Better Beauty on a Budget: 5 Tips For Getting the Best Value on Clean Beauty

Becky Williamslifestyle, Recommendations, Safer Skincare & Beauty

With everything that’s going on right now, we’re all watching our spending at least a little bit these days.  It doesn’t feel wise to spend a ton of money on discretionary purchases.

 

But many of us have extra time on our hands. Maybe you want to use this as an opportunity to make the clean swap and fit in a little self-care in the form of skincare and pampering.

 

For the budget-conscious of us, I’ve gathered some tips (and a free download if you sign up for my Safer Skincare newsletter) to make the most of your safer skincare budget.  I know that going the clean beauty route can be a bit pricier than grabbing something off the self at CVS or Target.

 

 

 

First of all, what do I mean when I say “better beauty” and “safer skincare”???

 

If you’re like me, you assume that every personal care product on the shelf has been tested and is safe for use and that the FDA has control over the industry to keep us safe.

 

Unfortunately, you’d be wrong.  The FDA has very little power in the personal care industry.  It can’t force companies to recall known harmful products, such as what happened multiple times last year with kids’ makeup contaminated with asbestos.  The companies at first refused to recall the products (because that hurts the bottom line and is bad press).  Thankfully, they eventually came around and did the right thing.

 

There are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market today, and many don’t have any safety data.  This is particularly true of those used in the skin care and beauty industry.  And while everything is a chemical (including water) and many chemicals are perfectly safe for human use. There are way too many ingredients on the market today that have harmful effects over time.

 

Decades of studies indicate that serious health issues (including but not limited to asthma, autoimmunity, cancer, and infertility) are on the rise.  And are due in some part to our ongoing exposure to toxic chemicals. Whether it’s in the shower, on our commute, while we eat lunch at a local restaurant, or when we clean our kitchens at home.

The United States has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care products since 1938.  Over 80 years!
WE DESERVE BETTER, AND BEAUTYCOUNTER IS DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

 

 

At Beautycounter (a B Corporation), we’re committed to a health and safety standard that goes well beyond what’s required by U.S. law. We’ve prohibited the use of more than 1,800 questionable or harmful chemicals through The Never List™. All while ensuring our products perform and are as indulgent as any other luxe shampoo, lipstick, or oil on the market.

Check out our Never List here.  The Never List™ is made up of approximately 1,800 harmful or questionable ingredients we prohibit from our product formulations. Including the nearly 1,400 ingredients banned in the European Union.

 

Beautycounter is a high-quality, safer product that triple-tests every batch of every product, so of course it’s going to be a bit pricier than the stuff at the drugstore that’s full of cheap, endocrine-disrupting, questionable ingredients.

 

That doesn’t mean that you have to blow your budget or overhaul your entire skincare and beauty routine all at once.  It’s perfectly okay to switch one product at a time.

 

Today I’ll show you how to get the biggest bang for your hard-earned buck.

 

  1. Start with the worst offenders.

    The worst offenders include: shampoo, mascara, lipstick, masks, body lotion, and face lotion and eye cream.  These products tend to contain some ingredients that should never be allowed in our personal products: harsh sulfates, formaldehyde-releasers, artificial fragrances, PEGs, mineral oil, and carbon black, to name a few.   And not every company repeatedly tests every batch of their products for contaminants and heavy metals (which commonly can be found in “natural” products), so looking into a company’s commitment to safety is a must.

  2. Buy double-duty products.

    Multi-use products are a great way to get more value for your budget.  A cream-based cosmetic product like Beautycounter’s Color Pinch Cream Blusher can be used not only on the cheeks, but also on eyelids and lips.  Use a browner shade for contouring and adding a bit of color during the summer months.  The Lotus Glow Cleansing Balm and Baby Daily Protective Balm can be used to remove makeup, as a hydrating mask at night, or on dry, rough areas, like elbows, knees, and cuticles.  And I tend to use my eyeshadow and a thin brush for eyeliner versus using a separate eyeliner pencil.

