Beauty Economics - How much are my beauty habits costing me each year?

I've always considered myself to be money savvy: I try to spend my money on the things I really need or get most enjoyment from. With this in mind, I've been taking a look at how much different beauty treatments cost me over an entire year and what I could do instead with that money. 

Manicures and Pedicures

Salon manicures and pedicures in London are expensive: a simple manicure typically costs around £20 in most London salons. Assuming I'd need a manicure every week, this works out at £1,040 per year. If I cut down, and only had a file and polish costing £15, this would reduce to £780. Although gel polish manicures are more expensive, they need to repeated less often. Assuming you only needed to refresh this once every two weeks, this would actually work out cheaper than the file and polish, coming in at £728. For me, this is a double win, as it also costs me less time. 

The economics are even better for gel pedicures, as there tends to be a smaller price difference between standard and gel polish pedicures and toe nails grow more slowly, so the gel polish pedicure needs refreshing less frequently. 

Of course, it goes without saying, that the real saving to be had is by doing manicures and pedicures at home.  You could buy 63 bottles of OPI nail varnish for the price of one year's worth of gel polish manicures! My inability to replicate the wonders a salon pedicure can do though, means that what mackes most sense for me, is infrequent salon pedicures, say one every two months, topped up by at home maintenance.

Hair Care

The cost of regularly getting salon painted nails is more shocking when compared to how much a year's worth of hair cuts cost. A cut and blowdry at my local salon costs £45. Assuming I do this once every two months (and let's face it, very few people get their hair cut this regularly) it only costs me just £293/year. Even more interestingly, I could get 4 £175 keratin treatments per year for the same price as getting my nails painted weekly. The amount of time saved blow drying my hair each day would easily out weigh the extra time spent painting my nails. 

Luxury Products

The extra cost associated with buying luxury products is often less than it initially appears, when measured over a whole year, particularly if the products last a long time. For example, a jar of expensive face cream may last 3 months. Assuming that the luxury brand costs £35 a jar compared to £5 a jar for the standard brand, the luxury cream would only cost £120 more over the year. Of course, this does not necessarily mean the luxury cream gives £120's worth of results more than the other cream! 

The Bottom Line

Think about how regularly you get a beauty treatment to work out how much it is really costing you and whether you'd rather spend that money on something else! Consider treating yourself to luxury products, if they'll last a long time, and you believe the results will be significantly better.

How to Choose an Eye Make-Up Remover

Mascara is the most stubborn make-up to remove, yet is closest to the most sensitive part of the face. This makes choosing an eye make-up remover a tricky one - how to get something that thoroughly removes stubborn make up without aggravating your eyes? It's also essential that it's easy to do, so you've no excuses before bed. The most important thing to consider is whether you want to choose an oil or water based remover. 

Oil-based 

Oil based cleansers are the most effective at truly removing mascara. You're far less likely to wake up with a moon of mascara underneath your eyes if you removed it the night before with oil based remover. The negative is that they are messier: getting the oil-based remover completely off can be difficult, they have a tendency to slide around the skin if you try and rinse them off with water/wipe off with cotton wool. 

Water-based

These are definitely less messy than the oil removers: it's easy to apply with cotton wool, hold to the eye, and then wipe off. I find these effective for eye-shadows but not capable of fully removing mascara. 

What do I choose?

Oil-based is the only way for me, as I hate waking up with mascara round my eyes or applying mascara to lashes with a crust of yesterday's mascara. I go for basic products that are gentle, rather than expensive products with added extras. 

It took me a while to be converted to oil-based cleansers, as I found them messy and difficult to remove, but I now have my routine sorted. I put boots simply sensitive eye make-up remover (typically retails for just £1.50) onto my finger tips, stroke onto the eyelids to loosen the make-up and then rinse off with water. At this stage, my face will typically have a greyish film of mascara-y cleanser over my cheeks that is difficult to rinse off with water alone. The final step is cleansing my entire face with my usual foaming cleanser, which removes all the remnants of the oil.

I keep a bottle of a water based eye make up remover (l'oreal gentle eye make up remover for £2.99 works for me) for those times when I've made a make-up mistake or need to refresh make up during the day. 

