5 Super Cheap Beauty Tricks To Get You Through January

The problem with January is not just that it is cold and without the cheer of Christmas festivities to illuminate the darker nights, but also that it is a month during which everyone is inevitably much, much poorer. This makes all those 'new year, new me' intentions, if you're so inclined, pretty hard to follow; gym membership is pricey, as are new products and enough organic greens to fill a blender thrice daily.

But while upping the ante on your beauty regime may feel prohibitively expensive, some of the best and most enduring tips are delightfully thrifty. Here are some I've come to value that will make a world of difference:

1. A morning lemon juice in hot water

After a month of much food and probably more booze, your digestive system is probably crying out for a reboot. The easiest extra step that's non-spendy is to just have a cup of warm water every morning to help the detoxification process. The addition of a squeeze of fresh lemon will add vitamin C and contains enzymes that'll help your liver out. Just be warned: acid can contribute to the wearing down of tooth enamel, so if your teeth are sensitive, maybe skip the lemon.

2. Body brushing

So simple but SO effective, brushing your body daily kick starts lymphatic drainage to rid you of excess puffiness, buffs away dead skin, and increases circulation, which has myriad positive knock-on effects all over the body. To get it right, you need to brush dry skin before hopping in the shower. Start at your ankles, working your way in short strokes towards your thighs, then do the same from wrist to shoulder. Next, work your way around your torso, brushing towards your heart.

3. Facial massage

Think body brushing, for your face - with all the great de-puffing, glow-giving results. There are a few different points at which you can administer your massage. Try it with a balm cleanser, really working from the centre of your face outwards, or after you've cleansed with a nourishing face oil.

4. The cotton bud trick

Cotton buds are ingenious cheapie beauty tools, doing everything from cleaning up an eyeliner flick, to blending eyeshadow if you don't have brushes. They also make for a brilliant lip exfoliant. All you have to do is apply a layer of lip balm, leave it to soak in while you do your make-up, then roll your cotton bud across the surface to pick up dead cells.

5. Your toothbrush + hairspray

With the mighty duo of a soft toothbrush spritzed with a little hairspray, you can do away with both brow gel and smoothing hair serum. All you do is run the brush through brows or onto flyaways to tame them. Extra toothbrush tip: brushing brows with a clean one nightly will encourage blood flow to follicles so can help to regrow sparse hairs.