The Real Cost of Beauty Overconsumption (It's Not What You Think)

Overconsumption in the beauty industry has been talked about a lot lately, along with underconsumption and de-influencing. But most often, the negatives are about waste...both environmental and financial and there are many other downsides to hyper-consumerism. Today I'll be sharing my thoughts on this topic, including my own journey with buying beauty products. I'd love to continue the conversation down in the comment section! 🩷

THIS VIDEO IS NOT SPONSORED

---------------------------------------------------------------------

LINKS/WHERE TO BUY
(Links marked with an * are affiliate links)

PRODUCTS USED:

💕 Let's Stay In Touch

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

💕 COUPON CODES (I do make a small % of commission when you use my codes).

ODEN'S EYE- JENPHELPS for 10% off
NATASHA DENONA- JENPHELPS for 15% off
COLOURPOP- JENPHELPS for $5 off $25
MOIRA Beauty- JEN15 for 15% off
BK Beauty- Code JEN10 for 10% off
SIGMA Beauty- Code JENPHELPS for 10% off
Glamlite Cosmetics- Code JEN10 for 15% off
Juvia's Place- Code JEN for 10% off
Persona Cosmetics- JEN10 for 10% off
Kokie Cosmetics- JEN25 for 25% off
Doll10- JENDOLL15 for 15% off
Alter Ego- JEN10 for 10% off
CColor Cosmetics- CCBEAU10 for 10% off
City Beauty- Jen15 for 15% off
YESSTYLE- JENPHELPS for 5% off

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

💖 ABOUT ME:

Hi, my name is Jen I am 44 and live in Connecticut with my husband and 8 year old son. I am a stay-at-home Mom and full-time YouTuber with a degree in business with a focus in marketing. Before leaving work when my son was born, I was a commercial lender at a bank. I also worked at Sephora and Macy's doing visual merchandising.
I have dry skin with some hyperpigmentation and fine lines. I love natural makeup looks but occasionally go outside my comfort zone a little bit. On my channel you'll find lots of videos about drugstore makeup and drugstore dupes (those are my favorites to film!) but I also review high-end makeup as well. I hope you enjoy my channel and if you do, please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE & leave me a comment!

[JenPhelps]

I've gotten a few comments from viewers who say that this video seems disingenuous because I'm an influencer whose job is to sell products and make money off of my subscribers. I want to say that I understand where you're coming from, but I also think you may have missed the point of this video. I mentioned in the beginning that I'm the last person who should lecture anyone when it comes to buying makeup. I'm not here to shame anyone who loves to shop and buy beauty products. By my own admission, I love it too! But I've also never been the type of "influencer" who is pushy or tells you that you need to buy all the things. Since the beginning of my channel, I've always tried to share lower cost alternatives and compare new releases to older products that you might already have. I never want anyone to spend money if they don't want to. I feel like I am allowed to love shopping but also recognize when it can be problematic. I don't look at it as black and white, like "well you're an influencer so you're supposed to push products and that's it" or "you're an anti-consumerist channel so you're not allowed to shop and buy things". I believe that both things can exist at the same time. I'm never going to not love shopping or buying makeup and skincare. But I believe that it should be done responsibly and with care and consideration for your budget, your lifestyle, the amount of space you have, etc. I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping those things in mind as we shop so that we can be smarter consumers. And THAT was the point of this video. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 😂❤️

[queenbunnyfoofoo]

I miss the days when companies only did seasonal releases. Not only was it something to look forward to, but the collections also seemed to be better curated.

[CovitaFam]

I stopped buying makeup for 1yr now. I just save my money for travel and take vacations 😊.

[zo_]

Never been happier to not have TikTok 🎉

[teri]

I watch honest beauty YouTubers like you so I know what NOT to buy and I appreciate you 😊

[frugalwitch]

I’m 60 and between 84-91 I worked as a freelance MA.

We didn’t have primers, used a dab of unscented moisturizer on the face and let it settle in, lightly dab with a Kleenex to remove excess.

I didn’t haul around tons of lipsticks. Just maybe 10 tubes of creamy lipstick that you blended for different shades. If you wanted a matte finish: apply, blot, apply blot, hold a single layer of Kleenex over lips and very lightly dab translucent powder with a powder brush. For sheer color dab on lightly with fingertip and gently blend. For shine top with clear gloss. And for cream blush use the creamy lipstick. Cream finish is the most versatile of all lipstick types.

