The Case For Using Your Fanciest Beauty Products Every Single Day

When you splurge on a beauty product, your first instinct might be to put it on your top shelf and only touch it when a special occasion pops up. That way you won’t use it up too quickly or “waste it” on a normal day, especially if you aren’t leaving the house. It’s a common mentality and it’s why medicine cabinets across the world are packed with untouched serums and expiring $80 eyeshadow palettes.

When a beauty product is extra nice, it feels weird to use it on a random Tuesday. And so there it sits, untouched until the just-right occasion arises when you can give it the attention it seems to deserve. Perhaps it’s because saving your best stuff for special occasions helps add to the feeling of it being truly one of a kind, says therapist Laurel Roberts-Meese, LMFT. It’s why it makes sense to dip into a pricey palette on your birthday or a holiday. Before a Zoom call? Not so much.

There’s also a sense of scarcity when it comes to expensive beauty products, says Roberts-Meese, another reason why your bougie skin care, luxe perfumes, and pricey lipsticks tend to feel off-limits. When you invest in something high-quality, you don’t want to blow through it too quickly, especially if you don’t think you’ll buy it again.

Although all that’s understandable, a recent mentality shift has more people cracking open these high-end products and — gasp — actually using them. According to Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist and author, the past few years have shifted our priorities, shining a spotlight on what’s important and what isn’t. Now, more than ever, it feels right to seize the day and approach self-care with a new attitude, Manly says. That may mean using your 24-karat gold-infused eye patches for no real reason — other than because you want to.

This mentality is all over TikTok, Twitter, and Reddit, where folks are sharing a desire to bust into their sacred stashes. Twitter user @daschajones_ said she’s “trying a new thing” in which she uses her good lotions instead of storing them away, while @hollycassell made a resolution to “devour” all of her nicest products. She notes that she doesn’t want to save small pleasures for an “unspecific future” but instead wants to “wear the expensive perfume at home.” It’s a mood.

With that mindset, you can use your fancy moisturizer on the reg rather than leaving it to collect dust under the bathroom sink. Slathering it onto your skin can transform that random Tuesday morning into a special occasion, says Roberts-Meese. Think of it as an easy way to bring more joy into your self-care routine.

This ethos can change how you approach the other unused things in your life, like the pretty candle you never burn or the pristine notebook you’re afraid to write in. “Not needing a justification to use something special means that you hold value all on your own and you don’t need a reason to experience gratification,” says Dr. Sabrina Romanoff, a clinical psychologist and professor in New York City. Rather than waiting for a first date or a black-tie event, allowing yourself to use all your fancy items now “sends the message that you are enough,” she tells Bustle. “It also reveals a shift toward living in the moment.”

By letting go of those fancy product restrictions, you can actually start to shift how you feel. This is especially true if you dropped your usual self-care routine — maybe because you’ve been working from home — and want to get back into it. “As part of this revitalizing trend, products that were once considered splurges can now be enjoyed daily,” Manly says. Whether it’s new makeup, perfume, or a cult-favorite serum with a high price tag, you can celebrate yourself — while taking good care of yourself — by finally digging in.

From a practical standpoint, you want to use your nicest products before they go bad, after all. “It’s a win-win to use these items at their freshest,” Manly says. “Saving them for later often results in tossing beauty products that are past their prime, so it makes perfect sense to use your favorite items daily to enjoy the mood-boosting benefits while also ensuring that your products don’t end up unused in a landfill.”

Doesn’t this trend make you want to spritz yourself with your nicest perfume even though you’re home in your sweats? Because...same.

Sources:

Laurel Roberts-Meese, LMFT, licensed marriage and family therapist, clinical director of Laurel Therapy Collective

Dr. Carla Marie Manly, clinical psychologist, author

Dr. Sabrina Romanoff, clinical psychologist, professor