The following post is a guest post by Leah!  Enjoy!

According to Industry Canada, revenue from cosmetics, beauty supplies and perfume stores, reached 808.9 million in 2010.  It is so easy to get caught up in the latest products and spend money needlessly (dry shampoo anyone?)  Here are a few tips for looking great and saving money!

1)    Simplify your routine. Stick to the basics. Moisturize, apply foundation only where you need it, a little liner, blush and lip gloss and you’re done!

2)    Double duty products. You don’t need expensive under eye cream if you have normal to oily skin. Just use your existing moisturizer.  Cream blush can double as a lip stain. Use light pink shimmery eye shadow as highlighter for your cheekbones.

3)    When purchasing products, check for bonus packs. Most will come with a great basic like black mascara or liner. Get to know where your favorite store keeps their discounted makeup and buy what you need not just because it’s cheap.

4)    Get more out of what you already have. Use a lip brush to get the last bit of lipstick out of the tube. Foundation tubes can be cut to access more of the product (store in a sealable bag so it doesn’t dry out). If you buy a lipstick that is the wrong colour don’t throw it out! Be a makeup artist and mix it with other colours you already have for a custom look.

5)    Look for inexpensive alternatives for the products you love. I was shocked the last time I had to replace my liquid eye liner. I then decided to give Essence cosmetics at try (you can find them at Shopper’s Drug Mart) their liquid eyeliner is a mere $2.99 and it is amazing. They also have tiny bottles of nail polish for next to nothing. Great if you want to try a new colour without spending a fortune and finding out you hate it. They have a complete line of products so have a look and see what you can discover.

6)    Don’t get caught up in the frenzy of a new product. If you know something works well for your skin, stick with it. This is especially true if your skin tends to be sensitive. In the long run you’ll save by not wasting money on products that just end up sitting on the shelf.

We’re all going to buy products we “thought” we were going to use. Yes, I was the one that bought the dry shampoo – oh well! Just remember that above all else you’re beautiful because you’re you – and that is priceless!

Leah Leitch is a mostly stay-at-home mom to two wonderful teens. She loves to write and wonders why people excercise when they can get just as many endorphins from scoring a great deal?