Resolution "LOW-BUY" 2014! Who wants to play?

[Glitteryvegas]

Putting on my econ professor cap:

If a cosmetic product costs you $ 20, and you wear it ten times a year, what is the actual cost of the product on a per diem basis?

If a cosmetic product costs you $ 100, and you wear it 20 times a year, what is the actual cost of the the product on a per diem basis?

If you make $ 40K per annum (gross) and spend $ 5K plus taxes on your makeup/beauty, what percentage of your income are you spending on products?

how much should you allocate for beauty purchases? How much of your income p.a. are you saving? How much inventory on hand do you have (products you hardly use).

these are all questions you should ask yourselves when making a purchase.


you should not take into account how much pleasure you derive from wearing a new lipstick.. this is purely a bean counting experience.

I think you should post every day, y'know, just to keep us motivated and our toes!

 

[Glitteryvegas]

Ladies -

I'm trying to resist buying Punk Couture. I have Heroine (which I love!) and Belladonna. I don't need PC do I?

 

[novocainedreams]

Canceled my MAC appt - Woo Hoo!

Rec'd my Lit Cosmetics glitter - WOW! She included a freebie adhesive too! Awesome. Really, really happy with their customer service.

They are having a Boxing Day sale too, so I might indulge in that. For about $65 CND, I can get like 8 glitters (w/tax and shipping). Sweettttt! Have to think about it though.

Jodie is awesome! Their glitters are a bit more than others but their customer service is so worth it in my opinion and the product is amazing! I really want the holographic glitters but they're only on beautylish right now. :-(

 

[novocainedreams]

Putting on my econ professor cap:

If a cosmetic product costs you $ 20, and you wear it ten times a year, what is the actual cost of the product on a per diem basis?

If a cosmetic product costs you $ 100, and you wear it 20 times a year, what is the actual cost of the the product on a per diem basis?

If you make $ 40K per annum (gross) and spend $ 5K plus taxes on your makeup/beauty, what percentage of your income are you spending on products?

how much should you allocate for beauty purchases? How much of your income p.a. are you saving? How much inventory on hand do you have (products you hardly use).

these are all questions you should ask yourselves when making a purchase.


you should not take into account how much pleasure you derive from wearing a new lipstick.. this is purely a bean counting experience.

I try to use similar logic when buying something. My friend for example LOVES Fresh sugar lip balm, but it is more expensive than others, but she uses it up every time she has a tube, so I say to her, don't feel guilty for buying it, think about every time you use it, each time goes to that money you spent, as opposed to those $3 lip balms you've bought and are still sitting in your bag. Honestly it works out economically when you actually use something you buy versus buying things you don't use, eve if they are "cheaper." I hope that made sense.

 

[Glitteryvegas]

Jodie is awesome! Their glitters are a bit more than others but their customer service is so worth it in my opinion and the product is amazing! I really want the holographic glitters but they're only on beautylish right now. :-(

I think the texture of Lit glitter makes it worth it, even if it's a more pricey glitter. I like that it's 'subtle' (does that even make sense lol) in terms of it blending with eye shadow. Just that extra bit of pop or you can really build it up. I checked out that set on beautylish too I could drive for just over an hour across the border and get them, but then it's not really worth it. Also, for me, I really want the Disco Diva one - the other ones are pretty dark for me - and they'll be selling that as a Lit Kit at Sephora soon I read on Lit's fb. So all is not lost! It looks like there's three Lit Kits coming out w/those colours - check it out on Lit's FB page!!!

ETA: Thanks for that code, Jodie's going to add another free one for me next time!!! Cheers! and Merry Christmas!

 

[novocainedreams]

I think the texture of Lit glitter makes it worth it, even if it's a more pricey glitter. I like that it's 'subtle' (does that even make sense lol) in terms of it blending with eye shadow. Just that extra bit of pop or you can really build it up. I checked out that set on beautylish too I could drive for just over an hour across the border and get them, but then it's not really worth it. Also, for me, I really want the Disco Diva one - the other ones are pretty dark for me - and they'll be selling that as a Lit Kit at Sephora soon I read on Lit's fb. So all is not lost! It looks like there's three Lit Kits coming out w/those colours - check it out on Lit's FB page!!!

