How much do you spend on cosmetics and/or skin care per year?

[Anonymous]

About to splurge on some Nars products, and was wondering how much other women spend per year on cosmetics and/or skin care?

I am guessing that I spend about $300/year for make-up (lipstick, foundation/concealer, blush, etc.), facial cleansers and lotions, etc.

[Anonymous]

My biz actually works with some of these stats. Studies have found that women routinely underestimate their makeup and clothing expenditures by over 60%!

$300 per year is awfully low.........That's $25 per month - could even be the equivalent of 1 drugstore product. I know I spend more than $300 per month on my products.

[Anonymous]

I'd estimate less than $300 per year, probably under $250 most years. I only buy soap, moisturizer, foundation and eyeliner routinely. I buy powder once a year on average. I rarely use anything else. It is just brow pencil and sunscreen/moisturizer combo most days. I'll go buy some shadows every other year.

Soap $50 (2.5 @ $19e)
Moisturizer $30
Foundation $45
Powder $25
Brow/eyeliner $75

Shadows are roughly $20-$30 each. The only thing I don't buy at Clinique or Lancome is the sunscreen/moisturizer. I get that at Target.

[Anonymous]

$2500 because skin care includes fancy skin products as well as trips to the day spa for facials, etc. I consider it an investment -- looking youthful will help me at work.

[Anonymous]

I spend about $150 every 3 months or so....so $600.

That's a mix of drug store stuff like Cetaphil and Neutrogena tinted moisturizer, as well as a few higher-end cosmetics like Kiehls mascara and Clarins eye cream. I'm pretty low maintenance on products, but my skin does look pretty good. I just bought a more expensive eye cream that's better than just a simple moisturizer because I'm starting to get some fine lines. I expect my spending will start going up pretty soon as there's more to "correct."

[Anonymous]

I think I spend about 250 every 3 months or so.

Having said that, I put a lot more money into skin care than I do into cosmetics. In fact, the better you are at caring for your skin, the fewer cosmetics you need. The bulk of my money goes to the MD Forte cleansers and Tri-Luma; I also like to use Kinerase's C8 Peptide Treatment in the morning, but since it's results are anecdotal rather than proven, I sometimes skip it.

If you have good skin, you don't need much make-up. I once asked a friend who I thought had great looking skin what kind of foundation she used. At the time I assumed that a good foundation made her skin look better. Her response: I don't wear foundation[i].

Splurging on NARS products certainly resonates with me -- but again, it shouldn't cost very much. I have two of their blushes; three of their duo shadows; two of their lip lacquers, and about three of their glosses. Of these things, the only products that hasn't lasted me years are the glosses -- and I honestly don't think their glosses are any better than Neutrogena's. I've been using the same two blushes for about 3 years and I haven't even scratched the surface of them. Same with the eye shadows.

What people say about having to throw away your cosmetics after a certain time period is just not true. Not for anything powder. Not for foundation. Only for mascara and eye liner. In my opinion, spending more than a few bucks on drug store mascara and/or eyeliner just doesn't make any sense (or cents). And if you're skin is in good shape, you don't need to spend a lot of money on foundation, either. A tinted moisturizer will probably do you better. For day, I like the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer and Bare Essentuals Mineral Veil. At night, I may use the Sue Devitt foundation I've had for years, or a tinted moisturizer without sunscreen. Because even though sunscreen is imperative during the day, you don't want it on you at night. It does clog pores a bit -- and why put something on your skin that doesn't need to be there? Generally, the less you have on top of your skin, the better.

[Anonymous]

Whoops. Almost forgot. Meant to say the MD Forte cleansers and Rejuvenation Lotion.

[Anonymous]

I was going to say $250/year, but just adding up my basic moisterizers, skin cleaners, syrums, and sunscreen brings me close to $400 (and I use a lot of Olay stuff, so not super expensive). I rarely buy makeup - I'll by something from Clinique once or twice a year and get their freebees.