Reconnect With Yourself: Affordable Self-Care and Beauty Tips

After years of putting your family first, you suddenly find yourself with something you haven’t had in a while—time for yourself!

For some Moms, self-care and beauty remained part of their routine during the busy parenting years. But for many others, those things naturally fell to the bottom of the priority list.

If the latter sounds like you, this is the perfect time to reconnect with yourself, and rediscover the little things that make you feel refreshed and confident.

The good news is that self-care doesn’t have to be expensive! There are plenty of affordable self-care/beauty products that can help you feel great without stretching your budget.

If you’d like an easy way to keep track of all the products mentioned in this post, be sure to grab this FREE EMPTY NESTER MOM Affordable Self-Care/Beauty Product Checklist.

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Makeup

The older I get, it seems the more of a minimalist I’m becoming in all aspects of my life. I don’t feel the need to surround myself with so much “stuff” anymore, nor do I buy into the “more expensive equals better” mentality any longer.

So, when it comes to self-care and beauty, I’ve been more thoughtful and practical about my purchases. I follow other women online, who are my age and have a lot of helpful advice in this area.

When I was younger, making the big bucks at The 9-5, I spent lots of money on expensive brands of makeup.

Uh…not so much anymore. As long as the end result looks good, I’m good. My mom used affordable brands way back in the day, and I thought she was beautiful!

At this Empty Nester stage of my life, I’d rather not overspend on items that aren’t serving me any better than affordable alternatives. I’d rather put those extra dollars toward a fun event, gifts, and savings.

That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy quality products. I do, but I’ve been shopping around and experimenting with less expensive ones.

I recently discovered a quality brand, IT Cosmetics. If you want to read (or watch on YouTube) a good backstory on the creator, Jamie Kern Lima, it’s pretty amazing!

I use IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealer (for my lovely bags) and IT Cosmetics Celebration Foundation. I’ve used a lot of different foundations over the years, from inexpensive to expensive…from liquid to powder. I have to say that this is one of the BEST! My color is “Medium Tan,” and it not only helps to cover the redness I have on my face (which is the reason Jamie invented her makeup line), it doesn’t leave me with dry, flaky skin like so many of the other powders and liquids did.

More recently, I discovered Laura Geller Double Take Baked Foundation, which I love equally as much as the IT brand! I chose the “Light” shade, so that I’d have lighter coverage for the winter months. I also bought the Laura Geller Baked Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation to layer on top. Together they covered my freckles, redness, and sun spots. I also got the Kabuki Brush, which I love—it’s so soft! My next purchase will be the Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten Marbelized Blush & Angled Brush.

A good alternative to Laura Geller blush would be Charlotte Tilbury Cheek To Chic Powder Blush, while more affordable choices would be COVERGIRL TruBlend Skin Enhancer Baked Luminous Blush and Milani Baked Blush.

I’ve tried several different brands of brow pencils to help fill in my disappearing brows (thanks, Hypothyroidism). My favorite is the Anastasia Eyebrow Pencil, with Colour Pop Eyebrow Pencil coming in as a close second.

For eye makeup, e.l.f. Eyeshadow is an affordable option, and I like IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara.

Nails

Once in awhile, I’ll treat myself to a manicure, pedicure (or both!), but most of the time, I do my own nails.

I’ve been a long-time fan of Essie Nail Polish, which I have in many colors (love this Berry, Berry Naughty color!). My daughter recently recommended OPI Nail Polish, which comes in beautiful colors and can be found in many nail salons, so it must be a good brand! I’ve since tried OPI, and I love it!

Both Essie and OPI made the list in this article on the top nail polish brands.

I’m currently using Cutex Nail Polish Remover (a popular pick on Amazon), and these Eyxformula Lint Free Nail Polish Remover Pads (comes with two cuticle pushers).

If you need some nail tools, this Manicure/Pedicure Set by Yougai (Amazon’s Choice), and these reusable Toe Separators, from Sunfatt, are a must-have for a perfect pedicure.

Skin

My nighttime routine includes using Garnier Micellar Water Makeup Remover, followed by Ole Henriksen Truth Juice Daily Cleanser.

The cleanser may seem pricey at first glance, but it lasts a long time. It leaves my skin feeling clean and soft, and it smells nice, too. Who doesn’t like a fresh citrus scent?

An affordable moisturizer that I use after cleansing my face is Aveeno Fragrance-Free Daily Moisturizing Lotion. If it’s good enough for Jennifer Aniston…I mean she did a commercial about it, so she must really use it, right?! Don’t forget to put some on your neck to help with wrinkles and sagging skin.

For dry hands, L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream is highly recommended.

Hair

I keep checking in with my husband, asking him if he’s ready for me to go all gray. He says no, so off to the salon I go…every 6-8 weeks. It’s not cheap, so when we’re retired Empty Nesters, he may have second thoughts!

To keep my hair looking good between appointments, my haircare products/tools/accessories include:

Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo
Redken All Soft Conditioner
T3 Lucea Professional Hair Straightening & Styling Iron
Hot Tools Curling Iron
Boldify Root Cover Up
Color WOW Root Cover Up
Pureology Soft Finish Hairspray
Kitsch Hair Ties
Suntiesday Flat Hair Clips

Eye Care

These are all great for soothing dry eyes:

Lips

As I’ve gotten older, it seems my lips have gotten more and more dry. I really love the Laneige brand, for both day and night. If you experience lip dryness, you might want to give it a try!

Day: Laneige Lip Glowy Balm (Berry is my favorite!)

Night: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

Another favorite of mine is Yves Saint Laurent Loveshine Lipstick, great for day or night!

Bath

When your old bones are feeling achy, after a long day at work, there’s nothing like a nice, hot bath!

A Bath Pillow is a must! If you’re a chronic multi-tasker who can’t sit still and just soak, this Bath Tray is for you. It holds just about everything you need (or want).

If Bath Bombs are your thing, check out this highly-rated set from LifeAround2Angels on Amazon.

Don’t forget to stock up on Loofah Sponges, which are available in so many great colors, and Loofah Exfoliating Body Scrubbers. And, if you’re looking for a different soap/body wash, my favs are Dove Sensitive Skin Bar Soap and Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash.

Conclusion

Reconnecting with yourself doesn’t require a complete lifestyle makeover or a big spending spree. Sometimes it’s as simple as creating small moments in your day to take care of yourself and enjoy the things that make you feel good.

Affordable self-care/beauty products can be a great way to ease back into prioritizing yourself again. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s feeling comfortable, confident, and refreshed in this new season of life.

For more self-care/beauty tips and products, check out Fifty Plus Beauty on YouTube.

And remember—when it comes to self-care, expensive isn’t always better. Sometimes the simple, affordable options are more than enough to help you look and feel your best.

This season of life is about more than just change—it’s about rediscovering yourself. As you focus on your health, your confidence, and what truly makes you feel good, you may also find yourself thinking about what’s next for work. And when you’re ready, that could mean exploring something new—like starting your own Online Business from home.