My personal care regimen is something I’ve been thinking about ever since Engie posted about the Beauty Tax a couple weeks ago. (Basic premise: women spend more on their appearance than men do; based on a survey, the average American women spends $877 on her appearance.) While the concept itself was fascinating to me, what I really loved was that Engie gave us a detailed inventory of the items she uses on her own hair, skin, and body upkeep. While I am a little afraid to know how many thousands of dollars I spend each year on my appearance, I still find the whole topic quite interesting.
Blatantly copying Engie, here’s my personal care routine and what I spend money on, in terms of haircare, skincare, cosmetics, and fitness.
SKINCARE:
Because I have rosacea, I have had to change my skincare regimen quite a bit over the past couple of years.
- Cleanser: I wash my face at least twice a day, and often three times a day: morning, after my workout, and before bed. I use a prescription sulfur-based cleanser which costs me $35.64 per bottle. On the occasions when I wash my face a third time, I use Cetaphil. My husband and I used to share the Cetaphil, but he doesn’t like it, so he’s now buying his own manly face wash. I estimate that I go through about five bottles of Cetaphil a year. The last time I bought it was on November 29, and it cost $8.79 at Target. It’s too early to tell about the sulfur based face wash, but I’m guessing a bottle lasts about two months.
- Moisturizer: I buy Cerave and Cetaphil products on the recommendation of my dermatologist. I use a Cerave moisturizer at night and a Cetaphil moisturizer with sunscreen during the day. The Cerave costs me $16.99 at Target and the Cetaphil costs me $15.49. I don’t love either, but they are very light. On a previous post when I was whining about my skin, someone recommended Clinique Moisture Surge, which I used to use religiously, so I may consider going back to that. My memory is that it left my skin feeling like I was nourishing it, rather than like I was applying expensive air to it. I haven’t been using these products long enough to know how frequently I go through them, but I think I’m on my third bottle of each.
- Cleansing Wipes: Occasionally, I will remove my makeup with a Neutrogena wipe. Nothing removes mascara like these bad boys. I get a big box of these wipes from Costco, for around $26.00. They last me a long time; I probably buy one or two boxes a year.
- Lips: My lips get very dry, especially in winter, so I apply Vaseline frequently throughout the day and every night before bed. The last time I purchased Vaseline was November 29, and it cost me $5.49 for a twin pack of .5 oz tubs; one tub lasts me quite a while. I bought a twin pack on May 23 (for $3.69!!! What is with the huge price increase?!) and gave one tub to my daughter. The first tub lasted me until yesterday.
- Body Lotion: I wear body lotion daily, and apply it to my entire epidermis after my shower. I use Eucerin. My favorite Eucerin (Daily Hydration) has been out of stock at Target lately, so I had to buy the Roughness Relief last time ($12.99) and I hate it. It makes my skin feel sticky. Yuck. Next time, I will buy a three pack from Amazon for $35.97.
- Sunscreen: In the winter months, I use the Cetaphil with sunscreen and call it a day. In the summer, I use Neutrogena SheerZinc Dry Touch sunscreen, which is about $25 a bottle. I can usually get a bottle to last the whole summer.
Estimated Total Skincare Costs for 2023: $560.72
MAKEUP:
I don’t wear a lot of makeup. Most days I wear something, but only put on a lot of makeup for special occasions.
Near-Daily Makeup Routine
- Mascara: I love me some mascara, and usually if I’m out of the house I’m wearing mascara. In May and then again in July, I bought a tube of Maybelline Falsies Lash Lift Volumizing and Lengthening Mascara for $9.99. (I have bought two other mascaras since then, but I bought them in-store and for some reason I don’t have a record of the purchase in my Target app.)
- Eyebrow Filler: My natural hair color is light brown, but I color my hair dark brown. To me, my eyebrows look pale and ridiculous against my hair, so I darken them. I have my hair stylist dye my brows every time I get my hair colored (three or four times a year), but the brow color fades really quickly. So I use an eyebrow mascara for the rest of the year. My current eyebrow mascara is Revlon ColorStay Brow Fiber Filler Eyebrow Gel in Dark Brown. It cost me $10.99 the last time I bought it, which was in mid July of this year.
