Very interesting read!
Angie and Style Fan, have you tried kids sunscreen formulation? I swear I have the most sensitive skin around ( thank you rosacea), but with the advent of grandchildren have discovered that I can wear garnier’s ombrelle for kids with no issues. I purchase a two pack container from Costco every spring.
I think I’m fairly low maintenance….
70.00 every 8 weeks for haircut. I walk to my hairdressers house, 10 mins away.
No hair colouring, facials, brows or lash treatments.
Kiehls moisturizer, I wait until it’s on sale and stock up. Maybe I use 1-2 large containers a year.
No makeup unless special occasions, or I feel particularly raccoon eyed.
Generally no mani/pedis as my nails are so sensitive to polish and removers, but I make an exception for weddings.

Lisaaaaa
Well I'm doing a lot more these days in the interest of stress reduction!

Hair cuts/color- sometimes I diy my roots, sometimes I go to the salon
(Maybe every 3-4 months now). Occasional malibu treatments too cause our hard water. $100ish.
Brow wax every 3 weeks or so $10.
Pedis same in summer, less in winter $30. Sometimes I diy.
I diy my fingernails unless my hands get too bad. Don't remember the cost cause it's been a while.
Gym - they're raising the fee to $60 next year.
Float/salt cave- $65 month (membership)
Infrared sauna - $99 for 3 sessions (I think). I'm going monthly, but may increase for winter.
Thought of doing a facial, but haven't yet - was $95, massage/acupunture around that too in my area (mom does, I'm not rn).
Haven't done anything with the lashes yet, cause all the time and maintenance involved. Think price was around $100.
*prices not including tips- so 20%+ more.
Skincare, haircare, makeup products-maybe $150 in the year. I don't buy anything expensive, mostly Trader Joes and indie makeup. Teeth whitening I diy- the kit (same as dentist had) was only like $35 on Amazon.

Well ok! For someone who probably appears low maintenance I am costly.

Hair - cut/highlights every 7 weeks. $170 plus tip. Salon shampoos/conditioners

No manicure or pedicures for me. Just lots of hand lotion and diy.

Not a lot of other spa activities - the odd lash lift and tint but not on the regular. Tint my brows and wax at home. I love a full body massage but just forget to schedule them.

Skin products are nothing fancy aside from a couple of serums and prescription Retin A.

Home handheld laser - Nira. Considering a omnilux/red light type event but haven’t done the research.

My dermatologist gets the $$ - laser on my face a couple of times a year and neck/chest once a year. Botox 2-3 times a year mostly for my 11’s and masseters.

Invisalign last year $$$; zoom teeth whitening this year. Can’t remember how much the upkeep whitening stuff is.

Gym membership - $125 a month - it covers all kinds of classes, outdoor pool as well as indoor, social events etc. have been doing a lot of weights/resistance workouts.

Lisa so glad you chimed in!!! Happy to hear from you.

gosh - I must be high maintenance! lol

brows - every 6 weeks
$25 + tip

lip/chin wax - every 2 weeks
$35 + tip

bikini wax - every 6 weeks
$75 + tip

haircut - every 6 - 8 weeks
$55 + tip

pedicure - in summer, every 3 weeks - in winter every 5 weeks
$65 + tip

manicure - bare - every 8 weeks
$25 + tip

Haircut and highlights, every 8 weeks, alternating between a half head of foils and a full head, cost approx $300. Tipping is not customary in Australia.
Monthly facial, approx $100, this is a recent thing having experienced some skin issues and hoping that a change in skincare could help with skin dryness, which luckily it has.
Nails are kept short and unpolished, I do my own pedicures.

I find this endlessly fascinating - like a sociological study . I'm always looking at women to see how they groom themselves and how it relates to their overall personal style. (including the use, or not, of makeup).

I wish tip culture wasn't customary here in Canada- it's getting out of control.

sun tiger, indigo print

I’m fairly low-budget. Haircut every six weeks at C$68 with tip, and that’s about all. I’ve never had manicures or pedicures; mainly I can’t abide chipped polish, so would resent having to remove it after a day or two. I did try wearing polish, but too many things are not conducive to keeping it looking nice, so I gave up And it was hard on my nails anyway.

