By NICKY CHAMP

Ah, the exciting and equally nerve-racking act of buying new beauty products.

Exciting because you get to refresh your beauty bag but nerve-racking because as even the most savvy beauty gurus would know, it’s easy to nod your way through terrible clown makeovers and feel pressured into buying products you don’t really love at the end.

Or you skip all the way home with a bag full of life-changing beauty prodz only to find that shade is way too dark under your bathroom lights, or when paired with your your existing products. And once the bottle’s been opened, you can’t return it so you can kiss that cash goodbye.

But not anymore, no.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Bellabox. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.

Let’s be sisters in solidarity and be armed with the knowledge to never be bamboozled or intimidated into buying the wrong beauty products ever again, making the most of our beauty budgets without wasting a cent on the wrong products. Here’s what to avoid…

1. Falling for the up-sell.

The makeover is never free. I repeat the makeover is never free.

You go in wanting a new lipstick and suddenly you’ve purchased a lipliner, a lipgloss, a lip primer and something completely unrelated like eyebrow gel.

Which is great if you really want all those things but there is nothing wrong with sticking to the one thing you came for and getting a face chart or the product names so you can (beauty) sleep on it.

2. Not trying before buying.

When faced with smashed-up, germ-ridden product testers it’s fair enough that you’d want to skip over it and go ahead and buy a product, especially if it’s cheap.

But without testing it on your skin/lips /nails, heck even your hair, you won’t be able to tell if it suits you. I recently snapped up a hot pink lipstick, which I mistakenly thought was going to make me look like Jessica Alba at the Producers Guild Awards earlier this year. Turns out it had glitter in it so it was more Britney Spears circa her Mickey Mouse Club days.

So rather than hotfooting it to your nearest chemist or department store and snapping up awful glittery pink lipstick or red blushes even Ronald McDonald wouldn’t be seen dead in, consider signing up to a beauty trial service. For a small outlay you get to trial new products, delivered straight to your door. You don’t even have to leave the house or run the beauty gauntlet that is the intimating department store make up counter.

3. Assuming if it’s more expensive, it must be better.  

Creme de la Mer, became an immediate hit when it was introduced in the 1990s, and the reason? It retailed at $150 an ounce. It was assumed because it was expensive it must be good. I once walked out of a very expensive facial with my skin feeling like it was on fire. Later that night my face puffed up like a balloon. The moral of the story, my sensitive skin hated the rich ingredients and that was the last time I assumed that expensive equated to better.

Many women swear by luxury skincare brands but before you invest, you owe it to your skin and your wallet to trial the product first. Besides, plenty of cult beauty products come in at under $30, so remember to shop the product, not the price or pretty packaging.

4. Hoarding and never throwing anything out, like ever.

Dig around in many a make-up bag and you are sure to find a brown lipstick last used sometime in the mid 1990’s. Beauty products like mascara and eyeliner can easily become contaminated so unless you’re okay with potential eye infections or bouts of conjunctivitis it’s best to replace them every three to four months.

I know, I know, three to four months doesn’t sound like long enough but that’s why you don’t actually need to spend a small fortune on mascaras and eyeliners. Besides, replacing the old for the new gives you the opportunity to experiment and try new colours and brands.

So, yeah that brown lipstick? Bin it and open your mind to trialling something new.

bellabox is the beauty sampling service revolutionising the way women discover, trial and shop for beauty. For just $15 a month with free postage, receive a beautifully wrapped selection of deluxe beauty minis delivered to your door. The bellabox team source, trial and approve every product, every month, and only partner with essential, cult and luxe brands so you only get the best in beauty. Find your new beauty favourites and shop with ease from their online store. Plus, you can cancel at any time. Is this the best $15 you’ve ever spent? Your beauty bag will think so! Click right here to sign up now.

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