Elle's Essentials: Summer Beauty on the Cheap!

Summer is here, so I wanted to share some of my fave products that I use. However, I am super cheap and I wanted to find alternatives to these awesome products. I listed the expensive on the left side and the cheap on the other. So what's in Elle See's beach bag? Let's see!

• I love my hair at the beach with its beachy waves. Instead of Bumble & Bumble, I use Sunsilk's! Even cheaper, make your own Sea Salt Spray: spray bottle, water,  & a few teaspoons of sea salt.
• If you've ever read my blog once, you know I love, love, love coconut. It just reminds me of summers at the beach as a kid. Bumble & Bumble makes an excellent shampoo, but I choose to go the cheaper route with Suave! $2 vs. $27? Yes, please!
• My hair gets so fried and dry during the summer, so I use Sunsilk's Summer line. It has summer-smelling shampoo, conditioner, and a refresher spray. All products smell great and protect my hair from UV rays, since we all know I dye my hair. Can you tell I love their cheapo products?
• My favorite sunscreen is Ocean Potion. It smells like a Dreamsicle and works well on my persnickety skin. I don't break out with it either. Read the warnings on sunscreen here.
• I never forget to put sunscreen on my lips and always have some chapstick in my beach bag. Have you ever burnt your lips? First is Philosophy's Beach Girl Shine. It smells and feels wonderful, but it doesn't have SPF! My choice? Hawaiian Tropic's Lip Balm. It's super cheap (my fav scent is coconut, of course) and it has SPF 45! I've used it in a pinch as sunscreen as well.
• How else do I keep my tresses looking tamed? A little TLC by putting oil in my hair and letting it soak in, using the sun. Everyone raves about Moroccan Oil, but I like the cheaper Argan Oil (same exact thing!) from Sally's Beauty Supply. (I've done posts on this here and here on oil in my hair.)
• I love Bobbi Brown's Beach Fragance, but for $55, I like a cheaper option. Instead, I use solid perfume for $9. It takes up less room in my bag and won't spill. I like Pacifica's Malibu Lemon Blossom. Just read the description: flowering Angel's Trumpet, and fresh herbs. It evokes the dreamy contentment of a long bask at the beach—the dreamy sound of surf and the sweet essence of Southern California wildflowers kissed with a salty hint of ocean air. 100% vegan
• Summer is the time to show off those manicured toes! (See my quick and easy pedi here.) Coral is a hot color and instead of Butter's $17 price tag, I found the same color from Wal-Mart for $1.29! I use Wet N Wild and honestly, the cheapo stuff lasts just as long.

I hope you enjoyed my summer beauty picks and maybe you found a new cheaper change for an old fave?
What summer products can you not live without?




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