I switched last year to using non-drugstore skincare - I use Perricone MD now - and I am pretty amazed at the results with my skin; it really seems to make a difference. I spend about $150 every three or four months to get night and day creams and I usually time it so I buy during a sale or when I can get free gifts, but it's not something I'll compromise on now.

I dye my hair at home. I recently ordered some Madison Reed color but have yet to try it (I color just to cover grays, not to change the basic color of my hair, so I only need to color about every 12 weeks). If it works better than the drugstore Feria I have been using, I don't have a problem continuing to get that and paying more. What I won't do is go back to salon color - it was costing me $350-$400 a visit for cut and color and tip, which is a domestic airline ticket every three months. I'd rather take my family on vacation and do my color at home (I still get salon cuts, but those only cost $60 every 7 weeks).

I don't get my nails done because I do a lot of outdoorsy stuff, and I also do a lot of gardening and home projects, and it just doesn't make sense. Even gel manicures chip within a day or two. I prefer clear polish to color and so I buy Sally Hansen stuff and do mini-manis on myself every two weeks or so.

I don't do botox because I don't feel like I need it (I got pretty good genes from my mom and grandma, who look/looked way younger than their chronological ages their whole lives) and also because I don't want to deal with the expense. I don't do lash extensions or any of that - not sure how those would hold up as I go about my daily life. I do use Crest Whitestrips occasionally on my teeth, but haven't (and would not) pay for teeth whitening. I don't have an image-focused job and I WFH 90% of the time; when I do have to go into the office everyone wears jeans and half-zips and sneakers or hiking boots - that's just the culture, where I am. So just not a lot of reason to spend a lot on my appearance for career/work reasons. I would actually stick out like a sore thumb in my profession if I was dressed up and had fake nails and lashes, etc. - it's kind of a granola-crunchy profession where there's more focus on academic credentials than appearance.

Overall I am just not a high-maintenance girl. My husband and I got together originally because we loved outdoor exercise, not because I looked perfect or was intent on maintaining a perfect appearance. He would be more bothered by me saying "well, I can't go hiking today because I just got my nails done" than he is by me not having my nails done, lol. To each their own, and everyone is different and has different priorities. It's more important for me to have good outdoor sports equipment and be able to hike, bike, ski, etc. than it is for me to do a lot of personal appearance maintenance. So I spend a lot of money at REI and not as much at the salon.