Spend over $500 on skincare and get a free gift

and ten things I'd rather spend my money on

Whenever I check my emails, I’m struck by the amount of beauty and skincare promotions I receive in my inbox. My own fault, as I sign up for a newsletter every time I can get a 10% off code - a discount that amounts to almost nothing in the world of skincare today and which I then proceed to never use (I only buy something new when I’ve used up everything). I have my bouts of unsubscribing to them all once in a while, but somehow they still pile up. In the end, in an almost ritualistic way, I bulk-select and delete them every morning.

Then one day, something in the subject header of a skincare conglomerate mail - something about a gift waiting for me - sparked my interest. Good job, marketing team! I opened it but after perusing attentively, I realised what one of the free items could be: a 3ml freebie if I spent $500 on the brand.

I kid you not.

Now La Prairie is an expensive brand - I looked it up - but does the retail site really expect me to purchase $500 worth of skincare to receive this “free” gift?

Something about the words “free” and “discount” brings about a short circuit in my brain. I’ve taken the bait multiple times before - be it skincare, clothes, interior design, wellness, or healthy food. Suddenly it’s worth paying hundreds just to obtain whatever extra I can claim or to legimitise my wishlist - I mean, it’s probably now or never and I’ll make up for the bill next month, right?

It makes me think about all the ways in which brands have to compete for attention nowadays, claiming that their product is the holy grail of *insert issue*, paying influencers to share their message and sending mail after mail after mail in the hopes of making a sale.

And I’ve come to a point now that I’m done with it all. I want to weed these kinds of insidious messages out of my life. I’ve talked about my tendency to strive for an ideal and the wish to rewire my brain to want for nothing. And so this post is simply a new chapter in my multi-layered, never-ending anxiety about consumerism.

My point here is: I’m not saying no to discounts or freebies in general - it’s a lovely surprise sometimes - but it’s not free. There’s a hidden cost, be it in my money, time, privacy or health.

I tend to think now is the time and a discount like this won’t happen again, but if I keep thinking this way, I won’t be saving money (like my brain thinks it will) but I’m actually wasting a lot more. I need to remind myself that there are a lot of other things I’d rather invest money in.

Ten things I’d rather spend my money on:

1. Pick up a new hobby - in my case, learning pottery is well worth my money, as it’s such a mindful practice

2. Plan a weekend trip - I recently booked myself a 3-day trip to London!

3. Treat yourself to a massage

4. Go for a nice dinner - with a partner, friends, or solo

5. Buy a loved one a gift they wouldn’t otherwise get for themself

6. Sign up for an online course

7. Donate to a good cause

8. Buy a ticket to a live concert and play the songs on repeat until the date - I got myself a cheeky little ticket to the Jonas Brothers (no shame) and will be blasting the classics and watching Camp Rock in the days to come

9. Put some money in your savings account

10. Pay the bills - I know, not fun, but it does take a load off the shoulders

BONUS - 3 ways to be beauty deinfluenced

1. Before you sign up for newsletters, consider for a moment if the discount and/or free item you get when you share your email (and private information!) is really worth the daily spam

2. On that note, unsubscribe from your promotional newsletters. Let the act of clearing out your inbox be a reminder in and of itself

3. But subscribe to The Review of Beauty. I’ve been a massive fan of

   Jessica DeFino
   ’s writing ever since I joined Substack. She has an unabashed opinion of the beauty industry and offers a fresh (and thought-provoking) perspective on current beauty trends.
   

Cover art: Christy Turlington in “signals of change: the cosmetic message” for vogue, oct. 1985

---

You may like:

I wish I were the woman with cashmere sweaters and matching underwear

simple pleasures: Saltburn, "no makeup"makeup, and a book haul