What I Spend To Look Good: Skin Care Edition

Posted by Daisy on May 28, 2012 28 comments

I’ve been thinking lately how expensive it is to look good.

There’s hair, makeup, clothes, skincare, oral care, body care, fitness, and so much more.

So I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how much I spend on aesthetics every year. But I’m going to start with skin care because, really, if I went through all of it, it would be a nightmare.

I never used to spend a lot on my skin. Besides mild acne in middle school, I’ve been blessed with pretty decent skin; it’s not normally dry, and not super oily, and while it’s far from perfect, I’m sure this balance saves me some coin.

My skin-care routine is as follows:

1. Face Wash 

I use two types of face wash – one for morning, one for night.

A) Burts Bee’s Garden Tomato Complexion Soap – $6/Bar (4x/year) = $28

It’s been discontinued but it worked great. I guess I’ll have to find a new one.

B) Generic facial cleanser – $10/bottle (2x/year) = $20

I am currently using one that I don’t think I’ll continue to use.

C) St Ives Apricot Scrub - $8/bottle (2x/year) = $16

I exfoliate once every third day or so.

2. Toner

$7/bottle (3x/year) = $21

I use toner once per day. I currently use Neutrogena Deep Clean Dual Action Toner. It’s alright. I’m not attached to one toner over the next.

3. Pore Strips

$14.99 (3x/year) = $45

These things are magic. I use Biore Pore Strips. I use them maybe once a week until I run out and then I forget to buy them for awhile.

4. Face mask

$13 (2x/year) = $26

I use Biore Shine Control clay mask. I use this maybe once every two weeks and this is a recent discovery. I received this in a package of other Biore products one time, and forgot about it. It’s actually a really great mask.

5. Cream

$50 (4x/year) = $200

I used to use a different day lotion and night cream, but then I ran out of both, went to Sephora, and picked up one that could act as both.

Hope in a Jar by Philosophy gets a bad rap for smelling funky (and it does), but it’s really not that bad and I find it tolerable. I’m thinking of getting a lighter day cream just because, while this cream is good, it can make my makeup slide off during the day. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

6. Under Eye Cream

$0 = $0

I don’t use this yet but I’m definitely on the market for some. I’ve had it before, but ran out and didn’t replenish. I’m taking suggestions for that, too!

Total: $356

I definitely don’t spend as much on my skin as some people do. I don’t spend money on facials, mainly because I would rather get massages and pedicures when I go to the spa. I’ve never been to a dermatologist, and I’ve never done anything like microdermabrasian.

One thing I would love to get is microdermabrasian. It apparently works to resurface your skin.

I am only 23 and I do expect to spend more as I age, but for now, my biggest skin expenditure is face cream.

How much do you spend on your skin care regime each year?

 

Spending Report: May 20-26

Posted by Daisy on May 27, 2012 5 comments

Sunday: $15 Lunch
$30.26 Liquor Store

Monday: $6.74 Dinner

Tuesday: No Spend Day!

Wednesday: $6.15 Lunch
$1.44 Gum
$60 Gas

Thursday: $8.95 Lunch
$6.25 Parking (reimbursable)

Friday: No Spend Day!

Saturday: $20 Parking

Total: $154.80
Total Discretionary:  $94.80

Another decent week. After I got back from the Oregon coast, I didn’t go grocery shopping so the boyfriend and I ate out almost every day. Not good.

Last night, my mom, stepdad, and some family friends were in Vancouver for a concert so we all went for dinner at Frankies Italian Kitchen and Bar on Beatty. Great food, but they only had one bartender working and were super busy because of the concert so it took awhile to get it. My brother was amazing and picked up the tab, which was fantastic of him.

If I had stuck to my eating out challenge, I would have spent a lot less this week, but it’s ok. I’m happy with that total – it’s not bad at all.

 

Saturday Links and Blogs I Love: Crazy Edition

Posted by Daisy on May 26, 2012 7 comments

My week has been freakin’ crazy. After getting back from the Oregon coast on Monday evening, I’ve spent every waking moment either at work, driving to/from work, at school, or doing homework.

I’ve had a very busy couple of weeks with school, and it’s completely exhausting.

So, things are crazy.

That being said, I haven’t had much of an opportunity to be as active as I’d usually like to be in the blogosphere lately.

So this is just a crazy mix of posts that I’ve read and enjoyed throughout the madness of the last week or so.

Posts I loved

Bridget from Money After Graduation posted about charitable donations as an important part of personal finance. I definitely don’t give as much as I’d like to, but reminders like these make me want to give more.

Anthony from Joyful Self Manager describes some success habits that should have been mastered before finishing high school. I agree with almost all of these, and can say for certain that without these habits, college and life thereafter will be much harder.

Aloysa from My Broken Coin gives us some financial dangers of being a mail order bride. Aloysa’s whole series on this topic is very interesting.

A post on Squirrelers got me thinking; what if you or a sibling were left out of a family will? Sometimes it’s better to do so, but how would you handle the conflict? Ick!

Jessica at Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses describes her side-hustle and how it’s being taken over by machines. I am sure many positions will continue to be automated in the future.

Emily from Evolving Personal Finance asks: Do stay-at-home-parents need credit cards? This is definitely a controversial topic.

Erika at From Shopping to Saving wrote an awesome post: A Boss’s Guide for Productive Young Employees. I LOVE this.

Sicorra at Tackling Our Debt gives us a list of things that will help us live better lives. Inject some inspiration and positivity into your day by reading this post.

Big Announcement!

Posted by Daisy on May 24, 2012 32 comments

This is a pretty big deal.

Awhile ago, I was approached to work on a fun girly project with a few other bloggers. I didn’t even bat an eye; I jumped on the opportunity to work on such a fun project right away.

That project is Chic Darling, and it’s now LIVE!

I’ve always been into makeup, hair, style, fashion, and beauty, so this is going to be a lot of fun – myself and a few other bloggers have been working on Chic Darling as a blog that will outline all of the above.

WLGYL has a big female following, but I recognize that not all of the females that follow me are into this sort of thing, and I also have quite a few male readers (holla!), so I am grateful to have an outlet for this sort of thing.

We would LOVE if you would subscribe, check it out, Tweet about it, +1 it, whatever. It’s pretty awesome and we’d love to know your opinions!