ETA: Thanks for that code, Jodie's going to add another free one for me next time!!! Cheers! and Merry Christmas!

No, I know exactly what you mean...I wore their glitter to a holiday party last weekend and someone comment on how much they liked it and how "subtle" it was for glitter, lol. I have a ton of their glitters between IMATS and last years black friday I probably have 20 or so. I did see that on their FB page today too! Jodie mentioned that hopefully if it goes well they would have a much larger assortment available at Sephora in the new year.

Your welcome!

 

[Audrey C]

Putting on my econ professor cap:

If a cosmetic product costs you $ 20, and you wear it ten times a year, what is the actual cost of the product on a per diem basis?

If a cosmetic product costs you $ 100, and you wear it 20 times a year, what is the actual cost of the the product on a per diem basis?

If you make $ 40K per annum (gross) and spend $ 5K plus taxes on your makeup/beauty, what percentage of your income are you spending on products?

how much should you allocate for beauty purchases? How much of your income p.a. are you saving? How much inventory on hand do you have (products you hardly use).

these are all questions you should ask yourselves when making a purchase.


you should not take into account how much pleasure you derive from wearing a new lipstick.. this is purely a bean counting experience.

I so agree! Also, for those paying on credit, will you pay the full balance at the end of the month? If not and you have a balance on your credit card, have you figured out how much that EDSF really cost after paying interest on it for several months/years? Canadian credit card statements are now required to show how many months it will take to pay off the full balance if making minimum payments. Really, it takes years. From credt.about.com:

Consider having a balance of $5,000, at 14% APR, and minimum payment as 2% of your credit card balance. Making minimum payments only, it would take you 22 years and $5,887 in interest payments to pay off this debt.Increasing your payments to $125 a month would allow you to pay off the same debt in less than 6 years and spend only $1,775 in interest to pay off this debt.​

Twenty-two years. TWENTY-TWO YEARS. Do you have the money to pay for this item/collection on hand while still meeting other financial obligations (bills and savings)? Do you have an emergency fund? If not, you can't afford to indulge, no matter how pretty the item is. There will be something else similar or better later and there's no real downside to skipping. ​

 

[Ajigglin]

I asked this question in the MN thread, but it might be a good idea to ask here- do I need MA if I have Gold Deposit?

 

[shellygrrl]

Ladies -  I'm trying to resist buying Punk Couture. I have Heroine (which I love!) and Belladonna.  I don't need PC do I? 

Punk Couture is nothing like either of those; it's darker and more of a neutral purple. Would you wear a darker purple if you owned it? Can you achieve the same colour/effect using existing products in your collection?

 

[meka72]

Thank you for sharing this. I'm going to tweak your reward system to match my life/problems/goals. That was such a great idea!

