Whoa: This is how much money I’ve saved by not wearing any makeup all year long

I love makeup – just not on me. Three factors contribute to this: 1) Impatience, 2) A desire to be au naturel, and 3) Money. What I’m saying is that applying makeup takes time and that’s not time I’m willing to give up in the morning (sleep is just way too precious to me). As for the desire to be barefaced (aside from the occasional swatch of lipstick), it’s basically my way of learning to love myself as I am – flaws and all. And then… there’s money.
I have what I like to call “financial anxiety.” It’s a subcategory of my generalized anxiety disorder, one that I mainly inherited from my parents. After seeing both my mom and dad worry about money countless times, I’ve grown to do the same. Even if I’m financially secure, I’ll still worry about spending unnecessarily as I focus on purchasing only the things I truly need. As you can gather, makeup is not one of them.

Since my not wearing makeup is partly related to financial concerns, I’ve always wondered: How much money have I saved by going barefaced every single day? To find out, I went online to see exactly what products I’d buy if I did wear makeup. Before doing so, I took recommendations from my friends and coworkers to see what products they like, where they shop, what they splurge on, and how many times a year they end up replacing certain products.
This is what I found on my quest:
NYX BB Cream (replace x2/year) – $12.99 x 3 = $38.97
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Concealer Treatment (replace x2/year)– $9.79 x 3 = $29.37
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer (replace x2/year) – $27 x 3 = $81
Laura Mercier Silk Crème Oil Free Photo Edition Foundation (replace x1/year) – $48 x 2 = $96
Milani Baked Powder Blush (good for a year)– $8.29
Rimmel Natural Bronzer (good for a year) – $5.79
L’Oreal Paris Magic Lumi Highlighter Deep (good for a year) – $12.99
e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit (good for a year) – $3.39
Revlon Eyelash Curler (good for a year) – $5.99
CoverGirl Super Sizer by LashBlast Waterproof Mascara (replace x2/year) – $7.49 x 3 = $22.47
Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow Palette Nudes (good for a year) – $11.99
Wet n Wild MegaLiner Liquid Eyeliner (replace x2/year) – $1.99 x 3 = $5.97
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner (replace x2/year) – $22 x 3 = $66
EcoTools Bamboo 6 Piece Brush Set (good for a year) – $10.79
L’Oreal Colour Riche Lip Color (good for a year) – $8.99
Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick (good for a year) – $21
Buxom Full-On Lip Cream (good for a year) – $20
Milani Color Statement Lipliner (good for a year) – $3.99
Treat Beauty Soft Candy Organic Lip Balm (replace x3/year) – $10 x 3 = $30
Total:
$482.99 (a hard minimum, since I can already imagine myself buying more than two lipsticks.)
I know this is an imperfect calculation — after all, I’m just ASSUMING, based on my taste and the taste of my friends, what I would buy. In reality, I could be buying more or less, depending on a lot of different factors. However, this is as close of an estimate as I can get without actually buying and wearing makeup.
With that being said, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with spending this amount of money as long as it’s within your means and as long as you’re doing it because makeup makes you happy. Yes, finances may make me anxious, but that doesn’t mean I don’t approve of self-love in any shape or form.