Special Occasion Makeup Routine
- Highlighter: I love my Tula rose glow cooling and brightening eye balm. It feels so good on my skin and I think it really helps deflect from my under eye bags. I got the stick I have in a FabFitFun box in early 2021, and I am still using it. Is this the best in terms of health hygiene? No. Do I care? Not particularly. I am getting near the end though, and will definitely buy it again. It costs about $38.00.
- Eyeliner: I have been using Almay ink liquid eyeliner for years and years. Even though my Target app is pretending like I have never once purchased it, I certainly have. It costs around $7.49 a tube, but one tube lasts me a long while.
- Blush: I use a Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Color Balm to add a little color to my cheeks. Again, cover your eyes if you believe that skincare products have an expiration date, but I have had this so long I cannot remember when I got it. Also, I am 99% sure that I got it from my mother, who may or may not have gotten it as a free gift with purchase.
- Eye Shadow: I am not good at applying any sort of “fancy” makeup, but once in a while I like a little shimmer on my eyelids. This Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Soft Bronze is my favorite. I bought it last spring for around $33 and it’s still going strong.
- Lip Gloss: I feel like a huge weirdo when I apply any sort of lip color, but sometimes it’s still nice. This Haus Laboratories lip gloss is my current go-to. I think it was around $25 when I bought it last spring and I don’t see it running out anytime soon.
Estimated Total Makeup Costs for 2023: $135.95
HAIRCARE:
I have longish, thickish hair that greys easily. My biggest beauty expense every year is my hair, because I get it professionally cut and colored. (I tried coloring it myself during the height of the pandemic, but I hated it so much. It was awkward and I felt like my hair always came out with weird streaks because I didn’t apply the color correctly. I am HAPPY to pay a professional.)
- Cut and Color: I get my hair cut and colored three to four times a year. With tip, this costs approximately $160.
- Shampoo and Conditioner: I complained a few times to my hair stylist that the dye wasn’t taking to my hair very well, and she suggested that my cheap drugstore shampoo and conditioner were to blame. I bought a ridiculously expensive bottle of fancy shampoo from the salon and used that for awhile, but I just couldn’t stomach spending that amount on shampoo again. So I bought a twin pack of TRESemme Keratin Smooth Color Shampoo and Conditioner and have been using that for awhile. (Neither Target nor Amazon have a record that I made this purchase, but I think it was from Amazon sometime this past summer.) If I were to replace both bottles today, it would cost $20.99 on Amazon. I only wash my hair once or twice a week, so shampoo and conditioner last me a looooonnnnng time.
- Styling Cream: After I wash my hair, I comb some Aveda Smooth Infusion through it. My hair is naturally wavy, but I straighten it 90% of the time, and this styling cream seems to help keep my hair smooth and frizz-free. I don’t see my specific bottle available on my salon website, but I could by something similar (though only 5 oz instead of 8.5) for $37.
- Hair Ties: Does this count? I am counting it; it’s an expense my husband doesn’t have, and one I repeat. I put my hair into a ponytail every time I shower, every time I exercise, every time I drive my kid to school without doing my hair. I prefer the Goody Ouchless Elastics. The last time I bought a package (of 37 hair ties) it cost me $4.99.
Estimated Total Haircare Costs for 2023: $744.96
MISCELLANEOUS
- Fun Hand Soap: My husband uses the Up and Up brand of clear liquid hand soap, 99 cents per 7.5 oz bottle, $4.79 per 50-oz refill.) But I love having fun, nice-smelling hand soap in the bathroom. I love the Method French Lavender Gel Hand Soap and the UltaBeauty Foaming Hand Wash…but they are $3.99 and $7.00 respectively, so I only buy them when they go on sale. (Occasionally, Ulta will have a sale where each bottle is $2.50 or $3, which is reasonable unless I compare it to my husband’s 99 cent soap.) I have probably purchased three bottles of fancy soap this year.
- Body Wash: I don’t like bar soap, so I use body wash to clean my body. I am not super picky about what I use – it just can’t be exfoliating because that clogs my pores. I usually go for whatever combination of decent-smelling and cheap that I can find. I’ve used Suave Essentials body wash, which is $3.19 per 18-oz bottle and am currently working my way through a bottle of St. Ives Eucalyptus/Tea Tree body wash, which was $3.99 for 22 ounces. I quite like this scent so I will stick with it as long as I can find it at Target. I probably buy a new bottle of body wash every six to eight weeks.
