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

[kerry-jane88]

I decided to keep track of all of my beauty purchases for the year (makeup, skincare, hair care, perfume, nail polish, bath & body, etc.). I was pretty surprised at the total only 6 weeks in.. I think I'm going to be pulling this up quite a bit to refresh my memory.. I'm also keeping a running list of all of the upcoming collections and items I'm interested in so I can plan ahead.   

That's what im doing! So I've decided to completely skip FOF, wont go near it! I wanted prep & prime natural radiance pink but as that's perm I can get that later in the year. Prep & prime cc comes out here next month, which im most excited about but it's perm so I wont need to rush. Tbh I wanted a low buy this month as there were non beauty things I wanted to buy in march, but now my best mate just dropped the bombshell that's she's getting married in Sept! So there's hotels, dresses, travel to pay for but I don't know how I'll make my money stretch :/tIt's looking less likely that I'll be able to get some things from the April collections.

 

[charlotte366]

Quote:Originally Posted by kerry-jane88


That's what im doing!

So I've decided to completely skip FOF, wont go near it!
I wanted prep & prime natural radiance pink but as that's perm I can get that later in the year.
Prep & prime cc comes out here next month, which im most excited about but it's perm so I wont need to rush.
Tbh I wanted a low buy this month as there were non beauty things I wanted to buy in march, but now my best mate just dropped the bombshell that's she's getting married in Sept! So there's hotels, dresses, travel to pay for but I don't know how I'll make my money stretch :/tIt's looking less likely that I'll be able to get some things from the April collections.


Remember that you will value memories much more than any physical item or piece of make up as time paces. We can't replace memories we missed out on, so making memories should be your priority!! I will come clean and admitt that once I spent my money just after getting paid on a mac collection, as a result of having no money for the rest of the month I missed my closest friends hen do, I never told them why I couldn't afford it, but I suspect she suspects what I did. I regret that descision and although it was 5 years ago it did have a significant effect on my spending from then on. I no longer spend to that extreme, I save more money, memories and life experiences now always come before cosmetics. I learnt the hard way and luckily we are still close friends. I too will be on a relative low/almost no buy in March, April & May to pay the balance of my holiday off. The memories from last years trip are driving me to save every penny I have to create some more memories! The only thing i am craving right now is one of the Barry m silk nail paints, but these are permanent so no rush and I might use my Boots advantage card points to purchase it. i am still working on purging and organising and I hope that I am not that far off being finished, I am definiately wearing more of my lipsticks and identifiying drugstore stuff that needs to be disposed of. I haven't done so well this week in venturing into my stash and trying out eyeshadows, I have been commuting to London this week so doing my eye make up on the train to save time, I have worn a wash of MAC style snob every day with a slick of mascara! On a plus side not having mush time means that I have finished my Estee Lauder Double Wear today and my sample of Mineral Veil primer which came with the hourglass ambient light powder! I think my mascara is also on the way out so February stash busting won't be too bad from a make up front, I am however no looking forward to next week when my Emma Hardie Balm runs out, i told myself no repuchasing until I finish off some of the other cleansing balms I own :-(. My skin loves the emma hardie and maybe now I will stop buying other stuff so I can repurchase it!

 

[kerry-jane88]

Quote: Remember that you will value memories much more than any physical item or piece of make up as time paces. We can't replace memories we missed out on, so making memories should be your priority!! I will come clean and admitt that once I spent my money just after getting paid on a mac collection, as a result of having no money for the rest of the month I missed my closest friends hen do, I never told them why I couldn't afford it, but I suspect she suspects what I did. I regret that descision and although it was 5 years ago it did have a significant effect on my spending from then on. I no longer spend to that extreme, I save more money, memories and life experiences now always come before cosmetics. I learnt the hard way and luckily we are still close friends. I too will be on a relative low/almost no buy in March, April & May to pay the balance of my holiday off. The memories from last years trip are driving me to save every penny I have to create some more memories! The only thing i am craving right now is one of the Barry m silk nail paints, but these are permanent so no rush and I might use my Boots advantage card points to purchase it. i am still working on purging and organising and I hope that I am not that far off being finished, I am definiately wearing more of my lipsticks and identifiying drugstore stuff that needs to be disposed of. I haven't done so well this week in venturing into my stash and trying out eyeshadows, I have been commuting to London this week so doing my eye make up on the train to save time, I have worn a wash of MAC style snob every day with a slick of mascara! On a plus side not having mush time means that I have finished my Estee Lauder Double Wear today and my sample of Mineral Veil primer which came with the hourglass ambient light powder! I think my mascara is also on the way out so February stash busting won't be too bad from a make up front, I am however no looking forward to next week when my Emma Hardie Balm runs out, i told myself no repuchasing until I finish off some of the other cleansing balms I own :-(. My skin loves the emma hardie and maybe now I will stop buying other stuff so I can repurchase it!

