Frugal February: Beauty on a Budget - pt.1 Beauty Bargains

So after a two week trip to Europe, surprise vet bills - don't worry both the furballs are ok!, car troubles and saving up for my next tattoo appointment in a couple weeks; it's safe to say that funds are a little tight right now. I know everyone can feel my pain, we've all been there before but necessity fuels creativity, or so I keep telling myself... Whether you're on a student budget, your dog dramatically breaks a nail and needs sedation just to get it clipped (cue glance in Reece's direction) or you're just looking for some fun new things you can try around the house without needing to make a trip to the store, I give you my five favourites DIY beauty fixes, and some of my favourites beauty bargains for $5 or less. But first let's all take a moment to appreciate how adorable Reece looks still stoned from her emergency pedi...

Now! Onto why you're all really here- for the beauty! 

Top 5 Beauty Bargains for $5 or Less

Let's start with this little beauty, TonyMoly's Changing U Magic Foot Peeling Shoes now if you've read this review you'll know that I am not new to peeling foot masks and that the FaceQ mask left me feeling like I wanted more from it; well these little babies did everything the FaceQ masks did and more, and for only a fraction of the cost! You can get them on Amazon at the link above for roughly $10 including shipping but I've repeatedly purchased them off of Ebay for $5 and received free international shipping. A couple other things I love about these other than the low price point is that unlike the FaceQ booties these ones come with a little sticker closure so you can actually walk around in them, they have english instructions directly on the package in addition to the original Korean AND they tingle, I am all about the tingling. They do a better job of removing dead skin than the FaceQ one's and you don't need to apply a cream nightly. I do recommend a moisturizer morning and night however to prevent you poor tootsies from drying out, and socks too - none wants to watch your feet molt like snakes.

 

This next guy I mentioned in my January Drug Store Haul post last month and I'm still loving it! I'm actually loving it even more though because I purchased it back in January for something like $3 and I've used the same packet twice now and there's still a bit left, that's just how much comes in the little guy! I only shampoo my hair once a week - I know I'm filth right? but at least I take showers and baths daily- and this hair mask is perfect for a deep condition after a thorough hair washing. The first time I used it my co-workers were complimenting me on how shiny and voluminous my hair was and after demanding they pet my head to see how soft my hair was they were all begging for my secret, and my secret is this little wonder here. You can click here to locate the nearest store that sells Palmer's products.

 

Have you noticed I'm obsessed with asian skin care yet?! Well, here's another one for you! This brand was actually the first sheet mask I ever tried and what started this whole addiction and blog as well! After a girlfriend ranted about how amazing these little baddies were I scurried on down to TNT to pick some up to try. When I say these are economical we're talking $1 here people, you can't really get much cheaper unless it was free (which it might be, I'm not saying they're in the giveaway box but I'm also not not saying they are...) I picked mine up at TNT Asian Supermarket but you can also find them here for $10 for a box of ten. I've tried every variety in the line and the Royal Jelly is the best hands down, I used it one morning before getting ready and it actually broke my heart to put make up on my skin looked so nice; it was soft, it was plump, it was radiant and glowing and all kinds of magnificent. This is the perfect budget friendly quick fix if you skin is feeling lackluster.

 

I scored these one use wonders at the Yves Rocher store in Paris when they were having a massive sale; I also picked up another €60 worth of stuff as well, now I'm starting to see where all my money went... ANYWAYS! These guys cost me €2 for the pair which works out to be $3 and I've loved them. The hair mask was great and I gifted one to a friend as well who seemed to love it just as much. The lotion on first impression was wonderful for my super dry skin but I'd need to use it for longer to tell just how great it is.

Last but certainly not least is my new obsession; the enamel gloss from Etude House which is a korean cosmetics line. This guy again was an eBay bargain at $5 with free shipping. It's the perfect combination of shine and colour, it's not at all sticky like some lip glosses and has an amazing strawberry scent. Having worked in the make up industry for a little while now I'm rarely satisfied with just a gloss, usually I need a liner, lipstick and gloss to feel complete but this guy is a one swipe and good to go! I definitely bought lots of other lip products from Etude House after trying this lip enamel. I'm thinking of doing a post on some of my favourite lip products for $10 or less, let me know in the comments below if that's something you guys would be interested in!

Looks like I rambled for much longer than intended so I will save the DIY Beauty Fixes for tomorrow so keep an eye out for even more Facepalm goodness coming your way tomorrow. Let me know in the comments below what some of your favourite beauty bargains on a budget are!

