3 Ways You May Be Wasting Your Money on Beauty Products

If you're someone who prioritizes beauty products in your budget, you're not alone. Data from Advanced Dermatology reveals that the average American spends $722 a year on their appearance. And depending on your personal collection of products, your credit card tab for personal care may be much higher.

Now, you may decide to make beauty products one of your financial priorities -- after tackling expenses like rent, car payments, and food, of course. But if you're going to spend a fair amount on beauty products, you don't want that money to go to waste. Here are a few ways you may be throwing your money away.

1. Letting them expire

Just as food has the potential to go bad on you, so too can beauty products. You may have a little wiggle room beyond a given item's expiration date -- for example, you may be able to squeeze a couple more months out of a lip gloss or facial powder.

But be careful with eye makeup. When products go beyond their expiration date, they can start to harbor bacteria. You don't want that stuff getting into your eyes.

Keep in mind that some beauty products don't have a printed expiration date per se. Rather, there are rules of thumb to go by.

Mascara, for example, generally only lasts four to six months. Eyeliner can last a year, as can foundation and concealer. Powdered makeup can generally last a bit longer, like one to two years. But if you have powder that starts to crumble, it's a sign you should toss it out.

To avoid running into a situation where your products expire on you, buy yours judiciously. Make sure you'll actually use a given item before committing to a purchase. And if you already have a few of a given item, don't buy more until you've used up your stash.

2. Not storing them properly

Storing your beauty products the wrong way could cause them to go bad sooner. Generally, you want to keep those products away from heat, sunlight, and excessive moisture. So if you have a bathroom window that tends to let in a lot of sun and create a lot of heat in one corner of your counter, don't store your products there.

Bathrooms are a common place to store beauty products. And bathrooms tend to get a lot of moisture because that's where you shower. So make a point to turn on your bathroom fan to keep the room ventilated while you're bathing. And if you don't have a fan, crack a window or at least leave the door open if that's feasible.

3. Signing up for subscription boxes

Beauty subscription boxes or bags can be a fun thing to sign up for. Usually, you get a surprise assortment of products at different intervals (sometimes every month). And some of these services can seem quite affordable. Ipsy, for example, gives you five samples every month for a fee of $14.

The problem, though, is that the products you receive may not end up being useful to you. So in that case, you're throwing money away.

Let's say your subscription box includes a tinted moisturizer with a scent you can't stand. Well, rubbing it all over your face is unlikely to go over well. That's wasted money. Similarly, you might get a lipstick that's the wrong color for you. Once again, that's a waste.

It's natural to allocate funds to beauty products in your budget. But try to avoid habits that could cause you to drain your bank account carelessly.