Accounting for Style #7 - Urban Outfitters obsession and skincare struggles

Accounting for Style is a series at the Mancunion Fashion & Beauty section, in which anonymous Manchester students track all of their fashion and beauty purchases over the period of a month. Get a glimpse into the way your peers spend their money on their style, the splurges, and the savings…

Age: 21

Degree: Electrical Engineering

Yearly maintenance loan: Unfortunately couldn’t apply for a loan

Rent: £483 a month including bills

Part-time job: None, but intern during summer

Monthly budget: I allow myself £250 for non-essential purchases every month, most of which is spent on eating out/going to bars

Extra cash: sometimes when I make a sale on Depop I get extra cash

Fashion and beauty spending habits: I only really spend on beauty if my skin is doing bad. As for fashion, I keep my spending generally low, apart from a few impulse purchases here and there

Monthly estimated spend on fashion and beauty: Probably £150 because I need some stuff for my fall wardrobe and a few new skincare products

Monthly Spending: 

Sunday 4th October: £80.60 - I know it seems like I’m off to a bad start, but I finally found the shoes I wanted for months, the New Balance 530, at Urban Outfitters in Arndale. I was lucky enough to find the last pair in my size. The shoes totalled £80, while the 60p was spent on cotton rounds in Primark.

Photo: Ose Peter-Akhigbe @ The Mancunion

Wednesday 7th October: £69.79 - I know it seems bad, but when I was in Urban Outfitters a couple of days back, I saw this coat that really reminded me of the Saks Potts Kahlo jacket in Pistachio. While the regular jacket retails for around £1000, this one was only £59 with student discount! I also bought a matching green tank top. Let's face it, I could only go down from here. 

Wednesday 14th October: £30 - Back in Arndale again, but this time for skincare. I had restarted my skincare again at the start of the month, so I was just using my 3 basic products - cleanser, toner and moisturiser. Even though my skin was doing ok and I’d had no major breakouts, I still struggled with textured, oily skin, and needed something more.  I ended up only getting an oil cleanser to use as a double cleanse, and a night cream, because Boots didn’t have the treatments I wanted. I also bought some hair products to replenish my stock.

Monday 26th October: £16 - I had been using the skincare items I bought from Boots for some time back then, and with no problems, so I guessed it was time to add some new products. I ordered a sample of the Paula's Choice BHA Exfoliant that everyone had told me to try, as well as the Azelaic Acid Booster. Hopefully, they will fix my skin issues.

Photo: Ose Peter-Akhigbe @ The Mancunion

Wednesday 28th October: £15 - I bought a jumper from Depop, simply because it’s autumn - there's not much more to say.

Saturday 31st October: £40. I did a NastyGal loungewear haul in anticipation of the new lockdown rules. If I’m going to stay at home for the next month, I might as well look cute doing it.

Total spend: £251.39

Overall verdict: I spent more than I anticipated but I’m not mad, as I got pieces that I really like, and my skin seems to be doing a little better. Tracking my spending has opened me up to how much I still rely on fast fashion and I hope to shop less at Urban Outfitters and more at thrift stores, as soon as they re-open in future months.

Would you like to anonymously track your fashion and beauty purchases for the period of a month for Accounting for Style? Email fashion@mancunion.com to express your interest or come along to our Zoom meetings every Monday at 5:15pm.