I'm doing her make-up for her wedding day so im excited about that :bigstar: im just worried that there's a lot to do in such a short amont of time. and i think my friends forget that i'm on half the wage they are (i work from home as a carer) so i cant just afford to be like ok yeah let's book amsterdam for a hen do! trying not to worry too much, it'll all work out i'll just need to be clear that i cant afford to pay for everything at once, like a trip to the trafford centre is planned for next month and its gunna be window shopping for me! i think you're doing really well going through your stash it sounds as if youve touched a lot of your products!

 

[charlotte366]

Quote:Originally Posted by kerry-jane88


I'm doing her make-up for her wedding day so im excited about that

im just worried that there's a lot to do in such a short amont of time.
and i think my friends forget that i'm on half the wage they are (i work from home as a carer) so i cant just afford to be like ok yeah let's book amsterdam for a hen do!
trying not to worry too much, it'll all work out i'll just need to be clear that i cant afford to pay for everything at once, like a trip to the trafford centre is planned for next month and its gunna be window shopping for me!

i think you're doing really well going through your stash it sounds as if youve touched a lot of your products!


Thank you, trying items in the stash, purging those that don't work for me is so satisfying and it is making me more fussy when looking at anything new. Any back ups or brand new in box items are being sold as if I haven't already used them I won't miss them! The purging is making me happier with my collection, I am not scared of it anymore and I think I am on the whole experimenting more with my collection and getting more wear out of it One thing I would recommend is sooner rather than later if you are on your own with your friend, explain to her why you can't afford everything, and ask her to give you as much notice as she can for things like the hen do so you can save as much as possible and try to join in as much as possible. She will prob appreciate your honesty and hopefully by giving you more notice you will be able to join in more and support her in the experience. I have friends who now earn a lot less than I do, or who are stay at home mums and as a result their disposable income is less than mine. When I want to do something which is outside their everyday budget I find giving them lots of notice and finding some cheaper solutions has helped, like if we want a day out in london we plan well in advance so that we can get cheap advanced train tickets or cheap seats at a show or vouchers for restaurants etc, We still have an amazing time but by planning and trying to co-ordinate things earlier we often bring things within their budget so that nobody misses out!

 

[Calla88]

I decided to keep track of all of my beauty purchases for the year (makeup, skincare, hair care, perfume, nail polish, bath & body, etc.). I was pretty surprised at the total only 6 weeks in.. I think I'm going to be pulling this up quite a bit to refresh my memory.. I'm also keeping a running list of all of the upcoming collections and items I'm interested in so I can plan ahead.

I definitely need to do a tracking list. A few years ago my sis challenged me not to buy any bath & body products for a whole year after helping me move and seeing how much I owned plus the BU's of my favorites.My favs always seem to get discontinued so I really did hoard them. I did it so I know it can be done. That was great way to actually used my stuff and not just keep buying more to stock in a closet. It made me realize that some items weren't that special , that new and improved versions worked just as well.

 

[kerry-jane88]

Going through my stash and letting so many things go has done me wonders, and yes itd making me more picky about future purchases, im in a stronger position to say no because im thankful for what I habe got. That's good advice [@]charlotte366[/@]about being honest with my friend, we call her 'last minute tonia' because she springs stuff on you! I'll have to be a strong bridesmaid!

 

[myfavoritePA]

I decided to keep track of all of my beauty purchases for the year (makeup, skincare, hair care, perfume, nail polish, bath & body, etc.). I was pretty surprised at the total only 6 weeks in.. I think I'm going to be pulling this up quite a bit to refresh my memory.. I'm also keeping a running list of all of the upcoming collections and items I'm interested in so I can plan ahead.

