Things you no longer pay for, and do yourself.

[OverEggedPudding]

Over the years I have stopped paying for certain things and I am not regretting it so far. So, with the credit crunch here, I thought this may be useful to have a discussion about this, although I've seen this topic many times on here.

Here's mine:

1. I refuse to pay for a manicure or pedicure. I get that it is a lovely treat, but I just cannot part with this money. I used to live overseas and have a mani/ pedi. It took 1 - 1.5 hours and it was a thorough, spa experience and cost half the price. I do spend money on my nails, but do it myself. I use Footners, a foot file, moisturiser, cuticle remover and nail smoother/ buffers and I buy decent nail varnish and base and top coats. My feet are now like a baby's bottom.

2. Facials. Again, I used to have them overseas for twice the service and half the price. I had a few here and they cost up to £90 and it was a slip, slap, slop job. Now I use a face steamer, face masks, NuFace and good skin care and my skin has never been better.

3. IPL. I paid a fortune and it didn't work. IK bought a Philips Lumea and now have very little hair.

4. Keratin treatments. I used to pay £120 for a treatment 3 times a year, now I do it myself at home twice a year with Cocochocco and it costs me £30 for 2 uses. At home was much more successful than salon.

5. Self tanning. I was talking to someone in a shop the other day and they told me I had a lovely light tan and had I been away. It was my St. Tropez fake tan spray mist.

So I am not a total skin flint, and do spend some money. I do not skimp on:

Eyebrows. I stopped having them done in a salon, but recently went back and had HD brows done and they look fab. I have tried lamination and I don't rate it.

Good skincare

LVL - loved this, but didn't last long.

Electrolosis - to remove stubborn chin hairs.

What beauty treatments do you do yourself, with what products and how is it better?

I do my own mani/pedi and gel nails.

I wax my own bikini line and epilate legs.

I have got short hair now and am planning to go to the hairdressers more frequently, after a once every six months visit for the last 20 years.

I want to get my teeth whitened and straightened and possible start with some Botox.

I've been doing my own eyebrows since lockdown 1.

I also have an ipl gadget- must dig it out again! I definitely had some success with it before. (Related anecdote - once when getting a lag wax I casually mentioned to the beauty therapist that I'd been looking at them and asked whether she knew anything about them. She practically shouted "No!" at me, ferocious head mistress style. I took that as a sign that it would be worth forking out for!)

Following with interest, I want to do more at home to save time going to the salon.

I’d love to hear more about cocochoco!

I also do my own tan and nails but pay for microbladed brows, they look much better than anything I could do at home

I dye my own brows - thanks MN for the Dyebrow recommendation!

I remove all my own hair.

I don't have fingernails done - I do a clear polish myself and keep it simple

I DO get a gel toe polish at the beginning of summer because my toe nails grow really slowly and its one less thing to worry about. I see value in £25 when it lasts me months!

I do my own foot filing though and Footner. And I never liked facials anyway!

Pretty much the same as you, op!

Lumea is a game changer, best £450 I ever spent. Love doing my own brows now and do my own nails and pedis, my salon started charging almost £50 for infills with gel polish LOL no thanks. I buy good quality varnish and quite enjoy painting my nails in an evening

Another vote for the lumea - life changing when you’re as hirsute as me!! Out of interest, OP, which cuticle remover would you recommend as that is the one part of my manicure routine I can never seem to do well!

I don’t pay for any beauty treatments at all apart from haircut if that counts. My friends are always surprised because I’m probably considered reasonably high maintenance in the beauty dept. I colour my hair, dye and pluck my eyebrows, do my own nails, own fake tan. Never have waxing, manis, pedis or facials. I have a Phillips Lumea

We're terribly self-sufficient in our household.
We own every power tool or piece of equipment that we ever need to do home and car repairs, clean the windows, unblock the drains and so on.
Each time we potentially might have to get a guy in, we buy the thing that means we can just do it ourselves for the next 10 years.
Which reminds me, we could do with a chimney sweeping kit...

I do most things myself though I have had most of my body lasered.

I pay for eyebrow threading, balayage 12-18 months and cut and blow another 2-3 times a year on top of that.
Botox 1 x yearly
Skin and me skin subscription for face
Nails done at a salon approx 2 x year for holidays.

I have learnt to style my own hair so no expensive blow dries. Olaplex between appointments helps keep the ends going for longer between cuts.

I do my own nails for a night out - no polish allowed at work

Foot peel instead of pedicure

Lash serum

That's all I need really.
I'd say I was average maintenance.

If I needed to save money the next thing to go would be the balayage and the skin and me subscription - I'm not grey yet and my natural colour suits me well.

Working in healthcare make me pretty low maintenance. I couldn't do the full on beauty required for the corporate environment. I do it occasionally and it's a proper faff.

I do my own eyebrows, hair removal, manicures and pedicures. I think the only thing I pay someone else to do is my hair.

