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

[Glitteryvegas]

Now I'm not sure what to do!!

I would see about re-selling in your area to keep shipping costs low - or doing a swap for something you don't have but would love! Don't get discouraged - just find the right method of selling/swapping for you. There must be swapping threads that are based in Europe which may help keep costs low and ladies from your side understand why things are priced the way they are - because you pay more at the outset than most. I feel for you ladies because re-selling I think is harder - you have to pay more upfront, so it's impossible to sell something without feeling like you are practically giving it away!

 

[Naynadine]

I'm loving the Low Buy swap thread - amazing idea. For example, I have a BNIB PP lipstick from Divine Nights that I would have to sell for $30 to just break even, but if I were to swap for a much coveted item I wouldn't feel like I 'lost out' on funds. LOL I love that I just broke down swapping for everyone - No thank yous needed ladies

I really like that idea.

I have tonnes of teals actually - I got Ocho Loco 2 also and Mars is amazing, I have Undercurrent as well. I do have my fill of teals. I'm still considering Phylox Garden or whatever it's called, but I love purple liners - I will only get it if it pulls purple though, not pink!
Thanks for your help Audrey - you are a great Specktraite to have around here!

Quote: Originally Posted by LinenWhite7


Let's swap! I've got a lightly used NARS Deep Throat. Is there a way to weigh the product to see how much is actually used? I have owned it for years but I don't know how much is gone. I have a food scale at home...

If you want to swap items, please post that in the Clearance Bin and not in this thread Just a reminder.

 

[Spikesmom]

I kinda like the idea. But not sure if it's possible. It obviously would have to happen in the Clearance Bin.
In the german beauty forum I used to be they had something like a ''swap box''. A package that was send from person to person, people would put stuff in that they don't use anymore and take something out that they liked. I never joined, the system seemed a little complicated and strict (the worth of the items had to be determined depending on the percentage of product left, and you could only take out products with the same worth)

I don't know how it would work either if we wanted to keep it to team low buy. We could start a Specktra Team Low Buy facebook group and swap there.

 

[Naynadine]

Now I'm not sure what to do!!

I've had good luck with reselling so far. Most of the times it took a while, but eventually there will be someone who is looking for what you have and is willing to pay a fair price.
I would just give it a try.

 

[PixieDancer]

Ok I counted everything last night, the full written down inventory will occur this weekend, I was a liitle shocked by my totals! Here it goes (please don't judge me!): Primer: 7 Foundation: 15 Concealer: 8 Powder: 5 Bronzer: 5 Blusher: 63 Cream blusher: 11 Eyeshadow: 283 (i counted every shadow including those in palettes) Cream Eyeshadows/pencils: 38 Eyeliners: 107 (crap!) Mascara: 9 although only 1 actually open in use Lipsticks/Crayons: 111 Lipgloss: 35 although 27 are still BNIB/unopened Lip liners: 5 I felt a little sick when I finished, I have too much for ME. I also watched those youtube videos that were suggested and they were really helpful, particularly the purge ones! Where do I go from here?, well I decided that my 1 product a month purchase can continue if I need it, but i want to almost head towards buying nothing if I can for just a couple of months, I want to head towards I streamlined set of products that will get lots of love and can be used up! Stage 1: When I do my full written inventory this weekend I am going to try to take out anything BNIB that hasn't been touched yet, I should be able to sell this easily on ebay. Stage 2: Once those are removed I need to slim it by approx 1 third to get it to fit neatly in the 3 draws of my vanity, no overspill allowed! Depending on usage, this may mean for sale in the clearence bin/ebay or given to friends/family, I particularly want to do this to the lip products and eyeshadows. Blushers are my "thing" and I might find it hard to slim down. Stage 3: To live with that collection for 3 months and write down when things get used, after 3 months if it hasn't been loved it will need a new home. When stage 2 is complete I will post up revised numbers to use for future comparisons. Once I have done my makeup i want to adopt the same approach to my nail polish, shoes and wardrobe. I would like to end 2014 with a less cluttered life, but using the pieces I own so much more. I want to say a big thankyou to @pixiedancer for this thread, it has really helped my focus on my resolutions and bring my spending under control.

No one here would EVER judge you hun! And I'm just as thankful to all of you for helping me!! We are quite the little family! I love to see all the #TeamLowBuy support & presence in all the other threads!! I think its helped inspire others that didn't even realize they needed to step back and take a look at themselves & their buying habits. And your breakdown of your goal is extremely insightful! Thank YOU!

