These days it’s nearly impossible to know what women are spending on the way they look. Someone with Instagram-flawless contouring might have honed her craft using the finest from the drugstore aisles, and the utterly makeup-free type might be spending thousands on laser treatments and serums. Enter our series, “What It Costs to Be Me,” where we’re asking interesting women for radical transparency.

Up first: fashion photographer and creative director Zanita Whittington, 32, who lives in New York City. Her annual total? $4,256.94.

My Morning Skin Care Routine: $1,179

The only thing that’s consistent about my beauty routine is that I’m inconsistent. I tend to bounce around and try new things. But my skin care is where I really invest—great products are expensive, and I just want to have baby skin. For face wash, I use an oil cleanser. I’ve been going back and forth between Bobbi Brown Extra Balm Rinse ($67) and Kiehls Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil ($32), which smells great—like lavender. Sometimes, if I need extra exfoliation, I’ll use Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains ($46) for my face, which I mix with the Bobbi Brown oil cleanser. I like to do that when I’m in the shower. It’s nice because my skin is really dry. I’ve also been using Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 ($101) when I get out of the shower. It’s an acid exfoliant that works wonders on evening out texture.

Serums more than anything are my must, and I’m willing to pay for a great one. In the morning, I use Genaissance de La Mer The Serum Essence ($630). It’s worth every penny. All my creams are really thick, proper heavy creams. I rotate between those as well. I love Crème de la Mer ($170). It’s thick and feels so luxurious. And I also like Kiehl’s Rosa Arctica ($60). I got Huxley’s Secret of the Sahara Anti-Gravity cream ($44) in a gift pack and cycle that one in occasionally too.

The last thing I put on is Kiehl’s Creamy Undereye Treatment with Avocado ($29). I get really dry around my eyes, and you can see fine lines at my age if you don’t moisturize.

My Evening Oils and Serums: $293

I used to go out on a Friday night, come home 4 A.M., and still moisturize. I’m that committed. I use a lot of the same daytime products at night, but I like to add more oils in. They’re great when I’m feeling lazy—I just throw one on and go to bed. Sometimes I’ll rotate through them, sometimes I layer. You get to know if your skin feels a certain way and which ones are best to put on. I love Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum ($185). It has all these beautiful botanicals for overnight. I like to think the active ingredients are the little soldiers working on my skin while I sleep. Tata Harper’s Retinoic Nutrient Face Oil ($48) is also really nice—it makes my face look smoother. And then in the summer when I need something lighter, I like Kiehl’s Nightly Refining Micropeel Concentrate ($60).

My Alternating Mask Collection: $356.95

I try to do masks about once a week. They’re worth the extra expense because I can really tailor the treatments according to how my skin looks. When I’m really dry, I use the Cosmedix Restore Moisture Risk Mask ($54). I love Charlotte Tilbury’s Goddess Skin Clay Mask ($55) after getting off a flight. It cleans your pores and gives you an amazing glow. Tata Harper’s Clarifying Mask ($68) is a great clay mask for breakouts. Plus, it’s fun because it’s bright green. When I need the really heavy-duty stuff, I’ll call in La Mer The Intensive Revitalizing Mask ($170). It’s great for dryness, dullness, and fine lines. Also, I like to DIY a brightening mask occasionally. It’s very cheap and easy: I’ll make a mask from lemon juice and caster sugar ($9.95), which has extra-fine granules. I rub it all over, rinse it off, then put on heaps of oil. It’s aggressive, but works. I love it for my hands and arms as well.

My High-Low Hair Products: $993.99 a year

My hair is curly and I don’t do much to style it, so as long as I don’t get a terrible cut and color, I’m cool not spending too much money on it. I recently cut my hair myself and dyed it pink (using L’Oréal’s Colorista Semipermanent Color in Pink, $11), and it looks pretty punk. I wanted to do it to shake things up. About three times a year, I’ll actually go in for a pro cut and color at Bumble & Bumble, which costs around $300. I just sit down and leave it up to them to decide what to do. They’ll probably hate me when they see that I went pink myself! But I tend to leave haircuts to the very last minute, so sometimes I’ll go to an affordable haircut chain—one that’s, like, $25—in a frantic moment. Otherwise, the only styling product I use regularly is Batiste Dry Shampoo ($7.99). I blast a ton of it just on my roots. I have really strong regrowth, so it looks greasy faster.

