I don’t have a set amount per month so much as I look at spending by season (which is mostly by quarter) and allocate more spending towards the second half of the year (holiday is pretty intense).
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I’m pretty good about resisting purchases. For online-only brands, I wait until my list is long enough for free shipping. I force myself to finish a translucent powder before trying a new brand or opening a new one. I’m getting more and more fussy about ingredients and that doesn’t help my budget when I do give myself permission to buy something new. My biggest purchases are skincare. I use multiple $20-40 products a day and eeeeeesh those add up really quickly.
I I’m usually pretty good about it but I haven’t been these last couple of months. I need to rein it in and just coast until the fall collections and the holiday collections come out.
I like budgeting for my beauty buys – I like seeing what I can buy this month using my budget, then save the rest of what I want fir tbe next next month and get the rest on my wish list, etcetera.
Oops – was trying to edit and hit send instead.?
Pretty good actually, I rarely go over by more than a few dollars. I have a rather strict, low budget these days, so I must really make choices. I can’t simply buy a product because it’s new and shiny!
Not as well as I should, I’m afraid. Sometimes I stick to the gameplan really well, and refuse to go past what I’ve decided to spend during a set month. Other times my self control goes a little wonky! I know I’ve got to save up to move at the end of December, at least I hope to move, anyhow. So now I will have to tighten up my budget and stick with it.
I don’t have a set budget, but I make sure I have enough to cover living expenses, savings, and retirement. I don’t spend much on clothes, vacation, or entertainment, so makeup is my indulgence!
Fairly good. Though I don’t really set a strict budget for myself. I just go by the ‘what do I really need/what will I really get a lot of use out of’ rule.
I’m really good at it. Whenever I want something, I write it down on my wish list. Then I spend about the next year paying attention to reviews and prices and swatching in person. If it goes on sale and I still want it, and I can feasibly get good use out of it, then I’ll buy it (cash only–credit cards are not for makeup!). Right now I have my eye on the KVD Shade & Light Eye palette, but I have enough neutrals for now. I told myself that if I completely finish 12 eyeshadows, then I can buy the palette.
Very good. I have a monthly budget that goes to makeup, skincare and clothes and it works out pretty well. Most of the time.
I’m terrible at sticking to my budget. Often I’ll browse and find something else that catches my attention. I’ve been pretty good the last few months though, my sister and I are on a no buy and trying to finish 10 items each (2 deluxe samples count as 1). We are heading to Korea in two weeks, in anticipation of being able to purchase a few fun things! So I’ll defo need to set a budget for then or things can really get out of hand…?
Pretty hopeless! Every time I set aside some money I end up blowing more than intended. Perhaps reverse psychology will work next time …
I don’t have a budget! And now I’m penniless hahaha… However I always hold off until sales… sigh…
Budget?? What budget??
I’m terrible mostly lol. But better w skincare or foundation and mascara. I have to use things up before buying another.
I don’t really have a set beauty budget per se. In general I don’t buy a ton all at one time and if there’s something I really want I think about it and evaluate whether it’s something I’ll actually really use or if it’s just something that caught my eye because it’s new and pretty. I always make sure all living expenses are paid for before I start buying for fun. I love makeup but I love having a place to live and electricity and groceries more lol. I do need to kind of pay more attention to exactly how much I spend on beauty products but for now as long as I’m not going completely broke I think my spending is ok.
Short answer: Not at all! When I manage to reign in buying new products, it seems I run out of my necessities all at once. So whether it’s due to overindulgence or bad timing, it’s very difficult not to overspend at least a little. That said, my makeup budget is part of my general “fun money” budget, so if I overdo it on cosmetics, I just cut something else out like seeing a movie or buying clothes. I’m not completely irresponsible! 😉
Actually that describes me pretty well! It’s been a few years I’ve splurged on underwear. Maybe it’s time my makeup “interest” be put on hold while I replenish my necessities like bras and undies… Lol
Not really, for a long time it’s been spend as little as possible. Now I’m working so I should probably set one.
