ladies - how much do you spend per month on primping?

[zura04]

a question for the ladies -

how much do you spend monthly on girly primping stuff? i'm talking about mani/pedis, eyebrows threading, bikini waxes, hair salon, etc. also, do you feel like it's worth the expense?

right now it takes up a chunk of my spending budget - i get my eyebrows done every 2.5 weeks and a bikini wax every month, and maybe one mani-pedi per month and hair maybe every 10 weeks. i've tried to do the brows and nails at home, but i never can do it right :(

just wondering what other people's experiences are....

[Winter Storm]

I do my own nails, toes eyebrows and hair so what little I spend it left to makeup and other grooming expenses. But Ive always been a DIY type of chick. If I can find a way to do it myself, I won't pay for it.

[winneythepooh7]

I usually get my hair cut every 2-3 months, and colored or highlighted then too. In the summertime, I usually get a pedi every week. I rarely get manis (usually just clear polish if I do) because my nails get damaged right away.

[veniqe]

I don't spend a lot because I just don't have money for luxuries right now.

I got myself a DIY french manicure set just an hour ago and will be doing my own nails from now on. I shave instead of waxing. I try to have my eyebrows done at least once a month; my hair once every two months. I have to remove the hair on my upper lip at least once a fortnight.

I blow dry my own hair. In total, I spend less than $30 per month on primping.

I would love to have a pedicure again sometime soon..but I also do that at home.

[embrassezla]

I can't say I regularly spend $$ on anything primp-related other than having my hair done every couple months. I wear makeup, but I don't go all out with the crazy MAC colours or anything, so I only buy when I've run out of something. I stopped getting my nails done when I bought a house (constant projects destroyed them), and I don't like anyone touching my feet so pedi's have always been out. I don't use lotion or bath products hardly at all, and I think I use one hair product. Oh wait, two. So two hair products and getting my hair done every couple months comes out to probably around $100/mo.

[WorkInProgress]

Eh, dunno, because it varies.

I get a haircut every 4-6 weeks-ish. So $40.
I color my own hair about that often. So $7-$10.

Everything else I either do myself, don't get done, or get only occasionally.

[winneythepooh7]

I get my hair done on Long Island or in Manhattan so it can also be quite pricey. It's not uncommon to spend over $250.00 which is a lot for my little social worker salary ;).

[Krishna]

$5....that covers my 4x a year haircuts.

[WorkInProgress]

$5....that covers my 4x a year haircuts.

Someone you know? For several years when I was a kid, a friend of the family always did mine, my mom's and my brother's.

[shadeofgreen]

I get my hair cut 2 or 3 times per year. I don't get it dyed or highlighted or anything like that. It's usually $40-50. Eyebrows are free with haircuts, plus I get them done a few times in between at $10 each time. I don't keep up with it, though, for the most part I just tweeze them myself. I only go in when I actually want them to look good. :)

I paint my toenails myself more for shits and giggles than fashion. A manicure wouldn't last two days in my life, so I don't bother. I don't wear make up.

I guess if I want to spend money on the way I look then new clothes are more appealing to me.

[AshleyJordan]

I get my hair cut every six weeks, but at a very affordable place- about $50 per. I'll get a deep-conditioning every couple weeks, too ($10-20). Waxing more often in the summertime (420-$40), but eyebrows probably once a month ($10 per). Manicure every week to every two weeks ($10-15), and pedicure about once a month ($10-15). Facials ($60-100) every few months.

[shimma]

Manicure every week to every two weeks ($10-15), and pedicure about once a month ($10-15).

Damn, where do you go that is that cheap???

[SmilesSoSweet]

I get my haircut every 2-3 months and that usually costs me around $40. I don't color or highlight my hair either.

I only get pedicures during the summer months and I usually can go about every six weeks or so.

That's probably all I get done.

Every six months or so I may get a facial and/or a massage, but I don't do those all the time either.

[pisces2473]

Get my hair cut every 10 weeks or so (in the process of growing it out). $40

Don't usually get highlights, but I will next month. $80

Very very rarely get manis or pedis.

I wear makeup, but I don't buy it ALL of the time, just when I need it, so the price varies.


I think money-wise, I'm pretty low maintenance.

[zura04]

I live in NYC and I usually get my nails done at the nail salons run by Asian women that are all over the city. They usually run manicure/pedicure specials that are $22-25 for both. super cheap and good. i have seen this in other cities as well. is there really that much of a difference between these type of nail salon mani/pedis and the ones you pay $60 for at a frou frou salon?

