How to Get Your Money's Worth from Beauty and Personal Care Products

According to a recent Washington Post article, most American women are more likely to buy luxe beauty products over clothing. However, I recommend using samples first. Shaking brand loyalty is a little more difficult to do.

I spend hundreds each year on personal care products and cosmetics, but most upscale brands simply cost too much for the average person, myself included, to grab on a whim. With Sephora letting customers have up to three samples per in-store visit and plenty of competitors giving away free trial sizes online, I am part of a new wave of consumers the common retailer may struggle to engage. 

Poor packaging only compounds the pricing pain point. Why would I buy something that is not only difficult to use, wasteful even, and expensive? Before throwing out that next shampoo bottle, open the cap and take a look inside. You will be surprised by how much is left- that's a lot of discarded money over time.

Nars Satin Lip Pencil (deluxe sample shown) retails for $26 for 0.07 oz. 

The solution? Scissors, in most cases. In the above, I used a matchstick after cutting the sample open because anything else would have been too large. A small spatula with an extended handle is cost-effective and can get the job done too.

MDSolarSciences Mineral Tinted Crème Broad Spectrum SPF 30 UVA-UVB: $32 for 1.7 oz.

It may seem petty and cheap to bother, but doing this greatly extends the "life" of most products by 3-5 days on average, and full-sized products even longer. In short, you will notice a cost difference over time. Your bank account balance will thank you.