What are your best tips for looking classy on a low budget?

[Marble2021]

I mean hair, makeup, nails, and fashion tips for looking classy on a lower budget. I'm currently a student in quite an expensive country, so I don't really have the money to be splurging 90 euros on a coat. Any tips appreciated

Avoid patterned clothes where the patterns aren't matched up at the seams. It looks cheap. Actually, I think plain clothes look classier, in neutral colours if you don't have very much money.

Get eyebrows threaded and home dye if needed. Keep nails in a nice shape and replace varnish as soon as it chips.

Take care of your shoes - get them reheeled and keep them clean.

A nice coat makes everything look better

Posters too soon. The coat is where I'd invest as soon as possible

Good advice thanks

eBay (but only for decent brands you can resell / or brands you know will suit you) charity shops in posh areas. Buy mostly simple pieces - aim for a capsule wardrobe (plenty of online advice on how to build this) in neutral colours, and build up. Generally spend money on jumpers, trousers, skirts and coats, tops wear out faster anyway and can be cheaper.

Try and find a training salon for hair, and keep the cut simple. Get something like a babyliss big hair so you can do a home blow dry when you need one.

Get decent quality tinted moisturiser / foundation /primer, almost any other makeup can be cheap. Look online for plenty of advice for best bargain mascara etc

Keep your nails short and natural. Or get a gell lamp if you want them done.

Keep your shoes in good nick.

Silk type scarves for round your neck, when you wear a coat, in colours that suit you and make you glow.

Stick to a neutral colour palette, black or navy and only buy stuff in that colour. Dark jeans and a black jumper plus a wool coat looks chic and doesn’t have to be expensive.
You don’t need any make up at all really to look classy but keep it low key if you do, tinted moisturiser, mascara and buffed nails.
Leather boots. Low heeled, leather handbag if you can but doesn’t matter where from, label

Look after your clothes - iron them, hang them up straight away. Don't buy dry clean only if you can help it because if you have no money you won't maintain them as often as needed.

I've always done my eyebrows myself, that way they're how I like them, and it's quite satisfying. Free, too. Why would a student on a budget need to get her eyebrows threaded?

Hair - I would suggest avoid short styles that you have to get cut more frequently. Stick to your natural colour as obviously dyeing it is more expensive, or at least dyeing it properly is, and badly dyed hair looks tacky IMO.

Make up - no tips from me as I don't wear much make up or spend much money on it, I think less is more with make up, but it's personal preference of course

Nails - I don't think this makes a huge difference compared to clothes and shoes, so I'd prioritise spending on those things and not nails

Fashion - agree with PP that plain colours and simple styles are best. I do think a decent coat is well worth spending money on as you wear it daily through the winter and often in spring and autumn too.

Can you look for clothes in charity shops if you have them where you are? New year will be a great time as everyone has a big clear out. I only buy my clothes there now but I'm super picky - I got a wool jigsaw miniskirt and a silk shirt the other day (when I should have been Christmas shopping for other people 😳) - I could never have justified them new.

Sorry, label’s aren’t classy really!

@AngelicaElizaAndPeggy

Can you look for clothes in charity shops if you have them where you are? New year will be a great time as everyone has a big clear out. I only buy my clothes there now but I'm super picky - I got a wool jigsaw miniskirt and a silk shirt the other day (when I should have been Christmas shopping for other people 😳) - I could never have justified them new.

I love charity shops and there are lots of them in my home country, but where I am currently living not so many.

Read up on colour analysis and try to work out your season. If you stick to one colour palette, the colour of your clothes should compliment each other and so you can mix and match your wardrobe.

You can often buy BNWT items on eBay, cheaply. I buy items with lots of 'give' in the material (eg jersey fabric).

Accessories can be a nice addition to an outfit - hair accessories, a belt, bag etc.

I thought a tortoiseshell clip might make a nice hair accessory

I know someone who always looked brilliant, and had very, very little spending money. I once asked what her secret was.

She mostly bought black and white clothes, when she had very little money. (Often was wearing a black skirt or black trousers, white shirt, etc.) But she always had nicely maintained nail polish in a classy colour (like dark red, on nicely maintained nails (not these scary long ones)), and sometimes would pair with a red lip. The only other colour she added to the wardrobe would be through scarves, which tend to be much cheaper than clothes. She also wore a classic-style coat, again in a very neutral colour. She made sure her hair was nicely done, too. Always clean and often put up prettily, when she had the time.

She was considered the most stylish person in the office, where hardly anyone knew her financial situation.

If it matters, our age was mid/late twenties at the time.

Simple hair styles with no dye, simple make up. Everything clean and ironed. Neutral colours black, navy, camel, white, cream, dark greens, burgundy, red.

It’s easy to buy garish colours that are pricey but look cheap as fuck.

Tortoiseshell always looks nice.

Seconding the colour analysis, maybe it's something you could ask for a birthday or Christmas sometime? The colours I like, aren't necessarily the ones I should wear. For example dark green has been mentioned as more classy, but wouldn't suit me.

Iron everything and if something doesn't need ironing then it's not suitable at all.

@SpongeBobJudgeyPants

Seconding the colour analysis, maybe it's something you could ask for a birthday or Christmas sometime? The colours I like, aren't necessarily the ones I should wear. For example dark green has been mentioned as more classy, but wouldn't suit me.

good tip thanks

@4thtimethecharm

I know someone who always looked brilliant, and had very, very little spending money. I once asked what her secret was.

She mostly bought black and white clothes, when she had very little money. (Often was wearing a black skirt or black trousers, white shirt, etc.) But she always had nicely maintained nail polish in a classy colour (like dark red, on nicely maintained nails (not these scary long ones)), and sometimes would pair with a red lip. The only other colour she added to the wardrobe would be through scarves, which tend to be much cheaper than clothes. She also wore a classic-style coat, again in a very neutral colour. She made sure her hair was nicely done, too. Always clean and often put up prettily, when she had the time.

She was considered the most stylish person in the office, where hardly anyone knew her financial situation.

This just goes to show how individual it is as wearing black and white looks terrible on me and definitely looks cheap.

Soft grey navy, off white, beige, seafoam all look much better.

Dark red nails always look classy imo

Thanks for the tip about dark red nails. I bought some dark red nail varnish today