[and1grad]

I dont even comb/brush my hair anymore. Whenever it gets long enough that it looks I'm gonna need to, I cut it. Instant handsome man.

[WorkInProgress]

I dont even comb/brush my hair anymore. Whenever it gets long enough that it looks I'm gonna need to, I cut it. Instant handsome man.

Hey. Instant is right.

Although, to be fair, I don't always brush my hair every day either, so I probably shouldn't complain.

[and1grad]

You know whats funny, I remember when I first moved into the dorms and I got a glance of what girls look like when they first get up in the morning. Wow...yall are a MESS in the morning. :)

[winneythepooh7]

I dont even comb/brush my hair anymore. Whenever it gets long enough that it looks I'm gonna need to, I cut it. Instant handsome man.

When And1 wakes up he has that diamond sparkle like you see on all the cartoons :p .

[wordsmith]

Very little.

I get my hair cut every couple of months, and I won't pay more than $20 for it, routinely, though I have gone to more expensive places when it's been for a special event. But I'm pretty cheap. I have a fairly uncomplicated hair style, there's no need to futz with it.

When I color my hair, I color it myself, so $10 a box of haircolor, and I do that every couple of months when I'm sporting something other than my natural color, as I am, now.

Manicure/pedicure are pretty much nonexistent in the rural midwest, so I don't have that done...I got both once when I was a bridesmaid, it was part of a bachelorette party "spa day." Other than that, I'm a DIYer. The few places that do it do it very cheaply, though. It goes without saying that things like facials, waxing, all that are pretty much non-industries, here, too. Hi, this is farm country. People aren't gonna spend on that stuff, so it's not here.

I don't wear much makeup, what I do wear is inexpensive, ditto for hair products. I rarely splurge on grooming stuff. I like to think I look nice, but I just don't pay through the nose on pampering products or services. It's just not within me.

[wordsmith]

You know whats funny, I remember when I first moved into the dorms and I got a glance of what girls look like when they first get up in the morning. Wow...yall are a MESS in the morning. :)

This is why it's funny to me when guys are like, "I like a girl with no makeup, blah blah...natural beauty, man." No. You like a girl who is naturally beautiful, with or without makeup. The rest of us average-looking schmoes, you don't wanna see fresh outta bed.

[and1grad]

When And1 wakes up he has that diamond sparkle like you see on all the cartoons :p .
LOL! What sparkle? sigh...winney watches her cartoons on weed. :D

[PVD99]

Hmm, I'm in the mood to share so here goes. I spend a waaaay too much, but it probably doesn't look like it. Approx. every two months it's usually the hair and makeup that kills me (Sephora sucks me in like a tornado):

Mascara - $23
Foundation - $28
Toner, Moisturizer, Cleanser - $100+ altogether
Lip gloss - $20
Shampoo - $30
Conditioner - $30
Haircut/highlights/+tip (every eight weeks and I push it to 10 sometimes because I really don't give a damn if people see roots haha) - $180


The above things tend to go faster than everything else. I don't really wear eye shadow too much, and the eyeliner pencil is expensive but lasts a long time. But sometimes I'll buy random things like lotion or body wash at Sephora or the beauty counter, just because I'm impulsive like that. I do my own eyebrows and everything(they currently look like shit, too), but I am going to start going to electrolosis which will be another added expense probably.

Also, I rarely get manicures and pedicures because I feel they get ruined too fast. I just buy the OPI and paint my own nails.

[and1grad]

This is why it's funny to me when guys are like, "I like a girl with no makeup, blah blah...natural beauty, man." No. You like a girl who is naturally beautiful, with or without makeup. The rest of us average-looking schmoes, you don't wanna see fresh outta bed.
I think guys just dont want their girls to look like a Bratz doll. Well..at least the ones that dont smell like they've been dipped in Axe or some cologne du jour.

[AshleyJordan]

Damn, where do you go that is that cheap???
Brooklyn!!! It's probably $15 for a mani-pedi combo. Place around the corner from me does a wash, cut, and blow out for $25 on the weekends.:D

[AshleyJordan]

You know whats funny, I remember when I first moved into the dorms and I got a glance of what girls look like when they first get up in the morning. Wow...yall are a MESS in the morning. :)

not all of us! eat right and work out, and you look pretty good in the morning. . . i look pretty much the same if you wake up next to me or see me after applying my morning make up. :p

[SmilesSoSweet]

I rarely wear make up. Last time I wore some was for my sister's wedding. The next time I'll probably end up wearing make up will be the wedding I'm attending in June and the wedding I'm in that's in July.