  3. Buy a set or bundle.

    Sets and bundles are usually discounted by 10% or so versus buying each product individually.  Although it’s a bigger investment up front, that savings are a nice bonus if you want to make a complete clean skincare swap.  Beautycounter offers skincare Regimens (smaller sized products with fewer items than the full Collections), Flawless in Five (6 items for a quick 5-minute makeup application), and Get the Look (4 makeup products to take your look to the next level).

  4. Join a loyalty program.

    Beautycounter has a top-notch perks program, Band of Beauty, that is just $29 per year.  It’s like if Amazon Prime and Sephora VIB had a clean beauty baby.  There’s no auto-renewal or auto-shipments involved.  Just 10% back in product credit for future orders, free shipping on orders of $100 or more, and a welcome gift (travel-size Overnight Resurfacing Peel for smooth, glowing skin and Charcoal Mask for absorbing excess oil and exfoliating skin), a $43 value.

  5. Choose products with a lower cost per use.

    Kinda like buying from Costco. A larger product is usually priced at a lower cost per use or measurement (ounce, ml, etc.)  Add in products where a little goes a long way, like Beautycounter’s Cleansing Balm or Charcoal Cleansing Bar, and you’ve got even more value for your money.  It took me a full year to use up my jar of Cleansing Balm. Using it a few times a week, usually to remove makeup and hydrate dry areas on my face and body.  This makes it an estimated 22 cents per use, or $6 per month.

  6. BONUS TIP!  Check out other lower-priced clean beauty products.

    This is where you really have to do your homework though.  Not all companies are as transparent and focused on consumer safety as Beautycounter.  It’s common for companies to not list all ingredients used in their products (like using the fragrance loophole, grouping multiple ingredients under the heading of “fragrance,” which is seen in the industry as a trade secret and therefore excluded from any listing requirement).

    To save time, some resources to use to investigate companies and products are the EWG’s Healthy Living app, the Think Dirty app, the B Corporation website (if they’re a certified B Corp, they’ve proven that they consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment), this article, and this list of beauty industry certifications.

    The two apps I mentioned are not perfect. I sometimes hesitate to mention them due to their limitations and issues. But they seem to be the best options out there right now for making educated decisions on the fly.

    Some clean beauty companies I like include:  RMS Beauty, Vapour Beauty, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Acure, W3ll People, and ILIA (especially the True Skin Serum foundation, concealer, and mascara).  Credo Beauty is a great place to find clean beauty brands, both online and in stores (they also accept used product containers for recycling!).

    Beautycounter recommends other clean companies in their Clean Guide.  A few of these companies include Phlur, Briogio, and Playa.

 

 

Click here to get a downloadable PDF version of my Better Beauty on a Budget cheat sheet below. Join my free safer skincare and beauty email list to get info on clean beauty and exclusive promos and gifts from me!

 

 

You’ll also be entered into my Give Back Giveaway.  I’ll be giving one winner a Beautycounter prize bundle of a charcoal cleansing bar, a mini facial oil, and a mini lip gloss, along with a bunch of samples.  Winner will be drawn on August 31st, 2020.

 

Until August 10th, 2020, new customers can receive a 20% off discount code on their first purchase. Contact me at beauty@ bkinetic.com for more details!

 

 

 

That’s such a great deal, plus, if you join Band of Beauty, our perks membership for just $29 for a year, you’ll also receive 10% back in product credit to use on a future purchase, free shipping on orders of $100 or more, and a free Think Clean Welcome Set featuring travel size bottle of our cult favorite Overnight Resurfacing Peel + Charcoal Balancing Facial Mask (a $43 value) when you make a purchase of at least $50 in products.

 

 

If you need help picking out the perfect Beautycounter items for you or want to try some samples, email me at beauty@ bkinetic.com.  I’ll help you out!

 

 

Beautycounter stands behind their products 100%, so if for any reason you’re not thrilled with your purchase, you have 60 days to return it for a refund or exchange.  Another reason I love Beautycounter is their customer service always seeks to go above and beyond to make customers happy.  And you always have me to assist you as well.