- Razor: I shave my legs every single time I shower; I cannot stand the feel of stubbly legs, particularly when they are wet and stubbly. I shave my underarms every other time I shower and my bikini line whenever it needs to be tended. When I need new razors, I buy them from Costco at about $36.99 a pop. If they are on sale, all the better. I am terrible about changing the heads of my razors, so they last me a very long time. I did have to buy new ones this year, though.
- Foot Lotion: I owe so many wonderful things in my life to Nicole, and the O’Keefe’s Healthy Feet Cream Exfoliating is one of them. This stuff is amazing. I use it once or twice a week. It costs about $8.96 for a 3-oz tube and I estimate I go through about three tubes a year. Once I accidentally bought the non-exfoliating foot cream and IT IS NOT THE SAME.
- Hand Lotion: O’Keefe’s Working Hands Hand Cream, at $7.97 for 3 ounces, is my favorite hand cream of all time. It’s not greasy, it’s very nice and think, it’s soothing, and it helps keep my hands from cracking and bleeding all winter long. I have a tube of this in my nightstand drawer, a tube in my car, and a giant tube in the kitchen. It is magic. I go through probably eight tubes a year.
- Nail Polish: I hardly ever get my finger- and toenails professionally painted, because it lasts such a short time. But I do like to paint my toes in the summer and occasionally I will paint my fingernails as well. Because I am very impatient, I prefer the quick-drying polishes – Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color ($5.98 on Amazon), and Essie Expressie (around $8 or $9, depending on color). I probably buy between one and three bottles of nail polish a year.
- Deodorant: I use deodorant every day and probably go through three sticks a year? I prefer Secret. I haven’t bought any deodorant at all this year because I bought a six pack last year… from Costco, maybe?
Estimated Total Miscellaneous Expenses for 2023: $189.90
PERFUME
I love wearing perfume. Especially now that I smell faintly of sulfur due to my medicated face wash, I wear perfume pretty frequently.
And if you think I keep my makeup for a long time, you have no idea. My bottles of Lucky and Dream perfume are from high school. That was in the 1990s, people. They still smell good! The Allure, I got in college, and my bottles of Truth and Blue are from the early aughts. My newest perfume is the Tiffany Sheer, which I love. I got it for Christmas in 2019 and it’s nearly gone, so I’m on the hunt for a new scent.
One of the women I volunteer with smells amazing and I would LOVE to know what perfume she wears (so I can buy it for myself). But I don’t know her that well. Would it be super weird to ask her the name of her perfume?
Total Perfume Expenses for 2023: $0
FITNESS
While I do strength training approximately three to four times a week, I follow free videos on YouTube. (My favorite workouts are from Lindsey Bomgren of Nourish Move Love and Tracy Steen of Move Daily Fitness.) Sometimes I think about paying for a membership for Nourish Move Love, but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. In years past, I really enjoyed barre classes, but I haven’t felt moved to go back.
This year, my fitness purchases have included hand weights ($34.99 for a pair of 20s, and $25.99 for a pair of 15s) and a yoga mat ($21.98). (Also, I got a giant yoga mat for Christmas! Woo!) In previous years, I’ve spent money on grippy socks, fingerless yoga gloves, and headbands.
Estimated Total Fitness Costs for 2023: $82.96
Estimated Total Overall Beauty Products for 2023: $1714.49
(Looked at another way, this is $142.87 per month. I don’t know which way makes me feel worse.)
Okay, this total is honestly a bit lower than I anticipated. HOWEVER, it doesn’t include my dermatology appointments, although it probably should. It doesn’t include things I do for my overall health, like doctor’s appointments or acupuncture or mental health care, which seems pretty closely related (especially if I loop all these things into one “personal care” category). It doesn’t include any dental expenses or eyecare expenses (I wear contacts), although maybe it should. It doesn’t include any sort of clothing, even though pretty much all clothing falls under the umbrella of “beauty.” Even if I stick to more rigid categories, I buy leggings and shirts and sports bras and shoes JUST for the purposes of Fitness but I didn’t count any of that. Plus, I’m sure there are a few one-off things that I have forgotten about or missed, so the total is probably closer to $2,000 in overall “beauty” expenses. And that’s still probably a conservative estimate.
