The cost of beauty routines

There are so many different places you can get your nails, lashes and hair done in Utah County.

Brittany Dale works as a nail tech at Polished Nail Bar in Orem where she said a visit to the nail salon can be a needed break.

“Especially for moms, it kind of gives them like an out for being a mom for an hour, an hour and a half, as long as they’re gone and just kind of makes them feel better,” Dale said.

Beauty stores generated $27 billion in 2022 according to the federal reserve economic database. Marla Rojas said she spends $45 every two weeks on her lashes and another $50 on nails for a total of $140 a month.

“I just wake up and I feel like it saves me time. I don’t have to spend hours or more minutes doing my makeup. I feel like I can just go wake up in 5 minutes. I can be ready,” Rojas said.

The added time gives Rojas time for work and her five kids, she said. But she also said not everyone sees this trade as positive.

“People just see it as vanity. Makeup cannot define who you are. You know, it’s just how you feel. And I think we all need to respect that,” she said.

Around 50%-75% of Dale’s clients are moms, Dale said. Part of the reason she started her business was to get out of the house a little more.

“I feel like it helps me be a better mom,” Dale said.

One of the biggest lessons Dale has learned in an image-focused industry is about people.

“You just can’t judge from their background because you just don’t know what they’re going on, what like what’s going on with them now,” Dale said.

Rojas and Dale both said these beauty services aren’t about vanity, but time and self care.