“WHO’S GOING TO spend $50 on a blowout?”
That was Jessica Richards’ reaction in 2005 when her neighbor in New York’s West Village opened a salon that offered only blow-drying and styling—then an utterly novel concept. Ms. Richards, an ex-Vogue editor who owns Shen Beauty, a boutique-cum-spa in Brooklyn, is no longer so incredulous. “Now I go into a meeting,” she said, “and I’m the only one in there without a blowout.”
Blow-dry bars across the country are an indispensable part of many women’s lives in 2016, and that’s hardly the only difference between then and now. Over the last decade, the beauty landscape has grown considerably more crowded with new, wallet-taxing options like 15-minute laser facials, eyelash extensions and apps that can book you a manicure on your own sofa. When you visit the dermatologist, any number of jowl-tightening, saddlebag-zapping treatments are available right there in the office, at a few thousand dollars a pop. And thanks to the Kardashians, even those of us who don’t work in show business are familiar with the complex stage- makeup art of contouring. Those palettes of foundation add up.
That’s not to imply there’s a conspiracy to make women overspend in the pursuit of physical perfection. Some of the above can be quite helpful and convenient for women who need and want to look good. But there is quite a bit to parse in terms of what’s worth the money and what’s not.
“I think people are confused because they’re told so many different things in so many different places,” said Shen’s Ms. Richards. Certainly one way to cut through the noise and to avoid spiraling beauty expenditures is to ask a professional you feel you can trust. To encourage candor in her salespeople, Ms. Richards doesn’t pay them by commission. Her own top recommendations are Antonia Burrell’s Cream Supreme Moisturizer for $115—“the best anti-acne product on the market in the most hideous packaging”—as well as LED light therapy, which involves a board (for the face) or a bed (for the body) of infrared lights that are meant to tighten the skin and kill the bacteria that cause acne.
New York-based facialist
Joanna Vargas
has also developed a reputation for a skeptical, no-nonsense approach to new procedures. “One of the reasons people come here is that I’m known for vetting technologies,” said Ms. Vargas. “If you ask me whether you should do [nonsurgical face-lifts] Thermage or Ultherapy, I’m going to give you an honest answer.” (The answers vary by client.) She will also be truthful with clients she feels are doing the wrong thing, like a 29-year-old woman she saw a couple of years ago who was frequently getting pricey and harsh chemical peels from her dermatologist. “She was a beautiful girl who worked in finance and made a lot of money,” recalled Ms. Vargas. “But her skin felt like scar tissue from all the peeling.” In terms of effectiveness, one of Ms. Vargas’s near-universal recommendations is also LED light therapy. “It’s appropriate no matter your age or skin type,” she said. “It will keep your elasticity over time.” And since it doesn’t require an esthetician to administer, it’s not exorbitant—$150 for 20 minutes.
Though services are typically more expensive than products, product junkies know that little purchases add up over time. They might look into a new service called “The Makeup Refresher,” launching January 11, from GlamSquad, the on-demand beauty app that lets you book private hair stylists and makeup artists. For $135, a makeup artist will sift through and streamline your products, tossing those that are old or don’t suit you. “We don’t sell anything, so it’s a very different experience than if you’re at a department store makeup counter,” said CEO
Alexandra Wilkis Wilson.
‘My regime has been through years of trial and error. This is where I am.’
It can also be enlightening to ask other women how they allot their beauty budgets. Take fashion designer duo and sisters-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard. While Ms. Swanson Beard swears by the restorative properties of lymphatic drainage massage ($60-100) and the effectiveness of Georgia Louise facials ($650), Ms. Miele Beard doesn’t partake in either, relying instead on a couple of well-chosen face products (Dr. Perry’s CleanThyme cleansing bar, $45 for a pack of 3, and NightThyme serum, $65.) Her priority is ensuring that her makeup application—a mix of Tom Ford, Dior and CoverGirl—is flawless each morning. “In New York, you never know who you’re going to see. I’m only high-maintenance in that [regard],” she said.
The exact price of someone’s beauty regime is a very personal piece of information. But, as style and beauty expert Mary Alice Stephenson pointed out, we’re in an era when women are more prone to share such things. Ms. Stephenson, founder of Glam4Good, an organization that provides make-overs for women in need of a boost, from veterans to breast-cancer survivors, is refreshingly transparent—and a believer that money spent on beauty isn’t frivolous. “I’ve seen how beauty empowers and self-esteem brings joy,” she said.
We asked Ms. Stephenson and three others to tally the big-ticket expenditures they make over the course of a year. The process was eye-opening, but all stood by their choices. “I’m sure there are people who do a quarter of what I do, and I’m sure others do more,” said jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher. “But [my regime] has been through years of trial and error. This is where I am, and I’m not apologizing.”
ENLARGE
Annual Outlay
Hair color with Serge Normant $300 x 10 a year = $3,000
Facial at Shen Beauty $98 x 10 a year = $980*
Custom peel at Shen Beauty $105 x 8 a year = $840*
Tracie Martyn facial $315 x 4 a year = $1,260*
Shen Beauty LED Light Treatment $56 x 8 a year = $448*
Brazilian wax $65 x 8 a year = $520
Green juices $24 a week = $1,248
Holistic doctor and intravenous vitamin therapy $500 x 4 a year = $2,000
Energy healing $150 x 4 a year = = $600*
Directional non-force chiropractor $105 x 2 a year = $210
Bikram yoga One year unlimited = $999.20*
Make-up artist/hair stylist (one person) $250 x 25 sessions a year = $6,250
The Infinity daily meditation call $25 a month = $300
Jiva-Apoha oils for face and body Year’s supply = $840*
Joshua Scott Onysko Custom Serum $150 x 6 a year = $900
TOTAL $20,395.20
*Ms. Stephenson receives industry discounts ranging from 20% to 50% on certain products and services. Figures marked with an asterisk do not reflect standard prices available to the public.
