Ah… makeup – a special category in the budget for us ladies. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I am not immune to the shiny cases, pretty colors, and promise of one-upping Mother Nature that cosmetics companies offer. Fortunately, I use my Sephora gift cards (received through credit card points) to offset the cost of my products.
Here’s an estimate of how much my makeup costs (per year):
- 3 to 4 foundations / powders: $30*4 = $120, although now that I have discovered Jane’s $6 the sheer-foundation-that-could, I hope I can save a bit on this regard.
- 4-5 lipsticks and lip glosses: $6*5 = $30, I usually buy drugstore lip products, but have splurged for a $14 Clinique lipstick seen in What’s In My Bag.
- makeup brushes: $80 for foundation brush, kabuki brush, eyebrow angled brush, lip brush – these costs do not reoccur annually. I’d say amortized over a year, it’d be around $30 per year.
- eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, brow powder: $50, usually includes a brow powder, 2 mascaras (which I never finish), and a couple of eyeliners (which I also never finish).
- perfume: $0. I have never actually purchased perfume for myself. Right now I wear Marc Jacobs, a gift from CB for our 6th anniversary. When I order from Sephora, I always select little vials of scents for my samples, so I have quite a collection of tiny perfumes.
- Total: ~$230 per year (80%-90% covered by my Sephora cards).
- This is only the cost of makeup. Skincare is not included.
How much do you spend on makeup per year?
Note: Carnival of Personal Finance #231 is up at M is For Money. Please visit!
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wow – I have no idea how much I spend.. I would lump this in with my groceries/personal care category.
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My makeup budget is pretty much nonexistent. I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis; I probably spend $30 a year on my sunscreen/moisturizer though That’s a rough guess, and honestly, it’s probably less. I DO spend around $100 a year on body products (scrubs, lotion, etc.) though. But yeah, this year I bought 1 new mascara ($6?) and 1 new pressed powder ($6? hadn’t bought in YEARS). I just don’t wear makeup all that often, and I certainly don’t replace it as often as you’re “supposed” to.
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For a few years I was a very active member of makeupalley.com and spent hundreds, maybe even thousands a year then. I haven't been as active of a member there for 3 or 4 years now (and I've especially avoided the makeup board for those years) but I've got a lifetime supply of makeup so my yearly budget is well under $100 now. A new mascara as needed and maybe one or two really exciting new items.
I know what you mean about makeupalley.com. Now I stay away…
I usually lump mine into personal care as well because I buy so little. That being said, I recently started a new job and treated myself to a bunch of Bare Escentuals and am officially addicted. I have no idea how long what I bought will last, but here's what I bought:
- Starter kit – came with three brushes, two foundations, a "glee" highlight, a "warmth highlight" and mineral veil
- Two eyeshadows
- Eyeliner "brush" – I mix a drop of water and some of the darker shadow, and "paint" it on
The total was about $140, but $100 of that was covered by my Shoppers Optimum points. I had been saving them for this purchase.
For lip colour, I use a gloss from Aveda. I've bought two in the last 2 years I think. They're about $10 each.
Now that I'm addicted to the Bare Escentuals stuff, I might have to actually budget in make up – but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now I think what I have will probably last at least a year, as it expires in in 2011 or 2013 or something, and I don't wear it everyday.
Other than that, I use Burts Bees Beeswax Lipbalm. I use it constantly and one lasts me about a year as long as I don't lose it. It's a little more expense than Chapstick but definitely worth it to me.
If you like Bare Minerals foundation, try Philosophy mineral make up — the supernatural. I used Bare Minerals for a couple years before finding the Philosophy version and I find that it's better quality and also lasts much longer.
Er.. One tub of bare escentuals has lasted me a year and a half now
It's still 3/4 full
So I am guessing… I only need to buy blush if it runs out within the end of 2010, and mascara.
Maybe new lip balm to replace my Burt's Bees or a lip gloss or something
Basically, whatever I buy, will be for fun and not required. I rarely wear makeup.
