of the best anti-ageing serums around – but few women are aware of it’s powerful hydrating, softening and smoothing benefits. Make it part of your secret beauty routine and giggle at the ladies at the beauty counter handing over their life savings for the same results.