The Observations
What do you think other people see as indulgent but you deem necessary? “Before I have to do events or speak somewhere—anytime I need to look my best—I’ll go to Shen Beauty in Brooklyn for a facial. I might get three in one week. Like in December, I was presenting for L’Oréal Women of Worth, I was hosting a big luncheon and I was going to the White House so I was there three times in the same week. But my skin looks better than it ever has.”
What did you formerly do that you realized wasn’t worth the money? “In my 30s, I spent a lot on injections. I tried it all—Juvederm, Botox. That was all through a dermatologist and it was thousands of dollars. Now I might spend the same amount but I do my antiaging in a more holistic way.”
ENLARGE
Annual Outlay
Manicure and pedicure $43 a month x 12 a year = $516
Haircut and color $300 x 4 a year = $1,200
Massage $165 x 12 a year = $1,980
Reflexology $175 x 12 a year = $2,100
Chiropractor or acupuncturist $75 a visit x 6 a year = $450
Facial $125 x 6 a year = $750
Dermatologist for Botox and B-12 Shots $1,000 x 3 a year = $3,000
Yoga, cardio, barre or weight training About $75 a week = $3,900
IPL peel $750 for a biannual visit = $375
Ultherapy on chin and jawline = $3,000
Crème de la Mer $310 x 2 = $620
SkinCeuticals Vitamin C Serum + Retin A $200 x 3 a year = $600
TOTAL $18,491
The Observations
If you had to cut $2,000 from your budget, what would it be? “I would do either reflexology or massage each month, not both. To have two a month is kind of a luxury.”
What are the biggest splurges that you think are necessary? “My dermatologist, Dr. Suzanne Trott. I get Botox in my neckline and bunny lines [the top of the bridge of the nose]. It doesn’t really change your face. I’m an actress, and I can’t freeze my face like some of the superstars do. And buying Crème de la Mer. It’s expensive but my other products aren’t. For body, I use whatever brand is organic at the drugstore.”
ENLARGE
Annual Outlay
Hair color at Marie Robinson Salon $300 x 12 a year = $3,600
Haircut at Marie Robinson Salon $250 x 4 a year = $1,000
Joanna Vargas facial $550 x 4 a year = $2,200
Eyebrow shaping at Robert Sweet William $80 x 6 a year = $480
Blow-dry $60 x 45 a year = $2,700
Intravenous vitamin therapy $200 x 12 a year = $2,400
Hair vitamins $250 a year = $250
Ultherapy One treatment = Starts at $3,500
Eyelash extensions $120 x 12 a year = $1,440
Tracy Anderson workout livestream $90 unlimited for 3 months = $360
Oribe shampoo and conditioner $100 x 5 a year = $500
Manicure and pedicure $80 a month = $960
TOTAL $19,390
The Observations
If you had to cut $2,000, what would you lose? “I would automatically cut the blowouts. But I also think it’s not necessarily about cutting stuff entirely but about making things stretch. Could my pedicure last three weeks instead of two? I think if you don’t schedule the follow-up right away, that’s a good way to save money—because you could probably stretch it another two to three weeks and not know the difference.”
What do you think other people see as an indulgence but you consider worth it? “The eyelash extensions feel a bit frivolous but save me time. I’m a working mom; I’ve got two kids. I get them out of the house by myself in the morning. Not having to put on eye makeup—or remove it—cuts so much time out of my regime.”
ENLARGE
Annual Outlay
Manicure and pedicure $60 x 18 a year = $1,080
Haircut and color $400 x 2 a year = $800
Blow-out $50 x 6 a year = $300
Facial (either at the Four Seasons in London or Arcona in Santa Monica) $200 x 4 a year = $800
Massage $150 x 4 a year = $600
Vi chemical peel at the dermatologist $500 x 2 a year = $1,000
Leg and eyebrow waxing $50 x 6 a year = $300
Beauty products (includes Kiehl’s shampoo and conditioner, Oribe Styling Gel,
Jan Marini
Face serums, Eve Lom masks among many others) = $2,000
Gym membership $180 a month = $2,160
Pilates $60 a month = $720
TOTAL $9,760
The Observations
What surprised you about writing your budget down? “A $50 product here, a $100 product there, a massage—when you look at it together, it’s a big amount. But I have to spend money on grooming because I’m in meetings with senior management who are generally men. If you come in sloppy, people notice.”
What’s your biggest indulgence? “Probably my skin care products. I love to experiment and I read a ton of beauty articles about what good products are, so I’m always buying stuff.”
If you had to cut $2,000 from your budget, what would you lose? “It would probably come out of my massages and facials. And I’ve been trying to buy fewer products so that would probably help. I would never cut the gym, Pilates, the dermatologist, manicures, pedicures, haircuts or wax and brows. Things would be scary without them.”
Corrections Amplifications
Mary Alice Stephenson’s annual beauty expenditures are $20,395. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the total was $35,897. (Jan. 8, 2016)
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