Growing up israd as hell. Yeah, it’s tough, but taking control of my own life gives me moresatisfaction than anything I’ve ever experienced. I’m stoked about what’s stillto come.
One of thebiggest aspects of this is MONEY. Money is wild stuff. Learning how money worksand how to make money work for me have been some of the most fun, challengingand exciting lessons I’ve learned so far in life. Budgets, savings, earnings,taxes, retirement, oh my!
“ButRaaaaaachel, this is boring! What does this have to do with makeup?”
Well, not much!But this is a website about beauty, and at the top of the page there’s a bigbutton that says “BUY STUFF!” I work three jobs, this being one of them, and everysingle one of them is for a company that’s advertiser-supported. So I’m really,really into the idea of people buying stuff, and lots of it.
But I think it’simportant to talk about the ways we spend money on makeup and beauty products.It’s complicated, because everyone has different budgets and priorities, but Ithink we can all agree that no one should be going into debt buying lipsticks.
Yet, I didalmost just that. After graduating college in 2012, I was unemployed for about six months. I spent the majority of my time on my couch bathed in the laptopscreen’s soothing, warm light as I bounced from website to website searchingfor meaning and deals. I just kept buying things to fill the empty, worthless,cheeto-scented void inside of me. In just a few months, I accrued about $3,000in credit card debt.
What did I getout of it? Clothes and makeup I feel very “meh” about. My favorite items I ownare things I wanted for a long time and saved for. Everything I bought on my creditcard during those six months feels like a reminder of the poor spending choicesI made. Sure, I got some baller lipsticks and stuff, but I also got a mountainof debt I was ill-prepared to climb.
Slowly, over thepast year or so, I’ve been working to pay down that credit card debt before iteats me alive. Spending money on credit felt like free money, but it ended upcosting me way more than I could have imagined because I was dumb.
Since then, I’vebeen VERY strict with myself about my budget. I have a very specific beautybudget for each month, and I only allow myself to spend a certain amount ofmoney on it. I do this with every category of my spending, to keep myself inline because I am terrified to go farther into debt.
Budgeting ishard, though. Every time I walk into a store, I’m hit with beautiful images of anew lipstick that I just know will make me feel better than I’ve ever felt.It’s tough to go to Sephora and try things, or buy the one thing I came in for,without spending half my paycheck on pretty, sparkly things.
Beauty productsare awesome but can have such power over us with their claims to change theway we look and, sometimes, feel because of that. I do have some tips forlearning to budget your beauty spending, though.
Track Your Spending
The best wayI’ve learned to do this is through Mint.com. I promise, this article is in noway sponsored by Mint, but that website has improved my life by a TON. (But heyyo, Mint, if you want to sponsor my whole life, I’m down with that. Holla!)
Basically, youlink your bank accounts to your Mint account, and Mint tracks your spending. Thesite will break down the ways you spend your money, via pie charts and othergraphs. You can see if the majority of your budget is going towards gas, shopping,food, or something else.
Seeing thatchart and seeing that I was spending almost half my budget on shopping made meupset. If I had spent half that money on travel, I could have gone so manyplaces! Or, if I had just saved it, I’d be in such a better place financially.Alas, we live and learn. I’m just a single white female addicted to retail.
Define Your Budget
Mint also helpsyou create budgets for every part of your life you spend money on, so you cankeep track of your spending. A couple months ago, I created shopping budgetsfor myself. Mine are VERY strict since I’m paying off debt and savingaggressively right now.
Your budget isobviously up to you and your priorities. I find it helpful to check in withMint a few times a week (they have an app, too!) and make sure I’m stayingwithin my budget. I got a problem with spending before I get it. The sitedoesn’t, like, punish you in any way if you go over, but it does make thatbudget bar turn red and scary to remind you that you have failed.
They also havean option to let budgets “roll over.” So, if I don’t spend ANY of mymakeup/beauty budget this month or next month, I’ll have $90 to spend the monthafter that. It’s a helpful way to save if I’ve got my eye on a big-ticketitem.
