Little Luxuries: Things To Buy When You Need a Quick Pick-Me-Up

little luxuries

As part of my mission to buy less clothing this year, I’ve found myself with a little bit more spare cash to spend on the other things in life.

These are the things that many people don’t think twice about, but which I’ve been neglecting, in favour of splurging on another dress, or pair of shoes, and now that I’ve stopped (or at least cut down) on that kind of spending, I’ve been really enjoying being able to add a touch of luxury to my life again. Here are some things to buy that aren’t clothes – and which typically cost less than clothes – but which will still leave you feeling like you’ve given yourself a bit of a treat…

// LUXURY BODY LOTION

I’m always reading about how the best way to make your scent last longer is to layer it up with the matching body lotion and shower gel/soap. Now, that sounds great in theory, but the problem is, those lotions are SO expensive than when I do buy then (or receive them as gifts), I’m always too scared to actually USE them, for fear of using them all up. Which is silly, really: I mean, why else would you buy something, if not to use it? I, however, have a shelf full of luxury body lotion, which I absolutely love (It’s Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Fragile’, in case you’re interested: they no longer make it, which is why it’s not pictured here, but ShoeperMan is always tracking it down for me, so I have some bottles in stock!), but which I tell myself I’ll keep purely for special occasions, just so I don’t “waste” it. Lately, though, I came to realise that not using those products IS wasting them – not just because they’ll eventually go off, and be un-useable anyway, but also because it’s just a waste of money to buy them and then leave them on the shelf.

Now, as well as smelling divine, the lotion I have is absolutely amazing to use – it goes on like silk, absorbs instantly, and, well, it’s not hard to see why it’s so much more expensive than the drugstore brands which ALSO fill my bathroom cabinets – most of which ALSO sit there unused: not because I worry about the cost, but because I hate the sticky residue they leave on my skin. They just don’t feel luxurious to use, so a few weeks ago I threw them all out, and replaced them with the high-end lotion I’d been keeping for that special occasion that never seemed to come. (Even when I WAS invited somewhere nice, the fact that the “posh” lotion was stuffed at the back of the bathroom cabinet meant I’d totally forget it was even there: d’oh!).

Since then, I’ve been using it every day: not only does my skin feel much better, the daily ritual of applying it feels luxurious to me, and is something I look forward to. Yes, I’ll use the bottle up pretty fast at this rate, but at least I’ll have USED it – and isn’t that what it’s for, after all?

// HIGH-END HAIR CARE

Like my skin, my hair has also been sadly neglected in favour of clothes, lately. I’m fairly lucky in that my hair, although long, has always been pretty low-maintenance, so I’d always just buy whichever brand of shampoo and conditioner was on special at the supermarket, and not give it another thought. Lately, though, I’ve noticed my hair has been looking really dry and damaged from all of the heat styling I’ve subjected it to. My usual brand of shampoo and conditioner obviously wasn’t helping, so I gritted my teeth and splurged on some Kerastase products, which have really helped bring my hair back to health. No, I won’t be able to afford to buy them all the time, but even just using them every now and then is a huge improvement on my previous “regime” – or what passed for one. I wear the clothes I buy only a couple of times per month, after all (depending on the item, obviously), but I “wear” my hair every single day: shouldn’t it be worth investing in, too?

// SCENTED CANDLES

I have a real weakness for scented candles, and could spend hours in the Yankee Candle store, sniffing the selection on offer, and trying to decide which to buy. The problem with that, however, is that, until recently, I probably wouldn’t have bought anything after all that sniffing – because that was money that I’d rather put towards clothes, instead. The candles make me happy, though, and now that I have some spare cash, they don’t seem quite as much of a splurge as they used to, either.

// HOMEWEAR

Fresh towels. New bedlinen. A replacement for that old linen basket that’s long past it’s best. All of those little things that have annoyed me for years, but which I’ve never bothered to fix or change, because I’d rather buy a new dress …. Finally all of those things are getting taken care, and my house is all the better for it!