That's all.
good to hear that the bare escentuals stuff lasts so long! the girl are shoppers said they would last a long time, but i wasn't sure if she was just giving me a sales pitch.
Truthfully…I haven't a clue how much I spend on make up. I don't wear lipstick. I use Mac brushes that I bought years ago and keep in good condition. I don't really wear eye shadow.
Let's see. My Armani eyeliner – $26. Armani foundation – $60. Clinique mascara – around $15 I think. Oh and Smashbox primer – $42.
And Philosophy Amazing Grace fragrance spray – $15. I buy the travel size and it lasts me months plus fits in my purse.
I use all MAC products and spend about $200/yr because I replace everything (including brushes) annually. I read an article that freaked me out, now I'm a makeup germaphobe. And I run through tubes of my lipglass like water.
If I included skincare, I'd probably double the amount. I can't live without my Rx for Brown Skin from Sephora!
I'm pretty lucky in that I got a lot of makeup for free through work this year, but here's a rough guess:
$40 every 1-2 years – foundation
$20 a year- eyeliner
$20 to 40 a year – lipstick/gloss
Not counting skincare…
I don't wear blush – my skin is already flushed enough, and I can't wear mascara with my glasses because my lashes brush against the lenses whenever I blink. I should probably get some to wear out on special occasions, with my contacts in though!
I’d say I spend between $300 & $400/year on makeup and beauty tools. Working two jobs, I wear makeup almost every single day. I’m not talking just a little mascara and some blush, I usually have to do the whole face – foundation, concealer, powder, eye shadow, eye liner, bronzer, blush and mascara. If I didn’t have to look business professional and both places, then I probably wouldn’t wear so much but it’s important for me to look polished and put together.
For the basics – foundation, concealer, and eye shadow, I stick with department store brands, mostly Bobbi Brown. The price is a little higher than I would like to pay, but the quality and the consistency are unsurpassed and so I just seem to justify giving it up. Merle Norman is the brand I use for powder, there product is great, and the price is affordable as well. For eyeliner, bronzer, and mascara I usually just buy drug store products. These are things that I go through more quickly, and spending a lot of money on them doesn’t seem to make sense to me. Plus, I haven’t encountered much difference between the drug store and the department store brands. I do have one tube of Dior Show Mascara that I wear when I go out or get dressed up, but that’s a rare occurrence, so the tube tends to last a few months. Lip-gloss is something I don’t usually buy myself, but somehow have a ton of. My friends and family tend to give me them as gifts for holidays and birthdays. I’ve also gotten a number of free testers from the different brands I buy makeup from.. It’s nice that I don’t have to factor this one thing into my beauty budget. As far as brushes go, I invested in a high quality MAC set a few years ago, they’ve held up great. I wash them once a week to keep them clean and sanitary and they work like new. I have a few brushes from Sonia Kashuk for Target, which are much less expensive then MAC, and they’ve held up great and lasted as well. I also only use the Shu Uemura eyelash curler. These are a little pricey, but you only have to buy one a year, so it pays itself off pretty fast.
The truth is, at the end of the day, I have fun putting on makeup and looking nice. For me, it’s an important part of looking professional and polished, so I suppose it’s worth the money I spend on it.
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I just spent like 35 bucks on a primer…it makes my makeup look fabulous. I rather not wear makeup without it. However, I feel guilty for spending that much on makeup. It makes a world of difference though.
I hardly spend anything; I have a ton of lipsticks/glosses and eyeshadow sets that I've accumulated over the years, mainly from gifts. Usually whenever I need something (mascara or foundation), I buy it from whichever counter is having a gift that I like that matches my skin tone. Then I use the lipstick/shadows/blush in that gift.
You go through 3-4 foundations/powders a year?? I usually buy foundation once a year and end up having to throw it out because it goes bad before I've used much more than half. I don't wear makeup every day though, especially in summer in TX (it would just sweat right off!).
I don't go through 3-4 foundations, but I *buy* 3-4 foundations because I'm always after The Perfect Foundation. The irony, of course, is that I rarely wear foundation. Most of the time I just swipe on tinted moisturizer and call it a day.