Beauty on a budget

Different people are coping with the lackluster economy in different ways. Instead of shopping for new clothes, my mother plunders her closet for vintage looks from those decades when she was a real shopaholic. Now every day is a ’60s, ’70s or ’80s revival, but at least she still looks fashionable.

My sister — who was never a salon regular, anyway — stopped getting her hair cut by pros and now does her own snipping and styling — a feat I’d never have the guts to do. And I actually know some people who rationalize that, since beauty products are all going the “green” or organic way, they might as well make their own natural remedies at home, with those organic ingredients they bought at the market.

But before you break out the free-range eggs and rolled-oat scrub, consider the wisdom of lesser-priced beauty lines. The age of the impulse buy is temporarily over; now it’s all about getting the most bang for your buck, and affordable drugstore brands are more relevant than ever.

In an event called “Be Stunning for a Steal,” L’Oreal Philippines rolled out three of its more budget-friendly lines in a really clever way. Each brand set up a beauty station so editors could arrive looking like they had just rolled out of bed, stop at each station to get a facial, their makeup, hair and nails done, and then leave looking smashing — proof that you can look like a million bucks by just spending a few hundred well-placed pesos. Now, more than ever, is the time to troll your drugstore or supermarket aisles for these affordable options:

Skin: Affordable Whitening

We were first introduced to Garnier through its hair care, but locally the brand has shifted its focus. “You’d need millions to set yourself apart from all the other hair-care brands, so we went into skincare,” says Garnier’s marketing manager Barbara Ramos.

With the current mania for whitening, Garnier is scoring a hit with its dermatologically tested “Light” line, for which KC Concepcion is the spokesmodel and one of the star products is the Brightening Eye Roll-On, a cooling massage roller that helps drain eye puffiness with caffeine.

Through a refreshing facial, Garnier introduced the rest of the Light range, which ranges in price from P49 for a mask to P299 for the day cream, and involves a basic “cleanse, tone and moisturize” routine with treatment products for specific needs.

First, my makeup was removed with Gentle Clarifying Foam, followed by the Brightening Scrub Wash to really sweep away dull skin. Next came the Milky Lightening Dew, a velvety toner that hydrates and preps skin for the treatment benefits to follow. I really liked the zesty citrus scent of the products, which occurs naturally from the active ingredient, lemon essence. After pegging my skin as dry, the therapist applied the Whitening Infusion Tissue mask, which delivers a more intense boost of hydration and luminosity. After a final round of toner, Whiten & Protect moisturizer with SPF15 (whose name says it all) capped the facial, and I emerged relaxed and glowing.

Makeup: Moderately Priced Minerals

If you haven’t tapped into the magic of mineral makeup yet because of high prices, now you can with Maybelline’s Clear Smooth Minerals line, which has mineral foundations, concealer, blush and lipsticks ranging in price from P369 to P599 — all free of preservatives, oil, fragrance, plus the added benefit of SPF 25.

Maybelline Color Artist Archie Tolentino (enlist his expert artistry and makeup lessons at 0917-819-0619) gave me a professional-looking makeover that looked special-occasion-ready yet cared for my sensitive skin and didn’t clog my pores. Mineral is cheaper, too, because you just buy one foundation product instead of two (a liquid that you then have to set with powder). Archie just swirled Clear Smooth Minerals powder foundation into my skin with the accompanying kabuki brush, and it adhered perfectly with a natural dewy finish. Then he swept a rosy shade of Clear Smooth Minerals Luminous Blush up my cheekbones for a pretty flush. To shade my eyes he used his favorite eye palette for brides, Maybelline Eyestudio in Autumn Spirit, which contains four shadows and a diagram for easy application. I loved that he got me out of my makeup rut by rimming my lower lashes with a bold streak of Vivid & Smooth liner in green, a technique that makes dark brown eyes pop. Another must-buy is Volum’Express Cat Eyes, a waterproof mascara with a comb wand that hyper-curls and lengthens lashes without smudging. Maybelline is justly famous for its amazing mascaras that just get more high-tech every year: also check out their new Unstoppable Curly Extension waterproof mascara to stretch short, straight lashes to their fullest, curliest length; its bent brush is specially designed for Asian eyes.

Archie finished the daytime-pretty look with Watershine Collagen Shimmers, a nourishing lipstick with vitamin E, collagen and crystals that feels as moist as a lip balm and looks as shiny as a gloss.

Hair: Straight Hair For Less

No matter what the season, in the Philippines long, straight hair never goes out of style. If you weren’t born with it, however, that look is high-maintenance, and the rebonding, blow-drying and flat-ironing required to achieve it is expensive and time-consuming.

Enter Matrix, L’Oreal’s reasonably priced, professional-quality salon brand. Star performers include Matrix hair color and Opti-Straight, a conditioning, hair-straightening system that will give you shampoo-commercial-worthy hair without breaking the bank.

“Our hair care (Biolage) and styling (Vavoom) retail products are priced 25 to 35 percent lower than the competition, without compromising on quality and performance,” says Dax Ocheda, Matrix’s junior product manager. “As to salon services, salons carrying our brand can charge 20 percent lower from their usual-priced services. Davids Salon, Freshaire, Going Straight, and RHC are just some of the salon chains using Matrix products.”

The promise of silky, frizz-free hair I won’t have to heat-style is tempting me to try Opti-Straight. In the meantime, though, I settled for the quick fix of flat-ironed locks held in place with Matrix Vavoom Freezing Spray.

Nails: Give ’Em a Finger

Let’s face it: the only real way to save money on manicures and pedicures is to do them yourself at home. But if you’re a remedial manicurist like me looking for cheap thrills, salons that specialize in nails like Nail Spa offer nail art at P30 per finger. They offer a vast range of art-in-miniature — aside from the usual flowers and fruits you can sport little animals or rainbows that are so cute they’ll elicit squeals.

Nail Spa’s newest launch, though, is more of an indulgence than anything else. Their OPI Signature manicure and pedicure uses top-of-the-line spa products to beautify your fingers and toes. The OPI Manicure features a scrub, soak, anti-aging serum, 15-minute massage and, of course, that state-of-the-art OPI nail polish. The OPI Pedicure starts with a footbath, alpha hydroxy acids to soften calluses, a vigorous scrub to slough them off, a shea-butter mask to hydrate and a 20-minute foot massage to soothe tired feet.

At P700 for the manicure and P900 for the pedicure you won’t exactly be pinching pennies unless you get the mani-pedi package for P100 less; rather, think of it as the little luxury you treat yourself to with all that money you’ve been saving.

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Garnier and Maybelline are available at department stores, supermarkets and drugstores nationwide.

Matrix, Biolage and Vavoom are available at Davids, Freshaire, Going Straight, and RHC hair salons.

Nail Spa is located at Level 5, Shangri-La Plaza Mall (call 687-7011 or 687-4991); 109 Gamboa St., Legazpi Village, Makati (817-3128 or 830-0702); and the 5th floor, The Block, SM City North Edsa (441-0323).