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Are you one of those people who just cannot resist a beauty product haul every other weekend or do you you wait until you run out before painting the beauty counters red again?
Well, based on our Clarins Bright Plus survey results, 70.1% of women try a new skincare product when they need it for a particular skin concern, while only 7.7% of women are keen to dabble in the latest beauty product releases.
The other 22.1% is made up of women who are most likely to try a new product when it's recommended to them by a friend.
What is the best way to go about shopping for beauty products?
The focus should always be on skin needs
Always remember: skin first, makeup second.
We asked skincare model, Sisipho Ntsabo, to share her beauty shopping habits with us:
"Skin care is so important for me. Ever since appearing on the Eucerin advert I felt some kind of obligation to keep my skin looking 'great.'
"My skin is really sensitive and acne prone so if I find a product that works, I have to stick with it. I found that for acne prone skin (like mine), you need to invest in the expensive products.
"I try various things depending on the price. I never try new products unless recommended or bought for me."
And journalist Khinali Bagwandeen shared the following about her beauty product shopping habits:
"I have extremely problematic skin so I stick to what I am comfortable with. I rarely ever try new products. I purchase a skincare range once every two months.
"I always aim to use a toner, face wash and moisturiser. When my skin gets a bit dry and I break out, I use products specifically for that. I have been using a brand called Lamelle and I also take a vitamin called Acnevelle to control my breakouts. Occasionally, I also purchase herbal steams for home use and charcoal masks when my skin feels a bit worn out.
"I also enjoy natural remedies such as coconut oil, turmeric and raw honey. I have had problem skin since I was 13 so I have done my rounds with brands and testing new things."
Read more: Does the cost of beauty products matter more to you than whether they work or not?
Know that more is not always better
According to an aesthetician quoted in an article from Intothegloss.com, the habit of constantly buying new beauty products doesn't give our skin a chance to regenerate.
The aesthetician further advised that you should use products consistently to get the best intended results rather than switching out your products every time something new pops up.
Not only is constantly spending on new products very costly, but trying new products every month is clearly not good for your skin.
Don't fall into the beauty trap
If you're a makeup and beauty enthusiast like me, you probably follow quite a few beauty bloggers and influencers, who review the latest beauty must-haves at least once a week.
And it's easy to fall into the trap of constantly wanting to keep up with them because that's the intention of those posts, right? To influence you and prompt an action based on fabricated "needs".
But the truth is, brands give beauty influencers free merch to try out and review, while you're spending money on all those products. So, while this works to the advantage of various brands, it doesn't really do much good for the consumers.
It's therefore always best to prioritise your personal skin concerns and to always know that our different skin types may react differently to the same product.
Just because it worked for your fave beauty vlogger doesn't mean it will yield the same results for you (and vice versa).