Highlight was a shimmer eyeshadow. Contour was either a darker foundation or matte eyeshadow in the appropriate shade.

Before setting spray we used a light spritz of hairspray ( hold can several inches away from face, keep eyes closed, don’t overspray!)

Most of my makeup brushes came from art stores.

Decent range of foundations that I blended for each client.

[kathybrou]

Yes! I remember learning new looks with the same pallete. No more. Just product reviews.

[ShirleyCoddington]

Again. I LOVE this kind of deep, mature and thoughtful content.

[cdw]

Boy, I really needed to hear this! During Covid is when I started watching all kinds of beauty channels and I started buying so much stuff and it was fun and it’s been fun but lately it’s been too much. I certainly only use a few of my favorites and never really even touch all the other things that I have. Thank you for this video, it has given me a new mindset!

[SharrellKline]

I'm so glad I've never even looked at TikTok. I'm happy that you're discussing this topic and want you to know it's valuable. I've been realizing lately that when I see a thumbnail from one of the influencers I'm subscribed to, and it's titled something like: "Unpacking my PR" and she's in front of a mountain of boxes or "My $5000 luxury haul" or "My $900 Sephora Haul" I'm finding it ugly. And I'm no longer watching these videos. It crosses over from giving me useful information and upping my makeup skills into rubbing my face in a life the influencer has, and her subscribers don't, and I will no longer support that. It's not a life I want in the first place, but I now recognize that exposing myself to overconsumption is toxic.

[gizi]

It is truly satisfying to completely use up a product :)

[ninabryant]

I've stopped watching influencers whose primary focus is consumption. I don't need help spending money, I'm already excellent at that 😊

[livesouthernable]

A few months ago, I saw an influencer trying a lipstick she liked, and I bought it immediately. I used it twice before finding the same shade of lipstick buried in a drawer in my bathroom. This actually happened twice. My collection was so big, I didn’t even know what I had. I’m now on a no buy until I use up some of this stuff

[juliewells]

Sometimes I miss flipping through a magazine. I can’t remember the last time I bought one.

[LisaMarlene.]

Yes yes yes! This hit me hard, a reality check I needed. I used to own one blush, one foundation, just one of everything. Since my discovery of YouTube I now have way too much, and it’s just going to waste. I totally got caught up in the hype, however it is so much fun! I think that’s where the problem lies, we enjoy it. However, this is not just the beauty industry. Have you ever seen a quilters room, they have shelves and shelves of fabric. Painters have a million brushes and paints…so it isn’t just us thank goodness lol.
I never realized how much all this make up has caused me stress. Where to store it, what to store it in, and then what to wear…it really it is heavy. I think over the next couple of weeks I’m going to find my favorites and just have 2 of everything. Thank you so much. ❤❤❤

[chrissybacon]

I think you are such a smart, brave person! This topic is obviously resonating with many of us.

[JustMe-pxqy]

Massive overconsumption can be a form of addiction.
It can cause a mental health strain.

Honestly…the more makeup I have…the LESS happy I am.

Cosmetic companies DON’T want us to be truly happy with our products.

Cosmetic companies want us to ALWAYS be on the hunt for the next best thing.

[GhosstRyder]

I have so much makeup it is stressing me out. My sons are always complaining about my makeup collection and tell me they are going to throw it all out. I at the point where O look at a pallet and don’t know what to do. I have cut back A LOT on my makeup purchases. I now ONLY buy things I Absolutely LOVE. I LOVE everything I currently own, but do have a few things I need to declutter. I am definitely an over consumer. Thank you for making this video to show me I am not alone. ❤️❤️❤️

[dogwalker]

Cosmetics companies and influencers often focus on encouraging consumers that purchasing their products will help the consumer be more confident. My collection grew in size. Then one day I looked at the collection and thought if I really need all of these items to look presentable then I’m in trouble. Buying more cosmetics was actually making me feel less confident. I started greatly limiting the amount I purchased and feel better for doing so. Very interesting video.

[michelleh]

The travel bag! I always notice how little I actually need when I travel. I love love love buying makeup but I don’t NEED as much as I have. I definitely need to take a hiatus and declutter.