I'm pretty low maintenance. Since lockdown and not having to go in to an office I rarely wear makeup. I have some powder that has decent coverage and that with some mascara is the most I'll do unless going out out.
I colour my own hair - started going grey at 17! I have once or twice gone for a professional colour, but in London I costs ££ and within a month I've got noticeable roots.
Don't do my nails but I do like a pedi. But I have one maybe three times a year and actually haven't had one since last summer.
I've found a hair stylist that's really reasonable- on a recommendation and happy with her.
One thing I really enjoy is a facial - and mine is well beyond the slip slap slop! She does a lovely massage too as well as really take time and care. I'm not sure if the results aren't fairly superficial, but it's so relaxing and enjoyable I won't stop. I'd love it every month but at the moment it's more like every two or three. She does my eyebrows too.
My biggest expense is I do have a personal trainer twice a week. I've moved so it's now via Zoom, but frankly I wouldn't exercise much beyond walking without it. As she's based outside London she's half the price. It's my health so worth it.

What I don't bother with:
Shaving my legs. Not that this costs much but I'm not hairy and it's been years since anyone has seen my legs outside a pool.
Tanning: couldn't care less about this.
Intimate waxing: no no no

I do everything myself.

I have an IPL and otherwise shave
Cut and colour my own hair
Do my own eyebrows (I only pluck them anyway, but am looking at DIY dye kits), have had lash extensions a few times and loved them but they are not a regular thing.
Do my own nails, although will get a pedicure before a nice holiday.
If I do tan I do it myself, although I might have a spray tan before a special occasion.

Sally Hansen Instant Cutile Remover

COCOCHOCO Gold Brazilian Blow Dry Hair Straightening Keratin Treatment

I’m too scared to do my own keratin hair!! I do still have my hair done by my fabulous hairdresser but I’ve gone a lot darker now so now go every 3/4 months! Still it £100 I could do without spending!

I haven’t had my nails done for about a year now! But have a polygel & sensationail kit…reminds me I must try the polygel again to see if I can actually do it this time.

I do my own pedi, have all the kit to do that 😊

Eyebrows I just pluck them every now and again they aren’t in bad shape to be honest and use the benefit brow gel

I am having an Lash Lift before I go away for a few days it does tend to last 6-8 weeks so I’m happy paying the £40 to have it done, most of the time I use false eyelashes and only if I’m going out (that would be never)

I have an epilator which I must dig out, and get my legs done, not keen on being waxed I always end up having a reaction. Stupidly sensitive skin

I have never had a fake tan since the orange incident 🤷‍♀️ Happy being pale

Ta very much!!

I hate going for beauty treatments so do have gradually moved to doing everything myself 😅I only paint my toenails in the summer. I’ve got a lumea which I hardly have to use much anymore.

I cut my own hair. Do my eyebrows with dyebrow tint

I dye my own eyebrows it’s so easy with refectocil and costs pence. I notice it’s the same product they use at the posh salon I used to pay £15 for it. I’ve stopped having manicures as the varnish doesn’t last ( I have an allotment). I pay for leg
waxing prior to holidays and for haircuts. Prices have ramped up significantly since Covid.

I think it also has to do with where you are cutting back elsewhere too. But most beauty treatments are non essential so I guess they would be the first to go or be limited or downgraded.

I'd love to hear more about the home keratin treatment.

The keratin treatment is easy peasy to do:

www.cocochoco.net/how-to-apply

People think it’s hard as it takes a while in the salon. It’s not. It’s just time consuming for the hairdresser and that’s why they charge ££££. My hair has been much better doing it at home, than in the salon. The products I have been given in a salon are inferior to Cocochocco in my opinion. The key is also to use a really decent non sulphate/ sodium shampoo afterwards. I use keratin concept.

Keratin Complex, not concept. I used to use Keratheraphy, which was fabulous, but I don’t think you can get it in the uk anymore.

All I do is my own hair removal! I'm not that hairy so just shave legs/armpits and depilatory cream my bikini line when needed.

Im too lazy to do anything else myself and prefer being pampered!

I dye my own lashes and brows. It’s so easy. I don’t even bother with all the Vaseline and skin covers now. I just put it on like mascara and I still get it in my eyes less often than they did in the salons ( they got it in my eyes almost every time anyway). Brows really need to be done every week if you are blonde like me so it’s a total waste of money in a salon.

I don’t do facials anymore. They just put rubbish on your face anyway. Crap like Elemis full of essential oils and other irritants. Would rather spend money on regular daily skincare that suits my skin type.

If I go to a spa I get a massage as can’t do that to myself.

Still splurge on my hair in a hairdressers though. Would never mess with that at home.

Oh and waxing. I get the wax strips. Far easier and less messy than the pots. Not taken a razor to my legs for 15 years. Have the finest hair on my legs now. Only have to do every couple of months.