I set my budget at $1000 per year for beauty/hair products and enjoy my ongoing VIB Rouge status with Sephora, but I typically go over by $300-$600 dollars annually. I blame that on my subscriptions to YouTube Beauty channels, Instagram, Facebook and beauty blogs (Temptalia, of course!). Beauty gurus are pretty persuasive!
Also, I have 3 beauty box subscriptions to feed my beauty habit. When you factor that cost in there, with impulse buys, my spending totals closer to $2000 annually 🙁
Help!
Usually really good. If I do go over, it’s not by much, and I can afford to do it. Bills, groceries, etc. always come first. I grew up poor and money was always tight when I was raising my kids and not working. So I have a lot of practice.
I don’t really have a budget for makeup. I live in a rural area of Montana and the closest place to buy makeup that I can actually see and swatch is Ulta in Missoula. The closest Sephora is 3 hours away in Spokane, Washington. So, for things that I am replacing I purchase on-line. I know the product and know that it works for me. If it is something new and I am not sure about it and want to swatch I have to wait until the next trip to either place. I am able to save for it then. Sometimes it is just too pretty, LE or I cannot control myself and then I will order on-line. Hence, I rely Temptalia for reviews and swatches. This is an invaluable blog for those of us who live in rural areas and cannot just jump in the car and run to Sephora. I gather so much information from comments also as I am very fair and much older, 62. Things that look amazing on Christine may not look great on me but others in the comment section may offer other options. I read every comment religiously. Thanks to all.
I don’t have a beauty budget specifically, just a budget-budget. I allocate X amount for fun purchases after all the bills, etc are paid and if I feel like spending literally all of it on beauty that month, that’s fine. That hasn’t happened yet but….it’s been pretty high up there a few times lol
I’m so bad. Use to spend a lot of money in make up. I Never stop
I try to stick to a budget but it’s hard especially when something new comes out that I really love. If it is skin care I will always shop for the best price there are so many competitive beauty sights that offer anywhere from 20% to 29% off regularly. With makeup it is a little harder to get a good deal unless they are offering 10% off at Lord & Taylor which Nordstrom will also offer because they price match but L&T only sells certain brands. So to answer your question no I don’t stick to a beauty budget all the time.
I am trying to become better about sticking to a budget. I just started a project pan to help me use what I already have. And now I will come on to this site to read product reviews, view the swatches and look for dupes in my current collection. If an item is LE I have learned to wait for a sale. That is how I was able to get the Gwen Stefani and UD Vice 4 palettes.
Usually horrible! But maybe I’m finally on the right track since I just went a whole week without buying one single cosmetic item or other beauty products! I’ve got enough of almost everything that doesn’t need replacing every few months to last until the day I die, so this is the kind of week I need to keep having for a while.
I have no Beauty Budget. If I want something and I have the Money for it I buy it.
I am much better now in purchasing things I know I will use rather than purchasing items that are pretty and shiny LOL. I am very weak when the holiday season hits though! (I don’t have a budget for cosmetics.)
What budget? LOL
Oh so bad. I spent so much last holiday, I went on a no buy at the beginning of the year. That lasted until the first palette release. I have so much makeup. No one has any idea how much i spend.
I don’t really have a beauty budget as such. All of my skincare products are either purchased on sale or at a budget beauty shop. I generally don’t buy expensive mascaras, lipsticks, blushes and foundations. So that leaves eye shadow palettes – which I do spend money on or I request them as a gift for either Christmas or my birthday. And I always read the reviews here and check out the swatches so I know exactly what I am getting.
Its hard to have a budget when you work at Ulta
Most of the time, terrible. I go over budget almost every month. The only reason I’m slowing down recently is because I’m saturated with cosmetics and almost saturated with skin care (I’m at the point where I can use face moisturizer on the backs of my hands, because I have so many nice face serums and moisturizers that I can’t use them fast enough!) unfortunately, it hasn’t stopped me from wanting other things like fragrances or bath and body works products (they’re on sale). Gosh, I need help.
