I’ll admit. I used to spend about $70 a month on beauty things. Trying out new eyeshadows, Bare Escentuals foundation, concealers, mascaras, hair products, shampoos, lotions.. you name it, I spent it.
Now, my beauty and toiletry spending has been very low. Like… $10 a month or less.
It’s because I stopped dying my hair, wearing a lot of makeup, and makeup everyday, the cost of keeping myself up has gone down.
I really just wear minimal makeup to work, heavy duty when I go to events (but then I find it makes me look a bit older so I tend to lay off the makeup or at least, use techniques that make me look more natural).
What I do spend a lot on is lotions for my skin like moisturizer, exfoliants, toners, cleansers, and acne fighting agents.
What I’ve mostly purchased from is Paula’s Choice, and her stuff is not cheap at around $20 a bottle. I think I spent $90 the last time I went on a splurge and bought enough stuff to last me for the next couple of months and longer since I use small dabbed amounts.
My budget used to be $50/month, but now it’s around $15 a month and if I don’t spend it, I throw it into savings and pull on that if I have to when I go on my little yearly purchase of toiletries and makeup when I run out of products.
Other than that, I find that my skin has responded better to not being covered in makeup, I don’t spend money on buying makeup removers to remove this makeup, and my hair has gotten a lot softer, shinier and more manageable.
(That of course, will NOT put me off wearing makeup or experimenting if only I had girl friends in the city to play with :P)
Not only that, it helps de-clutter your bathroom and give it more of a minimalist feel.
Which would you prefer, a bathroom filled with half used bottles?
Or a bathroom with just a couple of well-selected products?
It looks more visually appealing with less products, and you also don’t feel as guilty that you didn’t use up all of that lotion before buying another fragrance.
Some options of what to do when you have too much:
1. Toss anything that’s hardened or expired
2. Give them away. It could be a neat thing to try it, like a sample for your friends. It’s also a frugal way to try out your friends’ unused products as well
3. Use it all up and ban yourself from buying any more products until #1 or #2 has been completed
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
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I spend about $40 per month max (if I buy anything beauty related at ALL) … I think I’ve cut down on purchasing new products but I still have a bathroom full of stuff!!!
I have a lot of lotions (!!!), perfumes and special occasion makeup that I don’t use too often.
But as far as getting rid of old products, I just can’t justify throwing away a huge bottle of lotion that’s still 80% full.
Boo. š Oh well.
.-= elleĀ“s last blog ..Melissa Harajuku Heels & Retro Girly Style =-.
i work at an Aveda store (part time work and full time student), so between the returns we get at 80% off and the half-used testers we get for free, i maybe spent $20 every few months. The products are really concentrated, so even if i were to buy it at full price, i’d maybe spend 10$ a month. i honestly wouldn’t use so much stuff or wear much makeup if i didn’t work for Aveda…so when i leave and get my real job i am sure my yearly beauty budget will be quite small.
Too much. Usually $30-$50 a week. It’s bad, but I don’t spend much on anything else — except food. Gotta feed the belleh.
Buuuuut I’m on a no makeup buy period. (Well, at least I’m supposed to be on one.)
.-= ArianneĀ“s last blog ..Shopping my Makeup Drawer: MAC Mineralize Blush in Dainty =-.
Mmmmmm, I love beauty products. But, I am careful about how much I spend and when. I am spending a lot on MAC right now, but it’s the first time I’ve bought new makeup since…well, at least last year (other than mascara). I was blessed with fairly great skin (and before ya’ll grown, I’m overweight so everything is a trade-off, mmm-kay? š ), so I don’t wear a ton of makeup.
I would love to hear more about Paula’s Choice. I looked at the website, but I wanted to hear what you love about them. š
@Lawgirl I find that she really means what she says. If the moisturizer is not heavy.. it isn’t! I am in love with her gel moisturizer, and everything from her worked out great, especially the exfoliating gels that REALLY made my dead skin peel off.
