{"id":69013,"date":"2025-12-01T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T00:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=69013"},"modified":"2025-12-11T14:59:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T06:59:40","slug":"treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained","title":{"rendered":"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><b>The RM70 Therapy Session<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RM70 for a mystery figurine sounds ridiculous, especially in this economy. My late grandpa would be horrified. He\u2019d instantly calculate how many bowls of noodles that could buy. Yet we still do it, don\u2019t we? Chasing that fleeting thrill feels almost irresistible. That moment of gaining back control through small treats or <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">self-gifting<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> feels especially precious in uncertain times.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So you spend, you post, you share, and for a brief instant the world feels lighter. This instant mood repair isn\u2019t just play, though. Malaysia\u2019s toys and hobby market is now worth over <\/span><b>US$341.82\u202fmillion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (about RM1.5\u202fbillion), according to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/industrytoday.co.uk\/pr_and_marketing\/malaysia-toys-market-valuation-to-reach-usd-63326-million-by-2033-growing-at-a-cagr-of-636?utm_source=chatgpt.com#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer dofollow\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IMARC Group<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That\u2019s emotional economics in action.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>From Lipstick Effect to Treatonomics<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rewind to the early 2000s. Economists noticed a curious trend during recessions: while big-ticket items dropped, sales of<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> small luxuries<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like lipstick went up, becoming the go-to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">affordable luxury gifts<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> people bought for themselves or others. They called it the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/shelleykohan\/2024\/07\/11\/lipstick-effect-powers-beauty-sales-despite-economic-uncertainty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer dofollow\"><b>Lipstick Effect<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, proof that people still crave comfort in uncertain times, albeit in cheaper forms. No doubt you\u2019ve seen the craze over blind boxes, limited-edition bubble tea or caf\u00e9 drops, with brands from Pop Mart to Miniso to Watsons jumping in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast forward to today, and that impulse has evolved into something bigger: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/money\/14952897\/consumer-spending-treatonomics-liptstick-effect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer dofollow\"><b>Treatonomics<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a whole<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> little treat culture<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> built around finding joy in tiny rewards. Consumers now make trade-offs, cutting daily expenses to splurge on feel-good moments, which can be seen as a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">luxury on a budget<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> mindset. As <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/08\/09\/from-lipsticks-to-concerts-the-treatonomics-trend-is-booming.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer dofollow\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CNBC<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> puts it, \u201cTreatonomics is booming.\u201d You see it everywhere, from buying cheaper supermarket brands or skipping out on morning brews, all to go in on concert tickets or a wish-listed niche designer bag.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Why We Do It<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-69031 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105556\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Img-800x419.png\" alt=\"Smiling young woman with dark hair holding multiple shopping bags (red, blue, green) inside a bright retail mall.\" width=\"800\" height=\"419\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105556\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Img-800x419.png 800w, https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105556\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Img-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105556\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Img-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105556\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Img.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The psychology is simple, if powerful. This kind of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emotional spending<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> often comes down to four key motivators:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <b>Control:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Finding tiny wins in an increasingly chaotic world<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <b>Anticipation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The dopamine rush of waiting for something new<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <b>Identity:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Collecting to belong, a way to say \u201cthis is who I am.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <b>Social validation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Unboxing is half the fun because someone\u2019s watching<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On TikTok and Shopee Live, the reveal is the content. Local collectors even report spending <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/blind-box-craze-why-malaysians-are-hooked\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer dofollow\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">up to RM3,000<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> chasing rare drops, proving that the joy often lies more in the chase than the catch itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>When Small Buys Add Up<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Three RM70 boxes a month might seem harmless until you do the math. That\u2019s RM2,520 a year. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bruh.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impulse spending can be a slippery slope, especially when \u201cBuy Now, Pay Later\u201d makes pain-free purchases all too easy. And during mega sale seasons, brands know exactly how to push those dopamine buttons, which can really stack up the total expenditure.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>From Hobby to Hustle<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some flip the script by turning their collecting habit into a side business. They get to chase the same highs while removing some of the guilt. Telegram swap groups and Shopee resellers are part of a growing micro-economy where timing, taste, and trend-spotting actually pay off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While turning hobbies into income is exciting, it\u2019s still business. All the guilty purchases could help pay the rent if treated like work, where costs are tracked, profits are treated like real earnings, and the effort is put in.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How to Treat Yourself Smartly<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To keep the joy without the regret, try this:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Set a fun fund:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A small, guilt-free monthly budget<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><b>Try the 24-hour rule:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Wait a day before clicking to buy again<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><b>Resale or hoard:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ask if you truly love it, and if it could be resold<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><b>Track tiny spends:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Small numbers add up, so be aware of it<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Last Line<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In tough times, it\u2019s okay to go easy on yourself. Go for the treats, but go easy on your wallet too. And on some days, maybe swap the splurges for simpler <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">little treats<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like a comforting bowl of noodles.. Though he might baulk at how many bowls RM70 could buy now, I know my grandpa would still approve of a little comforting treat.