Try a beauty school in your town for incredible deals. The students are heavily supervised and if there is a problem the teacher will jump in. I got my hair cut at one of these places here in Austin for $5. It looked great. The woman who cut my hair said they have to put in something like 2000 hours before graduating, so most of these students know what they are doing.

I hear you, I remember when I was a Grad student...oh, my! *shivers* But I still managed.
I didn't have a car so walking everywhere (really long distances, I was living in a non pedestrian-friendly city) definitely helped my figure :)
I never waxed (I still don't, I prefer shaving), I did and still do my own pedicures, granted it's not so fancy, but looks good. I saved on some things like nail polish (some times you can't really tell if it's Chanel or some cheapo drugstore brand) and invested on good skincare products. I (still do) preferred owning two or three good quality lipsticks that ten cheap ones. Similar cost, but the results are way better.
I combined my limited wardrobe. For instance: expensive jeans that fitted like a glove with a thrift-store top.
Combining your clothes with style does not cost any money, it's about mixing and matching well (well, speaking for myself, it's easier to combine when you wear mostly black ;)) and definitely makes a difference.
I have friends who sew their own clothes and save tons of money but that doesn't apply to me because I can't sew at all :(
And remember that looking great it's mostly about attitude and the way you project your image. I know many plenty of people with very little money that look impeccable and others that have the most fancy budget that look like....you know
Good luck!

If you know exactly what you want, see if you can get the same thing cheaper on ebay--like clothes, shoes etc. (my latest ebay purchase is silicone bra inserts :))--it doesn't work every time, but I've saved a lot on a few items this way.

Some very good advice being given here, ladies! My advice to you is prioritise what needs more money spent on.

In the case of make-up, things such as mascara, eyeshadow, blusher and lip glosses need not be expensive purchases as they don't really vary that much in performance no matter what you pat. More important ones that you should consider investing in are a good foundation (if you wear it) and lipsticks.

Being a practise for a trainee hairdresser is a great way to get a good cheap cut for free (this has already been mentioned but its such a useful one I have to 2nd it!)

For waxing it doesn't have to be done proffesionally. I understand the reluctance to shave as it doesn't last long and if you can't be bothered to do it often you end up with porcupine legs...niiiice. So, if you buy the strips instead of getting it done by someone else you can save - you could even ask a close friend to do it for you. There's also a method of waxing called sugaring which uses sugar cooked into a thick syrupy liquid and then you use fabric strips on top to pull it off. It can be an effective, cheap method, but only if you make the sugaring recipe right! There's a thread on that somewhere from one of my tribes, I'll post if you want to find out more.

Pedicures are more of an indulgence - perhaps you could do them yourself and then treat yourself to a beauty salon one every couple of months? There's plenty of sources on the net for how to do beauty treatments 'professionally' yourself-including stuff for nails

There's also a lot of homemade stuff you can try replace exfoliating scrubs, cleansers, facial masks, hair products etc. Again, just search the net and there's loads and loads to try! One thing I use the ends of my hair which is relatively cheap is coconut oil as a de-frizzer and for extra shine sometimes almond oil.

It really is possible to look great without the cat missing meals lol! :D

i use epsom salts and baking soda for pedicures. my son gave me one of those foot bath machines a few years ago for christmas and i just add it to the water and soak. of course, you can always add you own scented oils. epsom salt and baking soda is cheap cheap cheap.

i buy cheap drugstore footies to wear when i moisturize my footies. slather on and suit up! ")

a very occasional purchase of cuticle clippers (which last mondo forever) and restock on orange sticks and emery boards for manicures.
I agree about the polish. For the most i buy drugstore, although i have purchased the upper end for special occasions. and i usually only polish my toes.

i'm not a very good waxer, so i stick with the shaving, which if you do every other night, keeps it easy breezy. I do use kiss my face shave cream. when affordable, and sometimes i just have to make it affordable, i get laser treatments on my face.

Witchhazel is great for everything.

Most of my makeup is drugstore, usually Loreal. I will splurge when i can on makeup for special occasions, like a new lipstick..

Im not sure about the hair. I go to sally's and buy the stuff to do it my self and its not to much.

Its more about prioritize (which i think someone mentioned). If your hair is the most important, then cut back on makeup to make it affordable. does that make sense? lol Good luck

wait I thought of another good one--I've tried about every tooth whitening product out there, and for me using the strips you buy in the drug store every 6 months or so works as well as the expensive in-office whitening and is much cheaper. Kroger now has a good 7-day whitening kit for $18.

Bellatrix was right on with the artists brushes; i use those too.
and
the multi shawdow is a great idea. i use Too Faced Liquif-eye
(Too Faced Liquf-Eye contains 12 eyeshadows and a transformer that turns shadow into liner in an instant.)


I love reading everyone elses ideas too! WE ROCK!! ")