What is this budget you speak of? I’m a monster.
I really need to stop buying beauty products and skincare products.
I keep within a firm, specific “non-essentials” set aside, after essentials and savings are addressed. Lessons learned after years of working out of a debt situation. My problem is that makeup is fun, so I spend a disproportionate amount of that budget on it. Oh well, could be worse.
I’m good with my budgets overall but I do look at my beauty spending quarterly as well because I often go over 1/12 of my yearly budget in a given month if there’s a sale or a couple of LE items but stay under in several other months. Makeup is getting to be a bigger hobby for me than I thought it would be but it’s one I’m enjoying a lot so I treat it like any other. I do my research pre-buying and am good about returns on the few duds I’ve gotten so I feel like I spend responsibly on items I almost always use. Nothing sits unused long but the eye shadow rotation is getting pretty big!
Not very well, I’m weak, very weak. Can’t pass up a new lip color even tho I have several unopened and 11 currently being used, gotta have that new one. Same with eye pallattes and deep into my pocket I go for blushes, foundations and more high lighter. Home gime gime more, lol.
I don’t really have a make-up budget per se’. I do make sure bills are paid, then whatever’s left, I can either get lots of cheap stuff or one higher-end item.
NO never ever!!!!! I really,really try to, But then a new product comes out and I am dying to try it, so there goes my budget. I also do the whole skincare,hair care, waxing etc, So it can get very $$$$$. My husband said they should put me on a realty show about having a makeup addiction. LOL. Or come up with M.A.K.E.U.P. rehab. Whatever!!!!!! I am living life.
I’m pretty bad but I also was just thinking today that my expectations are not the best. I keep putting myself on a no-buy because I already have more makeup than I can reasonably use, and I don’t like myself being so materialistic and acquisitive. And then I get an email from ColourPop or Sephora advertising a sale on something I HAVE to have and then I buy it and feel guilty.
I think I need to just set myself a small monthly budget and not fret about buying things now and then.
I don’t have a set budget, but I probably should. All the bills get paid of course, and I don’t buy very many clothes, so makeup and skincare are my “me” indulgences. I have a skin routine with products I love so I don’t experiment with that, but I do repurchase those as needed (always wait for a sale…thanks Paula’s Choice!) and while once in a while a bunch of stuff runs low and it looks like a large amount, it’s a constant expense so I guess it budgets itself. Makeup though….that’s my vice. The closest i come to budgeting for that is I try not to spend more than my husband does on his comic books each month, but some months I’m more successful than others.
No set budget, but that doesn’t mean I’m a spendthrift. I no longer succumb to impulse purchases, pressure from SA’s, sales, or blogger hype. If I like something and want it, I buy it. If I don’t rely care about it, I give it a miss. That philosophy serves to keep my spending in line.
I do pretty well. I set aside a certain amount every paycheck for makeup and beauty and usually wait until I have accumulated enough for a spree. Every once and awhile I will impulse buy outside of budget. Doesn’t happen very often. I did just do this (impulse buy) with the Becca/Jaclyn Hill face palette though.
Budget? What budget! That is my problem in its entirety.
I like to think I’m pretty good at controlling my budget. If I can’t justify a purchase, then I won’t buy it. Sometimes I can’t resist when there’s a great deal (f.e. I finished my favourite drugstore foundation and wanted to wait to get a new bottle, but found it for 25% off yesterday) or I will treat myself to something on my wishlist once in a while, but I’ll never splurge on beauty products when I’m saving up for something else like I am doing now 🙂
What’s a beauty budget? hee hee
I don’t budget. I swear if I feel limited by a budget then I want EVERYTHING. If I don’t set limits for myself, then I really only buy what I actually need or something special. I’m weird, I know.