Becoming a D.I.Y’er…

Hello, my Cheap Girl’s and Guy’s 😊

Welcome back to my blog! I’m so happy and grateful you’re back to read another post from your friendly neighborhood cheap girl LOL. Today I’m talking all things D.I.Y (Do It Yourself…for those of you who were wondering what that stood for). This is not a new phenomenon in anyway, in fact DIY is probably how most inventions came about, making life easier; more affordable and convenient.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I am in no way saying that we should not use and support the services of professionals who have worked hard to obtain the skills they have to provide said services. All I’m saying is that we should, in our current economic climate especially, investigate learning how to do (and master) some of the more “luxury” services and products we enjoy ourselves. There’s a huge difference between a WANT and NEED, needs are things we cannot go without, things we can rarely provide let alone make on our own and these needs are normally controlled by huge corporations.

A WANT is something you can go without but usually don’t want to because it gives us some form of belonging in society. The beauty industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry and yet it can be classified as a ‘want’. Think about it…no one needs mascara, or their hair done in a certain fashion or their nails done. We can continue breathing without highlighter, or lip fillers or thousands of Rands worth of hair products. We don’t want to however, in the age of social media, it’s near impossible to imagine life without the things that make us look more appealing to the world.

Now, what about those of us who aren’t earning senior salaries at our firm or getting equal pay like we should? (don’t get me started on this topic) …we too want to look our best and slay like the many Instagram baddies and our faves on social media and mainstream media. How do we achieve that look and aesthetic without having to choose between eating for the rest of the month or having that lace front wig? There are many answers to this, some unfavorable, however I have a simple one…D.I.Y!!

I started doing my own nails, hair AND furniture (yep…you read correctly) at home and I must tell you it’s not easy at all! But it’s worth it. Not only am I enjoying acquiring new skills, but I’m also saving so much (I’m talking travel costs and labor costs) I can do everything in the comfort of my own space without worrying about sitting and waiting at the salon or the nail parlor. There’s also so much information out there in the matrix (I had to LOL) that you could learn anything and everything! So there’s really no excuse, so many gifted and creative people are sharing their knowledge for free (minus South Africa’s ridiculously high data costs kodwa asikolapho) all you need to do is want to become more self-sufficient and save money by any means necessary.

Below I’ll share with you some pictures of my nails and hair, and what supplies I used and prices as well as share with you some of my favourite Youtube tutorials that got me started on this journey. I hope this post has helped you consider starting to do certain things on your own all while looking fabulous on a budget 😊

DIY Twists 😉

Hair Used – Darling (R9.99 per packet, I used 2 ½ packets)

Tools – Rat Toothed Comb (R10.00), Soft’n’Free Stylin’ Gel (R38.99)

Youtube Tutorial – Loveth Speaks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfhgeGTFWGk&t=480s)

Youtube Tutorial – Brianna Hall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRkvpGGW68Y)

DIY Nails 😉

Youtube Tutorial – Natali Carmona (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcBaGqCR-Bc)

Check out the video below of all the tools I used and prices!

XoXo