I just don't like wearing make up much anymore. My skin actually has gotten much better since I stopped wearing make up in on a regular basis.

[Ciderhillnh]

Cant give you per month since nothing I do is monthly……

But when I get my hair cut (don’t have a timeline just when its annoying me) $45, if its getting colored then $100.

Never get manicures or pedicures (hate the term mani/peti)----so $0….I don’t even paint my fingernails, my toes on the other hand, always are painted.

I don’t get plucked or waxed, I shave or pluck on my own.

So the only other expense I have is makeup and I might spend $10 a month to try a new color of eyeshadow or lipstuff.

I dont dry my hair or put product in it.

[cheshrcarol]

When my hair's straightened and I don't have bangs, I look pretty similar when I wake up - my hair just kind of falls into place. And I wear make-up inconsistently, so it wouldn't shock anyone too much to see me in the morning w/out it. But if my hair's curly, forget it. I look like a crazy woman when i get up, lol.

[arrow]

I'm with words and cider and carol here. Pretty low maintanence beauty-wise, and also from the midwest, so I was raised not to bother with most of that stuff.

Last month I got a $70 haircut (that included tip). It was the most I've ever spent on my hair, and I liked the cut AND the stylist, so it was worth it.

I usually only wear eyeliner and mascara on a regular basis, and often not on the weekends. It's cheap and it lasts for ages.

I have NEVER had a pedicure, manicure, eyebrow, or any kind of wax. I do DIY, though (except for waxing... I wouldn't try DIY waxing).

Mostly I just like to smell nice so I get good skin lotion and I'm addicted to chapstick. I'm one of those jerks who can get out of bed and look perfectly fine in the morning, because my hair is so straight, all I have to do is run a brush through it and I don't really require a lot of makeup.

I would like to get a pedi sometime because I hear they are nice but I kinda feel like I'd need a girlfriend there to walk me through what the hell to ask for. Hell, I'd try it all, if but once.

[veniqe]

I agree with Ashley. I look the same (that'll be knock out pretty ;) ) day or night.

And I sometimes skip brushing my hair for a day or so and it'll still look good.. Besides, bed hair's sexy..

[old_school_soul]

No. You like a girl who is naturally beautiful, with or without makeup. The rest of us average-looking schmoes, you don't wanna see fresh outta bed.

This is true.

[Krishna]

Someone you know? For several years when I was a kid, a friend of the family always did mine, my mom's and my brother's.

No. But I only go every 3ish months, so 5/mo x 3 mo = $15 per haircut at the local cheap-o place. ;)

[and1grad]

i look pretty much the same if you wake up next to me or see me after applying my morning make up. :p
Seeing is believing. ;)

[sparky88]

I also don't do anything on a monthly basis:

haircut and color: $120 every 3-5 months.
eye brow wax: twice in my life, want to make it more regular $10

shampoo: $30 every 3-5 months

make-up: I've had the same make-up for basically 3 years. I know you're supposed to replace stuff every 3 months but I don't want to spend the money. wear it rarely.

don't get manicures/pedicures/facials/etc but would love to someday.

[blueyes]

maybe it's b/c my hair is ridiculously bone straight and I have a fantastic stylist...I've never paid more than $30 for a cut. Including tip. This is about every six weeks, otherwise I get wicked split ends and my hair gets fly-away-y.

unless it's wedding season (and it will be, in short order) I don't get manicures. during wedding season, I will probably get one a month - if I get them done in Pittsburgh, it'll be $25. If it's Annapolis, well, that could get pricey...$45? Same for pedicures - $40 in Pittsburgh, close to $65 in Annapolis. Normally, I wear OPI's Nail Envy on my fingers and something on my toes. I change as the mood strikes me.

I hardly ever wear makeup, so I only replenish when I need to. It probably comes out to less than $100 a year (unless you count nail polish, and then all bets are off).

Shampoo is from LUSH. A single solid shampoo for $8 will last me three months, sometimes four. I will buy a large commercial conditioner and that'll last me six months or so.

Massages are free from the SO. :D I'm also supposedly getting a facial at a deep discount later this month, thanks to the SO.

Never been waxed anywhere (this will change soon, I feel) and my sister does my eyebrows, when I can tolerate it.

[and1grad]

This is true.
Oss isnt only a part time lover, he's a "designated hitter." :p

[mishl982]

Let's see... I get my hair cut and highlighted every 6 months or so and that runs me about $200ish with tip. Brows I get done about just as often (pluck in between), $20. For makeup, I hit the Clinique counter about every 3-4 months for moisturizers, foundation, and powder, so maybe $75.

