UK lifestyle and money blog

» Listings for July 2019

Long term beauty treatments that can save you time and money

Posted on 1:30pm Thursday 18th Jul 2019

Saving time and money on beauty are two things that I love to do. I don’t enjoy having to partake in beauty treatments at home. I’d rather be doing something else, like running my business and making money! I also find it frustrating having to spend money on beauty. I do like to maintain myself as well as possible, but with working from home and my daily activities only usually involving the gym and the school runs, I can get away with a minimal beauty routine which saves me money each month.

In this blog post I will explore some long term beauty treatments that can improve your confidence, save time and perhaps even save money!

Before having kids I used to wear makeup every single day for work. I’d also wash and dry my hair every day and shave every day. I used to have a lot more time or at least time I was happy to dedicate to these tasks.

For me I have changed to a minimal beauty routine in recent times that saves me money and is more suited to my lifestyle. I don’t need to wear makeup if I’m going to the gym and then working by myself. I’ve managed to reduce my entire makeup collection to one mascara!

I will admit though, I do feel much better when I have mascara on. I also went through a phase of wearing semi-permanent eyelash extensions which did really boost my confidence in my appearance. They were costly though and I stopped to save the money, and also as I had a bit of a tug-of-war with my conscience over the fact they are made from synthetic materials and therefore not good dropping off into the environment. Perhaps there’s a natural material version I don’t know about.

Most mornings I don’t do anything aside from brush my teeth and hair. I usually go to the gym after the school run, so I’ll shower there often just using water for my hair and then I use Lavera organic cleaner with a reusable pad to cleanse and soften my face. If I’m meeting up with someone then and not going to the gym then I’ll cleanse at home and put mascara on! A couple of times a week I will shower at home and have a good, well needed by this point, shave. I’ll also wash my hair with shampoo. We’ve recently switched to shampoo bars to lessen our impact on the environment. Oh, and I’ll pluck my eyebrows a billion times a week. Where do they keep coming from?! It’s one thing I do spend time on, not that I enjoy it, but it has to be done!

So as you can see my beauty routine, compared to most females, is very minimal. Of course I’d love to look amazing every day and made-up, but I simply don’t have the time to do this or the need.

I’d still like to simplify my beauty routine even more, but also look and feel great, so I’ve been investigating some permanent and semi-permanent beauty treatments. Depending on your beauty regime, some of these can definitely save you money and also a lot of time in the long run.

Here are some ideas of long term beauty treatments that could save you time and money:

Semi-permanent makeup

So I don’t really wear makeup anymore, aside from mascara a couple of times a week, but I do still like my face with makeup on. I think it does look better. Even my husband Ben tells me I don’t need makeup, but if I wear it then those are the days he’ll tell me I look nice! Duh… that’s because of the makeup!

It also boosts my confidence and makes me feel better about myself. I just can’t stand putting it on every morning and taking it off again at night, especially when I have no need for my type of lifestyle.

So what’s the solution?

Semi-permanent makeup!

Not only will this makeup stay firmly in place, but it could also be a cost effective solution if you do wear a lot of makeup each day and especially if you reapply it each day.

It’s possible to get eyebrows tattooed on by a process called microblading instead of using eyeliner pencils every day. You can have eyeliner tattooed on and even lip liner. The results can last 1-3 years and so they’re not totally permanent if you change your mind. You’ll be able to stop buying these cosmetics and stop wasting the time putting them on and taking them off each day. You’ll also look amazing and like you’re wearing the makeup 24/7 without it smudging in bed or running down your face in a pool!

I searched a few local websites in my county of Gloucestershire and prices do vary. Microblading starts from around £250. Eyeliner starts from around £200 and lips from around £300.

I’d love to have semi-permanent eyeliner one day, with a flick!

Eyelash and eyebrow tinting

A less permanent and cheaper solution to semi-permanent tattoos is eyebrow tinting. You can also get your eyelashes tinted too. A beauty salon close to me does eyebrow tinting for £7 and eyelashes for £12. This will last until your eyebrows or eyelashes replenish themselves so approximately 3-6 weeks.

Eyelash extensions

I’m not sure these will save money as they’re pretty costly, but they can definitely save time. Prices do vary, but I was paying £35 for a full set and then £25 for a top up every three weeks. It’s a lot of money, but they look a lot better than mascara, especially if you have really short stumpy top eyelashes like I do. They’re definitely a time-saver and I actually found the process of having them put on very relaxing so it was some great time-out from work and mum life.

Fat freezing

Oh yes, you can literally freeze your fat away! Fat freezing costs around £500 for a CoolSculpting treatment and some clinics will require you to book a minimum of two sessions.

Of course this is quite pricey, but if you have stubborn areas of fat you cannot shift and need a little help, then it may work out cheaper that all the detoxes, workout gear and gym memberships that haven’t worked for years!

It’s a permanent solution to get rid of fat in certain stubborn areas, but for some areas it can take a few treatments. Whilst it might not save you nay money, it could save you a bunch of time trying to get rid of an area of fat that just won’t budge.

I do promote healthy eating and exercise, but even for those of us like me who go to the gym almost every day, there are still areas of fat that simply won’t go! I’d love to have some fat removed from my inner thighs and belly!

Laser hair removal

This one is near the top of my list for semi-permanent/permanent beauty treatments that I’d love to have. I really detest having to shave and don’t do it as much as I’d even like to as it’s so time consuming! I’d love to be permanently smooth in most areas and not have to deal with the hassle of shaving to stay hair free.

I’ve heard great things about laser hair removal from others who have tried it and recommended it to me.

Again, it’s a high upfront cost starting at around £65 per single treatment of a small area (naval, upper lip, chin, hands, feet) and you’d need several sessions for the treatments to be effective. This is because we don’t have all our hairs at once. Many lie dormant and grow in different stages. The lasers can only target hairs that are actively growing. This is why you need more than one session to successfully capture all the hairs.

Imagine never shaving or waxing again and all that money saved in a lifetime!

Miradry

I’ve always suffered with hyperhidrosis which is extreme underarm sweating. It’s always affected my confidence and I’ve learned what to wear to cleverly disguise it - basically black clothing or black and white striped clothing! In the summer I can get away with strappy dresses that don’t touch the armpit!

In my teens I tried several prescriptions, but most burnt my armpits and were not effective. In my adult years I have just put up with it never been able to wear coloured t-shirts!

It’s probably top of my list as this treatment is a permanent solution for underarm sweating. It’s been 82% effective in studies and 88% of users on Real Self say it’s worth it.

It’s available for £1495 in Bristol for one treatment. Some people need two treatments.

Laser eye surgery

Being able to see properly is a dream for many of us who wear contacts and glasses. Or even those of us who don’t - I usually just walk around not being able to recognise people on the other side of the road as I hate wearing my glasses and find wearing my contact lenses regularly a faff!

It also costs so much money in a lifetime to keep up with changing prescriptions, buying glasses frames and ordering sets of contact lenses.

Laser eye surgery can cost from around £600 per eye and improve your vision so much that you no longer need contact lenses or glasses to see properly!

It’s definitely something I’d consider, though the thought of it does scare me a little!

There are so many long term beauty solutions nowadays that can save us money in a lifetime, improve our lifestyles, save time and energy, and make us feel so much more confident.

Of course, these sorts of treatments are not without their risks so do thoroughly research any treatment you ever plan to undertake and ensure you choose a reputable beauty practitioner.

This is a collaborative blog post. All words and opinions are my own. Images are sourced from Canva and may be copyright.