I now know I really need this low-buy! I keep buying stuff even though I know I need to stop...but of course I tell myself I have until January 1st. I bought the violet lip bag from the holiday collection(which I have been wanting for a long time) plus prepare for pleasure, I never intended on buying from the holiday collection but I ended up with 3 lippies, a blush and the lip set(so four lipsticks actually)...and I wasn't planning on getting much if anything from Magnetic Nude(except maybe 1 skinfinish) but swatches always draw me in! And I forgot I bought a ton of lipsticks from an indie company and they are shipping finally...lipsticks and eyeshadows, my weakness. But I am starting to define my goals now...roughly...these are ones I had last year as well, so I may change them depending on what I want to accomplish this year. If anyone is interested in how I work mine, here it is(I write it in my blog but I can't post a link). [COLOR=640032]As of January 1, 2014 I will not be allowed to buy any beauty related products, unless...[/COLOR][COLOR=640032] [/COLOR][COLOR=640032] [/COLOR][COLOR=640032]1. the product is an absolute essential (shampoo/conditioner, cleanser, deodorant...etc.) and I have run out.[/COLOR][COLOR=640032] [/COLOR][COLOR=640032]2. I run out of a product and I have nothing else to replace it (ex: I run out of my current eyeshadow primer and I have no other primers in my collection)[/COLOR][COLOR=640032] [/COLOR][COLOR=640032]3. I receive a gift card, money or am gifted makeup and therefore am not spending any of my own money on it. (which rarely happens lol, no one buys me makeup or gives me gc for places I can buy makeup haha) OR if I de-stash my current collection, I can add that towards something I want.[/COLOR][COLOR=640032] [/COLOR][COLOR=640032]4. If I am in a place that I usually never go and has products that I am otherwise never able to get (ex: if i am traveling to another country or go to a store that is not available close to me).- I may say no to even this though, this year.[/COLOR][COLOR=640032] [/COLOR][COLOR=640032]5. They are presents for others.[/COLOR][COLOR=640032] [/COLOR]   [COLOR=640032] Although I am calling this a "No-Buy", I am making some exceptions for myself. These are rewards for myself for 1) following the no-buy, 2)following weekly goals, and 3) sticking to my 2014 resolutions.    1. Weekly Goals. [/COLOR] [COLOR=640032] [/COLOR] [COLOR=640032]2. Blogging and Writing. One of my goals this year is to write more consistently, which also includes my blogging. I started this blog for many reasons, I love beauty products, for one but I also love fashion, art, photography, writing, etc. I consider all of these things as part of beauty, not just how we look but who we are inside. I want to push myself to do more. So for every blog post I will award myself $4. For other writing(essay, poem, story, etc) I will award myself $1 a page, so if I write a 3 page essay I will get $3, a poem, $1 and so on. A lot of people have been encouraging me to write more about my life, so hopefully this will encourage me to do more.[/COLOR] [COLOR=640032] [/COLOR] [COLOR=640032]3. Art. This may sound like an odd goal, but art used to be a huge part of my life,   and it's slowly taken a back seat to so many things. This year I am really hoping to get back into it. Painting, drawing, photography, sewing are all things I used to do consistently. So for every piece I do, or if I create something I will award myself $5.[/COLOR] [COLOR=640032] [/COLOR] [COLOR=640032]5. Reading. Another part of my life that used to be huge and I let slip. I love to read but tend to do it in "spurts," meaning I will read voraciously for a week or two, a ton of books and then go back to nothing. I would like to be more consistent, because I love reading, I just tend to get side tracked. So for anything under 200 pages, $2, beween 200-500, $4 and over 500 pages, $6.[/COLOR] [COLOR=640032]                     [/COLOR] [COLOR=640032] 6. Empties. It is great to finish a product, especially products you don't particularly care for that are just taking up space. Therefore, for any empty product I have, I will award myself $2 of makeup allowance.    7. Self-Control.  This is not really a reward, but a punishment. If I don't follow my no-buy, then I will get negative cash for whatever amount I spent. For example, if I buy a $10 product when I have no reward allowance to spend, then I will subtract double the amount I spent on my total reward allowance, in this case being -$20. This means my allowance will be in a negative number and I will have to work even harder to have money to spend on makeup the following weeks.   Last year  I wanted to work towards buying a nice(but expensive) new laptop, this year I don't necessarily have any big goals. Primarily I would like to build up my savings account, and hopefully that will lead to a good vacation somewhere down the line. And paying off my credit, which, realistically, I can do in a couple months.   Sorry this was long, but I figured it might help someone, and it helps to lay it all out.     [/COLOR]

 

[novocainedreams]

Thank you for sharing this. I'm going to tweak your reward system to match my life/problems/goals. That was such a great idea!