[WorkInProgress]

I didn't add makeup. Mine is on the expensive side, but I don't need to buy more often, so it's not a big deal. Maybe it averages to $20/month? Initially, though, it was quite expensive, but I treated myself.

[mishl982]

Yea my makeup, especially the moisturizers, are pretty expensive but they last me a long-ass time. And make my skin feel pretty. Haha.

[wordsmith]

I'm lucky. The skin-balancing moisturizer that works best for me is $7 or so in virtually any drugstore.

[embrassezla]

I bought a giant jar of EV coconut oil for $15 and I use that for moisturizer. It works better than anything else I've tried and at the rate I'm going, will last me a decade.

I do like expensive eyeliner, though.

[WorkInProgress]

I'm lucky. The skin-balancing moisturizer that works best for me is $7 or so in virtually any drugstore.

Heh. The cleanser and moisturizer I'm currently using (and liking) I got from Walmart. It's just my powder, etc. that's exspensive.

[pisces2473]

I bought a giant jar of EV coconut oil for $15 and I use that for moisturizer. It works better than anything else I've tried and at the rate I'm going, will last me a decade.

I do like expensive eyeliner, though.
Won't it go rancid, though?

[SmilesSoSweet]

I use a gel and then finishing drops for my hair when I blow dry it. I use the Paul Mitchell brand that I buy from any Ulta store. Usually when I buy either or both of the products I have a coupon for the Ulta store. Both of those products lasts me a few months. I bought a $15 bottle of finishing drops last year and there's still about half of it left. :) The gel is about $8 but with my coupon it was only $5. (Yes, I know I'm cheap, but I like saving my money!)

[mishl982]

(Yes, I know I'm cheap, but I like saving my money!)
Nothing wrong with that! :p

[embrassezla]

Won't it go rancid, though?
Godo question, I have no idea!

[NorthernAngel]

Hair:
I used to get highlights every 4 months... with a cut: 60$ a pop
Nowadays, money is a little tighter ... so the boyfriend just cuts the split ends at the back. (I've got fine fine straight baby hair). Looking forward to going back to the hairdresser for that little extra pampering.

Nails:
I'm lucky to have a very steady hand and really good nails - so I usually do the French manicure thing myself. Toes get done in summer - no point in putting effort when the toes are stuck in boots in 20 Celcius below weather.

Makeup:
Used to splurge on one extra product per month, so rotation of mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, foundation, powder, blush. (20$ a month)
Now living off of stock (I should be good for the next decade) and avoiding the stores like mad :p

Other:
The one thing I'll never give up is a good moisturizer - L'Oreal is my favorite. (about 20$ every 2 months)

[Kitty]

Hair cut every three months - $30-90
Color every three months - $100-350
Nails done once a month or so - $12-60
Eyebrows every two months - $60
Hair straightening every year - $350
Teeth whitening every year - $350

Most of my make-up is from MAC, Prescriptives, and Clinique. I have drug-store mascara and lip gloss. My shampoo and conditioner are totally natural/organic from Elephant Pharm, but relatively cheap ($8 each). I also have special sunscreen for my face because I'm super, super pale. It was recommended by my dermatologist. It's a bit pricey and I go through it quickly, but I'm avoiding skin cancer and wrinkles.

I go through body lotion like a mad woman, so nothing fancy. I just buy this jug from the drugstore every month or so. It's huge and I run out super quickly. I am constantly putting on lotion.

I'm probably forgetting other stuff.

[workaholic?]

i know a girl who spends approximately $1800/month on primping. When i heard that, i about choked. her fiancee told my fiancee who told me...and i told him..."see, i'm not that high maintenance." in reality, i probably spend a hundred dollars on clothes every month and maybe about 6 bucks total/month on shampoo and conditioner. i get all my makeup at the drugstore, and only get my haircut about 3 times/year for about $20/each time. I do get a pedicure about once/month in the winter and twice/month in the summer which is about $25 and i get my eyebrows waxed about once/month for $10.

Clothes and shoes are my real weakness and are usually what i splurge on.

[AshleyJordan]

As far as the products I buy, that might get a little more expensive, but not crazy:
Bath products and lotion from the Body Shop;
Hair stuff from the Body Shop, also have Aveda, and drugstore stuff;
Makeup by Benefit, Body Shop, or drugstore stuff;
Face stuff Body Shop or just plain old Cetaphil;
Perfume either Chanel or the Body Shop.
And yes, I seriously have contacted the Body Shop about franchise opportunities :p

[Irish79]

Cant give you per month since nothing I do is monthly……

But when I get my hair cut (don’t have a timeline just when its annoying me) $45, if its getting colored then $100.