My Shower Routine: $255

For as fairly low-maintenance as my cut/color/styling regimen is, the products I use to take care of my hair are more high-end. For example, Rahua’s Shampoo ($34) and Conditioner ($36). It’s a sustainable hair care brand, which I’m trying to get into more. I grew up on a farm, and now I’m becoming more conscious about environmentalism and what I’m putting on my body. To repair my hair from all the bleaching I’ve done to it, I turn to Kiehl’s Repairing Hair Mask ($25) and Christophe Robin Regenerating Hair Mask ($71). They’re both super hydrating. For cleansing, I love Dr. Bronners Almond Castile Soap ($16). It lasts forever, I can use it to shave with, and I can use it to clean my tub. My hair is pretty dry from all the bleach, so I also treat it with Ouai’s Hair Oil ($28) every day. I don’t use a hair dryer, just a wide-bristled comb that doesn’t pull my hair. Body lotion-wise, I keep it pretty simple: a little bit of Kiehls Crème de Corps ($30) all over and then Grown Alchemist’s Hand Cream in Vanilla & Orange ($15) when my hands feel rough.

My Ultra-Natural Makeup: $261.50

If it takes more than ten minutes for me to do my makeup, it’s taken too long. Occasionally I’ll just do a full face just for fun, but I don’t really recognize myself. I used to be a model, and that was the time when I’d get in character and put on a lot of makeup. Now I’m somewhere where I want to just be myself.

Becca’s Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation ($44) is kind of like blending a glowy primer with foundation; it’s a good cost-effective two-in-one product. Then if I want more coverage, I’ll use Dior’s Diorskin Foundation ($50). It’s super lightweight. For blush, I like anything that’s kind of peachy. Lately, it’s been Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge in Fresh Melon ($30). Essentially I want to make my skin look fresh, like I’ve just been through a light jaunt, but I haven’t jogged too far. It’s all a lie!

I have a Milk Makeup Holographic Stick ($28) for my cheekbones, and maybe my nose and top of my lip—just a little sheen. When I want a little more shimmer, I love Charlotte Tilbury’s Beach Stick Blush in Moon Beach ($45). I advocate for anything in a stick where you don’t have to have brushes.

I round out my makeup look with Victoria Beckham’s Estée Lauder Lash Ink Mascara ($45). It’s sold out now but this one is similar. It’s got this tiny, tiny brush that’s great for getting your little lashes on the ends. When that’s basically your whole look, you can focus on getting each lash. The last thing is my Kiehl’s Butterstick Lip Treatment ($19.50). It’s really nourishing and has a slight tint to it. I’ve got basically every shade in every bag.

My Occasional Makeup Add-ons: $137.50

When I do want to really do my makeup, I’ll wear lipstick. I love Victoria Beckham Estée Lauder Matte Lipstick in Black Cassis ($50). Generally I prefer matte lipsticks, but I feel like a good one is hard to come by. I also like Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Color in Telluride ($29). It’s more moisturizing but not shimmery or shiny—I’ve been into rosy browns.

I find brow pencils in general dry out really quickly or the tones aren’t quite right. The only one I’ve ever really loved is Chanel’s Eyebrow Pencil in Blond Clair ($29). The pencil is long, so it’s easy to hold, and the color is the right ashy brown for my brows. And then for eyeshadow, I use Chanel’s Ombre Essentielle Soft Touch Eyeshadow in 112 Pulsion ($29.50), which is out of stock now. I just keep using this purple shade over and over when I go out. I’ll probably use it until it’s gone.

My Go-To Skin Treatment: $450

I got the IPL laser treatment ($150 per treatment, three times) and I love it. I’ve done it whenever I’ve had tickets back to Australia, but I would really like it here in New York too. It was great for reducing sun spots, and afterwards my skin was really even-toned, supple, and glowy.

My Affordable Beauty Luxuries: $330 a year

I don’t do my nails. They’re embarrassing. And I hate people touching my feet. I’m really tall, so I don’t look down at them anyway. About every other month, I’ll treat myself to a Thai massage ($25) somewhere affordable when I travel. Sometimes I’ll do an airport massage on a stopover home to Australia. Then I get a brow threading, tinting, and upper lip waxing ($30) at Precise Brows every two months. When I get them tinted it changes my whole face—like it’s like my sassy alter ego. I should do it more often, but it’s a lot of work.

My Exercise Routine: $0

When I was a model I worked out twice a day—sometimes a super-long walk, or an athletic class and yoga after, or a run and then a Pilates class. I’m mostly just too lazy to do exercise now, but if I can ever get away from the city, I really like hiking. I’ve always liked walking up stairs—a strange fetish!—so hiking is perfect. I like getting out in the wilderness. There are no distractions.

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