You're welcome! Glad it could help someone else!! It really felt good to work for something and achieve it and It really helps to see it written out and laid out in front of you. If you want to see how I did it or want to know anything else I posted my blog in my signature.

Good luck!

 

[trina11225]

Happy holidays specktrette

Living in NYC, doesn't help, but i'm making a change for next year.

 

[thefbomb]

I've only recently gotten into MAC & higher end stuff so I think for my low buy I'll just cut out drugstore stuff or most drugstore stuff. I feel like if I just buy more expensive & quality makeup I will buy less maybe and be happier with what I get and at my drugstores it's next to impossible to refund a disliked product and I've been disappointed in a bunch of stuff this year from the drugstore. At least, to my knowledge, I can return to mac and sephora and I can try products there (because it can be sanitized) so it makes it easier to find and keep products I really like. Good luck to everyone w/ this resolution!

 

[thefbomb]

I just wanted to post about swag bucks since someone mentioned it and many are asking about it, just want to backup the poster who mentioned it. My mom has been on swagbucks for years and she always gets amazon gift cards and what not, she's gotten so much good stuff from it

 

[IHughes]

I feel very pleased with myself, I forgot about the Space NK sale until this morning and I placed some amazing products in the basket, but I told myself I had too many things already. The other little devil on my shoulder kept saying: "but it's 50% off!" so I decided to have a think about it. Now they've all sold out so I feel happy I didn't pull the trigger.
I got so many amazing beauty products for Christmas I don't need anything else for a long time, even if half price!

 

[lyseD]

Placed my MAC order this morning. Morning Rose.

It does make it easier that I just gor seven new MAC products for the holidays.

 

[MakeupForMommy]

Quote: Originally Posted by bvenice1920
I am right there with you @MakeupForMommy you and @blushAHOLIC we must stick to the no buy!!!! after MN and PC


AND LET THE NO BUY BEGIN!!!!!! i really need you and @blushAHOLIC to keep me on track. lol!

 

[novocainedreams]

My finger was on the button for LUSH's B1G1 but I talked myself out of it, I don't need any more bath products! Especially since 90% of the time I go back to my usual stuff and the new products I get sit there. Now just to get through the last few days of after Christmas sales....gah.

 

[Audrey C]

I finished up my 2013 buying today. From the MAC tri-collection launch, I got Studded Kiss and Instigator from Punk Couture as well as Fresh & Frisky and Out for Passion from Huggables. I completely skipped Magnetic Nudes since I don't need any blush, highlighters or eyeshadows any time soon. These were a Christmas present from a family member and I stayed under the $100 limit and away from products categories I knew I had covered.

I bought four items from the Sephora Boxing Day sale. Two of the MUFE Aqua Pencil sets (I missed these on Black Friday because they sold out) and one each of the NARS lipgloss. The items are $10 US/$12 Cdn today, so too good to pass up. I'm planning on keeping one of the pencil sets for myself and gifting the other shadow pencil set and lipgloss to my daughters for their upcoming birthdays.

With these final purchases, my 2014 low-buy begins!

 

[LinenWhite7]

I finished up my 2013 buying today. From the MAC tri-collection launch, I got Studded Kiss and Instigator from Punk Couture as well as Fresh & Frisky and Out for Passion from Huggables. I completely skipped Magnetic Nudes since I don't need any blush, highlighters or eyeshadows any time soon. These were a Christmas present from a family member and I stayed under the $100 limit and away from products categories I knew I had covered. :encore: I bought four items from the Sephora Boxing Day sale. Two of the MUFE Aqua Pencil sets (I missed these on Black Friday because they sold out) and one each of the NARS lipgloss. The items are $10 US/$12 Cdn today, so too good to pass up. I'm planning on keeping one of the pencil sets for myself and gifting the other shadow pencil set and lipgloss to my daughters for their upcoming birthdays. With these final purchases, my 2014 low-buy begins!

Where did you find the NARS glosses for $10? I don't see it on their site.