Splurge or Save?

It's no secret that I'm a stereotypical "cheap Asian".  Why spend money on something that you can make/do yourself?  I'm always looking for the best bargain when it comes to spending money - yes, I use different email accounts to get the "___% off your first purchase" deals as many times as I can.  Don't judge me.

I like to think of myself as a pretty legit DIYer - I usually scour Pinterest for inspiration and tutorials before I go out and purchase anything.  I even found a recipe for fabric softener that I'm going to put to the test today.  The only area of exception to my cheap-ass ways are beauty products and treatments.  Beauty DIY is pretty much hit or miss.  Some things you can cut corners on, and some things are better left to the professionals.

Brow Grooming: SAVE.  I've always done my own brow grooming ever since I can remember.  I’ve never paid anyone to do them for me – why spend $20 when you can just pull out a pair of tweezers and scissors and go at it?  I’ll admit that I’ve made my fair share of mistakes in the past, but nothing that didn’t grow back or was easily filled-in.

Brow Products:  SPLURGE.  When you groom your own brows, it’s important to find brow products to fulfill your needs.  My current splurge-worthy brow products are: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Express Kit, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Genius, and Makeup Forever Aqua Brow (review post here).

Eye Shadow: SAVE.  I used to be a MAC whore-der back in the day.  I was young and wild and free, so of course I fell for the glitz and glam of the MAC brand.  The colors were vibrant, the packaging was so chic, and going to the MAC store was like getting into some exclusive club.  As I got older and started having my own bills to pay, I realized that I was just feeding in to all the hype.  Thankfully, since going on a Coastal Scents binge a couple years back, I’ve not only made my inner “cheap Asian” happy, but I’ve also got my eyeshadow cravings covered for-like-EVER with the 252 Ultimate Palette.

Eye Lashes: SPLURGE.  My favorite product, in the whole wide world is mascara.  It is a miracle worker.  Long, full lashes make the world of difference on even the plainest of faces.  I’ve gotten eyelash extensions before and loved them.  I’ve even splurged a little on serums and primers to boost my lash growth and length.  If you splurge on nothing else, let it be your lashes.

Hair Care:  SAVE.  I’m not a big hair geek so I save lots by not buying all sorts of different products.  I wash my hair every other day and barely even bother to brush it most days.  As far as deep conditioning and all that goes, I DIY those every so often when the whim strikes me – which isn’t very often.

Hair Dye:  SPLURGE.  Once in a great while I’ll get the urge to dye my hair.  Last time was a few years ago when I got a full head of highlights – it cost me $200.  Yup.  And though I’ve tried to dye/bleach/highlight my own hair before, it still never turns out like that girl on the box.  So unless I’m going darker, I’ll spend the extra money and take this mass of hair to the salon.

Skin Care:  SPLURGE.  I don’t take my chances on DIY skin care products.  My skin can get pretty crazy and I’m not about to do some trial and error on my face.  I’ll stick with the store-bought products on this one.

Nails:  SAVE.  I’m a girly-girl at heart, but the one thing I haven’t done in a LONG time is go to the nail salon.  Sorry, but I’m not a fan of sitting in a chair getting high off of paint fumes while people talk about me in a foreign language.  Besides, the polish either chips off within 2 days or is a bitch to take off if it’s fake.  #aintnobodygottimeforthat

Hair Removal: ???  Okay, this one’s a biggie and pretty much the main reason I wrote this post today.  I’ve been wanting to try waxing for some time now.  I’ve tried sugaring before with pretty good results but I’ve wanted to try a real wax.  Last night, I did it.  I bought the Sally Hansen Spa Wax Hair Removal Kit.  I only did the bottom half of my legs just to try it out and while the first leg went well, the second leg was horrendous.  I did everything the same, according to the directions, but for some reason, one section of my leg did not want to cooperate.  Basically, I ripped my own skin off.  The whole process was very messy and I’m hesitant on trying it again.  Perhaps this is more of a professional thing.

What about you?  What do you splurge on?  What do you do yourself?  Have you ever waxed yourself?  Why are white people “frugal” but Asians are “cheap”?