Cheapo Summer Styling Tips

A new season should mean a new look, but what if you haven’t the cash for new summer fashion and beauty? Time to seek out a few cheap-ass shortcuts. Here are a few ways to keep your summer style feeling fresh – all for little or no money down. The trick? Get creative with what you already have.

1. Boyfriend jeans and blazers. Before you cave in and buy “boyfriend” jeans or a blazer, remember they’re essentially just oversized jeans or blazers with the sleeves rolled up. If you’re wondering what to do with those distressed fat jeans or a boxy blazer you haven’t worn in years, just take what you already have and get rolling. Worst-case scenario: steal your actual BF’s jeans and hope he doesn’t notice.

2. Stretching out a pedicure. If you live anywhere where you can get a reasonably cheap pedicure ($30 or less), there’s not really much point in cutting this expense out of your beauty routine. (Just cut out about two fancy cocktails and you’re saving the same amount.)  If you tend to gravitate towards certain Essie or OPI colors, buy the bottle and keep it at home. (If you want to indulge, spring for a one of the reissued NARS nail polishes, online at narscosmetics.com.)   You can touch up any chips and go back to the salon only when you really, really need it.

3. Jean shorts. Newsflash: many of the coolest jean shorts hitting the streets this summer are really just…cut-off jeans! All you need is one pair of old jeans and a pair of scissors, and voila, you’re in style.

4. Cut your own bangs. It’s true – you actually can do this at home. But don’t do what a friend of ours did as a teenager and forget that bangs will shrink upward as they dry, therefore resulting in an unwanted extreme Bettie Page effect. Instead, take damp bangs and twist them tightly into a coil, then cut in half-inch intervals until you get the length you want. The results will look natural, not Vulcan.

5. Cheapo hobo. Hobo bags are in – again. Before you drop major cash on a leather one, though, consider this cotton canvas bag by American Apparel ($30). It comes in eight colors, is extremely practical (handbag or beachbag), and will earn you tons of compliments. And if it gets scuffed up, you can just chuck it in the wash. We know – we’ve had one for years.

6. Still in. Good news: now that everyone has less money, trends are lasting longer. Hooray! Still in from years past? Gladiator sandals, floral summer dresses, one-piece bathing suits, platform heels, graphic prints, white jeans, straw fedoras, caftans, and yes, hobos. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

7. Color control. If you dye your hair, there are a couple of ways to extend the color between visits to your hairdresser. For blond highlights, carefully streak a few hairs at the roots with Jolen Creme bleach ($9.99). To cover up gray, go for Clairol Nice N Easy Root Touch Up ($7), which comes in a ton of colors. And don’t forget to keep your color from going all wonky in the sun – Aveda’s new Sun Care Protective Hair Veil ($26) will preserve it.

7. Cheap sunglasses. We knew this moment had to come: expensive, logo’d designer sunglasses are out, and cheap, colored sunglasses are in. These days it just looks tacky to wear anything that screams D&G or Tom Ford, so you’re better off doing your sunglass shopping at Urban Outfitters.