How much do you spend on beauty products? Via Shutterstock.
For a long part of my life I was a HUGE tomboy so I never spent a penny on beauty products. That all changed when I went to college and my sisters got more into different makeup techniques. They always looked so great (especially in pictures!) that I became curious. I was lucky enough to have them teach me all their hair and makeup tricks. That’s why I was so eager to help when my boyfriend’s sister told me she really wished she had a makeup and hair routine for work. Unfortunately, I have no idea how do anyone’s makeup but my own and barely blow dry my hair every day. For this reason, my boyfriend and I decided to give her a makeover for her graduation present from us and it was a total success…with a large cost!
How Much Does A Makeover Cost?
Before this weekend my boyfriend’s sister had only had her makeup applied professionally once for a wedding. Since her Mom doesn’t wear makeup and she doesn’t have sisters she never really had anyone to learn from. Her morning routine was simply moisturizer and mascara, not because she didn’t want to wear makeup, but because she wasn’t sure how to apply it. I had the perfect solution!
Congratulations on graduation! Beautiful even with minimal makeup!
Makeup Costs:
I knew that a professional makeup application would be a great way to show her exactly how to apply products and purchase them at the same time. Since my stepsister is a M·A·C makeup artist we booked her an appointment there. Here’s the cost breakdown.
- M·A·C Skin Base Visage Primer – $30
- M·A·C Studio Sculpt Foundation – $32
- M·A·C Mineralize Blush – $27
- M·A·C ‘Prep + Prime’ Transparent Pressed Finishing Powder – $26
- M·A·C Mineralize Skinfinish – $26
- M·A·C Basic Brush Kit – $52.50
- M·A·C Fling Eyebrow Pencil – $16
- Makeup Application Fee – $50
- Makeup Bag & Tote – $0 (Freebies!)
Total – $259.50
M·A·C can be expensive but it’s not really a luxury brand. I was a little surprised at how expensive it was in the end but all of these items should last her around three months or longer. Even if every item only lasts three months that would mean she’d spend about $2.87 per day on makeup. Not too bad!
Highlights and Haircut Costs:
My boyfriend’s sister had NEVER had her hair professionally cut and blown out. What!? This was shocking to me because one of my favorite splurges is a great blowout. I usually only get one once a year for special occasions but I always leave feeling gorgeous. My favorite hairdresser does an amazing blowout, so I decided to take her there. We originally were only going to get her haircut but he suggested some highlights so we decided to splurge.
- Balayage Highlights – $130
- Cut & Blowout – Free!
- Tip – $30
Makeover happiness!
Total – $160
My hairdresser is also a family friend so when he realized I was paying for the services he didn’t charge me for the cut. He thought what we were doing was so nice that he didn’t want to charge us. (He’s the best!) This was still rather expensive for a color but the salon is in Boston so it wasn’t unexpected.
We chose balayage highlights because they grow out naturally and don’t have to be re-done often. What that means is that this is the cost of color for the next 4 months! Sweet!
Total Cost: $419.50 – Was It Worth It?
Take a look for yourself! My boyfriend’s sister was so happy after the “makeover” that she put up this photo and said “Never have I ever felt this beautiful!” More importantly, she has gained so much confidence which is really what this was all about. While the cost seems high, I think that it’s important to indulge yourself once in a while. It’s rare that you need to buy ALL of these items and upkeep is usually much less expensive than your first “bulk” purchases. I would do it again in a heartbeat! What do you think?
Would you spend this much on beauty products?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
To answer your question: No! I predict I will be in the minority if others answer the question. I deny myself little, but my values and practicality come into play. I can afford that price tag, but the results are too short-term for me for the cost.
Hi Diane! I have to admit I am normally much more frugal with my own beauty purchases but as this was a gift I splurged more than usual. How much do you think should be spent on beauty and hair products?
I can’t answer for others how much “should” or “shouldn’t” be spent, Dacia. But I have a question for you: Why do you treat others more generously than you would treat yourself?
Hmm I guess that’s a good question Diane. I tend to be generous with others because I really enjoy making other people happy. This gift was also “split” with my boyfriend so we ended up spending about $210 each. If I hadn’t been splitting the cost I don’t think I would have spent as much. That’s more in line with what I normally spend. Since I work from home I also usually only wear makeup on the weekends so that cuts down cost for me as well.
I do shop at the same store and use the same hairdresser as mentioned above so I do treat myself. The main difference is that I have much of what I already need so it’s a small purchase here and there as I run out of things.
If I could be sure I would be over-the-moon happy with the results, I would readily fork over the money. You’re getting a whole look and knowledge from professionals on how to maintain it.
I think of all the money I have thrown away in my life on drugstore cosmetics and stylists I might never see again and it adds up to 10x the cost of consulting a really solid hair and makeup person that will give you the results you are looking for.