Post-keratin Shampoo Update: :Low Priced Keratin Shampoo Found!

Previously, I've blogged about my hunt for a suitable shampoo to use after my keratin treatment. The keratin treatment cost me a lot of money, so I was very chuffed when I found a reasonably priced shampoo that marketed itself as being suitable for use after a salon keratin treatment. 

The shampoo in question is TRESemme's keratin smooth and it was on sale at my local boots for £4.99 for a 500ml bottle. It claims to be a professional quality shampoo (as do a lot of shampoos!) with low sulphates and infused with keratin. 

The Ingredients

Looking through the ingredients list, the second and third highest ingredients were ammonium laureth sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate. These are obviously sulphates, which leaves a little bit confused as to how it is a low sulphate shampoo. I've contacted TRESemme to clarify this. However, as the special shampoo my salon gave me also contained sulphates, this is not necessarily a worry. 

The salon my shampoo gave me contained no sodium chloride, the other post-keratin no-no. This shampoo also contains no sodium chloride. Interestingly, the superdrug website write-up on this product only mentions it's sodium chloride free nature, and says nothing about low sulphates. Unhelpfully, the TRESemme website gave no information about the ingredients!

The Verdict

I will try this, as it doesn't contain sodium chloride but does contain sulphates, just like the shampoo I've been using that my salon gave me. However, I am mystified as to how it can be labelled as 'low sulphate 'and await TRESemme's response......

The spring tights dilemma - how can I find tights that don't make my feet smell?

Spring has sprung and my first outing in sheer tights has reminded me of my least favourite summer smell, the pong of feet once they've been in tights! Wanting to dress like it's finally above freezing and stop completely shrouding my legs, but without the whiff, I've been looking into how I can stop tights making my feet stink.

Why do tights make your feet smell?

Sheer tights are largely made of nylon. This man-made fibre does not allow sweat to evaporate from the foot. Feet start to smell when bacteria start to break down this sweat releasing pongy compounds. 

So what can I do about it?

Look at the material

All sheer tights, except very expensive silk stockings, are made largely of nylon (also known as polyamide). Some may also contain varying percentages of lycra (also known as elastane/spandex) and occasionally a low percentage of cotton. 

Browsing through 10-15 denier tights in marks & spencers, I found tights that went from 100% nylon to just 58% nylon. 

The 58% nylon tights were Autograph 10 denier ladder resist tights and also contained 41% elastane and 1% cotton. Cotton is breathable, but at such a low percentage, is unlikely to improve things much. There seems to be mixed opinions as to whether lycra is breathable, however, a higher lycra content means the tights will spring back to their original shape and not give me baggy elephant knees, so I figure I’ll give them a try. 

If this fails, consider your shoes

If any sweat does manage to escape from your nylon encased feet, it will end up in your shoes. Bacteria can grow in your shoes giving off similar pongs.

Try to wear shoes that are made of natural fibres, including the lining, as this will help to let the sweat evaporate. Along the same lines, wear strappy sandals or flip flops, in these you can see the ventilation! At the very least, don’t wear the same shoes two days in a row, this will allow the shoes to dry out and help prevent the bacteria multiplying.

If the style of shoe permits, you could wear cotton shoeliner socks or insoles to help absorb the sweat. Someone on the internet suggested scented pantyliners as an alternative to insoles!

Conclusion

I’ll be trying tights with a lower percentage of nylon, although I’m not convinced this will help much. As such, I’ll be trying my best to keep my shoes odour free, by alternating them daily and using insoles in closed toe styles. I will not be trying the pantyline suggestion! Expect an update on whether I've been foot-fresh soon.

P.S. - Do NOT google 'nylon foot odour', you get some very strange youtube video results....

Nail Salon Speak - What are acrylic nails, sculptured nails, overlays, UV gel, shellac, gelish and tips?

Nail salon price lists can be confusing. They offer a range of different nail treatment at high and very high prices! The situation is becoming more bewildering with the introduction of gel polishes, and with the CND Vinylux polishes shortly to hit the salons it's likely to get worse still. Here is your salon dictionary to help you understand which treatment you want and which treatment will offer you value for money.

