Walk into any shop, beauty counter, or sale and you can usually spot the woman over 40 in a second. She’s not the one grabbing loads of things at once. She picks something up, turns it over, puts it back, comes back to it ten minutes later, and then she either buys it or she doesn’t. She isn’t slow. She’s just really good at this.
When I look at my own audience stats, the over 40s are the ones with the strongest spending power. What I find more interesting is how they spend. These are the reasons I think we’re the best shoppers in the room.
I’ve spent so many years around beauty counters, backstage, and in front of clients, and I’ve watched a lot of people buy things. The women who walk away with exactly what they needed, and never think about it again, are almost always the ones over 40.
1. They know what suits them
By 40 you’ve bought the wrong shade, the wrong cut, and the wrong lipstick more times than you can count, and every one of those was a lesson. You know your undertone. You know which colors wash you out and which fit works on your shape. That’s why you can walk straight past something everyone is raving about, because you already know it isn’t for you.
2. They shop for the life they actually have
Younger shoppers often buy for the life they imagine, the dinner party that never happens or the event they might get invited to. Over 40, you buy for a normal Tuesday. You know what your week really looks like, so the things you buy get used, and the stuff that sits at the back of the drawer with the tags on gets a lot smaller.
3. Hype doesn’t work on them the same way
A pretty bottle and a big claim aren’t enough anymore. We’ve seen trends come around once already, then twice and realized that they always come back. We read the ingredient list, we wait for honest reviews, and we ask what a product actually does before it goes in the basket. It’s hard to sell us something just because it’s everywhere online.
“She isn’t slow. She’s just really good at this.”
The last four are the ones that save the most money, along with a few rules you can use the next time you shop. This is a free newsletter but upgrade to the paid version so you can read all future newsletters!
4. They spend more on fewer things
Cost per use matters more than the price tag. One foundation that works every single day is a better buy than three cheaper ones sitting in a drawer. The same goes for a good coat, a pair of shoes that fit properly, or a moisturizer that does its job. They’d rather pay more once than pay less five times.
5. They’ve learned to wait
Most impulse buys don’t survive two days. Put the thing in your basket, close the tab or leave the shop, and give it 48 hours. If you’re still thinking about it after that, it’s probably a real want. If you’ve forgotten about it, you just saved yourself some money.
6. They don’t shop to fix a mood
Shopping when you’re tired, bored, or upset rarely ends well. By this age most of us have figured out the difference between wanting something and needing a distraction. We still treat ourselves, we just do it on purpose, not because we had a bad day.
7. How to shop like this at any age
Start with what you already own, because most people have a lot more in their makeup bag and wardrobe than they remember. Test makeup in daylight before you commit to it. Check the return policy before you buy, not after. And when you find something that works, buy it again instead of going looking for something new.
So that’s why I think women over 40 are the best shoppers in the room. What do you think? Leave a comment with the best thing you ever bought after taking your time over it…
The Five Products I’d Never Give Up After 25 Years In This Industry
25 years is a long time to be doing anyone’s makeup, including my own! I’ve watched entire product categories come and go. Products I loved got discontinued, formulas changed, trends swapped out every few months. Through all of that, there are five products that never left my kit. Not because I’m loyal for no reason, but because nothing else has actually done the job better.