I am doing the same thing!

 

[elkaknits]

the posts about books hit close to home. The Beloved is a big book addict. He has multiple copies of the same book. For example he has the copy of LoTR trilogy he read 48 -ish years ago, the hardback trilogy that his grandma gave him 40 yrs agosince his copies were in shreds from reading and rereading and since those are in poor shape a reading copy {which is also looking kinda tatty} We have 8 floor to ceiling bookshelves overfull, some with two rows of books {one behind the one you can see}, and more shortie bookshelves and stacks of books. We live in a small apartment! He does book reviews and was an English major and writes. He has gotten rid of more than half of his books due to space issues when we got together. He used to live in a basically 5 story victorian {counting basement and attic used as library/office}. I stopped buying books a long time ago to make room for his and we make good use of the library. I have been trying to talk him into a book reader but we cannot begin to spend the money to replace the physical books and many of them have sentimental value for him {like the LoTR story above}

I actually have gotten to the point where I really dislike looking at books. My dining room {which is small} houses 5 bookshelves alone. We cannot put leaves in the tables and there is no room at the foot of table to pull out a chair. I find it alarming. Really most books are not worth keeping so why buy them in first place? I do reread certain books and have had a core 2-3 with me for decades. I am a firm believer in considering the public library part of my personal library instead of thinking I have to own every book I want to read.

 

[Rainbunny]

the posts about books hit close to home.  The Beloved is a big book addict.  He has multiple copies of the same book.  For example he has the copy of LoTR trilogy he read 48 -ish years ago, the hardback trilogy that his grandma gave him  40 yrs agosince his copies were in shreds from reading and rereading  and since those are in poor shape a reading copy {which is also looking kinda tatty}  We have 8 floor to ceiling bookshelves overfull, some with two rows of books {one behind the one you can see}, and more shortie bookshelves and stacks of books.  We live in a small apartment!  He does book reviews and was an English major and writes.  He has gotten rid of more than half of his books due to space issues when we got together.  He used to live in a basically 5 story victorian {counting basement and attic used as library/office}.  I stopped buying books a long time ago to make room for his and we make good use of the library.  I have been trying to talk him into a book reader but we cannot begin to spend the money to replace the physical books and many of them have sentimental value for him {like the LoTR story above} I actually have gotten to the point where I really dislike looking at books.  My dining room {which is small} houses 5 bookshelves alone.  We cannot put leaves in the tables and there is no room at the foot of table to pull out a chair.  I find it alarming.  Really most books are not worth keeping so why buy them in first place?  I do reread certain books and have had a core 2-3 with me for decades.  I am a firm believer in considering the public library part of my personal library instead of thinking I have to own every book I want to read.

Don't know if this helps but if a lot of his favourite books are now out of copyright, and he gets a book reader, Amazon sells those for really, really cheap, like the complete works of Tolstoy. Check it out for him, and let him know. Plus, now a lot of the public libraries let you take out ebooks online, which is also great because no late fees. I found that if you haven't finished a book and then it gets deleted, when you take it out again it preserves which page you were on when it was deleted. If there is no hold, you can renew it immediately, anyway. You can get audiobooks now online from the libraries as well. There is still a lot they don't have available but more and more stuff is being added constantly. I am a big book person myself, but now pretty much only buy physical books if they are art books and have let go of most of my tattered copies of the classics. He won't be able to replace everything but maybe enough to cut down on the clutter a bit. It's nice to have huge library with me everywhere I go!

 

[Rainbunny]

Yes, complete works of Tolstoy ebook on Amazon.ca is about $3.00 Cdn., which would be a little more than one pound, correct?