Never get manicures or pedicures (hate the term mani/peti)----so $0….I don’t even paint my fingernails, my toes on the other hand, always are painted.

I don’t get plucked or waxed, I shave or pluck on my own.

So the only other expense I have is makeup and I might spend $10 a month to try a new color of eyeshadow or lipstuff.

I dont dry my hair or put product in it.

Ditto for me - and I don't own a comb - just run my fingers through it and it's good to go. I've never had a manicure and the one pedicure I had I thought I was going to knock the woman out because I'm so ticklish on my feet. Not very relaxing - more like torture really. :D

[MoneyCntByLuv]

i color and style my own hair, maybe get it cut twice per year ($60).

i do it all myself: hair, nails, waxing/shaving, makeup you name it, i do it.

all in all, i probably spend $30/month on primping and toiletries.

[Lizanne440]

Probably about $15/month for shampoo, conditioner and make up (which lasts for a few months). Sometimes, I'll splurge and buy something at Bath and Body works. Otherwise, I'm a tomboy and don't like girly stuff. I cut my own hair, which is not even but I don't care. Guys tell me I look like I'm wearing make-up when I'm actually not, so I don't always wear it. And I hate shopping so I'm 24 and still wearing clothes I wore in high school. I hate trying on clothes! And yet my parents repeatedly tell me "Remember that with a credit card, you actually have to pay for the things you buy!"

[alanisjunkie]

in a year:
$250 - clothes
$150 - daily tolietries
$100 - other: haircuts, hair-dye, etc.


Many of those things you can do yourself for cheap. I pluck my eyebrows, cost is $1 for tweezers that have lasted me 5 years so far.

Shampoo and Conditioner: My hair looks the same if I get a $15 bottle or a $2 bottle, guess which I go with now?

teeth whitening: whitestrips are much cheaper than a dentist, it's faster at the dentists' but I don't think the end result is different (at least in my case).

Make-up: I'm picky about foundation, but something like eyeshawdow or blush, it's the same no matter if it's #15 or $1 a color.

Pay more only when there's a difference in quality (and there hardly is).

[Kitty]

I think there's a huge difference in the quality of certain eyeshadows. The only kind I really use now is MAC because it has the most concentrated color, stays on the longest, and doesn't smudge, crease, or wear off.

[wordsmith]

Actually, I was really impressed by the staying power of that "high intensity pigment" eye shadow that L'Oreal or Revlon (can't remember which) has out relatively recently, as well as the fact that the color concentration is strong enough that the color in the compact is the color that shows up on your skin. I've only worn it for about a week, so it hasn't withstood summer temps, but so far no streaking or creasing, either. And it's $6 for a dual eyeshadow.

But in general, I find that most eyeshadows are kind of anemic on the color, and creasing is a pain.

[mishl982]

But in general, I find that most eyeshadows are kind of anemic on the color, and creasing is a pain.
Try having Asian eyelids! :p

[Ciderhillnh]

To avoid creasing with eyeshadow........press a oil lifter paper on the eyelid, pat with powder, place on eye shadow.

Should be good all day.

I do this before going out and its good for the entire night.

During the week for work I dont put eyeshadow all over my eye, just along the lash line and up in the corner a bit.

I only use Loreal eyeshadows. The pots (which they stopped making grrrrrrrr) and the little bottles that have the brush as the cap. Good colors, long lasting.

[mishl982]

I don't really get creases unless I use the goopy crap. It's more of just that you don't see all the eyeshadow. So if I have the darker color close to my lids and the highlight color close to my brows, you only see the highlight color.

[Kitty]

There's a MAC product that is a base for eyeshadow and it seriously eliminates ALL creasing. Also eliminates the shadow from falling off..it totally makes it stay in place. Best product, ever.

[Kitty]

Yeah, that's kind of like what this is..and it comes in a variety of neutral colors, so they can match it exactly to your skin.

[wordsmith]

There's a MAC product that is a base for eyeshadow and it seriously eliminates ALL creasing. Also eliminates the shadow from falling off..it totally makes it stay in place. Best product, ever.

Also a L'Oreal one, called DeCrease, that's gotten me through two stints sitting through wedding party photos. just a neutral cream, slightly thinner consistency than an all-skin foundation. Works well.

Love, the person who suggests the more penny pinching version at all times. ;)