15 guides
Beauty on a budget guides
Plain-English guides to spending less on beauty and personal care. General information only, not medical advice. We don't sell products or earn commissions.
Your routine
Fewer products, used up, with cost per use.
- Build a simple routine
Three or four products cover most skin.
- Think in cost per use
A $30 product can be cheaper than a $10 one.
- Use it up before you buy more
Finish one before you open the next.
- Sunscreen without overspending
The best sunscreen is one you'll wear every day.
Smart buying
Store brands, ingredients and when to splurge.
- Store brands and generics
Often the same basic ingredients, for less.
- Ingredients over hype
Read the label, not the front of the bottle.
- When it can make sense to splurge
Spend on what you use every day; save on the rest.
- Beauty boxes and auto-ship
Convenient, but check what you really use.
Hair and nails
Make cuts last, salons for less, color and nails at home.
- Make haircuts last longer
A few extra weeks between cuts adds up.
- Beauty school salons
Supervised students, lower prices.
- Coloring hair at home, safely
Follow the box, and always do a patch test.
- Nails at home
A simple manicure kit pays for itself quickly.
Labels and safety
Expiration dates, patch tests and how cosmetics are regulated.
- How long products last
Look for the open-jar symbol.
- Patch test new products
A small test before a big mistake.
- How cosmetics are regulated
What the FDA does, and doesn't, check.