2023 is on the fast track toward its last day, and I am down to $4.46 in my beauty budget. I spent $2,395.54 on all kinds of things, and today we are doing a mega review of my purchases.
For this review, I was interested data. For each category, I wanted to know:
how much I spent
how many items I purchased
whether I had any serious regrets or disappointments
if I could choose a category MVP
My categories, in order for this post, are candles, makeup, skincare, and clothing.
Candles
I spent $266.95 on 15 candles, averaging a little more than one new candle a month. These were candles I purchased either for my bedroom or for our shared living space; eventually I decided to include both in my beauty budget. (I may have missed a candle or two early in the year because they were for the kitchen.)
For me, candles are always a pleasure. I love buying a new one. I love burning the ones we have. Candles are powerfully evocative of home, family, and love. I have no regrets about my spending here.
The candle MVP is the White Barn Vanilla Bean Candle! Gentle and lovely, this is one of my favorite candles to burn while working at home for several hours. It always encourages me to settle down and focus.
Makeup
This was an interesting year in makeup for me. I had fun trying new products and figuring out how I like to combine different products together for my daily face.
I spent $175.28 on 16 products. I was happy with the majority of my purchases, especially the eye and cheek products. I ran into trouble with lip products. The new formulas I tried—NYX this is milky gloss and Well People Lip Butter SPF 15 Tinted Balm—were quite lovely, but the colors didn’t really work for me. I have peculiar coloring, I think, in that my face is neutral-leaning-warm (I think my undertone is yellow), but my lips are very pale and cool-toned. So it’s hard for me to find lip products that really work well with both my lips and my face. In addition, I tried Maybelline Lifter Gloss in the new shade Peach Ring, and on me, it was a desaturated neon pink. Not the beautiful warm peachy color I had anticipated.
Overall, I counted five items that disappointed me, four of them lip products. The sixth was an eye shadow stick from NYX that I wanted to love, but I’m ambivalent about it. It’s a cautionary tale—lip products are such a gamble for me!
The makeup MVP was Phytosurgence Skin Spark Blush Balm in the shade Evaporate. A brownie-peach cream blush, this is one of my staple, everyday makeup items that I just can’t get enough of. It has made me a cream blush fan.
Skincare
For skincare, I include face and body moisturizers, all sunscreens, face wash, makeup remover, shampoo, soap and body wash, deodorant, and consumable hair styling products. My partner and son also use my sunscreen products, so there is some family use here as well.
I spent $427.19 on 29 products. I was surprised the product number was so high, so I wanted to see how many of these products were real replacements versus trying something just for fun. I counted four items that weren’t real replacements and one “oops” replacement that I am trying to use up. The non-replacements were a face oil (that my dermatologist recommended I stop using), makeup-removal cleansing balm, a soap nest, and a Cay Skin lip mask that I bought during the Sephora sale. The “oops” replacement is a night moisturizer my partner bought for me, but my skin doesn’t love. I’m (very slowly) trying to use it up.
I have a very simple skin care routine. In the morning, I use face wash followed by a moisturizer with SPF. At night, I use either face wash or a cleansing balm followed by a nighttime moisturizer (no SPF). Four products at most here. For skincare on my lips, I wear either lip gloss or a lip balm.
But as I look through the list of things I purchased, I see that just about every staple item had to be replaced at least once, if not several times. My facial SPF lotion lasts about three months, so that’s four bottles a year. I bought seven tubes of body SPF. Deodorant, shampoo, curl cream—all replaced this year.
I am, on the whole, happy with my skincare and haircare products. Most of my staple items are drugstore items. My biggest disappointment here was the Cay Skin lip mask. I confess I got swept up in the excitement over the sale and wanted to try something new. It’s a very sticky lip product, one that I don’t find pleasant to use. But it might layer better over a more emollient balm, so I want to give it a chance before throwing it out. It’s not terrible, but it is a $22 disappointment.
The MVP for skincare is the Tatcha Rice Wash Skin-Softening Cleanser. I’m a little surprised I haven’t written a post dedicated to this product because I do love it. I use two tiny pea-sized dabs in the morning. It starts off kinda grainy but then smooths and lathers out to glide over the face nicely. It was a vaguely lemony scent, and it washes clean away. A small tube lasts a long time because you don’t need much product, which is nice because Tatcha is an expensive brand with luxury pricing. I am sure I’ll get a craving for the rice wash again and buy another tube.
Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories
This category is, by far, my biggest investment in beauty. I love clothes, and I love having a beautiful variety of choices. I’m also very sensitive to temperature and feel the need to have the perfect clothing options across a wide variety of temps. My wardrobe reflects my love for clothing and my need to perfect the warming or cooling abilities of my outfits.
I spent $1,545.87 on 49 pieces. It’s a lot, I know. Seven pieces are in the pajama category. Ten pieces qualify as replacements, including a pair of ballet flats that I haven’t worn yet(?!) and two pairs of black leggings. I regret purchasing (and keeping) five pieces—three cropped tanks, a pair of wide leg pants, and a ruched top. All of them have fit issues that keep me from reaching for them, and I have other items in the same category that I prefer to wear. I may try harder to put them into rotation; I’m not sure yet.
I feel good that I purchased a lot of basics this year, especially shorts and pants. Rarely do I feel like I have nothing to wear, and I think it’s because I am conscientious about buying basics, like black shorts and black leggings. They are boring, yes, but they play so well with fun tops and accessories.
The clothing MVP this year is not technically a piece of clothing, but the purse I bought from Maika! I bought this purse for myself as a reward for finishing a busy season of work, and I really like it. I wanted a smaller purse with a cross-body strap, so I picked out this mini tote in a rich grey color. It’s perfect for running errands around town or going out when I don’t want to haul my giant mom purse with me.
TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS PURCHASED: 109
TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT: $2,395.54
What did I learn this year?
If I go out shopping in search of something specific, I will likely buy stuff that I did not plan to buy. The search puts me in the mood to come home with new stuff.
Lip products are my highest risk category when it comes to buying makeup.
e.l.f. is a real hit-or-miss brand for me. I tend to either love or hate their products. Things I have loved include their small stipple brush and their beauty wand liquid blush. Things I have hated include their lip gloss and mascara.
Speaking of mascara, it’s been fun to experiment with not wearing it. I’ve done a lot of brown or grey one-shadow looks without mascara, and it’s a pretty, understated approach to eye makeup.
It is 100% worth it to buy basic clothing items that make it easy to get dressed. Buy the best you can afford; you won’t regret it.
Along the same lines, it’s really good to invest in clothing that works well with your region’s dominant weather. This year, I bought two expensive pairs of shorts, one from Vuori and one from No Bull, and I’ve gotten so much wear out of them. I hope I will get years’ worth of wear from them.
I love candles and I make no apologies for how much I spend on them. I don’t purchase many housewares; I don’t tend to “refresh” our decorations. I don’t even purchase many things for the kitchen, even though I love to cook, because we are well-stocked. (I did buy one piece of cookware; maybe I should write about it here?) But candles bring me daily delight, so I allow myself to indulge.
I’m a little surprised I spent more on candles than makeup! I love makeup and I’m an enthusiastic audience member of beauty YouTube. But I’ve gotten really good at thinking about makeup categorically, and that cuts down on the purchases I make. I am also well aware of how long it takes to use up makeup. In contrast, I can easily go through a candle in 1-2 months, hence I purchase on average 1.25 candles a month.
Given the celebrations and turmoil that 2023 brought us, I was very grateful to have the guard rails of a beauty budget to keep me safe. At any given point, I knew how much I had spent on my vices. I had several months in a row (May, June, and July) that were spendy, but I was able to rein in my spending during other months to stay on track for my annual budget. I appreciated having permission to buy more expensive basics because I knew how they fit into my overall beauty budget.
I will likely do more experiments around budgeting and purchasing beautiful things. One experiment I did a few years ago was having one day a month as my designated “buy things day.” And that was really fun because it felt special to plan and buy things on that one day—a little monthly haul! I might try that in 2024 as a way to focus my spending decisions. It’s not the most convenient approach, but I enjoyed it.
Thanks for being here this year!
Images courtesy of Alex Padurariu (top) and freestocks (bottom), both via unsplash.