They’ll alsohelp remind you when bills and payments are due. It’s helpful for me to seeeverything together, since I have accounts with several different institutionsbetween credit cards, checking, savings and brokerage accounts, and it’s hardto get a big picture of my finances when they’re spread across so many sites.
Obviously, thereare other ways to keep track of your budget. You can do it without the help ofa website, by just writing things down in a checkbook. My boyfriend likes touse spreadsheets to track spending and savings goals. It’s up to you. I highlysuggest Mint, though, as it’s been incredibly helpful for me.
Do Your Research
While there aredefinitely products that work on some people and mysteriously don’t work onothers, there are tons of sources out there for you to read about otherpeople’s experiences with products. There’s LOTS of reviews right here onxoVain!
Know what yourskin is like on all parts of your face, and which kinds of products work bestfor that. The more you know about what works on you, the less likely you are tospend money on things you don’t enjoy.
Also, lots ofmakeup sites, blogs and YouTube channels will be able to tell you aboutproducts that do very similar things, but at different price points.
Think about spendingon makeup the way you view your other spending. For example, I’ve always only useddrugstore moisturizer. I’m aware there are fancier, more expensive moisturizersthat might work better, but they aren’t in my price range, and my drugstoremoisturizer works really well. (Shout out to Clean & Clear!) Similarly,there are apartments nicer than the one I live in, but I can’t afford them, so Ilive in this one. And this one’s great! Maybe one day, I can have a nicerapartment, but not at this point. That’s OK.
Know When to Buy
If you keep upwith brands and stores, it’s not hard to tell when they’ll be having a sale.Big stores like Sephora and Ulta will usually have sales to accompany majorholidays. These are great opportunities to get discounts. Just becausesomething is discounted doesn’t mean it’s automatically a great deal, but ifit’s something you’ve been lusting after but waiting for a sale, go for it. Followyour heart.
Also, keep trackof when brands release new colors and products, because this sometimes meansolder products will go on sale. Sign up for e-mail lists, but be careful notjust get excited and buy things every time you see “Sale!”
Make Your Products Last
All beautyproducts have an expiration date, but companies aren’t required to list them onthe product as if they were milk. I consume way more lipstick than milk,so this is annoying. It’s a very sneaky, shady world and we’re all living in it.
Here’s a basic estimate of how long you should be using your products:
Mascara/Cream Eyeliner: 2-3 months. You’ll know it’s gone bad ifit gets clumpy or starts to smell. Since you use these products on your EYES,make sure they don’t get gross stuff on them or you will go blind and then howwill you do your makeup? Be careful!
Foundation: 6-12 months. Look for any changes in itscolor or texture to know if it's turned. Keep it in a cool, dark place toprevent discoloration.
Lipstick: 2 years. Make sure to periodically cleanyour lipstick, to help keep it free of bacteria that could be sticking aroundbecause your mouth is a disgusting place and you know it.
Powder/Shadow/Blush: These basically last forever. They’llfollow you to your grave. If you clean your brushes religiously, these shouldbe fine unless you notice changes in their consistency or coloring.
Nail Polish: 1-2 years. You can keep them in thefridge to make them last longer, or get a nail polish thinner to mix in with apolish that’s become too thick and goopy to use.
Try to useproducts as long as they’re good. If there’s a new one you want, it willprobably still be around in a few months so long as it’s not a limited edition.
Use Your Brain
You’ve beenexposed to advertisements your whole life, so by now you know better than tobelieve everything they tell you. We’re all smart, competent people, so don’tlet anyone take advantage of you!
I know a lot ofus adore beauty products, and buying things is definitely a lot of fun, but becareful with your money. Growing up is hard, and financial planning is hard,but I get the idea it’s totally worth it. Also, if you think of saving as agame, it’s way fun. I like to challenge myself each month to save more than Idid the month before. In that way, I can put my competitive personality to gooduse instead of just torturing my younger sister and alienating my friends, likeI usually do!
Do you guys havemonthly budgets for beauty products, and how do you stick to them? Are youalready great at saving money and thinking about what a no-brainer this articleis? Let’s talk money in the comments.