'No one needs ten blushes': How the cost-of-living crisis has impacted my view of fashion and beauty

The world is facing a global cost of living crisis. However, the UK is one of the worst affected among the world’s advanced economies, forcing an overwhelming number of Britons to become increasingly concerned about their daily spending habits. Although the conversations seem to principally surround the impact that the crisis is having on gas and energy bills, there have been notable consequences on the fashion and beauty industry.

The fashion industry has responded to this tumultuous period with a new trend that focuses on minimal fashion and makeup, which is rather bleakly referred to as ‘Recession Core’. And while I agree that society must acknowledge its overconsumption, there is something oddly dystopian about labelling the growth in minimalist aesthetics due to a global recession as a trend that I myself have been influenced by.

Like many of us, I have spent the past couple of years trying to shop more sustainably, even going so far as to delete all the clothing apps from my phone and resisting the temptation to pop into Urban Outfitters between lectures. This has, however, resulted in me spending hours a day scrolling through Depop, but at least it’s not fast fashion, I guess. Despite already trying to tackle my overconsumption of fashion because of its impact on the planet, the cost-of-living crisis has forced me to acknowledge its effect on my bank account. However, I feel this crisis has had a much greater influence on the beauty products that I choose to invest in.

I was scrolling through TikTok recently and came across a video of someone saying ‘You don’t need ten blushes’, and although I quickly scrolled past as I wasn’t particularly intrigued by her video at the time, I found myself thinking about that statement later on. No one needs ten blushes. No one needs five foundations. And no one needs ten different lipsticks. Yet I, and so many others, do.

Despite having all these different makeup products, I always find myself reaching for the same products and recently asked myself why I have so many foundations, for example, when I have a clear favourite that I almost always use anyway. Due to the rise of social media and influencer culture, we are constantly being told that we need to buy the newest products. And although I have bought several new makeup products in the past after being convinced to buy them by someone on TikTok, makeup is starting to feel like an unnecessary purchase.  

Once you find a makeup routine that works for you, there is no reason to depart from that, whether there is an ongoing cost-of-living crisis or not. And, as someone who preferred a minimal makeup look anyway, there is absolutely no need for me to add to my already too-big lipstick collection when I only really alternate between two lipstick shades anyway. This difficult time has forced me to look at my spending habits and realise that I already have all the products that I could ever need, and I should only be purchasing replacements when I run out of the products I already own, because no one needs ten blushes.