YO TEAM LOW BUY! So after the FOF reveal, i fancy: perfect topping msf: i get great use out of my msf so i wont go unused, the colours look fantastic and maybe lily white pigment: if i doesnt pull too yellow then i think id love it as a highlighter azalea in the afternoon: pending swatches, i love the look of mineralize products, but i'll probaly have to leave this off my list as the haul would cost too much. i know you usa ladies can b2m for l.e. liptsicks so long as they aren't in special packaging,  but i'd had trouble trying to do that over here in teh uk. ive done a mac live chat and they said i can do it, the ladies in the uk thread said you can but you'll probably have to insist on it, silly unknowledgeable SAs especially on the concessions! i think i might like snapdragon l/s from FOF and if so id want to b2m for it, as nothing in the permanent line is jumping out at me and it'd save me £15 when im on a low buy!

Stick to your list girl! You're on the right track!

I wish Ulta would quit sending me coupons, it's SO hard to pass up 20% off. lol. I know in the long run I'm not really saving, but it's hard to break that sale mentality. 

It really IS but just remind yourself that keeping the money in your pocket is a MUCH bigger savings in the long run... Over having some product you really don't need. Stay strong!

Awesome!! It's a hard thing to do but I'm so glad you were able to face your fear! Sounds like you're well on your way to the lifestyle you want. I'm also moved on from downsizing makeup to downsizing everything. I moved across the country with two suitcases a few years ago and now I've accumulated too much stuff again. It's tough to maintain a simple life with all of the noise in terms of advertising and peer pressure. Remembering that companies spend billions of dollars a year just on advertising alone is helpful for me.. I don't need to contribute to some executive making a six figure salary just to have the newest thing when I already have enough.

Great points!!! Motivating!

I have looked into the women's shelters that are relatively close to me.  None of them will take open or used beauty products.  The reason I'm interested in the drawer now is that Original Beauty Box held an IMATS special on their IG and if you e-mailed them before the end of the weekend they will sell you one at a pretty descent discount.  I'm so torn. I've looked at the Muji website and while the prices are lower, they are waaaay smaller than the larger clear cube type things.  What to do, what to do. lol I do know what my issues are.  It's one thing to know what they are and it's another to be able to change the bad habits.  I'm actually doing a really intense workshop in a few weeks to do some "work on myself".  Maybe getting to the bottom of some of my deeper issues will help me with the hoarding tendencies that I have.  I've been trying to wear something different every day, especially lipsticks.  If I don't look in the mirror and think wow, this is amazing, it's going in the purge box.  Today's lipstick is a tosser, yay!!!

I wish you all the best at your workshop. I know sorting through the underlying issues is really hard... But it will be the ultimate step in helping you fulfill your goals. I'm so sorry to hear about your father passing. I know that would crush me and I try not to even think about that day. Good for you for seeking the help you need. You're stronger than you know! On a side note.... What was today's lippie? I'm curious.

Quote:Originally Posted by veronikawithak

Love collection pics so I thought I'd post mine too. This is about half what it was. Getting there! I really want to keep only what I can fit in this organizer from now on. Motivation for my low-buy!





Now this would be my make up dream right now! I am so tempted to take the top 1 of my 3 draws in my vanity and fill it with a mix of products and try and use that for a month to see if I miss the other 2 drawers, then may be could sell off the remaining 2 draws full of stuff without feeling guilty? I am so tempted to try it when I do my inventory this weekend, I suspect that the one drawer will hold more than I could possibly need (probably a little more than your clear cube) and might be the trick to downsizing? I am also contemplating buying another mac palette without the insert to depot some other brand shadows into - am I nuts or does anyone else so this? I find I ignore the single shadows so I wondered if I may get more use from depotting them as well as saving space?

Definitely try to depot your shadows if it will help you... I know it did me! But maybe try to use the singles first to see what you like enough to keep before you depot. They are much easier to sell, swap, or give away if they are in their pots. And I think trying to downsize to 1 drawer would be a great test!! Can't hurt to give it a try!!!

I'm going to a week-long retreat at a treatment facility in my town at the beginning of Feb to work on some of my issues too! Mine stem from growing up in a dysfunctional and addictive family. I never learned how to be responsible with money and there was a lot of dysfunction in how my mom acted about buying me things, so whenever I had money I spent it on myself and I haven't really stopped that behavior since. Here's to getting it all out on the table, working these things out, learning, and moving on!

Thanks for sharing this! And to everyone that's given some deeper insight into their struggle!! It's important to realize that although it IS just makeup, it IS probably an open door to an underlying cause for a lot of us. If we need THINGS to make us feel happy, satisfied, etc there is something else going on. It helps others to hear these stories. You girls are amazing! Good luck in your search for answers! You'll come out the other side much happier and at peace.

