The Cost of Looking 'Pretty'

Girls are called high maintenance. We are teased for how long it takes us to get ready for a night out on the town. But whose fault is that? Because, in my opinion, there is a definite reason that I wear make-up while my brothers don't and it has nothing to do with my reproductive parts.

We are socialized as children to accept flaws in males' skin and not in females. We are taught that boys do not wear foundation, do not know how to put on eyeliner, and are not to paint their nails. That is for girls and that is what girls need to do to look like attractive females. So what does all this amount to? I decided to analyze my own 'beauty regime' to investigate.

*Note: This is what I personally do most days to get ready even if all I'm doing that day is going to class or grabbing lunch with my roomies.

Hair

I've only recently accepted wearing my hair naturally. And by naturally, I mean braiding it the day before so it looks like a mermaid's (at least in my mind) or putting in some product to make the curls less frizzy. But my favorite look is straight hair so that's what I'm including for this analysis.

Conair 1875 Watt Styler Hair Dryer
Priced $34.99

Rusk Engineering Heat Freak Flat Iron
Priced $69.99

Garnier Fructis Style Flat Iron Perfector  
Priced $4.29

Total Cost: $109.27
Total Time Allotted Per Day: around 30-60 minutes

Everyday Make-Up

Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup Foundation
Priced $27.00

Various brushes and sponge applique
Basic Ulta Brush Set Priced $17.99
Sponge Priced $20.00

Naked eye shadow palette
Priced $54.00

Covergirl Professional mascara
Priced $5.24

Maybelline Eyes Studio master precise liner 
Priced $7.99

Covergirl Colorlicious Lip Gloss
Priced $5.64

Total Cost: $137.86
Total Time Allotted Per Day: 10-20 minutes

Taking it all Off and Prepping for Tomorrow

Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover
Priced $19.00

Aveeno Clear Complexion Foam Cleanser
Priced $5.99

Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Relief Cream
Priced $48.00

Total Cost: $72.00
Total Time Allotted Per Day: 5-10 minutes


Of course, the higher priced items like the flat iron and eye shadow palette I use every day and they last a while, but the total cost of making myself feel presentable is still ridiculous. And this list doesn't include miscellaneous prices like getting my hair cut and colored, buying nail polish, razors and shaving cream, or even the additional clothes I have to purchase (I'm talking about you, bras!) that are more expensive that what boys are expected to wear.

Overall, I don't anticipate changing my makeup regime but it does get me thinking. By not caring about looking like a conventional beautiful girl, I could save myself over $250 and gain an hour of my day. An hour I could spend watching more trashy television shows, studying for biology tests, or solving the world's problems. But alas, I'll probably still be spending it perfect my cat-eye (still have yet to master it!).