Thrifty and Pretty

You Can Be Beautiful In A Bargain

By Jade Catherine Devlin


Some of TGF's prettiest readers have agreed to share with us their favorite style and beauty tips. Jade is a 25year old, happily married CD who lives in Central CA. She is a grad student in chemical engineering Visit her web site


My beloved and I are both graduate students, so "beauty on a budget" is the order of the day. I've built up some experience in saving money as Jade.

1. Borrow.
By fortunate coincidence, my wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law are all approximately my size. My beloved is happy to share, and to get hand-me-downs from her relatives for me.

I also borrow from myself: menswear is so much more fun en femme! Several of my shirts look great with a nice skirt. Go through all your stuff and get creative; imagine what each item can be combined with.

2. Thrift stores.
I love them - there's a great variety of stuff available. And you can afford to make impulse purchases!

3. Drugstores.Jade
This is where I get all my makeup, except for foundation. The items are much cheaper than at a cosmetics counter, and there's nobody to pressure you to buy. I generally browse, and even try the shades, in drab. Yes, it took some time to build up that courage, but trust me - there's nothing to be afraid of! Of course, you can go en femme, or bring a female friend to provide cover for you.

4. Start small. I wasted a painful amount of money on my first makeup-buying trip. I was so excited to get it that I went overboard... but my sense of style improved with experience, and now I have makeup I don't want. Go cheap with your first purchases, because you'll probably end up wanting something different, anyway.

5. Bring your advisor. My wife sometimes has a better sense than I do for whether I can look good in something. Having her with me while shopping helps prevent costly mistakes.

6. Ask yourself... not just "do I want to wear this?", but "What will I wear this WITH?"

7. Have fun! Learn that sense of joy in bargain-hunting. It's part of the fun!


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