Recession Proof Beauty

We like this Marc by Marc Jacobs safety pin barrette (pictured) but the $32 price tag isn't in line with our "save for vacation fund" plan. If you're feeling crafty, why not do it yourself?

To bond metal to metal, soldering is an option if you know what you're doing, but perhaps not the most practical. The easiest — and cheapest — way to go about it is to affix a large safety pin to a wire barrette backing (found at most craft supply stores) using Krazy Glue ($3). Clamp to set, and then go make some for friends, do "The Safety (pin) Dance," and revel in your cash-saving brilliance.

Whether it's the nail polish shade of the season or a classic lipstick color from a prestigious line, beauty products can be pricey. Not only that, a must-have status makes some products next to impossible to find. Enter, the Beauty Dupes group in the BellaSugar Community. Here, you can ask questions about looks for less or share your own discoveries.

Take, for instance: SnufaLuffaGus143's recent $2 find, a replicate of Chanel's Particulière; a half-the-cost brightening brow pencil; and this less-than-$5 version of NARS's famous Orgasm blush. Be sure to join in on the money-saving fun and fill us in on your favorite affordable alternatives, too. After all, who doesn't love a good beauty bargain?

Sue Sylvester may have all sorts of hilarious one-liners about Mr. Schuester's hair on Glee, but here's one tip that's so useful, it will surely stop the wisecracking Cheerios coach in her track suit. The handsome actor's hair has become quite the phenomenon, but Matthew Morrison, who plays the lovable Mr. Schue on the series, actually uses Lubriderm Body Lotion ($8) to tame his curly strands. He said:

They use a lot of jokes about my hair in the show — that's all natural juices and berries, people! Come on now! This ain't no ultraperm. Honestly, I use two squirts of Lubriderm every day. Like the skin lotion.

It all makes perfect sense to me, particularly for people with curly hair whose hair tends to frizz out of control. I've used a dab of lotion on my hair before to give it a little style when I've been in a pinch, too. What about you? Have you ever used lotion, or some other unconventional product, in your hair?

The lipstick theory states that when the economy is on the rocks, we'll see a spike in lipstick sales, as women are looking for affordable ways to treat themselves when times aren't so great. But a new study released by researching firm Kline & Company has discovered that it's nail polish — not lipstick — that's having a moment.

According to this new data, while sales of cosmetics and toiletries slightly decreased by 0.8 percent last year, nail polish actually experienced double-digit growth, with a 14.3 percent increase in sales. I think it's safe to assume this is because more people are doing their own manicures and that nail polish is cheap. To see what else the study found, just keep reading.

I've long been a fan of DIY treatments, particularly when they involve cheap and readily available ingredients straight from the kitchen. We've already seen one brave Bella take on going au naturel, but what does a hair and scalp expert have to say about the effectiveness of several at-home remedies? That's just what trichologist, aka scientist who studies the hair and the scalp, Philip Kingsley has explored for the Daily Mail. Beer, bananas, and mayo? It's all there. Check out what he had to say about these old wives' tale-style treatments when you read more.