Minimal. $40 per haircut to maintain the pixie, should be every 6 weeks but ends up being 7 weeks usually. No colour. No tip- not a tipping culture, but we do have a high minimum hourly rate of I think $22.70 or similar which is supposed to mean people don’t need tips to survive, although it’s still not enough for many on that rate. I’m not an employer any more but my husband still is, so have slightly lost touch on wages.
I had a pedicure only once in my life when my best friend dragged me along to a beauty therapy school where the students do it. Had a facial once in my life when gifted it for my 40th birthday.
Never had eyebrows or eyelashes done.
Essentially I have not enjoyed these experiences on those occasions so don’t see why I would keep doing them.
I would rather spend on holidays or shoes or clothes- holidays don’t last but the memories do, and shoes/clothes when well chosen make me happy in a recurring fashion.
I do look at the women in the nail salons when I go past and wonder about how many of them there are and why they go there? Is it the feeling of “me time”?

I want to thank you all for participating and hope reading the responses was as interesting and informative to you as it was for me. I could predict some forum members’ responses but found also some surprises
As for myself, I enjoy seeing and learning about all sorts of grooming that others do. I love seeing nicely manicured nails with pretty polish, If I could learn how to keep mine from chipping, I’d do it, too. I do my own mani once a week but use transparent nail polish that would not show any dents.

Most of resources goes towards hair, understandably so. Not a lot of money spent on makeup. I think it reflects rather subdued and more natural look that is popular now, among all ages.

You know Naomi Wolf who wrote “The Beauty Myth” in 1990 I think- and I read it probably 1991 because I remember I was 30- has saved me thousands and thousands of dollars not spending on skincare! She has become a conspiracy theorist which I don’t understand but I will still be forever grateful to her. It’s still on my bookshelf.
I am also constantly prescribing a thick cheap moisturiser which dermatologists here love- the name of the cream is cetomacrogol, an emollient.

Late but: about $90 every 6-7 weeks for a haircut, unknown but significant amount on skincare (mostly cheaper Korean brands or The Ordinary), pedicures only in the summer months, no massages ever (I do not enjoy!), makeup in occasional splurges but infrequent. I clean up my own brows, keep my nails short, work out at home with a $20/month online subscription, no hair dye obviously.

Gosh, I was going to say I am medium maintenance but actually I think I might be high maintenance lol! I do have a very front facing job, so I like to be well groomed and not have to think about my appearance once I get to work.
I get my hair cut and foiled five times a year, around $300-350. No tipping here, but our base prices are higher, so it probably works out in the end.
I get an SNS manicure every 3 weeks, and a gel pedi every 6 weeks. $55 for mani, another $60 or so for pedi.
Before the pandemic, I used to get my eyebrows done and my lashes tinted, but I have stopped that. I do not get massages unless for back pain.
I buy salon hair products, but only once or twice a year as I use them slowly. I have been using the French pharmacy brands for skincare, which I am finding better than more high end products - especially Avene. I do buy expensive makeup, I've moved to mainly Trinny London this year, which is pricey but I like it a lot. No idea what all of this costs, but while I am working I don't mind.
A lot of the women I work with have very expensive skin treatments (thousands each time). I had begun to think that was the new normal, so it is reassuring that perhaps it is not! I'm not too interested in all of that...

Jenni, I read that book in university and have always been grateful ... That and the documentary "killing us softly" by Jean Kilborne which my high school religion teacher wisely insisted all young women should watch on school!

*Waving at Lisa*

I am a mixed bag ... I spend a fortune on my hair (I don't even want to say, suffice it to say it's well north of 200 and that's before the tip) every 8 weeks or so.

On others items though I'm pretty low maintenance. I do my own mani pedis and although I am a sucker for pretty nail polish colours and slowly training myself to stop buying them because I always come back to sheer pink, or occasionally burgundy for my toes or a special occasion. I might get a proper Pedi before summer but that's about it.

Makeup is mostly drugstore, although I just got sucked into Seint and am using their basic palette and love it. Skincare is CeraVe moisturizer, Cetaphil cleanser, and aquaphor lip balm.

No facials, massages, tanning, high end hair removal or other esthetic services unless I get a gift certificate for my birthday treat or something (thanks Dad! :D)

Pay for an online Zumba class ($4) and in person yoga class ($15) once a week, mainly because they are local small business women who have built really lovely little communities, but other than that it's YouTube fitness and lots of walks for me!

Okay, finally reading through the whole thread; what a great read! Super thought provoking and, like Lisa ( hi!! ) says, practically sociological.

