Fabulosity for Less!

I opened my wallet. Thirty dollars. Just enough for a mani/pedi! That leaves me with exactly 0 dollars for the rest of the week. But what do I really need to buy this week? Well my gas tank is on empty. But an empty tank really means that I have 40 additional miles. And there’s absolutely no way I can show my face in public with chipped nails. Mani/pedi it is!

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why are we so hasty to spend the entirety of our money on things that don’t last? Everyone wants to look good and keeping up with the trends is something that many of us pride ourselves on, but how we can we keep our look fresh and updated without going completely broke? The solution is simple. Learn how to do basic aesthetic maintenance yourself and become a smart shopper!

Remember when you were little and your mom would buy you a cheap set of nail polishes from the 99 cent store? You were perfectly content doing your own nails, but for some reason as you got older you decided that you needed to go to the nail salon to have nice looking nails. That isn’t true! For difficult maintenance such as cuticle removal I do recommend going to a nail salon every couple of months, but basic filing, clipping and polish changes can all be done at home. All you need is quality nail polish (my favorites are “Lincoln Park After Dark” by OPI and “Neon Pink Voltage” by China Glaze), a nail file, nail clippers, q tips and polish remover. I used to have a difficult time painting my nails because it would get so messy and I would get nail polish all over my skin. But, after observing nail techs at salons, I realized that I was applying too much polish to each nail. When you dip the brush in the polish, make sure you wipe off the excess polish on the edge of the bottle before you apply to your nail. To remove the polish that does manage to get on your skin, dip a q tip in polish remover and lightly coat the edge of your nail bed. Make sure to coat your nails with clear nail polish to minimize chipping. To make your polish last even longer, apply clear nail polish once a day.

As black girls, hair is always a big concern. We will steadily make our bi monthly hair appointments and remain loyal to our hair stylists even though the price of a press n curl seems to rise by 5 dollars every time we go! Thankfully, I have found that it is possible to create full shiny locks on my own. Because my hair tends to be really dry, I always give myself an oil treatment before I wash my hair. I prefer to part my hair in sections and saturate it with Ojon Restorative Treatment. After forty minutes I rinse out my hair and then proceed to wash it with TRESemme Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner. I pat my hair dry and apply Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla leave in conditioner. I then use a blow dryer with a comb attached to detangle my hair and get it as straight as possible, and coat my hair with Carol’s Daughter Lisa’s Hair Elixir which gives it an extra shine and acts as a heat protector. Lastly, I divide my hair into small sections and use a Gold N Hot pressing comb and flat iron to straighten. Everyone has a different hair type and hair preference so it’s important to experiment with products and find a regimen that works for you. Remember, though, that the key to healthy hair is to use plenty of conditioner and the least amount of heat as possible. When you do use heat, make sure that you always use a heat protector.

Shopping is another area where a lot of us get into trouble. Take a minute and think of all the fashion trends that have occurred over the past five years. Think of how many of those trends you wore. Now think of how many of those trends you still wear. My point exactly. I don’t recommend depriving yourself of shopping because, just like dieting, if you consistently deprive yourself of this joy you will only end up binge shopping. Instead, when you receive money pick one item of clothing you really want and buy that and only that. This way you satisfy your shopping appetite without spending everything you have. If you can’t manage to limit yourself to just one article of clothing, then try to stick to less expensive stores such as Forever 21 and Wet Seal for trendy items and only shop at more upscale places for fashion staples, articles that will never go out of style.

There are so many great things you can do with all the money you’ll start saving!
Savings Account –If you put 10% of any amount of money you receive into a savings account, you could actually build up a substantial amount of money within a few years. Imagine how rewarding it would feel to be able to put down a down payment for a car or pay the deposit for your first college apartment all on your own!

Charity – Every penny makes a difference. You may feel that even though you only receive a twenty dollar allowance or only work part time after school that you can’t make a real difference but that’s not true. Non profits and charities utilize any contribution they receive and depend on all donations, big or small, to function.

Safety– Life is unpredictable and you never know what unexpected situations will arise. It’s always smart to have extra padding in your wallet.

Looking good and maintaining fabulosity is important to all of us but you don’t need to spend beyond your means to look flawless. Strive to become more resourceful. Trust me, it’s worth it :)

-- Karissa Allen
Guest Blogger