10 Ways to Make Beauty Products Last

Creative Tips for Extending the Lives of Your Expensive Products

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Our beauty regimen. It’s a girl’s best friend on days when we need that extra boost of confidence.

But it can also be our worst enemy when we find that our perfect lipgloss/moisturizer/perfume is costing us more than a pretty penny—and according to a 2009 report, the average American woman shells out more than $100 a month on cosmetics.

So, when we say we like our regimen to be as effective as possible, we mean cost-effective, too. Here are our favorite tips on making your beauty favorites last … and last.

Less Is More

Portion control applies to hair products, too: You only need a quarter-sized dollop of shampoo, and a nickel-sized dose of conditioner (concentrate on the ends, not your scalp). If you’re at the tail end of a bottle, add a little water to it and the rest will come out more easily, suggests Jamie Allison Sanders of The Beauty of Life. And, when it comes to soap, don’t lather up every square inch of your body—lather just those areas that get sweaty or trap odor—especially since soap can dry your skin out.

Read on for how getting dirty can save you even more money.

Air Is the Enemy

Food gets spoiled when exposed to air—the same goes for your beauty products. When possible, purchase pump bottles or squeeze tubes instead of lids or tops that open up. When something does comes in a pot or jar, put the lid back on right away to keep it from drying out or getting dirt in it.  

A Second Shift for Makeup

Let your lipstick work double-duty as cream blush, says Paige Herman-Axel of InsiderBeautyBuzz. Just about any color can be blended onto the apples of the cheeks for a long-lasting pop of color. And you’ll save money by letting a product do twice the work for the same price.

MORE FROM LEARNVEST: Guide to the Best Non-Toxic Makeup

It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over

It’s sad—not to mention expensive—to run out of a product you love. A lipstick brush will help you dig the very last color out of that favorite tube. The bottom of the lotion bottle pump can be handy for scraping the sides to unearth that extra ounce of body cream. And, says Sanders, try cutting a near-empty tube of product in half and using a makeup brush to transfer what’s left into a small, clean, jar with a lid to buy you a few days’ more bang for your buck.