Sure, the most natural thing you can do is to go without makeup, which I do quite a bit mainly because I am heading to the gym and would just sweat it off anyways or I don’t have time to “put my face on.” Ok, I know, it doesn’t take that long most of the time, so then I am just not feeling in the makeup mood.
But for those times I do want to wear makeup, I use products from companies that use natural ingredients (organic if possible) and have sustainable practices.
These products do come with a price tag, but they are not any different than all the makeup counters at department stores. If you generally pay $1 for your eyeliner and $3 for your face powder at a mass merchandiser, then you could have a bit of sticker shock.
What I want to share with you today is some tips for switching over to natural beauty products and not feeling a big squeeze on your wallet.
Yes, I know there are many more natural products out there than I will tell you about, but I can only tell you about the ones I know, so PLEASE comment if you have more tips on how to score a deal on others not mentioned.
Tips for Natural Beauty Products on a Budget
- Swap out one product at a time when you use them up so you aren’t spending as much at a time.
- Higher end beauty products that cost more money tend to cover and apply better so you end up not using as much and they will last you longer.
- Sign up for email lists for those products you want to use, as many send out promotions often. All of these companies offer promotions
around the holidays to encourage purchases that i turn can help you save some green.
- Origins often includes free samples (I have up to three in one order) in their orders and if you are on their email list they often have free shipping codes too.
- Aveda will send email promotions offering free products or shipping with an order quite often. They also will send out email to print out a coupon for you for free samples to be redeemed in one of their salons.
- Burts Bees offers free samples by mail with no purchase when they have a new product, but you need to be quick to sign up. And a couple times a year they offer a special grab bag of products that end up being close to 60% off. Also, they have an “Outlet” section and many things are as low as $1. You can even buy Burts Bee products at Target and Wal-Mart. Be sure to check the coupon database for coupons, too!
- “Like” companies on Facebook. It seems that a lot of deals now are offered through Facebook and they will notify you about upcoming offers.
- Sign up for any birthday programs these companies offer. The past few years I have gotten the same thing in an email from Aveda (Free
full size product that would have cost me $25-$30) and Origins ($10 off any order & free shipping.) - Look for schools (like Aveda) that offer product testing in exchange for a gift certificate. I used to do this quite a bit when I lived closer to the Aveda school in Minneapolis. Schools also offer services at much lower prices than salons & spas.
- Stop in their stores or at their department store counters and get a makeover to see if you like the product first and to make sure you like how it feels and looks on you. Products (even cheap ones) that you don’t use are just wasting money. Plus, they often have a sample or two to send you home with.
- Make your own natural beauty products like DIY hair treatments, homemade dry skin treatments, and even green-up your at-home mani-pedi. (I do this with body care stuff, but not with make up.) A simple search online or pinterest will yield many different recipes.
These are just some of the ways I save on natural beauty products.
Now it’s your turn: How do you get natural beauty products on a budget?
The All Natural Face is a great place to find vegan makeup – their eyeshadows are bold, stay on, and last. You can purchase samples of their products to try them out (the samples last a while, especially if you don’t wear makeup often). They have a plethora of products made without artificial dyes, chemicals, etc. You’re also supporting an independent business! http://theallnaturalface.com/index.html
They’re very affordable too. $o.35 for a sample, $3.50 for a 5g jar, $6.50 for a 10g jar of eyeshadow. I’ve tried and loved their mascara, too!
That’s a new resource I hadn’t heard about before. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
This was a very informative article. Thank you for the Burt’s Bees tips. I don’t wear much makeup but when I do I like to have the best!
I just placed an order with Aveda earlier this week and have a ton of samples coming with my order. You can use 2 promotional codes when placing an order, just separate them with a comma.
Good to know about the 2 promotional codes!
There have been a tons of offers in my inbox from all of these companies the last week and I am sure they will keep coming through the next few weeks.
I just bought some new eye makeup from Origins with their recent $10 off $25 plus free shipping & free sample.
I used the same coupon and ordered facial cleanser and a mask…I’ve only had them a couple of days, but so far they seem great. Have you been using the make up a while…any favorite products or helpful observations?
I have been using the eyeliner and mascara from Origins for about 3 years now and really like it. They both seem to last me quite a while and cover nicely. I do have some eye shadow from Origins but those I had them do a makeover on me with their recommendations so that I could see what it looked like and re-create the look. I much prefer to try on the makeup in advance to make sure I like the color and feel before purchasing, then I know I will use it.
I REALLY like that their eyeliner is a twist up. No sharpening needed and goes on smoothly. And I like that it has a smudge/blending tip on the other end to blend it in to your eye shadow.
I do have some lipstick & liptint that I like.
I would like to try the bronzer some time. Maybe I will get a makeover done when I get my birthday coupon and see what it looks like on me.
Thanks for the feedback.