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From lipsticks to lattes, small indulgences reveal how we find control and comfort in an unpredictable world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":69030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[256,218,308],"tags":[2964,588,2960,2968,208,767,2959,2967,2969,2966,766,1048,2963,860,2965,2962,2961],"class_list":["post-69013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-money-management","category-saving-tips","tag-affordable-luxury-gifts","tag-black-friday","tag-emotional-spending","tag-everyday-luxuries","tag-featured","tag-lifestyle","tag-lipstick-effect","tag-little-treat-culture","tag-little-treats","tag-luxury-on-a-budget","tag-money-management","tag-saving-tips","tag-self-gifting","tag-shopping","tag-small-indulgences","tag-small-luxuries","tag-treatonomics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how Malaysia\u2019s Treatonomics trend\u2014rooted in the Lipstick Effect\u2014is reshaping consumer spending and driving small indulgence sales.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how Malaysia\u2019s Treatonomics trend\u2014rooted in the Lipstick Effect\u2014is reshaping consumer spending and driving small indulgence sales.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"iMoney Malaysia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-01T00:00:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-11T06:59:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105514\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daniel Heng\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daniel Heng\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Daniel Heng\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e9208f373b278097e6ec8dad334e986\"},\"headline\":\"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-01T00:00:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-11T06:59:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained\"},\"wordCount\":676,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/01105514\\\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png\",\"keywords\":[\"affordable luxury gifts\",\"Black Friday\",\"emotional spending\",\"everyday luxuries\",\"featured\",\"Lifestyle\",\"lipstick effect\",\"little treat culture\",\"little treats\",\"luxury on a budget\",\"Money Management\",\"saving tips\",\"self-gifting\",\"shopping\",\"small indulgences\",\"small luxuries\",\"treatonomics\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\",\"Money Management\",\"Saving Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained\",\"name\":\"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/01105514\\\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-01T00:00:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-11T06:59:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e9208f373b278097e6ec8dad334e986\"},\"description\":\"Discover how Malaysia\u2019s Treatonomics trend\u2014rooted in the Lipstick Effect\u2014is reshaping consumer spending and driving small indulgence sales.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/01105514\\\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/static.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/01105514\\\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628,\"caption\":\"Illustration of a distressed woman on a couch talking to a shopping cart character holding a clipboard, representing therapy for shopping addiction.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Lifestyle\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/category\\\/lifestyle\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"iMoney Malaysia\",\"description\":\"Everything you need to know about improving your personal finances.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e9208f373b278097e6ec8dad334e986\",\"name\":\"Daniel Heng\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d2254bc0a60c7842d0a5c7364fa89c7f1340debde065245d4a9c5e14792c50bd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d2254bc0a60c7842d0a5c7364fa89c7f1340debde065245d4a9c5e14792c50bd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d2254bc0a60c7842d0a5c7364fa89c7f1340debde065245d4a9c5e14792c50bd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Daniel Heng\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.imoney.my\\\/articles\\\/author\\\/danielheng\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough","description":"Discover how Malaysia\u2019s Treatonomics trend\u2014rooted in the Lipstick Effect\u2014is reshaping consumer spending and driving small indulgence sales.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough","og_description":"Discover how Malaysia\u2019s Treatonomics trend\u2014rooted in the Lipstick Effect\u2014is reshaping consumer spending and driving small indulgence sales.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained","og_site_name":"iMoney Malaysia","article_published_time":"2025-12-01T00:00:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-12-11T06:59:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105514\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Daniel Heng","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Daniel Heng","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained"},"author":{"name":"Daniel Heng","@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/5e9208f373b278097e6ec8dad334e986"},"headline":"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough","datePublished":"2025-12-01T00:00:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-11T06:59:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained"},"wordCount":676,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105514\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png","keywords":["affordable luxury gifts","Black Friday","emotional spending","everyday luxuries","featured","Lifestyle","lipstick effect","little treat culture","little treats","luxury on a budget","Money Management","saving tips","self-gifting","shopping","small indulgences","small luxuries","treatonomics"],"articleSection":["Lifestyle","Money Management","Saving Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained","url":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained","name":"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105514\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png","datePublished":"2025-12-01T00:00:56+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-11T06:59:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/5e9208f373b278097e6ec8dad334e986"},"description":"Discover how Malaysia\u2019s Treatonomics trend\u2014rooted in the Lipstick Effect\u2014is reshaping consumer spending and driving small indulgence sales.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105514\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/01105514\/iMoney_05-Treat-Yourself_Article-Header.png","width":1200,"height":628,"caption":"Illustration of a distressed woman on a couch talking to a shopping cart character holding a clipboard, representing therapy for shopping addiction."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/treatonomics-lipstick-effect-explained#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lifestyle","item":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/category\/lifestyle"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Why We Treat Ourselves When Times Get Tough"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/","name":"iMoney Malaysia","description":"Everything you need to know about improving your personal finances.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/5e9208f373b278097e6ec8dad334e986","name":"Daniel Heng","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d2254bc0a60c7842d0a5c7364fa89c7f1340debde065245d4a9c5e14792c50bd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d2254bc0a60c7842d0a5c7364fa89c7f1340debde065245d4a9c5e14792c50bd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d2254bc0a60c7842d0a5c7364fa89c7f1340debde065245d4a9c5e14792c50bd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Daniel Heng"},"url":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/author\/danielheng"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69013"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69092,"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69013\/revisions\/69092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}