January Drug Store Skin Care Haul

I will be the first to admit I'm kind of a skin care snob and I've been that way for a while; I would turn my nose up at the thought of purchasing a cleanser or a moisturizer from somewhere that also sold cereal and postage stamps. Having been this way for ages I was probably the last to know that some of the drug stores have really stepped their game up and are now carrying high end brands and even foreign brands that are next to impossible to find even online.

After sending a copy of my Paris shopping list to a co-worker who is also interested in skin care and lamenting about how I couldn't even find any of it online she brought to my attention that she'd seen quite a bit of the Nuxe skin care line at Shopper's Drugmart. On my break I dashed over there and quickly spent $98 in 15 on so many goodies!

The only thing I've tried from this haul before was the Rêve de Miel® Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm which is a life saver for someone with constant chapped lips like myself; if you live in Alberta you NEED this in your life! I've been battling super dry skin for a while and finally had it under control until I tried the Ren Glycolatic Face Mask I had mentioned in a previous post and had a horrible reaction to it that left my face super dry and flakey, so I figured I would also give the Rêve de Miel® Ultra-Comfortable Face Cream a try and see if it was able to restore my skin back to its soft supple past! I am also in the process of trying to grow out my hair that I've been dying for well over a decade and hearing amazing things about Klorane I decided to give their Desert Date Hair Mask a go! After seeing Avène Thermal Spring Water on so many beauty blogs and vlogs I had to find out what all the fuss is about and I'm super excited to see what kind of results it gives. I'm just as addicted to Soap and Glory products as the next girl, I have been since I used to live in Ireland so I was so excited to see Shoppers Drug Mart expanding what the collection they carry to include cosmetics and since I've been battling dark circles under my eyes I figured I'd give the Trick & Treatment Under Eye Concealer a whirl! The other two products I picked up at TNT Asian Supermarket, one you may recognize as the Mysterious Flesh Eating Booties I reviewed last week, I bought a pair of them for my mum to try as she's always complaining about her dry cracking feet, so we'll see how she likes them! And last but not least the strange package of powder with no English on it whatsoever that depicts a girl sweating in a bathtub, best guess is it's bath crystals of some sort, mildly nervous but kind of excited to try them!

I also picked this little dude up at the grocery store the other day, seriously if you see me in public don't let me anywhere the hair/skin care section, I HAVE A PROBLEM! This is just a single use deep conditioning hair mask that clearly states it's for people like me that use and abuse their poor hair, plus it's paraben free and I like that!

I will most likely be writing a review of some of these products within the next week, if there's any item specifically that you'd like to see a review of let me know in the comments below! Also, if there's any drug store "must haves" that I need to check out also leave those in the comments below.

Face Q Peeling Foot Mask

I picked these guys up from the asian supermarket at the recommendation of a girlfriend who had nothing but AMAZING things to say about them and having adored other products by the same brand I figured I'd give them a go!

First let me give you the instructions for use because the only thing in English on this packaging is the ingredients list. Put the enclosed booties on (from here on referred to as the Mysterious Flesh Eating Booties) and let your feet sit and stew in the booties for an hour. I would recommend putting a towel under your feet if you're going to put your feet up as they may drip! After the hour is up rinse any of the residue off your feet and apply one packet of the enclosed lotion to your feet, I recommend putting socks on to help it soak in and not get everywhere.

Over the next couple days socks are going to be your best friend for a couple reasons; A. Because it'll help the lotion soak in (I recommend doing it at bed time) and B. All the dead skin is going to start peeling off your feet and it's super gross so spare everyone around you the sight of your feet molting!

I've got mixed feelings on this product so let me tell you what I love and what I didn't love so much; first of all they were a little more expensive than I expected as all their face masks are like $1 each, I can't remember the exact price but it was around $25 for a box that contained one set of booties and five packets of lotion. Secondly, my feet are more dry than scaly and I was hoping they'd have a more moisturizing affect which sadly it was the exact opposite they were quite drying. If your feet are extremely scaly and rough I think this would be amazing for you, I would also recommend using extra lotion on your feet while doing this to prevent them from getting so dry - use the enclosed packets of lotion at bedtime and wear socks and in the morning before putting socks on slather on some extra moisturizing lotion. I do have to say that while they did leave my feet a bit dry they are quite soft and two days after finishing the lotion I still have dead skin peeling off and now that I'm loading them with lotion they feel super soft.

If you're somebody that needs to see immediate results these are not for you; a week after using the mysterious flesh eating booties I'm now just starting to see the results but I am happy with what I see. I will most likely purchase these again but they won't be a staple in my skin care collection thats for sure! If you can get your hands on a package try them out and let me know what you think!