More often than not, makeup products are cheaper when you buy in bulk or a professional size. For instance, a one-ounce Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation is $45 from the store, while the 6.7-ounce professional size is $89 on ebay. While the packaging for the bigger and cheaper product may not look as appealing, the two bottles contain the same formula, just at a different price per ounce. It is a pretty good deal considering ebay will help you get your money back if you don’t receive what was advertised, so there really is nothing to lose but so much to gain.

Collecting samples can go a long way. If you buy online at Sephora.com, Ulta.com or Beauty.com, free samples are sent along with your purchased item, letting you try different products but also allowing you to save some money. Try collecting samples in store as well. Most major beauty stores like Sephora give samples out for almost any product in their collection, and word on the street is that some samples can last you for months. Talk about a real bargain.

While sometimes applying makeup or skincare products might seem like it’s not doing much to cover up the blemishes on our skin, a little goes a long way as using products in excess not only clogs our pores, they run out pretty quickly as well, and so goes our money.

Try this instead: Next time, when applying makeup or moisturising your skin, put only half of what you normally apply first, then touch up the spots that require more product. Using the right portions and knowing what you need might just help you save more money than you would have thought.

As mentioned previously, most major beauty stores provide free samples of any product you want to try. All you have to do is just ask.

While collecting samples can mean spending less on the products you want, testing out potential buys with this method can make makeup shopping much easier, and you won’t have to worry about wasting your money on a product that might not fit your skin tone or type. 

Many of us may think – it really doesn’t matter what applicator you are using, as long as you applied it properly, but this actually makes working with cheaper makeup much harder to get away with.

Good brushes can be expensive, but their finishing touches are definitely different to that of drug store Q-tips. If you invest in better brushes, you’ll be able to get away with buying cheaper makeup better, without compromising on the quality of the of the finishing look. The better makeup applicators also last longer, so that saves you a couple of bucks as well.

Find out how you can stop a beautyblender from wasting your products below. 

Different types of makeup products and brands have varying expiration dates.

A tube of mascara may only last you for about three months, but dry makeup, like blush, lasts for an average of about two years. When buying makeup, consider their expiration so that you can predict how much you would use during the stipulated time frame and buy the product in a size that you think suits your needs best.

Nothing is more wasteful than a half-empty foundation bottle that you have to throw away because it’s expired.

Makeup trends come and go. To keep up with the latest beauty styles without spending too much money or succumbing to cheaper alternatives, try layering lip products for instance.

Apply the different lip products on your lips and blend them out to get the shade that you want. This is not only a good way to save money while keeping in trend, it also gives you the freedom to explore different looks with the many different shades and colours each layer can give you. Makeup is supposed to be fun after all!

One of the most annoying parts of running out of makeup is definitely attempting to squeeze every last drop from a stubbornly tight tube that just won’t budge.

A simple trick is to cut open the packaging to get all the product inside you might be missing otherwise. This not only saves time and frustration, but gives us an excuse to not buy a replacement just yet.

More often than not, the more expensive eye and skin products come with better brushes and cushion applicators. That is usually what you’re paying for anyway.

To get the same applicator quality without needing to re-purchase the expensive product, rinse your used brush or sponge in hot water to get rid of any clumps or residue and use it to apply the products from a cheaper bottle.

You will achieve the same look without needing to spend so much on the beauty item itself.

All of us know that heart-wrenching moment when our new pot of eyeshadow shatters or when our favourite lipstick breaks.

Watch how you can do it below: 

While it may seem like an obvious choice to just throw them away, don’t do that just yet and instead, try these new ways to fix your broken makeup products. For cracked eyeshadows and pressed powders, restore them to their former glory with just a little rub of alcohol.

For lipstick, heat them quickly with a match or hairdryer and it you can mount it back to its former place or extract all the lipstick into a small makeup pot. Before you hastily throw away your broken makeup products, try researching ways you can still use these products. It’s not only more environmentally friendly, but wallet friendly as well.