Why I Spent Over $12,000 On Beauty Treatments a Year

The lockdown has saved a fortune in beauty maintenance (and fitness classes) and many are not going back to pre-covid beauty standards.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and for many women during the Covid-19 crisis, including me, that lining has come in the form of savings on beauty treatments and fitness classes.

It’s now hard to believe I was spending over $3000 a quarter on my appearance.

Better still, the fitness industry has shown us all how to pivot and do things differently – and cheaper. The lesson has been we don’t need to spend all of that time and money ensuring every single aspect of our beauty routine is near perfect 100% of the time.

We have all had to master some at-home techniques, whether for manicures, brows or even haircuts and hair dye.

Before the corona virus, it seemed “normal” to spend money, big money, thousands of dollars a year having our nails, lashes, tan, botox, lasering, brows and facials on a regular basis.

Then there was the personal trainer and various fitness classes. I used to buy packs of ten fitness classes so I could mix up my fitness. Lockdown changed all of that instantly.

Living in Sydney and spending time travelling to other major cities, the level of grooming required by a woman, or at least my perception of it was very high – and expensive. In truth, I am glad it is over, and so is my bank balance. And like man women, for me, it feels like it is over for good- at least at that previous level.

make-up products in a pile
Make-up products used at home are the current big beauty trend.

But is wasn’t only the financial cost, the time I spent on personal grooming was huge.

Right now it feels like there is far less of a focus on what we look like. I have certainly relaxed a lot about my own appearance.

And I’ve upped the time I spend on at-home beauty including sheet masks, brow dye, and even dying my own hair. I had no idea how easy (and cheap) it is to do at home. And it’s also fun.

Sitting in front of Ozark with a hair mask on is so much less stressful than being in a salon making small talk for hours.

My expenditure on beauty used to look something like this;

Weekly; $60 on 3 fitness classes,

Fortnightly: $60 on manicures,

Monthly: Stretch Session $50, Brow re-shape $70, Blow dry: $70, $60 Lash top up, Massage: $120

Every 3 months: Botox $400, Laser hair removal: $200, Hair colour: $160, $60 on a tan

So in total, that’s a whopping $3,010 every 3 months. Over $12,000 a year. Ouch.

The lock down has given me plenty of time to re-calibrate and review my spending, and to come up with some ways to cut back my costs – for good.

There is so much amazing fitness online, and it is all cheaper and so much easier than going to the studio.

What’s more, you tube offers so many free online fitness classes from around the world, it’s a great way to mix things up at home so I don’t get too bored.

As for my nails – I haven’t had polish on them for 3 months, and am in no rush to do so. I have been doing my own at home manicures and pedicures to keep them neat and short. And frankly they look fine.

I am still spending some money on on-line fitness classes, and the big ticket items I gravitate to now are collagen powders, and at-home treatments as well as other supplements to work on myself from the inside out.

I am definitely saving for fraxel and other more invasive annual beauty treatments, but the monthly, weekly and quarterly barrage of beauty maintenance ideals are gone – at least for now.

Last week I talked about natural beauty coming back, but this is so much more than that. Yes, it is a huge change in my own beauty routine, but my friends are reporting the same reactions.

Avatar photo
Renae Leith-Manos

Editor and Founder of Bondi Beauty

Renae Leith-Manos loves fitness, new beauty products, long chats and long flights. She is at her best when traveling the world writing about luxury hotels and Michelin Star restaurants (www.renaesworld.com.au). She has had a colourful media career as a journalist inmagazines and newspapers, in Australia and Asia. She spends her time writing, cooking, consulting to new businesses, running and working out.

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