That total probably fluctuates year over year, too – I mean, I won’t be buying the same hand weights again next year, and hopefully I’m all set for yoga mats. I am betting I can make the razors last for at least a year. But maybe my hair dryer will short out and I’ll need to replace it, or I’ll decide to get all new hairbrushes next year or something.
All that said, I really don’t think I’m a particularly big spender when it comes to personal care stuff. Maybe with the exception of my cut and color (which I am not giving up, no way, no how), it feels pretty reasonable. And I think YOUR expenses are reasonable too. We have bodies, and we need to do things to take care of those bodies, to preserve them for the future, to make them feel good.
What is your most expensive body care category? What perfume do you wear? Do you prefer bar soap or body wash? What’s the last beauty splurge you made and would you do it again?
Deodorant might be my most expensive category (as everything else I buy is shared by the rest of the household). I made my son start using Secret unscented deodorant because the guy ones weren’t up to his stink, and it’s worked for me for many years. It works for him as well.
I don’t have a beauty routine, perfume, or make-up. I can’t do make up anymore because I look like a clown with it on (I guess coming of age in the 1980’s with the blue eye shadow and big hair gave me a skewed vision of what make up should be 😉 ). I use shampoo& conditioner(whatever is on sale and doesn’t smell strong) and Dove sensitive skin soap. I moisturize my hands occasionally in the winter with target brand unscented intensive moisturizer. I get a hair cut about once a year. So I think I’d come in under $200. I also look like I spend no money on beauty treatments, so I guess I get what I pay for!
Just think of all the money you save! You say that you look like you don’t spend money on beauty treatments, and honestly, what’s wrong with that? NOTHING. I am sure you are lovely and exactly as God or the universe intended you. Beauty is a social construct, right???? At least, our current cultural beauty standards.
I do think a LOT of my personal expenses come down to vanity. Vanity or physical comfort. If I were willing to go grey or willing to endure the painful acne or dry skin I would save HUNDREDS of dollars. But I think we all just have different tolerance for different things, and my tolerance for, say, dry lips and hands is VERY LOW 😂
I use Olay body wash in whatever deep, deep moisturizing variety is available. I miss the naturally oily skin of my youth so very profoundly. My big splurge is on THREE kinds of Olay moisturizer, and I use them all at once–night cream (blue jar), regenerist(red jar) and vitamin c + peptides (yellow jar) when I notice my skin getting dull or patchy. Gigi, another blogger, recommended the Falsies Lash Lift mascara, and I use that AFTER I first put on a coat or two of Cover Girl Clump Crusher as a base coat to define my lashes. I normally don’t wear any other makeup and no perfume because I’m so sensitive to scent being a possible migraine trigger.
Ooooh yes, scents can be really tricky. I get that.
Moisturizing products are SO wonderful, aren’t they?
I think $877 is unrealistic for most women; if we counted every single penny on appearance – even for women who don’t wear makeup or color their hair. I know if I were to do this exercise I won’t) my expenses would exceed that amount just by counting those “one off purchases.” You know, the ones where you “heard” about this amazing, new lipstick; so you pick one up (even while knowing full well, in the back of your mind, that it will NOT compare to your favorite. But you do so, because what if this one time it DOES? Note: so far, it never has).
Not that I wear perfume often these days, but I do love Eternity – and have had my current bottle for an eternity and will usually request it as a gift if I am running low – so would that count toward an expense? I’m guessing yes, since we have a joint account. I prefer body wash (lately, I’ve been using baby wash. I feel it is gentler on my old, psoriasis prone skin). My last splurge (which I haven’t received yet) was a light therapy tool that is supposed to help (temporarily) tighten and firm up your face. We can place the blame squarely on Instagram for this one and the fact I had a code that basically gave me half off the original price. Even at half off, I felt ridiculous buying it; but what if it does work? (see above paragraph on how my mind works).
Gigi, please do a report on the light therapy tool! I have seen that on Instagram and been sorely tempted, too!!!!
And I know exactly what you mean about the one-off purchases. I have gotten better about fending them off (or, more likely, I just don’t go into stores as frequently as I used to, so I’m not face to face with temptation) but I am a marketer’s dream and always want to try the latest.
