There’s inflation; prices for beauty product are soaring. There’s a pandemic, wars, natural disasters… And for me, as a beauty lover, those things combined mean that I veer wildly between “Must. Save. Money!” and “yo, treat yourself (the world is bad enough)!”. I imagine that a lot of people are trying to navigate this line, and that’s why I set out to share my best money saving skincare tips. And by that I mean truly is how to save money when (and before) buying skincare.
I’ll immediately disappoint everybody and say that I won’t talk about dupes. Look, we all love a great dupe. (And I wrote about a few truly great ones last year!) But: while dupes are fine and dandy, you won’t save a lot of money just by using dupes. More often than not, I bought the dupe, only to realise that I don’t love it as much as the real deal and then buying that, too – what a waste of money! (And let’s not talk about those “dupes” that really only have a passing resemblence to the real deal.)
No: I want to find more sustainable ways to save as much as I can. And that’s sadly not as easy as just buying another (cheaper) thing. This is about a behavioral change. The points I’m going to mention will also have two more benefits: they’ll streamline your skincare routine, and also make it more effective.
Money saving skincare tips: The easiest changes
But before that, I’ve already written about a few simple changes you can make before tackling the big ones – and all of them will help you save money in the long run.
- Use what you have. No brainer, but true. And that starts with organizing your stash so you can use it all easily. Really, it makes such a world of difference when you’re able to access every product without having to rummage through various drawers and boxes.
- Repurpose products you don’t like! Honestly, nothing could be easier. Instead of buying a fancy body lotion, why not mix the skincare samples you rack up into the body cream you already have? (For example.) That toner that made you break out? Great for your decolletage! The hand cream with the obnoxious smell? Works on your feet!
- Think before you buy. Really, really think (I also like to watch Hannah’s videos to keep me on track). Work out what triggers you and makes you hit “add to cart”. (Here’re some questions that may help you to figure that out.)
- Look for dupes and read reviews. Try to minimize errors before you buy!
Figure out what is important to you
What is important to you when buying skincare? It’s essential to figure that out beforehand.
In your personal life, where does it make sense to splurge or save? Do you love luxury packaging? Would that splurge lift you up and make it totally worth it? Would that give you a little mood boost whenever you open your bathroom cabinet and handle that heavy bottle with the lovely print, for example? If you know you’d hate a cheap plastic bottle from the drugstore, there’s no sense in buying that if you’d still never use it.
I always hate when articles tell you where to splurge and where not, because it is such a personal preference for everyone. If you’ve got sensitive eyes, it doesn’t make sense to buy that cheap drugstore micellar water that burns your eyes, but Bioderma doesn’t.
If you have certain skin issues, you maybe want to consider only state of the art products. I’ve to admit that for retinol products I wouldn’t stray from Paula’s Choice, no matter how expensive: my skin reacts well to them, and their formulation is top-notch. I’ve tried others and always came back to PC: never change a running system, right?!
Save or splurge?
It does make sense to save on products you use up regularly and often: those are cleansers, toners and sunscreen for me.
I use a drugstore cleansing oil, although I really like PSA’s one, but honestly, do I like that one so much I’d spend 30$ more on it? Nah. Same with toners: I was absolutely smitten by SK-II’s famous one, but honestly – that’s not the kind of money I could spend every month or two when I do have one with similar ingredients that works perfectly well. There’s a case to be made for the exact opposite, though…
Buy smart!
When it comes to skincare, buy smart. You don’t need three products that have niacinamide in them and use a Niacinamide Booster on top. Or a moisturizer with peptides when you use a peptide serum. Multi-purpose products (think PC or AoS) are expensive, and only make sense if you use them as such. You don’t need a retinol moisturizer when you use another retinol product on top.
In the case of SK-II’s toner mentioned above, I’d say it would absolutely make sense for you to buy it if it would replace other products in your routine. If it would replace your three glow-boosting serums: well, go for it!
If you love Augustinus Bader and The Cream gives you everything you want: ditch all the serums and toners and moisturisers and use only that!
Know your ingredients
Know your skintype and the issues you want to fight: if you want “more glow”, for example, there’re a LOT of products that can give you that. You don’t need all of them. Pick one or two actives – not the whole arsenal.
That’s the most difficult for a skincare newbie and a trap I fall into from time to time. We’re all triggered by certain skincare buzzwords and promises: while the whole world seems to love glow and glass skin right now, I fall for the “brightening” thing again and again. And that is even though I know that I do have brightening ingredients in my routine already, and those work well for my skin: I do NOT need to add the buzziest mushroom extract serum to that as well.
What about you? What are your best money saving skincare tips?
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