The Basic

Standard polish - This could also be called a polish change or a file & polish. It's likely to be what is included in the manicures / mini manicures detailed below. It will include a base coat, 2 to 3 coats of a standard polish followed by a top coat. Some nail tidying such as filing, dry cuticle removal and hand moisturising may also be included. You'd be wise to schedule in time to wait in the salon for a while afterwards to avoid smudging the paint. Take flip flops if you're having a pedicure as the polish doesn't fully set for an hour plus. 

Talons

Acrylics - Acrylic nails are very strong and thick, but don't always look very natural. A powder and a liquid are combined and brushed onto the natural nail. The mixture hardens (no heat/light is required) and then standard polish is applied. Tips or sculpting techniques can be used with the acrylic to lengthen the nail. Acrylics can be removed by soaking in acetone, but this is incredibly difficult to do properly on your own without damaging the nail. They should be filed professionally every 2/3 weeks along with refilling at the base. 

UV gel nails - Not to be confused with shellac/gel polishes which are more similar to the standard polish, these are very strong and can be used in conjunction with tips or sculpting. A gel is painted onto the natural nail, moulded and set under a UV light. The resulting nails are flexible and non-yellowing (acrylic nails can yellow over time). The nails have to be removed professionally by filing. Similarly to acrylics, they require refilling at the base every few weeks. 

Pink and White - These refer to acrylic or UV gel nails applied in such a way as to give a similar effect to a french manicure. A white tip or lengthening material is added to the natural nail and then overlaid with pale gel or acrylic. No polish is required and as such they cannot chip.

Sculptured Nails - This refers to lengthening nails by applying gel or acrylic over a form that is temporarily inserted under the end of the nail whilst the gel/acrylic is setting. Once the gel/acrylic is nearly set, the form will be removed leaving you with lengthened nails.

Overlays - This refers to applying the UV gel/ acrylic over the natural nail. 

The non-chip

Gel polish/ Shellac / gelish - This is somewhere between an ordinary polish and UV gel. A special base coat is painted on the nail followed by 2 layers of your choice of gel polish and finally a top coat. Each layer is set under a UV lamp for around a minute. The manicure instantly dries and should remain shiny and chip free for weeks. Lengthening techniques cannot be incorporated. See my full post on gel polishes for more details. 

The jazzy

Nail art - This does what it says on the tin and transforms your nails into little pictures! More spectacular results may be obtained is this is combined with one of  'talon' options.

Manicure / Mini Manicure / Luxury Manicure - This should be a start to finish pamper for the hands and nails. It may include soaking for enhanced cuticle removal, dry cuticle removal, snipping away hang nails, filing and buffing the nails, moisturising, massage and an ordinary polish.  It's worth asking at the individual salon to find out exactly what is included in each type of manicure they offer. This varies quite a lot and you can assess whether you'd like to pay £15 extra for a bit more cuticle removal and a hand massage. 

Tip

Lots of salons charge different prices for a polish change, file and polish, manicure and luxury manicure. Consider how much you have to pay for the various options and which bit of the process you most value being performed by the salon. For me, I'm quite happy to do the basic nail maintenance at home and just go to the salon for a shellac polish. I go bi-monthly for full pedicures and give myself mini-pedicures in between, as I find that my home pedicures just do not cut it in terms of cuticle removal.  

What I can't understand

Why do we have to pay so much for pedicures compared to manicures, even just for a polish change?! The extra work involves appears minimal!

How is a shellac manicure different to a traditional manicure?

I started getting shellac polishes last year after coming to the terms that until I have a life of leisure, an ordinary polish will barely last a day. I'd got into the habit of regular manicures on a 6 month sabbatical to Latin America where I never got close to a cooker, travelled by taxi and a manicure cost £3. I also had the time to watch the world go by, 'read' the local gossip magazines and practice my stumbling spanish in the salon for hours as the polish dried. The real world returned, but I still wanted to maintain my manicured nails. I thought that shellac might be the answer.

What is a shellac manicure?