I will let you know how it goes. I suspect it would probably work better on someone younger than me though. We shall see.
I don’t spend much; I rarely wear make-up or just a little and a bit of cheap blush. I don’t do eye make up at all although I do like lipstick sometimes. Oil of Olay is my go to and Old Spice anti-perspirant which I’ve always liked the smell of for some reason. Light Blue is my perfume when I remember to wear it. I do get my hair colored and trimmed once a month and enjoy a mani-pedi about that frequently. Those are my major beautification expenses! 🙂
Love that you wear Old Spice deodorant, Margaret! And yay for monthly mani-pedis!
It sounds like you need all this stuff, Suzanne. What else are you supposed to do? Ignore the advice of your dermatologist? Walk around with cracking lips and heels? It sounds like you’re very conservative with the products you have and use them for a long time. All power to you!
I love pampering (massages, fitness apps, facials, aromatherapy) and have never felt self conscious about being high-maintenance that way. I feel I do it for myself rather than to appear or present in a certain way.
LOL – thanks, Maya!
Self-care seems to have a such a different flavor to me than “high maintenance,” but I feel like we’re taught somehow to see things in that light? I don’t know. Massages and facials etc seem like reasonable things to do for your physical and mental well being!
Wow, very interesting!!
What is your most expensive body care category?
Korean sauna visits ($45 per day) I don’t go that often but I’m glad I started going this year. Also, face creams- from Sephora, this one with squalene (sp?) is $60 but I love it.
What’s the last beauty splurge you made and would you do it again? Sauna visit! With foot reflexology massage- would absolutely do it again.
Ooooh I have been meaning to try a foot reflexology massage! Sounds fantastic.
I have to echo the first commenter who said she doesn’t spend much money on beauty treatments, and probably looks like it! My biggest expenses are my thyroid meds (which is around $50 per month, grr), a bone health supplement that costs $75 a month (again, grr) and then my contacts. That costs fluctuates depending on whether or not I have a coupon, but they’re dailies so they’re not cheap. And these are just things to keep me going and not completely falling apart. “Beauty”-wise I’m pretty minimalistic- my biggest expense is probably Native deodorant, which is pricey but I love the scents.
How is the sulphur face wash working for you?
I think the face wash helps??? My face isn’t perfect, but I do see a difference when I use the face wash. And when I take a break from it, and inevitably break out, it seems to calm the breakout down pretty quickly.
I am too lazy to put together a detailed summary like this! I think I probably spend a similar amount to you, though. I don’t wear much make-up so I have to buy new make-up every 3 years or so it seems. It’s tricky to know where to draw the line on things. I wouldn’t include contacts since they are medically necessary. As are all of my medical appointments, prescriptions, etc. If I included that my number would increase substantially.
You did influence me to buy that foot cream, though! My feet are in terrible shape. I have high arches so have terrible calluses. Yeesh. Maybe that cream can help.
My most expensive category is hair care but I only get my hair cut/colored about 2-3 times/year! But it’s probably $200 each time!
I hope you love the foot cream! Your feet sound a lot like mine. I also tend to get a lot of blisters and then the skin cracks. Yuck. But the foot cream definitely helps!
I was RIVETED by this. I didn’t even think about adding up the costs of my very expensive deodorant. *sigh* My number keeps going up and up and now I’m clearly over $2000 a year. Does it help if I say I think your number is low? I think your hair cut and color, in particular, are pretty amazing prices.
I think my biggest expense is probably hair. I get cuts every eight weeks and spend big on shampoo and products. Although I’m also a bit of a skincare product addict. Ugh. In 2024, I’m going to track things diligently and update that post!
I felt comforted to know that there is a decent sized chunk of money that I could save if I needed to, for some reason. Like, I don’t WANT to give up cutting/coloring my hair, but if we had a financial emergency I could do it in a heartbeat and it would make a difference. Is that a weird way to look at it??? I am always fretting about a financial emergency and how we would drastically slash expenses, and for some reason I feel like you will understand this impulse.
I do not have the bandwidth right now to tally everything of mine up, but I did want to comment and say thanks for sharing! I was utterly fascinated with both this and the one NGS did, and the comments on both posts.