 

[veronikawithak]

the posts about books hit close to home. The Beloved is a big book addict. He has multiple copies of the same book. For example he has the copy of LoTR trilogy he read 48 -ish years ago, the hardback trilogy that his grandma gave him 40 yrs agosince his copies were in shreds from reading and rereading and since those are in poor shape a reading copy {which is also looking kinda tatty} We have 8 floor to ceiling bookshelves overfull, some with two rows of books {one behind the one you can see}, and more shortie bookshelves and stacks of books. We live in a small apartment! He does book reviews and was an English major and writes. He has gotten rid of more than half of his books due to space issues when we got together. He used to live in a basically 5 story victorian {counting basement and attic used as library/office}. I stopped buying books a long time ago to make room for his and we make good use of the library. I have been trying to talk him into a book reader but we cannot begin to spend the money to replace the physical books and many of them have sentimental value for him {like the LoTR story above}

I actually have gotten to the point where I really dislike looking at books. My dining room {which is small} houses 5 bookshelves alone. We cannot put leaves in the tables and there is no room at the foot of table to pull out a chair. I find it alarming. Really most books are not worth keeping so why buy them in first place? I do reread certain books and have had a core 2-3 with me for decades. I am a firm believer in considering the public library part of my personal library instead of thinking I have to own every book I want to read.

It can be tough living with someone whose possessions encroach through the whole house.. my father was very much a hoarder and it drove my mother out of her mind. Maybe you could negotiate one (or more) "book free" zones in your apartment? If you talk with him about how much it stresses you to not have a space where you can relax without the sight of books or other clutter, he might be willing to compromise. I wonder if you could consolidate and make most of the shelves two rows deep so that you could make more space.. Maybe he would be willing to do the "1 in 1 out" rule? Are there things of yours that he's bothered by? If so, you could declutter and organize together and make it a challenge for each other. Just a few ideas.. I hope it helps!

My fiance and I live in a bachelor and fortunately we both like the sight of empty space so it's not too bad.. but I leave the "living room" for him to have his TV, video games, beer fridge, manly art, etc. and I have a desk beside the bed where I keep my makeup. I also try to make sure to leave lots of space in the closets for his things and to not accumulate so much that I'm edging him out.. lol.

I also love the public library and will tend to check out a book there rather than buy unless the waiting list is 6 months long for something I've really been waiting for. I have about 5 books right now that I've purchased. Once we move and get settled into a more permanent place I may buy some of my favorites to have and re-read but that would probably be 10-20.. I've always hated the feeling of being tied down with a bunch of "stuff." If I do buy a book I usually buy a paperback and if I won't read it again I donate it to the library to free up space. One thing that I do is add any books I've read to my Goodreads list.. so it's still like collecting but it's a digital reminder that you read it rather than a physical bookshelf.

 

[elkaknits]

I am a knitter as you might guess from my nickname and I have a lot of yarn. I think when we got together I promised not to say much about his books if he didn't say much about my yarn. My yarn is pretty much corralled into one room whereas his books are in every single room. Including the entry way where he commandeered the 2 shelves of the pie hutch I have for putting bags etc on. I want to get rid of the hutch since I feel like the books are going to fall on me when I open the door {it is claustrophobic in all honesty} but that would mean I need to empty 2 or 3 shelves in dining room. When I suggested it his eyes lit up because he still has books in a storage locker so no I do not get to get rid of the hutch ;-/

not much I can do. I love him dearly and love watching him enjoy a book but I know that once I was putting stuff away and found multiple copies of the same book which he didn't even realize he had ~~ I did ask why he had more than one copy of same edition of a book. I am listing my books on library thing. Should there ever be a fire or other disaster he has no clue to what he owns. Well I know which he considers the most precious because I have watched him read and reread them. But the 1000's of others? nope

It is a collector thing for sure. He read this one book and kept talking every few pages about how terrible and full of bunk it was but then put it on shelf. I asked him why and he said so that he can refer to it and quote it when disputing it. le sigh

 

[veronikawithak]

I am a knitter as you might guess from my nickname and I have a lot of yarn. I think when we got together I promised not to say much about his books if he didn't say much about my yarn. My yarn is pretty much corralled into one room whereas his books are in every single room. Including the entry way where he commandeered the 2 shelves of the pie hutch I have for putting bags etc on. I want to get rid of the hutch since I feel like the books are going to fall on me when I open the door {it is claustrophobic in all honesty} but that would mean I need to empty 2 or 3 shelves in dining room. When I suggested it his eyes lit up because he still has books in a storage locker so no I do not get to get rid of the hutch ;-/

not much I can do. I love him dearly and love watching him enjoy a book but I know that once I was putting stuff away and found multiple copies of the same book which he didn't even realize he had ~~ I did ask why he had more than one copy of same edition of a book. I am listing my books on library thing. Should there ever be a fire or other disaster he has no clue to what he owns. Well I know which he considers the most precious because I have watched him read and reread them. But the 1000's of others? nope