A shellac manicure is also known as 'gelish' or a 3 week manicure. It is similar to a normal varnish in that no false nails are applied, therefore your nails will only be as long as your natural nails. Rather than air dry, the polish is cured using a UV light. I've found that unlike a normal manicure, the polish really doesn't chip and stays incredibly shiny, with no signs of wear. Instead the manicure only needs re-doing when your nails grow sufficiently for the bare nails at the base to become obvious. It shouldn't take any longer than a normal manicure, and best of all, it's totally dry the moment the manicurist steps away from you, you really can't chip it trying to leave the salon. 

The main negative for me is the difficulty of removing the polish. This is difficult to do on your own, you need both awesome dexterity and access to pure acetone. Shellac is removed by soaking cotton wool in acetone, placing this on the nail, and then wrapping the nail-cotton wool bundle with foil to keep contact between the nail and the acetone. This is then left to soak for 10 mins or so until the varnish can be easily peeled away. I found this all but impossible to do myself (although i'm not the most coordinated and struggle just to paint my own nails). A lot of salons will remove the shellac for free if you got it put on there, others charge around £10. 

The process

The manicurist will do some standard preparation like filing the nails and tidying the cuticles. A clear base coat is then painted on and you'll put your hand under a UV light for around a minute to 'cure' the polish. This will be followed by a couple of coats of your chosen colour and a top coat. Each coat will be cured under the UV light. Finally, the dull top layer is removed with a bit of isopropanol on cotton wool. You should now be left with incredibly shiny and totally dry nails. Actual time with the manicurist isn't much longer than with a standard manicure as you can cure the polish on one hand whilst they paint polish onto the other hand. The consistency of shellac is slightly more difficult to apply as it is less liquid than standard polish and more like a gel. 

The cost

The cost of a shellac manicure varies greatly between salons just like standard manicures. I've found a salon in London that will do removal and re-shellac for £25, but most seem to charge a little more than this. I figure if you're willing to pay for ordinary manicures, it will probably be cost effective to get a shellac manicure as you'll only need to refresh every 2 weeks or so. It's also worth factoring the price of removal as some salons do not include this in the listed price.

Tips for a great shellac manicure

It's absolutely key that the varnish is applied right to the bottom of the nail bed as regrowth will become prominent less quickly and it's the regrowth that limits the length of this manicure.

It helps if the varnish is painted on in thin layers to make sure that each layer fully cures. 

Make sure that the light is turning on properly during each curing session as this is essential for the varnish to 'dry'. You should be able to easily see whether the bluey-white light is on in the dryer. 

As the varnish cures in UV light it is essential that the nail varnish brush is kept out of sunlight as it will harden very quickly (no painting nails in the garden). This explains why the polish bottles are opaque. 

Shellac polish contains different ingredients to ordinary polish so you can't use your standard polish under a UV light for the same results. 

You can also change the colour of your nails during a shellac manicure by painting over them with a standard polish. The shellac provides a wonderfully smooth base that helps the ordinary polish go on evenly, however you may see a slight rim where the regrowth occurs. This varnish can be removed with ordinary nail varnish remover without damaging the shellac underneath and you can switch colours again! I also do this as a temporary fix to cover regrowth if I can't get to a salon to refresh my manicure.  

Toenails grow more slowly than fingernails so a shellac pedicure can last a month. 

About the Blog & Raison d'etre

The Beautilitarian brings you information on beauty products that is actually useful and will help you choose really great products that do what you want them to. We tell you what makes a cosmetic work, which ingredients to look for, and then find and review products that fit the bill. 

The blog documents our hunt for effective beauty products. Overwhelmed by the choice of cosmetics and the lack of compelling information about which products were truly effective, we were choosing products based on:

• How much advertising & editorial space they were given, typically an indication of the brand's PR budget;
• Seeing it in a friend's bathroom;
• And worst of all, the logic that it must be the best if it's the most expensive

We started on a mission to find information that would help us select products that had the best chance of being effective.

We felt like most beauty reviews told us more about the size of the maker’s marketing budget than the effectiveness of the product. On the other side, we found a few sites with lots of information on the science of beauty but had no application to specific beauty products and that were cumbersome to navigate. We sift through the information out there to identify desirable ingredients, chew on it a little and spit it out again in neat blogs. We also review specific beauty products to see if they are truly effective. 

Our aim is to take you with us on our hunt for really great beauty products, doing the hard work for you, and to enable you to choose really great beauty products.