12 Beauty Hacks For Boss Babes On A Budget
While we solemnly vow to get the bag by any means necessary (hustle, save, bargain, invest, and so on), a lot of other areas in your life can suffer in the process. In fact, if you're really after the bag, you'll know that getting money sometimes means adding the actual bag we've been coveting to a wishlist instead of to our shopping cart.
Unfortunately for many of us, that goes double to our routine Sephora hauls, hair appointments, and nail fill-ins. Trust me, playing the "Which One Can You Live Without?" game is only fun when it's hypothetical. Nonetheless, that's the big question that requires the big girl panties when being realistic about your money goals at times.
Although it might not seem like anything short of being a responsible adult, it actually is for a lot of us. I mean, I'd be lying if I didn't say that the way we carry ourselves has a great impact on our esteem, and hate it or love it, these luxuries (or what I prefer to see as "self-care habits") have the ability to make or break us if they aren't consistently taken care of -- ultimately leaving us feeling as though we're not our best selves.
But if there's one thing I've learned since joining the money budgeting/financial support group, "The Broke Black Girl," founded by Dasha Kennedy, it's that getting the bag doesn't have to mean sacrificing your beautification process... Not completely. And certainly not with a little creativity and resourcefulness.
That said, I'd like to believe that these 12 alternatives won't feel as sacrificial, allowing us to tend to our business with all our confidence intact to go out and get money. Click through the gallery below!
1.Prime Nails
pink, red, and white nail polish bottlesPhoto by Element5 Digital on UnsplashI'm sure you've heard time and time again to do your own nails instead of going to the salon. However, for those of us who prefer acrylics, it can be difficult or limiting trying to achieve that look at home. Difficult because the stick on nails that are typically recommended don't hold, and limiting because the colors and designs are minimal depending on your preferences.
However, through BBG, I unburied this hidden treasure--$8 press on nails that come in fabulous shapes (stiletto, ballerina, and coffin)! The ladies of BBG recommend taping the nails to popsicle sticks to paint them and then gluing them on.
Want more stories like this? Check out these xoNecole related reads:
I Tried 9 Budget-Friendly Drugstore Mascaras And Here's My Review
6 Life Hacks To Feel Like Money While You Save It
5 Drugstore Cleansers Your Skin Will Love You For
I Tried 10 Budget-Friendly Drugstore Lipsticks And Here's My Review
Featured image by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash
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Motor City native, Atlanta living. Sagittarius. Writer. Sexpert. Into all things magical, mystical, and unknown. I'll try anything at least once but you knew that the moment I revealed that I was a Sag.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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How A Stay At Switzerland's Luxurious 7132 Hotel Reminded Me To Live The Life I Deserve
Sometimes, as women—especially as single Black women—we simply need to be reminded that we are deserving of living a life we dream of. Even if that means creating it for ourselves. I recently set out on a weeklong trip to Switzerland, a trip I’ve been wanting to take for years, and near the end of my visit, I had an epiphany.
“DeAnna, this is the life you deserve,” I thought to myself as I took in the gorgeous bathroom in my suite at the famous 7132 Hotel and Thermal Spa. It was one of the most luxurious hotels (and bathrooms) I had ever stayed in—and that’s saying a lot for someone who often travels for work.
To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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