Every year, without fail, I fall for a big fat pre-holiday glow up. Somewhere around April I start with the mental audit. I need to align my hair appointments with my various holidays because I couldn’t possibly show up to a place where I know no one with slight roots. I need to buy my new bikinis for the year (I hate to admit that I have an entire suitcase of bikinis archived by year). I start planning my nail appointments, brows, lashes…this list goes on.
I’ve somehow convinced myself that all of this is necessary, it’s like a barrier I need to get through to be allowed on the plane.
I’ve decided to add it all up, which was a mistake, but it also felt necessary.
So what does a full pre-holiday glow up cost?
Disclaimer: I used mid-range UK pricing for this and I feel humbled.
| Treatment / purchase | Estimated cost |
| Hair (colour, cut, blow-dry) | £120–£200 |
| Gel nails (hands and feet) | £70–£100 |
| Eyebrow shaping / lamination | £30–£60 |
| Full leg and bikini wax | £50–£80 |
| Fake tan | £25–£40 |
| Lash lift | £40–£80 |
| New holiday wardrobe (basics + a few key pieces) | £150–£300 |
| Swimwear | £40–£100 |
| New sunglasses / sandals / bag | £60–£150 |
| Skincare and self-tan products | £40–£80 |
| Total | £625–£1,190 |
£625 to £1,190 before we’ve packed our cases or thought about stepping foot in the airport.
Is a glow up really worth it?
Last year I went on a wholesome week-long holiday to Kefalonia with my mum and my grandparents, and I opted to skip most of my usual prep. No influx of new clothes, outgrown roots, natural eyebrows, no fake tan. Honestly it was partly an experiment born out of necessity – I had a few other holidays planned that same summer and the thought of doing a full glow up for each one, within the space of a few months, made my budget want to cry. So Kefalonia got the natural version of me. Spoiler: it was one of the loveliest holidays I’ve had. Nobody cared what my nails looked like, nobody cared that I hadn’t had a lash lift, and more importantly, neither did I.
That trip made me realise how much of my glow up routine I’d never actually chosen, it had just snowballed over the years until it all felt non-negotiable. This year, while working through my sinking funds, I’m going through it line by line and asking: do I really want this or have I just always done it?
Some things are definitely staying. Fresh hair and a layer of fake tan before a holiday does put me in a better mood, so for the sake of my fiancé, I will be getting that half head of foils and loading up on Bondi Sands in the week leading up to our first holiday of the year. But nails, brows, and lashes? I’ll be hitting up Salon de Lucy for those.
How to save up for your pre holiday glow up
For the things that do make the cut, a sinking fund is your best friend. It’s just a pot of money you build up in advance for costs you know are coming. Decide what you want to spend, divide it by the number of months you have, and set that aside each payday. By the time you need it, the money’s already there and there’s no need to rely on credit cards to fund your glow up.
