In my youth, I developed a passion for saving money wherever I could so that I could save for more important things, like candy and college.
Over the years, this has led me to be a huge fan of dollar stores–as long as they were actually dollar stores and not stores pretending to be dollar stores by using the word “dollar” in their name but then charging more than a dollar on almost everything. That’s called “deception” people.
My current favorite is Dollar Tree, and many of these items are available there.
This is not a sponsored post, I just really love dollar stores. (Plus, they would probably only pay me a dollar if it was sponsored and that would just be lame.)
I might seem a little redneck for this post, but I’ll take it.
Here are my favorite beauty finds, all for a dollar a pop!
1. Cuticle Scissors are fantastic Eyebrow Trimmers
My friend Hayden who is an eyebrow genius (see this post by her) taught me that I could use cuticle scissors to easily trim my eyebrows. This is by far the cheapest and easiest way to effectively trim your brows. The small size of the scissors and short blade allow you to get close to your brows while also being precise. I use these even over my more expensive Finishing Touch Personal Trimmer. Just be sure to test run them at the store. Some are sharper than others.
2. Cheap and Effective Teeth Whitening Pens
I went out on a whim and tried these and was quite happy with the results. Especially for a dollar! Their reviews have done pretty well on amazon as well. Thank you Dollar Tree.
3. Aluminum Foil for Cheap Hair Coloring Foils
The foils you buy at beauty supply stores are just aluminum foils in fancier packaging. Cutting your own is definitely a cheaper option when you can get a whole roll of it for $1, plus you don’t have to leave the house to get them if you already have the foil on hand for cooking. But wait, Dollar Tree also has precut foils. The length is perfect if you are coloring long hair, but if you are just doing the roots, you can cut them in half and have twice as many. This is totally safe. In fact, many salons buy their foils in bulk from food supply companies.
The only difference is that the colored foils from the beauty store can be helpful if you are weaving different colors so you can color coordinate.
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Before I realized I could save a bundle by buying my foils at the dollar store. |
4. Baby Oil is a Great Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
Many of you probably know this, but Baby Oil is a great way to remove eye makeup completely and gently. I almost always use it on water-proof mascara because I hate the residue it leaves behind when I only use soap or a mild cleanser. The best way to do this is to soak a cotton ball in the oil and gently massage it around the eye area. Rinse off after.
5. Garage Sale Stickers work as French Tip Stencils
I have used these several times as cheap stencils for creating a basic French tip. Feel free to check out more at this post.
6. Velcro Rollers can be used for a Salon Blowout
I always get excited when I find the big velcro rollers at the dollar store; largely because I need a few packs and when they regularly go for $4 a pop elsewhere it really adds up fast. If you have never tried these before you should! I use them on slightly damp hair that’s practically dry. I section my hair, brush it, and roll thin sections onto the rollers. I bobby pin them and blow-dry for a few minutes before and after doing my makeup. Set it with hair spray and reveal beautiful salon blow-out hair.
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This is how my hair looks after being styled with velcro rollers. Don’t mind the grocery store flowers in the background |
7. Baby Powder is a great Dry Shampoo
You may remember this post about how I use baby powder as a cheap alternative to dry shampoo. Try it for yourself.
8. Vitamin C Capsules can be used as Hair Color Remover
If you have recently dyed your hair and it ended up being a little darker than desired, you can use Vitamin C to gently remove some of the color. I did this on a semi-permanent color and it did a decent job at lifting just a little bit of the color. It was a little drying on the hair, but not nearly as bad as bleaching. All I did was mix about 2,000 mg of smashed up capsules with shampoo, left it on for about a half hour, and rinsed. You can read more about this process here.
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I wasn’t intending on posting about this, so forgive the crappy iPhone pictures. |
Oh I am so getting jumbo velcro rollers and that whitening pen now!
I love the dollar store too! But please don’t use baby powder on anything!!! It’s proven to be an extremely dangerous carcinogen and has caused a lot of cases of cancer!!
I have found cornstarch (normally used for cooking) applied to a large blush makeup brush to be even better for a dry shampoo, especially on darker hair. Once it absorbs the oils at the roots, it is no longer white. And still cheap, too!
A makeup brush is genius! I’ve used cornstarch as well, but hate the smell. Since it’s the primary ingredient in baby powder, but baby powder smells better, I usually opt for that instead.
Cornstarch was used for a long time also for diaper rash instead of baby powder. Although…
I WOULD NOT SUGGEST USING IT TOO MUCH FOR ANYTHING RAW….. PLEASE BROWN IT JUST A BIT. IT CAN CAUSE TO MUCH YEAST TO GROW.