How My 73-Year-Old Mom and I Would Spend $250 at 4 Buzzy Beauty Retailers

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

My amazing mother (in case you didn't know) is kind of a beauty baller. Not only does she look at least 10 years younger than her *actual* age of 73, but she's also a bit of a product fanatic. Which makes sense considering she's a makeup artist based in Tucson who caters to women over 50. In other words, she's the makeup and skincare whisperer for those with mature skin and any other age-related issues or beauty conundrums. She has a Facebook page and YouTube channel I definitely recommend you check out (and share with all the other leading ladies in your life—from mom to grandma), and despite our almost-50-year age difference, I find myself going to her for product recommendations and skin advice. I mean, her skin is dewier and smoother than mine is! I'd be irritated if I didn't love her so much.

I'm still waiting for her amazing genes to kick in (acne, go away, please!), but in the meantime, I love to sporadically feature my mom and all her amazing intel here on Who What Wear. From her favorite anti-aging serums to her reviews on buzzy, inexpensive brands like The Ordinary and Versed, she's consistently offering great tips. So here's the next installment: I decided to conduct a little experiment to see how our beauty shopping hauls would compare. Given our age difference and range of tastes in products, brands, and formulations, I gifted us each with $250 (theoretically) to spend separately at Net-a-Porter, Violet Grey, Dermstore, and Sephora (aka, my top four beauty retailers right now). Curious to see how our respective "hauls" compared? Keep scrolling! And maybe grab your credit card? 

Elise Marquam-Jahns, 73 Years Old

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Violet Grey

Dermstore

Sephora

Net-a-Porter

Erin Jahns, 26 Years Old

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Violet Grey

Dermstore

Sephora 

Net-a-Porter

Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.