IT’S time to spring into action. No matter whether you are planning on spending the sunny days of spring and summer in Felixstowe or Fiji, now is the time to get body beautiful.

Of course, looking good can be costly, but there are so many cheap treatments and alternatives around to enhance your beauty, that anyone can look good on a budget.

If you can’t afford a full body massage or a spa day, there are still plenty of ways to use your local beauty salon to your advantage at a reasonable price.

Look at having treatments that are low cost, but give long-lasting results.

Examples could include eyebrow plucking, eyelash tinting, mini facials, a nail shape and polish, electrolysis or a spray tan.

Eyebrow plucking costs next to nothing, and a professional will be able to really taper your brows to the right shape for your face. All you need do is pluck out the occasional stray hair to keep the look tidy.

Eyelash tinting is another example of a great value beauty treatment. If your mascara is constantly running (or just running out) consider visiting a beautician to have your lashes coated in a long-lasting laquer.

Most women say mascara is their must-have make-up item, so you’ll be able to leave the house without doing a thing.

If you are constantly splashing out cash on home waxing kits, or seem to spend lots of time at salons having your armpit, bikini or leg hair pulled from your body – why not invest in electrolysis.

A permanent way to rid yourself of those pesky hairs, although the initial outlay may seem expensive for this treatment, think of the benefits of not having to wax or shave those areas again.

Best budget buys

Our top beauty budget buys include:

1. Mineral foundation – Good brands such as Jane Iredale and Bare Minerals give such good coverage that you don’t need concealer or powder. Plus they look completely natural.
2. Supermarket ranges – Tesco’s Skin Wisdom range was designed in conjunction with beauty therapist Bharti Vyas. So you can get salon-style products for a snip.
3. Vaseline – Instead of filling your bag with lipglosses, simply transform your favourite lipsticks with a slick of Vaseline over the top. It’s also great for adding gloss to eyelids and cheeks for a dewy look.
4. Rimmel’s 60 Seconds Nail Polish – At around £2.99 this polish is a steal and it really does do what it says on the tin.
5. M&S moisturising lipsticks – There are 19 colours in this range, all of which have ultra-moisturising properties and are great value at just £2.50 each.

Body naturals

If you’re watching the pennies and have had to cut back on expensive lotions and potions don’t despair. Try some of these tried and tested remedies.

For shiny hair: Give your locks a final rinse with cold water and a little cider vinegar.

To brighten hair: Rinse with strong chamomile tea for a few days and you’ll get some natural highlights.

For smooth skin: Wet your face and apply about 1tsp of caster sugar, gently massing it in small circular motions. Do this twice a week.

To sooth skin: Honey’s not just for cakes, it has some great antiseptic properties and is good at soothing skin. Apply a face mask of a mixture of 1tbsp olive oil and 1tbsp clear honey once a week to nourish and moisturise. Remove with warm water and pat dry.

For oily skin: Remove excess oil and tighten skin by applying a mixture of one egg white and 1tsp of lemon juice to your face. Wash off after 20 minutes.

To calm dry and itchy skin: Oats are known to help calm skin and are used in a variety of beauty products. If you’re body needs some tlc fill a clean stocking or cloth with porridge oats and place it in the bath with you.

Puffy eyes: Don’t splash out on expensive eye creams for puffy eyes because the main culprit is usually diet. Try cutting down on caffeine and alcohol or removing them completely, drink more water, get plenty of sleep and try cold compresses.

For fuller lips: Fool everyone into thinking your lips are fuller by trying this trick. Scrub your lips gently with your toothbrush to remove dead skin and then apply a light lip balm. Apply your foundation over your lips and set with loose powder. Using a liner that’s the closest match to your lips draw a line just outside your natural lipline. Fill in your lips with lipstick using a brush and then top with a slick of clear lipgloss.

Fresh skin for spring

With more sunlight becoming available with each passing day, it’s less easy to conceal the imperfections of bad skin. But thankfully, with the right beauty routine and a good facial, most people can look ab-fab in no time at all, and bare their face with pride.

Try our relaxing facial treat weekly and buff and polish your way to great skin.Begin by cleansing your skin from the neck upwards using a skin specific cleanser – never soap.Wash away all residue of the cleanser.

Fill a washing up bowl or your bathroom sink with hot water, place a tea towel over your head and hover your face over the bowl – being careful not to touch the water with your face.This will open up your pores.

Now exfoliate your skin either with a skin-specific exfoliation cream or simply some brown sugar mixed with a little honey. Rub this gently into the skin in circular motions.

You can now leave this on for 10 minutes, or rinse it away and apply a face mask, placing cold teabags or cucumbers over your eyes. Rinse the mask away and pat your face dry.

Now apply a couple of drops of almond, olive or wheatgerm oil to the skin and rub in, or use your favourite moisturiser. Working your way from the neck upwards.Finish by gently dabbing an eyecream around your lids with your ring finger, ensuring you don’t pull at the skin.