Hit Reply too soon lol. To continue, I feel like it’s really rare to see actual dollar amounts like this and that’s totally part of what makes it all so interesting to me. One person’s ‘expensive’ shampoo is another person’s ‘cheap’ and you never really know which applies but knowing actual monetary costs makes it much easier to compare and contrast with my own life.
YES. I love seeing actual dollar amounts!!!! I am thinking about whether I should/will do a grocery shopping post, because I think that could be illuminating/interesting to read. I love looking at what people in line ahead of me at the checkout are buying. Also, I am NOT a good budget shopper, so maybe it would make others feel good about their own spending!
I would love to read a grocery shopping post!!
I can’t get enough of these posts! I’ve been reflecting on Engie’s post and I’ve decided that the $877 average has to be bull. There’s no way.
I’m just going to give a shoutout to the ice roller that I see with your lotions. I’ve gotten out of the habit of using mine and I really need to bring it back.
Once upon a time I used a Tresemme 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner that was as cheap as dirt but it really worked. And then they changed the formula and it didn’t work anymore…sob…but at least I got many years of very cheap shampoo in.
Yesssss the ice roller is magic. Of course, it is in my drawer and not in the freezer where it should be, so I need to address that.
So, I was curious enough to dig a little and I still have *no* idea where that $877 figure comes from. If you add up all of the ‘average spending’ in each category from the “How much Americans spend on average when it comes to their looks” chart, the total average spend for women is $1,644- a very very different number!
https://www.advdermatology.com/blog/how-much-americans-spend-on-their-looks-study/
Ooooh!!!! Fascinating, Kate! Thanks for digging!
I find these posts fascinating. I’m cheating and copy and pasting my reply to NGS’ post.
Hair – I get my hair cut 1.5 times a year (I know that’s not possible, but I generally get my hair cut 3 times in a 2-year span). It’s about $45 each time with the tip. So in a typical year I would spend about $90 on haircuts.
This year was an anomaly because I had a keratin treatment – but the $249 included a wash, cut, dry, style and the keratin and that’s my only haircut in 2023!
Shampoo: $75 a year? Hard to know because we all use the same shampoo, so that $75 would be covering four people. I’d say $40 of that is likely used by me?
Hair products. I spent $2.99 on a new bottle of mousse this month. Everything else is at LEAST 3 years old that’s in my hair-care drawer.
Skin: This year? One bottle of Cerave with sunscreen. $15. I use coconut oil to remove makeup and moisturize and I’m still using the $10 bottle of organic stuff I bought last year.
Deodrant – $10-15/year? I also use coconut oil to moisturize my skin, and I have a giant bottle of lotion I’ve owned for AT LEAST 5 years (this is not a good thing, it means I do not moisturize my skin nearly enough).
Makeup:
I use water, coconut oil, and microfiber makeup remover clothes to wash my face. That’s it. I spend about $10 in buying new reusable makeup remover clothes once a year.
Foundation sticks – 2x$10 = $20
Lipstick (which I use as blush) – $3.50
Eye shadow/eye liner – $10/year
Mascara – 3x$12 = $34
Shower:
We all use the same soap and body wash so it’s hard to distinguish who’s spending what. Total for our family I’d say we spend about $50 on these things? We typically use whatever bar soap is on sale and soap seems to last…quite a while (longer than body wash). I likely use $20 of that?
I shave my legs with bar soap, and buy my razors at the DollarStore. $3 of razors for the year?
Fitness Classes: Zero
What is your most expensive body care category? Hair, I guess? But that’s just the cost of cuts, since I don’t colour my hair. I’m not sure if I’ll do a keratin treatment again.
What perfume do you wear? Perfume gives me headaches so I never wear it which makes me sad because I LOVE perfume, it just doesn’t like me.
Do you prefer bar soap or body wash? BAR SOAP. 100%
What’s the last beauty splurge you made and would you do it again? My keratin treatment. It was $249 (including tip) for the relaxing treatment, wash, cut, and dry…but I don’t know if I’ll do it again. It has helped my hair, but not so much that I notice a huge difference? I think I’ll likely do it once more and then make a final decision.
I feel like a did a keratin treatment a good number of years ago and had much the same reaction. And honestly can’t remember if I even did one, so that’s not a great sign!
I need to tabulate this myself because I know I spend $500 a year on hair alone. But tbh I think most of these things are necessary and ought to be counted as groceries, like shampoo and razors.