What I sometimes do to discourage myself is to deduct the sales taxes from the percent off to show myself I'm not saving that much, really. E.g., for me in Canada, there is 12% tax (GST and PST combined), so 20% off is really only 8% off the purchase price in reality, which isn't so great.

GREAT idea and SO true! 10-15% is really nothing if you look at it that way! Easy to throw away NOTHING! HEEHEE

 

[veronikawithak]

[@]IHughes[/@] I agree with what's been said. At least give it a shot and see what method of downsizing works for you, but don't go in with high expectations of recouping costs. The best reward IMO will be the experience of learning not to overspend. Although money would be ideal obvs!

 

[Glitteryvegas]

If you want to swap items, please post that in the Clearance Bin and not in this thread Just a reminder.

Yes, I was just giving an example of what I have to swap but can't sell due to shipping costs. I wasn't actually trying to swap it right now in this thread. Also, we were discussing starting a swapping thread, which wouldn't be here.

 

[PixieDancer]

@dorni thanks for showing pics of your stash... In addition to inventory on a spreadsheet, this is a great idea! Very useful tool to curb spending... Seeing it all in one place and visualizing what you already have. @AudreyC I 100% agree with you... If I'm not happy with a product, I won't hesitate to return it! I know its not an option for everyone. But I won't feel guilty if something doesn't work for me and I can return the item. That's what those policies are there for. If your intention is to abuse the system that's one thing. But I spend way too much on makeup to be made feel guilty if something isn't what I expected it to be! To those that mentioned reselling... You're right. Its a pain and another reason I don't want to hoard. Thinking you'll just sell it later really isn't realistic. And I know you guys mentioned shelters not taking used makeup... But I have personally went to my church in the past asking about people who have expressed a need. They are usually great about giving contact info for direct donations. Obviously be safe. But every Christmas I try to find a few families w specific needs and what mother wouldn't take a gently used blush as a gift to help her look pretty at Christmas during hard times!? HerGreyness had a good option to of trying to find a makeup student who might even pay a bulk price for a collection of things they could sanitize and use to practice... Or at the least be happy for the donation. If you can document the donation, I'm sure you could even get a little tax write off for that!

 

[NaomiH]

I got Superb and Perfectly Poised (I think it's called) from MN - they are great, but mine wear off after a few hours of wear, which I don't think is uncommon for ED finishes. They're pretty, but honestly, if you have something similar I would probably go with that!

I might look at my stash a little closer, thanks! I've never tried any of the ED products, so I think that is part of why I feel myself caving a bit more than I did with something like Divine Nights. (I skipped everything in DN except Private party l/s)

 

[PixieDancer]

I've been so proud of myself for skipping the MN collection this long, but I keep getting more and more tempted to cave and get the msfs and blushes. hboy:

Good thing is... We know the ED formula will keep coming back! So if you skip now due to too many products to evaluate and work through, you can easily partake in the next launch if something unique comes along! If you've waited this long... I'd just hold off. Youre probably just getting bored w the downtime between collections and because of your low-buy. Its a new mindset for you. But stick to it! You can do it!

 

[Glitteryvegas]

I might look at my stash a little closer, thanks! I've never tried any of the ED products, so I think that is part of why I feel myself caving a bit more than I did with something like Divine Nights. (I skipped everything in DN except Private party l/s)

Hmm....the formula is nice, but I don't think it works for everyone. Maybe go to the counter and put it on at the beginning of the day, walk around for a few hours and check it out. That way you'll know if the formula works for you and if it's worth the cost - test drive that 'investment' haha. And maybe only grab either a MSF or a blush - not both (or all lol)?

 

[PixieDancer]

As far as us swapping.... That was one of my very initial posts! I plan on purging this year and think maybe a collective, end of the year swap might be a cool idea. Sort of a reward for good behavior during our low buy! We could try to work that out! Maybe make a post in the clearance bin and then each if us could post the items we aren't loving. Then everyone could look at everyone else's list and make swaps! They would have to have mention of their low buy in their signature and be active on this thread to participate. Just some thoughts on that...

 

[Naynadine]

Yes, I was just giving an example of what I have to swap but can't sell due to shipping costs. I wasn't actually trying to swap it right now in this thread. Also, we were discussing starting a swapping thread, which wouldn't be here.

Sure It was just a general reminder.

 

[PixieDancer]

Hmm....the formula is nice, but I don't think it works for everyone. Maybe go to the counter and put it on at the beginning of the day, walk around for a few hours and check it out. That way you'll know if the formula works for you and if it's worth the cost - test drive that 'investment' haha.  And maybe only grab either a MSF or a blush - not both (or all lol)? 

