Five ways to look good for less

Looking good doesn't have to blow the budget. These days, it's all about credit crunch chic!

A while back now, I wrote How to look drop dead gorgeous for £23.33, and followed it with How to look drop dead gorgeous: Part two.

In this mini-series, I examined how you can transform your hair, spruce up your nails, pamper your skin and get make-up equipment for less.

Since then, a host of new websites and other resources have sprung up - all designed to help us cut the price of looking good. Hoorah!

Here's my round-up of the best of them:

1. Swap shop

There are now several swapping websites dedicated entirely to shoes, clothing and accessories.

On Covert Candy, you post your unwanted items and get credits in return. You can then 'spend' these credits on advertised items that you like the look of.

Swapafrock works along similar lines, and for a limited time, all new members will get their first swap free!

When using WhatsMineIsYours, you post an 'estimated value' with your unwanted item, and ask for something of similar value in return. And with SwapStyle, you can make direct swaps, as well as part-swaps, part-sales.

I would avoid any sites that charge you to register with them. And don't swap used make-up - you could end up with all sorts of nasty diseases that way!

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2. Hire that style

There are also quite a few sites that allow you to hire a piece of designer wear for a set period of time (think Moss Bros suit hire on a grand scale).

On the GirlMeetsDress site, you can rent one of hundreds of designer dresses for between two days and a week. It's not cheap, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the darn thing. Just don't get anything down the front of it!

Alternatively, you could hire the handbag of your dreams from HandbagsFromHeaven. You can choose to either 'pay as you go' or pay to become a member and get 15% off all rentals. Fashion gone mad or frugal chic?

3. Discounted designer wear

If you want to own a piece of designer clothing - but don't want to pay designer prices, check out the following hotspots:

The Outnet sells a range of discounted designer clothing, bags, shoes and accessories. Fashion Exchange, meanwhile, brings together a range of options, including an online designer auction house and swap shop.

Several websites selling discounted designer clothes are members-only, or offer exclusive membership benefits (like being alerted to the start of every sale).

Good places to start include Brand Alley and Koodos. As usual, avoid any websites that charge you to register.

And Londoners might like to check out the dress agency Future Vintage. If you have designer bits and bobs to flog, the agency will do it on your behalf - and give you 50% of the final sale price. If you're looking to buy designer wear, you should also find plenty of heavily-discounted items to take your fancy.

Again, let me emphasise: All these options are cheaper than normal, but I'm not going to pretend they're cheap!

4. Budget beauty

If it's big brand make-up you're after, have a look at the FeelUnique website. It sells lots of high-end cosmetic, skin and hair care brands at much lower than high street prices. It's based in Jersey (so everything is tax-free) and it also offers free UK delivery.

It's also worth checking out LookFantastic (or brother site LookMantastic , if you're a chap). These operate in a similar way to FeelUnique, offering well-known beauty products at bargain prices.

And if you're not fussed about brand names, zip over to EyesLipsFace (ELF). This online company sells its own-brand beauty items, with many products costing just £1.50.

Delivery does cost £2.95 per order - and the big downside is that you don't know the quality of the product you're getting (because you can't test it in-store). To help decide whether ELF stuff is for you, have a look at its FAQ page.

• Watch our video: The best way to shop online

5. Frugal fragrances

OK, so technically this next bit is about smelling good rather than looking it - but they go hand in hand, right?

For posh perfumes at much-reduced prices, have a look at online sellers CheapSmells and FragranceDirect. Both sites consistently offer perfumes at less than half typical high street prices.

And to make sure you're not missing a trick, it's also worth using perfume comparison websites like FragrancesCompared and CheapPerfumeExpert. They'll check prices at the big high street retailers, so you don't spend more than you have to. 

How do you look good for less? Share tips with the lovemoney.com community by posting your comments here.

This is a classic which has been updated in May 2010.

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