I tend to agree! Shampoo and razors, definitely.
My total is probably about $300-$400 a year and that included two running races that cost me $100 each. I think that would be my highest category; I do not go to the gym, but I do run races that are often $100-$150 per race. If you start to count running shoes and bikes and other sports equipment, my number goes up a lot, but I don’t think that should be part of it.
Otherwise I basically only wear mascara, get my hair cut once per year at the beauty college or do it myself, and don’t go through a lot of lotion or shampoo. I do use a lot of sunscreen!
You really have streamlined your routine!
Haha. Suzanne, most people would probably call me plain, but I am totally okay with that!
I spend more than twice this amount. FREAKING PATRIARCHY.
SERIOUSLY.
Oh, what an interesting subject — great post! I find the average seem awfully low considering it seems to include a lot of categories! I wonder if they had all the categories/items listed and people indicated the dollar expenditure for each. Mine is a lot higher if I consider gym memberships — but if asked about my beauty/appearance regimen, I won’t count gym membership because I don’t consider it a beauty/appearance item but a health/wellness item; the same with massages. So my total would be a lot lower. My gym membership alone is way above this average. I splurge on skincare/lotion occasionally but I also buy drugstore (like Olay and Ordinary) items. I don’t wear a lot of makeup so the cost of my skincare/lotion and makeup is probably on-par with the average.
Very fun post and comments!
So interesting! I have very fussy skin that won’t tolerate much makeup or beauty products. I love the Cerave night lotion, and I wear it during the day too. I pretty much use sensitive skin and unscented products. Boring!! I haven’t tallied up my yearly beauty expenses, but a lot of it would go to wasted products that I couldn’t use. So frustrating!
I have so many of those wasted products too. So frustrating!
There is no way in Hell I will ever post my expenditures on my blog, it is horrific. We can start with the hair. My cut/color combo costs a little over $300. I supplement that with a box of root touch up in between to make it last longer. The skin care is also spendy. I keep hoping something will make my wrinkles less horrible. Serums, moisturizer, etc. I did a LOT of tanning in the 80s. And my skin is pretty uneven, so I need makeup. Blah. NO WAY I am totaling that up for myself, talk about for anyone else.
Like you, I find theses types of things very interesting. We all have our ‘ways’ and ‘needs’.
I need to try the Working Hands lotion, I already love the one for feet.
I spend way too much on personal care. My cut/color is every six weeks and it’s around $200 with tip.
I wish that I could get away without foundation. That is what I need most as my skin tone to me is splotchy and I can’t handle it.
I love both Cereve and Cetaphil.
Fascinating! I am going to do my own version of this post soon, and I’m terrified to find out how much money I spend on a yearly basis. I think my most expensive category is either skincare or my hair appointments. And hey – we use the same shampoo/conditioner! I always want to buy the fancy products from my hair salon but I just can’t stomach the price.
This was so interesting to read (and Engie’s post too) and now I am super-intrigued to find out how much I spent every year. I feel like I don’t spend a lot of money on beauty items, but probably more than I think? Sometimes I feel compelled to “invest” and really buy high quality expensive items that will hopefully benefit me in some way, and then again, I cheap and go for the drugstore stuff when it comes to makeup. I need to tally things up and find out.
Ok now this is so interesting.
Honestly I am a bit surprised about the final amount. But then I really have no idea if I not end up in the same range. I would say I am very low maintenance but who knows. I am really considering tracking it this year now just to know.
I haven’t been at the hairdresser since 2022 where I spend close to 300€ for cutting and dying. Not worth doing that every six month or so. But let’s be honest it is time I get a decent hair cut again. Sigh.
this is so interesting and comprehensive! I used to buy “expensive” skincare but never really found the useful. I had acne bouts for quite sometime so I finally went to dermatologist last august. she gave me prescribed creams with active ingredients, and since then my skin cleared up and I use very little products! I should post about it, it’s life changing.
I don’t pay gym membership as I have an amazing one in our building, I did pay 50 to buy a 12 weeks program for strength training so I don’t; need to follow YouTube videos which I find entertaining but mostly cardio instead of heavy weights.
I should start writing down expenses in this category so maybe I can do a similar post in 2024 🙂