Her stuff just works. I find it expensive, but worth it.
i used to spend a lot when i was first getting started in makeup and then i moved to buying MAC items- phew! that was pretty expensive!!! But now I think i’ve plataued out and i’ve got a ‘collection’ that i ‘m happy with. i have a stock of shampoo, soap and toothpaste those sort of things but i also have a lot of blush which i still need to sort out. other than that, i’m trying to use what i’ve got!
.-= suzieĀ“s last blog ..Spring Racing =-.
I spend way more than I should on makeup & skincare but there are months that I don’t spend any money. So I guess that balances out:) However, because of my beauty blog I actually get alot of products to review so I’ve toned down on my spending. Sad part is that I’m also left with tons of products…and I don’t love everything that’s given to me (no good=no review) so I give alot to friends & family. I have to agree with you my skin looks best with minimal products. Glad you like the Paula Choice products, I’ve used her products in the past but couldn’t deal with the shipping. Too impatient!
.-= MonicaĀ“s last blog ..mini Haul from Brazil {Granado & Dove} =-.
hmm … well, I find that I often get toiletries as gifts, especially when I was younger – I purged everything mid-way through university (I gave away what I could).
Other than deoderant, the last time I bought anything was eye shadow for my brother’s wedding. That was in August. Before that, it was a shampoo bar. Oh, and sunscreen, if we’re including that.
I basically have a bin underneath the bed where I store all bathroom related things – extra soap, conditioner, shampoo, body wash, earplugs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, hair clips, little tissue packs, sunscreen, etc. I’m still trying to empty that out, so it’s the first thing I go to if I’m out of something in the bathroom, but I also don’t go and buy anything either.
At Christmas, there’s always something new that I got that ends up being added to the bin – I haven’t bought new soap or body wash in over two years – only now am I stuck having to buy soap for the bathroom/kitchen sinks, because I’ve had so much!
I’m moving, so I am throwing out a lot of toiletries that I have not used in a long time. Half a large garbage bag was tossed out. I’m going to toss out more once I unpack because I really don’t need much. I cut my hair last month so there is no need for hair products; and as for makeup… I rarely wear makeup so I can still use eyeshadow that I have purchased last year because it’s barely been touched.
.-= MichelleĀ“s last blog ..Gobble, gobble: Happy Thanksgiving Day! =-.
@CB
Just be sure to toss any makeup that’s too old! Not only does old makeup tend not to go on right, but it can harbor a lot of nasty bacteria.
I say this because I’ve known plenty of people with “many half-filled bottles/makeup” and in my experience much of it is expired since it actually takes a while to use the other half of all that makeup.
I’ve been trying to be more careful about how long I keep makeup, even putting expiration dates on my Google calendar. I don’t think I’ve EVER used up an entire container of makeup before it was time to toss it — except maybe for *some* makeup samples — and I use makeup regularly. But realizing this has made it easy for me to pass up on spending more to buy bigger containers because they seem like such a deal. Plus, the smaller sizes means that my makeup collection is literally smaller, and easier to travel with.
Well, I don’t spend on beauty products monthly, but I admit that I have many half-filled bottles/makeup. However, I have decided not to buy anymore till I finish these. I’m using my makeup more often, now, though funnily it looks like many people are cutting back on using makeup! I wonder when I would actually finish my stash!
I haven’t been spending much on makeup lately, either. I’m still a girly girl, but I just find that it doesn’t take much when you start with the right colors. I haven’t even been replacing a lot of the stuff that I’ve thrown out.
I’m down to:
1 mascara (doubles as black eyeliner)
1 lipstick
1 lip gloss (I may up to two when I start wearing fall colors)
1 lip liner
1 concealer (sometimes doubles as foundation — don’t worry, it’s not too thick or cakey)
1 powder
2 blushes (one peachy, one a darker pink)
1 brown eyeliner
4 eyeshadows — one dark neutral palette, one light neutral palette for bases, highlighting, etc., one two in colors to bring out my eyes (green and blue green).
