Skincare

This is how you can add some luxury to your beauty routine – without breaking the bank

Finally! Choosing between cost-effective beauty and luxury is no longer necessary.
washing face and looking in mirror

While beauty certainly isn’t everything, feeling good about your appearance can sometimes be the confidence boost you need to seize the day – whether that means giving an important presentation at work, heading on an exciting lunch date or hiding tired I’ve-been-up-all-night eyes.

However, the price of that confidence boost can be a little hefty.

Beauty – be it skincare, make-up or haircare – and luxury are often associated with inflated price tags and designer items, but you don’t need to spend a fortune or sacrifice your daily coffee habit to afford to look good or feel luxurious – you just need some savvy hacks.

We’ve compiled a list of three ways you can add some luxury to your beauty routine without spending a fortune.

Invest in make-up essentials that make you feel incredible

Make-up is a terrific way to feel fancy and confident even if you’re hungover/have been up all night with a newborn/have a pimple that’s set up shop on your chin.

However, between base make-up (primer, foundation, concealer, powders), eye make-up and lip products, the cost of make-up can quickly go from ‘I think I’ll treat myself to a new eye shadow palette’ to ‘uh oh, I’m $300 in overdraft now’.

To avoid this, it’s important to choose the make-up you purchase wisely.

If you’re wanting to add some effortless luxury and glam to your beauty look, your go-to should be a classic red lipstick.

A red lippy goes a long way when it comes to make-up. There’s something about a (well applied) rep lippy that can transform your look from casual to sophisticated – particularly if it’s paired with a black blazer or heels.

If red lippy isn’t your thing (touch ups are a pain after all), winged eyeliner is another way to make you look put-together and classy.

Both are so chic, so French, so luxurious, and you can get some great lipsticks and eye liners at a great price.

Get some luxury skincare at a fraction of the cost

If you’re hesitant to spend your hard-earned cash on make-up and would prefer something with a little more longevity, you might want to think about investing in a luxurious skincare routine.

For luminous skin, your skincare routine doesn’t need to be a complex formula – and it certainly doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. This is where Voeu comes in.

Voeu (French for ‘wish’) have an incredibly luxurious range of affordable and efficient skincare products that make looking after your skin ridiculously easy. And the best part? Prices range from as little as $3.50 and as much as $10, so your luxurious skincare routine is effective and affordable.

Try the following efficient and convenient skincare routine for glowing skin:

DAY:

Cleanse

Cleansing removes dirt and grime from your face, which allows your serums and moisturiser to do their jobs more efficiently. Try Voeu’s Everyday Range Facial Gel Wash, it’s only $8 but packs a punch.

Eye cream

Eye cream should be used well before the visible signs of ageing appear. Remember the saying: ‘prevention is better than cure’? This is particularly relevent in terms of ageing – it’s much easier to prevent wrinkles and premature ageing than it is to correct damage. Voeu’s Age Regenerate Eye Cream is a great cost-effective, luxury eye cream that delivers important anti-ageing vitamins and ingredients straight into the delicate under-eye skin.

Day cream

If eye cream is a must for anti-ageing, you can bet the rest of your face needs a wrinkle-fighting hero, too. Try Voeu’s Age Regenerate Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream for smooth and supple skin.

Moisturise

Even if you have oily or combination skin, you need to be using a moisturiser. Voeu’s moisturiser is feather light and sinks into the skin effortlessly – so you can forget greasy residue. The formula contains organic olive oil to soothe the skin, plankton extract which helps support younger, healthier skin and powerhouse vitamins B, C and E.

Sunscreen

Do we still need to bang on about the benefits of wearing sunscreen? If you’re out and about – even if it’s cloudy – you need to be wearing a broad spectrum sunscreen that’s at least SPF30+.

BODY:

It’s important to hydrate the body so it stays supple and hydrated. Voeu’s body lotion range offers scents like Aloe Avocado & Cucumber, Jojoba & Oat Body and Cocoa & Shea. Need a body lotion that helps you kick cellulite to the curb? Voeu also offers a forming and toning lotion.

EVENING:

If you’ve worn make-up throughout the day, you absolutely, no-excuses-accepted, must take it off before going to bed. Voeu has catered for those can’t-be-bothered evenings, offering a hard working but cheap as chips cleansing facial wipe pack for $3.50 and a game-changing micellar water for $10.

Follow this with a cleanse, apply a serum, apply a night and eye cream then moisturise.

2-3 TIMES A WEEK:

For smooth skin, you’ll need to buff away dead skin cells (pore-clogging, pimple-causing facial debris) two to three times a week. Voeu offers a luxurious facial scrub that uses walnut shell powder instead of microbeads, so you know that your choice of scrub is a.) cost effective, b.) hardworking and c.) good for the environment.

Switch up your hair

Changing your hair is a really easy way to get an empowering confidence boost. But with a new, luxurious style comes a rather expensive visit to the hairdresser – something no one looks forward to.

If you’re wanting to switch up your look but can’t afford to get a whole head of foils, why not get some hairline highlights?

Celebrities such as Miranda Kerr (below) like hairline highlights because they frame your face and give you a glow – but at a fraction of the cost of a whole head of highlights.

You can also give yourself a high-five for avoiding bleaching/dyeing/damaging the rest of your hair.

Next time you’re at the hairdressers, why not ask them for soft hairline highlights à la Miranda?

If you’re opposed to dyeing your hair or are after an even cheaper way to look and feel luxurious, change up your hair part.

You’d be surprised how different you can look with a sleek side part if you normally rock it in the centre – and vice versa.

And if you really want to go the extra mile, try changing your hair texture or style. If you normally wear your hair in beachy waves, why not give your straightener a whirl and wear your hair pin straight? The change from your norm will invigorate you and give you a feeling of being ‘made-up’ – even if it only took you 15 minutes to do.

No matter how you choose to add some luxury to your beauty routine, remember: living luxuriously needn’t be expensive, it’s about how certain products and changes make you feel.

If you find a product or hairstyle that makes you feel a million bucks, but it costs as much as the sushi you ate for lunch, who cares? Enjoy your new go-to product, feel confident in your new look and marvel at the fact it costs next to nothing – just think: it’s more money for that trip to Hawaii!

Voeu products are scientifically designed and dermatologically tested. They are free from parabens and not tested on animals. Voeu is available in-store and online at Countdown.

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