Be Boujie on a Budget

How to look and feel boujie while on a budget:

Boujie is a recently popularized term meaning, “luxurious yet humble”. When it comes to personal care there is an astronomical amount of beauty products on the market all claiming to do miraculous things for women. However, they also all come at a cost. I am continually blown away at the ridiculous prices of the products in make-up and personal care sections of stores or online companies. I am on a budget! I’d be broke or in a LOT of debt if I succumbed to purchasing all the latest and greatest miracle creams and make-up! So I have compiled a list of my beauty tips and hacks so that you too can be boujie on a budget!

Think of your body as an asset.

An asset is something of value. Your house, for example, is an asset. If you continually take care of your asset (i.e. keep it clean, do your landscaping, do small updates) then your asset retains its value. If you fail to take care of it then the value of your home depreciates. Think of your body in the same manner. If you fill it with things that are good for you then you will likely be healthier and look healthier.

I have to admit that I have a HUGE sweet tooth. If there is candy or cake around I can guarantee you that I will be eating it! Every time I go to the grocery store I tell myself that I will not purchase these temptations. However, every time they somehow find their way into my cart.

Check out these sweet tooth satisfying, waistline friendly recipes:

Bonkers Brownies

Crazy for These Oatmeal Crazin Cookies

When COVID hit and going to public stores was not advised I embarked, for the first time, on the world of online groceries. I tried Amazon Fresh. Now I am hooked! I had no idea that you could get everything (even frozen items) delivered to your house within 2 hours for FREE if you are a Prime member. Amazon Fresh prices are also comparable, if not better than those of chain grocery stores. Also, there are options to save even more with instant, click-to-clip coupons.

Shopping online has been a lifesaver, time-saver, budget-saver, and belly-saver for me! The temptations that cause my arm to reflexively grab a bunch of snacks at the store is removed and I am able to purchase foods that are good for my body- my asset.

For tips to get your kids to eat healthier too, check out:

5 Easy Tricks to Sneak Nutrition in for Your Toddler

Beauty starts from the inside.

Not only is important for beauty to stay healthy physically, but also mentally healthy. Continually growing in self-love, gratitude and self-awareness are key factors of self-improvement. Reading/ listening to inspirational, motivational, or self-improvement books is an easy way to continually work on your mental health. These are a few of my favorites:

What are yours? Share them in the comments!

Stay hydrated.

Hydration is so important for your skin. It facilitates in the flushing of toxins out of the body, improves elasticity (which makes you look younger), reduces oil production so you aren’t always shiny and helps you to achieve a radiant glow! It makes you feel so boujie!

It was hard for me to drink the necessary amount of water (half your body weight in ounces) each day to achieve optimal hydration until I found Buzio water bottles.

I talked about these bottles in my article No Excuses Fitness Plan as well because they really are a live-saver!

You don’t go out and spend a lot of money on bottled water to help you stay hydrated. This 40oz bottle that will keep your water cold for 48 hours will be all that you will need!

Treat your skin like your baby.

For some reason after infancy we stop using baby oil on our skin. Why? Baby oil is also great for adults. It works to MAINTAIN moisture in your skin (which is especially awesome in the winter when your skin can get dry and crack). I have been putting a small amount of baby oil on my skin after every shower for about 14 years now. When I first started it would just sit on top of my skin and I would be super oily all day. I would put a little baby powder on top of to help minimize the oiliness. However, after a little while, my skin started to absorb the oil. That is when I really started noticing the effects. Everyone is always amazed by how soft my skin is. I will never use another product on my skin.

There are options too with baby oils. There is the original and then there is baby oil with aloe and vitamin E. I buy the oil with aloe and E. Aloe helps with the healing properties of your skin and can help to minimize the appearance of scaring and stretch marks. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and helps to support the immune system, skin health and cellular function. Both may also help to reduce UV damage.

I buy my oil from Amazon. Because I purchase it regularly, I subscribe and save 25%! This way I can choose how often it will be delivered to my house so that I never run out!

Beautiful boujie lashes.

Long, luscious are fire right now. Everyone seems to be wearing fake ones or getting lash extensions. The problem with that is that false ones look fake and are always falling off and extensions look great but can cost between $170-$250/month! I stick with mascara. Still, there are so many options for mascaras and most are not budget friendly! I have tried so many different mascaras and I continually find myself resorting back to this one:

Maybelline Great Lash works as well if not better than some of the highest dollar mascaras out there and it is less than $5! (I buy mine on Amazon as well and subscribe to save even more!)

I wanted to show how well this product really works. So, as I was doing my makeup the other day I took this picture after I put on the rest of my makeup but before applying mascara:

And then I took this one after applying Maybelline Great Lash:

Great Lash comes in a few different options as well. There are different color options as well as waterproof /washable. I use the washable because I like my make-up to come off easier. However, if I’m going somewhere I may be crying (my eyes water in the cold), then I use the waterproof.

Pro Tip: Baby Oil can also be used to remove makeup! No need to purchase a makeup remover!

Don’t Break the Bank on Breakage.

Salons are EXPENSIVE! I don’t know about you, but I have a HARD time paying between $20-$55 every other month on a trim! So why not try to take some preemptive measures and reduce the number of times you have to get your hair done?

I have talked about this product before in my article, Five Must Haves for Girl Moms. I have to talk about it again, though, because it really is that amazing. I’m talking about the Wet Brush.

I first used this brush after it was recommended to me by a hairstylist that swore by it. Now I too swear by it! It painlessly detangles knots and snags in all types of hair. By doing so, it reduces the amount of split ends and breakage that occur from the use of a regular brush.

PRO TIP: There is also a Wet Brush Pro-Flex Dry that facilitates faster dry time, hence reducing blow drying time and subsequently breakage.

Not only do I use this brush in our house. My husband also uses it and I use it on my daughters’ hair. I have never purchased a detangle spray for my toddler’s curly hair because of this brush. Also, the number of haircuts we each get per year has significantly reduced. It has saved me so much money!

So if you aspire to be a boujie beauty but you too are on a budget, I hope these tips/hacks can help!