I think that’s it. It all fits into a lovely little square basket, too.
And I don’t use moisturizer since I don’t really need it. I use sunscreen sometimes. And I have some great shampoo I use from head to toe without hair conditioner so that’s the only thing I have in the shower besides a washcloth, and the only “hair product” I have.
I have a caddy in the closet with three drawers filled with beauty products. So technically, when I run out I just go “shopping” in there. The top drawer has shower stuff (gels, soaps, loofahs), the second drawer has hair products and shampoos, and the third is stocked full of a life time worth of lotion. I technically don’t need to get any more products for about a year or two thanks to my excessive collecting years ago. Does all this stuff expire? Probably but too bad. I’ve been good at not buying anything for about a year already too since I have so much.
I also have a caddy on the sink of things I use atleast once a week. And in the shower I have the essentials plus a few extras. I’d like to cut back but I really wouldn’t want to waste any of this stuff. Giving it away might be an option though.
I don’t actually have a monthly budget… A bottle of shampoo or container of mineral foundation lasts me several months as I use them sparingly so I don’t account for them on a monthly basis.
Plus, lately I’ve been receiving a lot of free health & beauty products so I haven’t actually had to buy shampoo or moisturizer, etc. for quite some time. I’ve been really lucky that the next free product always seems to come right as the old one is used up!
I do use some of the nicer things like MAC makeup and other Sephora makeup brands, but since they’re only purchased twice a year it’s not too hard on my pocketbook.
As for the bathroom filled with half-used stuff… I certainly DID have that for a while, but I’ve been trying to purge everything, either using it up completely before moving onto another or giving things away to friends, family or charity (if unopened).
I’ve still got a little bit more stuff than I would like, but it’s all free stuff for product reviews. If I was actually just buying things myself I’m pretty sure I would have a lovely bathroom!
I don’t spend a ton on that stuff. I think I’m pretty minimalist when it comes to product. I use what I like (which can sometimes be a tad pricy), but I use it sparingly and try to buy it when it’s on sale. I probably spend about $15 or $20 a month on average. And that factors in haircuts as well as products.
.-= me in millionsĀ“s last blog ..Career/Life Coach =-.
Oh wow, this post definitely forces me to confront my not-a-girly-girl-ness. Many months, I spend nothing at all on beauty products. I buy new bottles of shampoo and conditioner every few months (but suspect I will be doing this way less often as, inspired by your no-‘poo post, I’ve taken to using shampoo once a week, conditioner about twice a week, and only tiny amount of each — I was using way too much before!), the occasional new bottle of shower gel when I run out, and new mascara every three or four months. That’s it. I’m still using a gorgeous set of MAC eye shadow my sister bought me ages ago, ditto with some great Lush lip balm that never seems to run out, and I probably have concealer around but — not to be a total jerk who everyone hates? — my skin is so good that I only need it about once a month.
Unfortunately, spending so little on beauty products has sort of led me to indulge in other bad habits with the non-logic: “Hey, at least I don’t spend money on moisturizer/lipstick/whatever.”
.-= That Kind of GirlĀ“s last blog ..The Kind of Girl Who ā¦ does the right frigginā thing =-.
I spend roughly $5 a month if you average it out. I use baking soda a lot and only stock up on other toiletry items when there’s an awesome sale and I have awesome coupons.
The only items out in the open are necessary shower items (1 bottle of shampoo/conditioner/soap/razor), my toothbrush, floss, mouthwash and my two lotions. I’ve been splurging on Palmer’s with vitamin E to keep the stretch marks at bay and Clinique facial lotion because pregnancy is making my skin so darn dry.
I’m not allowed to buy a new product (unless I’m restocking an existing kind I love) until I’ve finished what I’ve got.
.-= KaliĀ“s last blog ..More DIY Savings =-.