Ask an influencer: How much do you spend on beauty in a month?

Let's be real - looking good and well-groomed comes at a price: Spending on all the serums, moisturisers, sunscreen, foundation, concealer, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipsticks and beauty tools can add up. Then there's facials, hair cuts and colour and the odd body treatment here and there. All of which you need to budget for if you want to look your best.

Which brings us to this month's instalment of Ask An Influencer: Just how much do they spend on their beauty routines in a month to look this Instagram-ready? We got Mong Chin Yeoh, Xiaxue, Faye Wong, Sahur Saleim and Roanna Tan to share their monthly beauty budgets.

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SAHUR SALEIM

I try not to buy more than I need. Most of my purchases are for my makeup kit that I use on clients. A lot of the time I just find myself buying more shades of concealer or foundation, and also lashes! I buy a ton of lashes and mix and match them to use on my clients.

I also frequently repurchase lash glue because I always misplace mine. I’d say my purchases would amount to approximately $300 to $400 a month.

I like to splurge on unique products, things that I haven’t seen before. A worthy splurge would be Natasha Denona’s Eyeshadow Palettes. They are incredibly pigmented and easy to blend.

I tend to save on complexion products for myself. Two budget friendly options that I would recommend would be the Milani Conceal and Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation and the L'Oreal Paris Infallible Pro Matte Foundation.

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ROANNA TAN

Being a beauty blogger, one would assume that I don't need to spend on beauty products. Every month, I actually set aside about $200 to $300 for any beauty-related spending.

As a beauty fanatic, I can never resist new releases, especially eye shadows and lipsticks. Quality makeup products aren’t cheap so most of the time, half my budget’s gone to makeup.

On the other hand, I like to shop for my beauty essentials only when there's a sale on the brands' websites or shopping sites such as Lazada and Shopee etc. so that I can free up that budget for exciting things (i.e. a new eyeshadow palette or luxury beauty items).

Once in a while, I’d splurge on a big ticket item like a hair tool, a manicure or a facial treatment, and that leaves no more room for impulse buying. Buying beauty products can be REALLY addictive - it’s a slippery slope - so I make sure that I stick to my budget!

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MONG CHIN YEOH

I think I spend about… $500 a month on beauty? To be honest, I could be spending more but I am blessed that my job allows me to try so many beauty products! So on my own, I can save quite a bit.

When I splurge I opt for a good medi-facial or a good massage to rejuvenate my skin and body and I will save on cotton pads without sacrificing on quality. I like the ETUDE HOUSE Multipurpose Cotton pads that don't irritate my skin.

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FAYE WONG

I usually spend about $300-$500 each month, mostly on services like manicures (I love nail art!), eyelash extensions, hair care and facials - though not all in the same month. I try to control my budget each month example if I buy a new makeup collection this month, I'll do my hair treatment next month.

I love makeup products as well, so when a new collection that I like drops I'll get a few items. I don't mind splurging on good skincare products, especially serums, as they benefit my skin, but would save on cleansers as I feel most cleansers work the same.

I also stock up on my regulars like eyebrow pencils and eye primers that I use most often and hence run out fast.

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XIAXUE

If I had to buy beauty products, I would probably spend about $200 a month? I could definitely see myself spending on makeup removers since those tend to run out the fastest. I would also spend on aesthetic procedures (not every month) if I didn't already have a sponsor, but of course would keep a bigger budget for that.

When it comes to makeup, I would probably buy brow pencils. I use these to contour my nose so they tend to finish faster than any other makeup I have. Eyeliners would be have been another beauty item I would buy, but now that I have Plastic Cosmetics, I can save on that too.

Beauty Blenders would be my other beauty purchase since they need to be changed often.

This article was first published in CLEO Singapore.