One more thought I’ve had is seeing spending in terms of products/goods vs experiences… I think there’s been a cultural shift towards putting more money into experiences (travel, dinner out, etc) and arguably salon services fall into that category. I balk at paying for aesthetic services, mainly because I neither enjoy them nor see the value in them, but will gladly pay comparable prices for theater tickets, museum admission, etc. Plenty of folks don’t consider those activities worth it/enjoyable (my DH among them ), so I have to trust that at least some of the folks at salons are there because they enjoy and value the experience as well as the outcome.

I guess that’s a long way of saying I don’t think people are buying these services solely in pursuit of an external beauty standard but as self care/me-time/relaxation, what have you.

In terms of spending, I almost certainly put more money into skincare products than any service, only because with sensitive skin there’s so much trial and error involved in finding a basic maintenance routine (see Angie’s sunscreen post). The number of products I tried, some derm prescribed, some not, to find a combo that would mitigate my “maskne”at the height of the pandemic—oof. Not so much a matter of beauty standards, since no one in public could even see my face, but I will pay good money not to feel miserable!

I don't get my hair cut nearly as often as I should. My hair is fairly long (longer than it should be right now), and sometimes I go 6 months or more between cuts. My regular stylist left a while back, and I haven't looked into finding a new one.

I used to pay for waxing every 5 weeks or so, but I now do that at home, and it is so much less expensive and I am able to do it far more often. I am SO glad I switched to DIY.

I don't do manicures, and pedis I do at home.

I don't get spa type services, so no massages or facials, but I do spend moderately on skin care (Sunday Riley, Shiseido or similarly priced brands). Generally drug store or Ulta brands for makeup.

Haircut about every 6 weeks $50
Highlights about 10-12 weeks $150
Manicure and pedicure about twice a year $25 and $40, usually do it myself.
Make up about $50-$70 per year pretty minimal.
Moisturizer, I use Cetaphil on my face and whatever I can find in my bathroom closet on my body. Need to totally up my game on this one as I'm getting older and my skin definitely needs more TLC!
Used to occasionally have my eyebrows waxed but had a couple of burns so I'm off this now. I should be plucking them as they are probably horrid , I don't look closely though !

If spending level is a measure of maintenance level, I am high maintenance —full stop. Like everyone on this thread, there are areas of splurges and thrift.

Bj1111, I don’t consider spending level is necessarily an indicator of a maintenance level. I would think it’s more about a number of provided services and time spent getting them. My interest is finding what kind of services are popular, first and their monetary value, second. We live in different countries and different communities, hard to compare prices.

My style words are utilitarian minimalist nomad, so…
Pixie cut maintenance about 7 weeks, 30 USD dollars, I tip the tiny salon’s owner big and tell her to up her prices, she is wonderful.
Never had a mani/pedi, once a week cut everything very short and clean, clean up feet with files. Long summers mean sandals and calluses.
Tooth whitening kit from Amazon. The Ordinary chemical peel every two weeks or so. Gold Bond healing lotion everywhere, nice and thick.
Three herding dogs keep me busy with walking, agility, more expensive than a gym membership but way more fun.
No massages, facials, waxes, etc. No makeup for the last few years. It’s been great.

Haircut every 8-10 weeks, $140 (includes tip)

Makeup….mineral sunscreen foundation, eyeshadow, blush, eyeliner, lip gloss and mascara….maybe $200/year

Shampoo, conditioner and hair gel, maybe $300/year ( may cost more with longer hair)

no massage, no gym membership

Pilates instruction (private) weekly $60

weight lifting weekly $40-60

knitting class $10/week

We have a home gym with equipment which I use daily on the days I am not working out with the Pilates or weights instructors.

@Irina
Actually since the last time we discussed your lash lift, I went & had mine done too (before & after photos attached) - IMO it makes a big difference, even without makeup! So I think I'll restart with that every 6-8 weeks (since that's when I get my laser hair removal done (at the same place) anyway).

I also pay for £100 haircuts twice a year (thrice when it's a shorter style &/ or with a fringe) - it's difficult to go any cheaper for wavy/ curly hair (in HK)!

Everything else I do at home - skincare, nails & hair dye (I'm contemplating stopping my 100% natural henna dye now that I've got fully grey temples a la Bonnie Rait lol...)

