Feel expensive, save money
We share some strategies for staying stylish and feeling good — without overspending
With the economy slumping and the price of necessities climbing, budget-conscious buyers are looking to trim the extras, from cosmetics and pricey hairstyles to salon treatments and the latest fashions.
But you can save money while still enjoying the boost that comes from looking and feeling your best.
There are secrets and strategies to staying beautiful and stylish without shelling out big bucks, say experts. Here are some ideas:
• Utilize your local beauty school.
Put your hair, skin and nails in the hands of a student. After classroom work and plenty of practice, beauty school students hone their skills on clients in schools’ salons and spas. Strictly supervised by instructors, students provide everything from a basic cut or bang trim to facials, waxing, acrylic nails, pedicures and more, usually for half the price.
“We’ve seen a boom in clients, because the prices are so reasonable,” said Leon Tringali, owner of Leon’s Studio One salons and Leon’s Studio One School of Hair Design on Main Street in Williamsville. “I think that when people are economically challenged, it’s the little things that get them through, the feel-good stuff.”
At Leon’s school, a haircut, shampoo, blow dry and style is just $10, a manicure starts at $5, and eyebrow waxing is $6. Continental School of Beauty’s West Seneca location offers a 60-minute facial for $30, and at either the Kenmore or West Seneca Continental sites, a haircut for a child under 10 is $5 and bangs or ends are trimmed for $3.
Susan Kowal of Lockport said she’s “never walked out unhappy” after her $10 haircut at Leon’s school. By contrast, she said, “I did go to a salon where my friend goes once and the cut cost me almost $30 and it wasn’t any better than what I get at Leon’s.”
Look under “beauty schools” in the phone book or online for listings.
• Compare the generics. Read product labels to see what you’regetting. Peter Ishkhans, host of the Style Network’s hit series “Peter Perfect,” took time away from his busy Los Angeles salon to suggest that the priciest products are very similar to their generic cousins. “If people really spent time looking at the ingredients [of cheaper products] and they compare them to expensive shampoos, they’re very, very similar,” said Ishkhans. “You can go for the generic one and it’s going to be just as good.”
• Whip up cosmetics in your kitchen. If you think a simple salt or sugar scrub has to have exotic ingredients, think again. Melissa Eaton, who offers tips for frugal beauty on her Web sites, gorgeousforless.com and bizewomanbeautytips. blogspot.com, swears by kitchen cosmetics. The Missouri cosmetologist endorses olive oil as a rich moisturizer for hair and skin. Then there’s honey, an all-purpose product that not only dries up blemishes, but, she said, “you can mix it with sugar or with salt as a scrub — it will give your skin a great glow.”
An oatmeal facial masque (make a paste of oatmeal and water, apply, wait, rinse off) is not only cheap but green. “It’s an all-natural product, because you know exactly what’s in it, and it’s made from ingredients you have in your home,” Eaton said.
Ishkhans says people interested in a budget facial can mix brown sugar and water into a paste and use it as an exfoliator. “It works amazing,” he said.
• Search for online auction bargains. If you just can’t live without your Nars
blush or Elizabeth Arden moisturizer, Eaton encourages people to check out eBay, where new, unopened cosmetics are sold for a fraction of their retail costs. “A lot of people would never even think about beauty items being available on eBay,” she said.
Be sure the seller has a high positive feedback score (100 percent positive feedback is not unusual) and is offering still-sealed cosmetics or products. “EBay is encouraging sellers to offer free shipping and fixed prices, so the buyer doesn’t have to wait for an auction to end,” said Eaton. “That’s why I recommend eBay.”
• Check out the outlets.
Label-conscious shoppers can wear the brand names they crave for less. The Prime Outlets on Military Road in Niagara Falls is stuffed with stores that offer popular high-end fashions at reduced prices, from Donna Karan and Calvin Klein to Burberry’s and Nautica.
Brian Davis, manager of the men’s department at Off Fifth, the outlet store of Saks Fifth Avenue, said the store’s merchandise is current and includes the best-known names in fashion. In Off Fifth, Seven jeans are sold for $119 to $159, when they are tagged $250 and up at chic retail stores, he said. A Hugo Boss suit, usually sold for $800, is tagged $499.99, Davis said.
But there’s a secret to further savings, even at outlet stores, he says:
• Sign up for e-mails.
If a store stocks clothing you love, ask at checkout to sign up for their e-mail list. This gives you advance notice of sales, as well as coupons that can cut your costs even more. Off Fifth’s e-mails “either give them a coupon to get the promotion or let them know when the promotion is,” said Davis. In fact, the store will be e-mailing customers a 30-percent off coupon soon, Davis said.
• Buy out of season.
Kowal of Lockport said she “goes straight to the discount racks” when the seasons are changing and snaps up nice pieces for the following year at reduced prices. “The styles don’t change that much from year to year,” she said. She favors Macy’s and J. C. Penney and “has come up with some really nice wardrobes” for her part-time job. “We have to be thrifty these days,” she said.
• Give consignment or resale shops a try.
In a store amusingly named “the Buffalo Exchange” in Los Angeles, Ishkhans said he recently found “an Oscar de La Renta scarf for $16 and an Yves Saint Laurent scarf for $9.50. I bought them both myself and kept them. Go into resale stores and spend some time rummaging around to see what you can find.”
• Watch the trends in accessories.
“The new fall looks include a lot of metallics and a lot of art prints,” says Ishkhans, and the addition of a sparkly belt or bag can change the look of an outfit in a flash. Ishkhans says examples of both these trends are readily available in consignment, resale and even thrift shops.
“For some reason, people tend to wear metallic-type gold or silver shoes or bag and then get fed up with it and just put it in the resale store. There’s usually a lot of that type of thing at this moment in time in there.”
