Ladies- beauty costs?

I am curious to hear how much other women spend on beauty!

I am a woman in my late 20s in NYC. Most of the lifestyle content I encounter normalizes what I consider very expensive beauty purchases (Refinery29, most beauty Instagram accounts, pretty much anything marketed to women). I am often tempted, but the prices seem exorbitant to me :( I would like to invest more in my appearance and keep it up over time. Would love tips!

I make good money, but I am frugal and prioritize savings/investing for retirement. I'm curious to hear how other women balance this.

(Happy to hear from men or anyone else as well, but if all you buy is 2 in 1 conditioner and Suave soap, I don't think you'll have as much to contribute to this discussion lol).

So far this year, I've spent $1,180 on beauty according to Mint. This does not include basic toiletries like deodorant and moisturizer, but would include specialized products like scented body scrub.

Monthly costs: $10 for eyebrow threading 2X/month - $7 for the service and $3 for the tip $12 tip at European Wax Center (I buy a bikini yearly wax pass and pay in three installments at the beginning of the year. They do not charge a fee or interest to pay in installments. The cost of the pass is $383, tip is extra per service)

Other large expenses- I splurge on these because I feel the cost difference is worth the quality: - Haircut 2x per year: $100-120 depending on the place. I finally found a salon I like, and they charge under market rates. I wear my hair naturally curly, so I am willing to spend more on a good cut. A bad cut makes me look like a poodle! - Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer: 1 tube for $52/year, worn daily - Eyeliner: Stila Eyeliner for $22 a couple times a year. It's much better than any drugstore brand I've tried. - Hair Products: DevaCurl gel for $23 (lasts about a year).

Things that are not worth paying for to me: -Mani/pedis: the options I've found are to pay $27-35 for a combo mani/pedi at a place that is probably abusing their workers and practicing poor hygiene, or $60-100 at a nice place. I am good at doing my nails, so I skip this cost. I get Essie nail-polish at CVS for about $4 when they send me a $5 off $10 purchase and a $2 Essie coupon concurrently. I get a salon mani about once a year as a treat. I would love to go more often :( I often have nail envy when I see amazing nail art lol -I think lipstick or skin products can be worth the cost, but I don't think eye shadow is. I stick to Covergirl or Almay. If you use a cheap Elf primer for $3, it stays on pretty well. I do like the Glossier shadow (got one as a gift), but at $17, it's not worth it to me. Same for MAC. Blush is talc based, and talc is cheap AF, so I'm ok with drugstore brands. -Skincare: I use The Ordinary. Their products are great and I've tried quite a few brands at high and low price points. -shave cream- I use cheap conditioner instead Things I would like to try that are out of the budget at the moment: -Laser treatments for old acne scars and to even skin tone -Highlights! So cute but so expensive :( -Eyelash extensions- I would love to consider them if I were going on a glam vacation, but at $200 per session, it doesn't seem worth it at the moment. -Regular facial treatments for skin -Very fancy hair products in the $30 and up range -Spa-like night creams

Tips: -If you have a CVS card and purchase items there regularly, they send a lot of $5 off or beauty coupons in their app. -r/MakeupAddiction is a good place to read about dupes for higher end products. -Look at the ingredient list on the fancy items, then write down the top three and look for those in drugstore brands. -Embrace natural beauty! It's cheaper ;) I do try to eat healthy/exercise/drink alcohol in moderation/sleep 7 or 8 hours so that I don't look haggard or feel sluggish.

Does anyone have suggestions? How much do you spend? Thanks for sharing!

Submitted December 06, 2019 at 06:34AM by neededausername121 https://ift.tt/2DQVAG7