I have often been referred to as high maintenance because of the way I look – how I dress, do my hair, make up etc. It is assumed I spend a lot on my looks. I don’t. Here is what I do, from top to toe and approximate costing, including exact products.
Hair:
I colour my own hair. As a blonde I used 20vol peroxide mixed with bleach powder and put it straight on my roots for 30 minutes. I do NOT recommend everyone going out and bleaching their hair. So much can go wrong, but there are good brands of supermarket colours, which if used correctly can be really great. For blondes, I find them too yellow though. If you want a big colour change, get a hairdresser to do it, then on the day it is done, go to the supermarket and colour match it to a box there. Write the colour down, so when you want to touch up your roots, you can.
I toned my hair with fudge Blueberry Hill and conditioner or a treatment. I use about 2 – 3mm of the colour mixed with a tablespoon or two of conditioner or treatment. I mix it together, comb it through my hair and leave it for 2 minutes. If I am doing a treatment I use more treatment, less colour and leave it on my hair for longer. This stopped my blonde being too yellow.
I shampoo my hair with Redken All Soft or Joico because I can buy it from the USA for very cheap when I go over and it has been my favourite since I started hairdressing in 2001. Check hairdressing suppliers (not places in the shopping centres, but real warehouses) for cheap products. Keep your eye out for discount baskets at hairdressers and never pay full price for salon products.
For treatments I use anything I pick up cheaply, heavily reduced or simple natural oils such as coconut or olive. I keep a treatment for when I want to deeply tone my hair, but 1 bottle lasts me the whole year.
Dandruff – if I get a dry scalp I use a homemade olive oil scrub (see below) directly on my scalp and leave it for a bit. I have also found vinegar to be a good final rinse on my hair and scalp, helping balance the ph. The biggest effect is diet though.
Hair cuts: I cut my hair myself. I paid $30 for my scissors and they last me years.
Styling: I blow dry and style my hair myself. I use Redken Antisnap because I bleach my hair, a heat protecting spray (depends on what is on sale) and anti frizz. I buy them in the USA when I go usually. My hairdryer I have had for 6 years now and my straightening irons last on average 2 years.
Total annual cost for my hair: $171.37
Bleach $4.95 for a bag that lasts me 2 years.
$9.95 for peroxide that lasts at least a year
$70 or less on shampoo, conditioner and a treatment for the year.
$16.95 for Fudge which will last me 10 years I use so little. (I measured it and have had it 1 year.)
Other hair products $40
Hairdryer, brush and straightening iron: $47 a year.
Also, with my hair products, I have a few clients I still do and I use the same products for them, which earns me more than any of the above costs, effectively cancelling out the cost of my hair.
Face
Facials: I try to give myself regular facials, but I do get lazy with them. A facial is simply a matter of cleanse, scrub, mask, tone, eye cream/specific treatment creams, moisturizer.
I’ll list my skincare below, but basically my facial steps are:
- Cleanse with a cleanser, usually one I got for free, but my preference is Clinique
- Use a light scrub as the skin on the face is thinner. I just mix a little castor sugar or finely ground nuts into my usual cleanser unless I have been given a scrub or have samples.
- Mashed fruit, whisked eggs, all natural products from my pantry are used as face masks generally, unless I have samples or was given products. There are so many masks out there for different purposes depending on your skin issues, I see no reason to buy specific face masks.
- Toner – you can use witch hazel or some people skip toning altogether.
- I have a few eye cream samples I have been given that I use. If I feel my skin needs extra attention I might use tea tree oil or lemon juice for any break outs or samples of skin specific treatments I pick up from beauty salons, Myer etc.
- Moisturise – again I use samples mostly, or Clinique Dramatically Different. I did use coconut oil for some time but my face didn’t like it.
Total cost for my skin regime: $220
Clinique skincare: $200 a year, often less than this
Coconut oil (which is also great for treating hair, dandruff, split ends, cracked heels etc..) $20 lasts me over a year.
Make up
Most days I just use these – BB cream, powder, eyeliner and mascara
I occasionally use foundation, concealor, lip liner, eye shadow, bronzer, blush, lipstick, lip gloss, an anti red solution cream and lip or eye lash plumpers as well. Not all at the same time, but these are what are in my make up basket.
I spend $100 a year when I go to the USA on make up, the rest I get as free samples. I don’t always use everything I buy, in fact I often resell some things for a profit, but will leave the price as $100.
Total cost on make up: $100
L’oreal foundation or Garnier BB Cream, Maybelline or Clinique mascara, Clinique eyeshadows, Mirenesse power and concealor, the rest is Clinique as well.
Nails
Manicures are a must. I now schedule time every week to tidy my nails. I don’t always polish them, but always file and buff so they look neat and do a cuticle treatment regularly.
Pedicures are another thing that I make sure I do. I am prone to cracked heels and dry feet if I neglect my feet. They’re easy to do once you have what you need.
False nails I don’t do. My sister had to have surgery as a result of acrylic nails. After that, never again will I have them. Instead I prefer to strengthen my own nails and take care of them. I have used the stick on ones a couple of times though for special occasions.
Total cost of nails: $10 if that
The nail kits I put together and buy last years, I only buy 1 nail polish a year because I don’t wear it all the time and my topcoat is about 3 years old.
Body
Body scrub – Mix 3 parts olive or coconut oil to 1 part sugar. Coconut oil goes hard, so is not a great idea in cold climates. Mine is just a cup where I mix the olive oil and sugar together. It sits on a shelf in my shower with a mini spatula I use to scoop out what I need.
Moisturiser – I use organic coconut oil or any samples I get given. Coconut oil has been the most effective, but not everyone likes to smell like coconut.
Waxing I do myself mostly, although I did give laser a go, the results were mixed and I prefer waxing.
Fake tan is something I have only started using and still don’t use a lot. I love L’oreal Sublime Bronze. My first and second bottle were free and because I don’t use them all the time they are lasting me a few months.
Total Body Cost: $478
I am hazarding a guess here that the fake tan might cost me that much if I continue it for the year at the rate of which I use it. The coconut oil was already included above. The waxing used to be $35 a month for the one thing I paid to get done, plus $25 for 3 years for the tub, spatulas and calico to do the rest myself.
Miscellaneous items
I do like lip balms, I am a sucker for nice smelling things and occasionally splash out on a new product I want to try, but rarely buy them. My perfume is only $50 a year.
Total miscellaneous: $100
This is the maximum I allow for miscellaneous beauty products. I will be very clear though, I often get a lot of my beauty products for free. I can’t remember the last time I actually paid for perfume, but I know it would cost me $50 a bottle for the ones I like (from the USA).
TOTAL ANNUAL COST: $1079.37
Having worked in the industry I can tell you if I was to go to a salon and pay full price for everything listed above the total would be $12,000. TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!
I guess if I didn’t DIY I would be high maintenance. What do you DIY or how do you cut down on beauty expenses?