PS - Anyone who doesn't like massages but still holds lots of bodily tension, I *highly* recommend TRE (Tension/ Trauma Release Exercises)! I did weekly classes but now maybe once a month (for the class atmosphere/ energy) then continue my practice at home. Dr David Berceli (the founder) has the 7 exercises on YouTube, so you can try it yourself first - I'm not TRE-affiliated, just sharing another regular service I pay for

I’m sharing this with *notes as to how I make these value trade offs. This list includes services does a few years ago that have not needed to be repeated as well as anticipated services.

Laser hair removal—stache, armpits and nethers. $$$, non-recurring after initial cost. Stache was causing social embarrassment and since I’m I was there, I did everything else. WORTH IT

Botox—prefer not to, but 11s bother me more than the expense. $$ recurrent, value tbd

Micro needle with rf for jowls and chin. $$$ WORTH IT . This is what bothers me most about aging.

Prescription retin a, Korean serums thru Amazon —way cheaper than Sephora —more preferable for my skin. Costco shampoo, Elemis face wash, box hair dye $ and worth it

$60 cuts every 4-6 weeks. I don’t value facials. My Thai massages are therapeutic, not cosmetic.

$3 rimmel eyeliner, $35 mercier navy eyeshadow used as liner. Dior lip glow and lipstick last two years. That’s it.

Zaeobi, your lashes look fantastic!
bj1111, do you mind sharing which Korean brands you like? I bought a few and would want to try more.

Beauty of joseon sunscreen
—rice probiotic is my fave—great formula, double as a light moisturizer in the summer, good sun protection
—ginseng moist is thicker and has a silicone feel. Good in a pinch
—matte stick breaks me out

https://beautyofjoseon.com/collections/sunscreens

From nature age treatment essence and CNP propolis ampoule essence—ride or die. Heals my skin when I’ve been to heavy handed with retin a. I try to get a three pack of cnp essence if I can find.

CNP night mask very rich —I’m trying for winter as I like the essence. Laneige (available as Sephora?) great as a last step moisturizer—skin feels like mochi in the am. Sulwhasoo used to be ride or die but I get same effect with other stuff and cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/c?ref_=navm_hdr_cart

Honestly tho, being raised by a part vampire sun averse mother and genes account for much of my appearance —good or bad

I actually have not paid for a service in years (scary but true) and feel like now’s the time to get pampered a bit. I can’t report on pricing yet, but am all for everyone feeling their best.

Bj1111, once again I see such vast differences in Amazon inventory for Canada. I found only one product available from CNP and I would have to pay delivery charges
Thanks, anyway!

Fascinating read! I am a little bit of an outlier, I think, in terms of what I do and don't pay for: I don't pay for a lot, e.g., I cut my own hair (which I started doing in the pandemic and liked the results so much that I kept up with it), don't color my hair, don't get my nails done or anything like that, don't really do anything for my skin/face other than wash it in the shower with Cetaphil cleanser :), and wear minimal make up (one eye shadow I line my eyes in, and one MAC compact powder--that's it). I use a mix of basic drugstore hair products + some more expensive brands, but they last forever. I have a treadmill and rowing machine in-house, so I don't need a gym membership.

However, I did pay for weekly JSJ (Jin Shin Jyutsu) treatments at $145 each, for approximately 12 years, until my practitioner unexpectedly died earlier this summer. Quite a large expense, but so worth it for me personally in terms of my physical and mental health. So now I am searching for a new provider, but it's tricky.

This has been such a fun read- thanks, Irina!! (And, so good to see Lisa!) Haircuts are my splurge, and have been, going back to when I was in grad school. I love the salon experience, having my hair washed, cut, and styled, and I've always lived in/around large coastal US cities, so prices are high. I started going to people who specialize in curly cuts nearly a decade ago, so that's 4x/year, and ~$120 USD plus tip. (Never had color services for my hair.) I use salon styling products, and buy the larger bottles which last forever, so the overall cost is ~$150/year. Drugstore brands for shampoo and conditioner. Pedicures are 2-3x in the summer and 1-2x in the winter as a pick-me-up, cost ~$25-30. I don't like wearing polish on my fingernails, so no manis. Skin care is a minimal routine and with drugstore brands and a few products from The Ordinary, and I wear less and less make-up, so whatever I spend on that is minor (and certainly far less than I spend on coffee or other small indulgences.)

And, I'm so glad to find out that I'm not the only person who doesn't enjoy massages!