As you work on your masters of counseling programs online the whole idea of being able to live and afford a glamorous lifestyle doesn’t usually coincide with a student budget. What if we told you that you could create that glam makeup look for that special night out on a very limited student budget? Yes, it is more than possible – it just takes a few key products and tools.

Drugstore Makeup vs. High End Makeup

While it would be wonderful to scoop up all those high end makeup products you see in the pages of style magazines, the fact of the matter is that these items are extremely expensive. They typically don’t work with your student budget therefore that idea is tossed aside.

Here’s the thing, today, more than ever, consumers are being presented with fabulous dupes of high end products. These dupes not only rival their high-end counterparts giving you very similar results, but in some cases the drugstore dupes even perform better.

Think Old School Hollywood

Even if you don’t plan on going full-glam on a regular daily basis, which let’s face it, no regular person does – there are still some key items worth owning in your collection. These are items that you can easily add to your look that will elevate it and take it from everyday student to glam and put together. Maybe you and your friends are looking to head out for a night on the town, why not go that extra mile and get glammed up.

Now as far as the “glam look” goes, think old Hollywood as your inspiration. This means a clean and classic face, with a bold lip. What makes this look even better is that you’ll only need a couple of key pieces.

Building Your Makeup Collection

In order to create that glammed up look you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a medium coverage matte foundation that creates that flawless canvas to work on. There is no need to purchase high-end foundations; the key is finding the perfect match to your skin tone. It’s always a good idea to top the foundation off with loose or pressed powder to give you an airbrushed look.

You will want to keep everything on your face fairly clean and minimal. You can go for a bit of sparkle on your eyes, perhaps in a gold tone, but again you don’t want anything too bright or glaring. Instead, focus on doing thick black eyeliner and plenty of black mascara. Right now rose gold is the “in” color, so add a touch of this shade to the apples of your cheek to add that bit of warmth.

Next is the focus of the look: your lips. Old Hollywood glamor was famous for its bold lip, so opt for a rich berry, red, or burgundy shade that will really pop.

Ready to Hit the Town

Now that you’ve created that flawless, elegant, and oh so glamorous look with minimal expenses or work it’s time to put your college counselor studies aside and go have some fun.