how to look good with a minimal budget?

[cheapFlower]

have been lurking here recently quite a bit in the hope for inspiration as to how to make myself look a bit chicer/prettier/cooler/whatever (have to little children and the youngest just started to sleep through and I finally have energy again to deal with these important things :o ) and noticed that many of you seem to have a very nice style & beauty budget :)

my budget is not massive (in the region of £300 - 400 a year for everything (i.e. clothes, shoes, hair, face, make up...). so I have to be really careful what I spent my £££ on.

do you have any ultimate cheap but great tips and tricks to make you look good? I really started to look a bit frumpy over the last months (years?) and need to do something. help!

[naturelover]

I was about to start a very similar thread today!
My budget is not much bigger than yours.
By the time I've had my hair cut a few times a year and bought some semi-decent skincare (both essential in my view) I have next to nothing left for clothes.
My wardrobe basics were all tired and ill-fitting post-DCs and I'm gradually building them up again. But the rut I'm now in is that I have become too safe/classic in my choices (because the damned clothes need to be so versatile/go with everything/useful/practical). I have also lost my way/style a bit in the transition from working to SAHM.
My interest in improving my appearance also reawakened when my youngest started to actually sleep through as well!

My only tips to share are:
-hide any grey with semi-permanent from Boots not salon and get a competent friend to do it for you
-keep in shape with exercise videos, walking, cycling, running instead of gym
-buy decent foundation and mascara and wear it every day (this is a very recent habit of mine but makes me feel much more polished)
-have a ruthless clear-out so that you only keep what fits and is in decent condition - you might have to do more laundry but at least you're only wearing nice(r) stuff
-iron, mend, polish what you have
-good posture

For the rest, I could seriously do with tips from others. My unadventurous/"classic" clothes are making me frumpy. It's as if as I get older I need to wear things that are less not more classic! Does that make sense?

[Cathycat]

I have a mobile hairdresser, which makes my hair cheaper. I have (or I try to have!) a pamper night once a week where I do the face mask, cleanse, tone, moisturise, shave legs, body lotion, fake tan if I want to, which costs virtually nothing but makes me feel better! I get my eyebrows waxed every couple of months which makes a difference. And keeping on top of the ironing is good too! I sometimes think I need new clothes, when actually I just need to iron my old ones! I've also found a few shops that suit me for different occasions. For me, it tends to be Asda if I need something cheap, Marks and Spencers if I need boring smart work clothes that don't rip (active job!) and Monsoon if I need something special. Obviously not everyone has my taste but I think if you get to know what you do well with, it makes shopping quick and easy if you're busy. Another thing of course is charity shops!