It's OKAY to Splurge on These
The trick here is to think about what you always wear, things people will always see on you. In today’s fast-fashion world, it’s difficult for the everyday person to distinguish between designer and regular apparel items.
If you can’t afford an expensive and glamorous wardrobe, plenty of stores have less expensive and beautiful options that look similar in quality and style. Stores like H&M, Princess Polly, Nasty Gal, Zara, etc. have elegant options. However, the theme of this list primarily focuses on self-grooming. If you look well-kept and feel healthy, you’ll be beautiful before the clothing and makeup. You could literally wear sweats and still look stunning.
Splurge:
Nails
Eyebrows/facial hair
Sunglasses
Phone case
Shoes
Purses
Jewelry (the designer is less important than the investment in quality jewelry that won’t rust)
Wallet
Undergarments (skin irritation is horrible)
Outerwear (but only if you plan on wearing it daily or nearly every day, like a trench coat for autumn)
Pillowcases
Skincare
Dental Care
Body Wash
Hair Care
Make-up
Athletic/workout apparel
Headphones/earbuds (only if you wear them every day in public)
Watches (only if you wear one every day)
Luckily, most of these items will last a person a long time if handled with care. I will always encourage splurging on self-grooming and your most-used items. If you are constantly seen with a gross phone case, bad nails, and purse that is falling apart, people will automatically (even if just subconsciously) associate that with your character and personality. Someone who is mindful of their accessories and well-kept is much more admired and viewed as attractive. NOTE: I am not encouraging anyone to go out and the most buy expensive of these items nor to purchase items with flashy designer logos. In fact, I think many items with logos printed all over them have a tacky look and make it appear as if you are trying too hard to disguise yourself as a rich individual. The goal here is to find versatile and quality items that suit you and your personal style.
In general, I say don’t worry about:
Apparel brands (it’s okay to splurge once in a while, but not every clothing item needs to be designer when there are so many inexpensive lookalike options)
Bathing suit brands (unless you hardly ever go to the beach)
Slippers/Slides (I wrote a blog about them over a year ago, but I never understood how these ever became a trend beyond nice slide sandals with a low heel. Enough with the Gucci slides.)
Designer check-in luggage (it will get thrown around so many times, and is a target for theft)