Test drive!!! Heehee YES! ALSO... maybe check a CCO... I heard people are finding ED products there from past collections. And since these new ones are still easy to get, I think its very realistic to assume they will end up there as well! If you've waited long enough for them to be at the CCO, you may deserve the reward of one for yourself for being a good girl on your low-buy!!! HTH NaomiH!

 

[Glitteryvegas]

Sure It was just a general reminder.

Cool - Thank you

 

[NaomiH]

Hmm....the formula is nice, but I don't think it works for everyone. Maybe go to the counter and put it on at the beginning of the day, walk around for a few hours and check it out. That way you'll know if the formula works for you and if it's worth the cost - test drive that 'investment' haha. And maybe only grab either a MSF or a blush - not both (or all lol)?

You ladies are right! Thank you for talking some sense into me!

 

[Audrey C]

I kinda like the idea. But not sure if it's possible. It obviously would have to happen in the Clearance Bin.
In the german beauty forum I used to be they had something like a ''swap box''. A package that was send from person to person, people would put stuff in that they don't use anymore and take something out that they liked. I never joined, the system seemed a little complicated and strict (the worth of the items had to be determined depending on the percentage of product left, and you could only take out products with the same worth)
Sure, I know we can't do it from this thread. A group swap would be fun though, and I'd be less inclined to care about whether the items were closeish in value. Do you know if there would be any issues with setting up a special thread in the clearance bin? If anyone wanted to list what they're willing to re-home, maybe some could find items they'd like that would help them not buy new ones.

Quote: Originally Posted by PixieDancer

As far as us swapping.... That was one of my very initial posts! I plan on purging this year and think maybe a collective, end of the year swap might be a cool idea. Sort of a reward for good behavior during our low buy! We could try to work that out! Maybe make a post in the clearance bin and then each if us could post the items we aren't loving. Then everyone could look at everyone else's list and make swaps! They would have to have mention of their low buy in their signature and be active on this thread to participate. Just some thoughts on that...

Oh, I remember us talking about a year end swap early on. The thing is, when I decide something's gone, I want it out of my collection in the next 10 minutes. Not the next ten months!

I decided to get rid of Stereo Rose yesterday and then offered it to someone today when I saw them post that they wanted it. Gone, baby, gone!

Of course if everyone wants to wait until the end of the year, then that's great. I'll just keep pruning the way I always have.

 

[Naynadine]

Sure, I know we can't do it from this thread. A group swap would be fun though, and I'd be less inclined to care about whether the items were closeish in value. Do you know if there would be any issues with setting up a special thread in the clearance bin? If anyone wanted to list what they're willing to re-home, maybe some could find items they'd like that would help them not buy new ones.

Oh, I remember us talking about a year end swap early on. The thing is, when I decide something's gone, I want it out of my collection in the next 10 minutes. Not the next ten months!

I decided to get rid of Stereo Rose yesterday and then offered it to someone today when I saw them post that they wanted it. Gone, baby, gone!

Of course if everyone wants to wait until the end of the year, then that's great. I'll just keep pruning the way I always have.

Not sure to be honest. As far as I know everyone is allowed to post only one sale and one ISO thread. But I personally don't see any problem.

 

[PixieDancer]

Sure, I know we can't do it from this thread. A group swap would be fun though, and I'd be less inclined to care about whether the items were closeish in value. Do you know if there would be any issues with setting up a special thread in the clearance bin? If anyone wanted to list what they're willing to re-home, maybe some could find items they'd like that would help them not buy new ones. Oh, I remember us talking about a year end swap early on. The thing is, when I decide something's gone, I want it out of my collection in the next 10 minutes. Not the next ten months! :train:  I decided to get rid of Stereo Rose yesterday and then offered it to someone today when I saw them post that they wanted it. Gone, baby, gone! Of course if everyone wants to wait until the end of the year, then that's great. I'll just keep pruning the way I always have.

Oh I don't have a preference when we do it! I just thought it would take awhile to get people rolling along on their low buys and getting confident enough in letting things go... I was worried suggesting a swap might be counter productive to some peoples goals. But we might as well purge together. If I can send a product out to get a product in I'll use and love... That seems OK to me! Anytime we want to do this is fine by me!

Not sure to be honest. As far as I know everyone is allowed to post only one sale and one ISO thread. But I personally don't see any problem.

Someone could just create a sale/ swap thread and then we could all just post our available products in the comments... I imagine that would be OK. Right? We could work out the swap details through PM privately. Can you check and see if this procedure would be allowed? Then maybe we can move forward?

 

[Naynadine]

Someone could just create a sale/ swap thread and then we could all just post our available products in the comments... I imagine that would be OK. Right? We could work out the swap details through PM privately. Can you check and see if this procedure would be allowed? Then maybe we can move forward?

Will do