It is a collector thing for sure. He read this one book and kept talking every few pages about how terrible and full of bunk it was but then put it on shelf. I asked him why and he said so that he can refer to it and quote it when disputing it. le sigh

@elkaknits you are a woman with much more grace and patience than I.. I think if it got to that point I would rent out a tiny apartment for myself just to have somewhere to escape to.. haha.

My parents stuffed our house so full of clutter when I was growing up that I think I've gone the opposite way and try to get rid of things I don't use as often as I realize.

Is he willing to catalog his books as well? You could bring up the insurance thing if there ever was an accident or something as motivation? Also maybe if he had quick access to his list on an app or something he could at least check to make sure he wasn't buying duplicates.. I know with some you can also put comments so he could mark when he last read it and what his thoughts on it are. That way he can track when the last time he even pulled out a book was. I bet some of them have been sitting there unused and forgotten for 5-10+ years. The collecting habit is a tricky one.. my dad used to keep old vehicles and bikes around for parts all the time. With the amount of money and energy hauling it around he could have just purchased the part he needed when he needed it for much cheaper.. lol.

 

[macnc50diva]

this is exactly how i felt, I had so many mac lippies that i tried to tell myself that if i had it in YSL it was a "better formula" but didnt touch either of them! I was super nice to my sister and dumped lots of YSL, Givanchy and MAC lippies, since destashing started im down to 63, i think a good 12-20 went on my sale/swap thread or gave away. It really makes you think, i do not need 7 versions of red. Absoulte power, charmed im sure and melt belladonna 2 all swatched the same on my lips so i just kept CIS. It took a lot to get rid of AP since I bought above retail price.  Oh well better to it find a happy home and i feel so much better with a smaller stash, I got rid of a whole blush palette, mac eyeshadows palette worth, all kinds of msf blushes and lots of singles... now if only i can get rid of the box that hold all this... and i tell you i dont miss them one bit since i started this!  I love that BB cream its so expensive but so easy and great formula i love the spf in it. I bought it once and used it up, now i have 5 foundations in rotation! 

I don't like the ysl lipsticks at all. I was thinking for $34 they'd be better than Mac too but it was just prettier packaging. I returned them all.

Ugh - I just saw that my Syrup has snow on it even though it's just 1 1/2 years old! Thank God there's not much left of it, so I can put it in my drawer for B2M without feeling guilty. I'm a lot on my computer right now as I've got two exams coming up that I need to study for, so I rarely leave the house - this is always bad for my money because that's how I order most of my stuff. However, I'll start stalking a German onlineshop in the evening and tomorrow morning because Viva Glam Rihanna is coming out on the 13th and since I can't leave the house to buy it at the counter, I'll probably order it. I just don't know if I want the lipstick and the lipglass or just the lipglass.

Is snow mold?

 

[Rainbunny]

I am a knitter as you might guess from my nickname and I have a lot of yarn. I think when we got together I promised not to say much about his books if he didn't say much about my yarn. My yarn is pretty much corralled into one room whereas his books are in every single room. Including the entry way where he commandeered the 2 shelves of the pie hutch I have for putting bags etc on. I want to get rid of the hutch since I feel like the books are going to fall on me when I open the door {it is claustrophobic in all honesty} but that would mean I need to empty 2 or 3 shelves in dining room. When I suggested it his eyes lit up because he still has books in a storage locker so no I do not get to get rid of the hutch ;-/

not much I can do. I love him dearly and love watching him enjoy a book but I know that once I was putting stuff away and found multiple copies of the same book which he didn't even realize he had ~~ I did ask why he had more than one copy of same edition of a book. I am listing my books on library thing. Should there ever be a fire or other disaster he has no clue to what he owns. Well I know which he considers the most precious because I have watched him read and reread them. But the 1000's of others? nope

It is a collector thing for sure. He read this one book and kept talking every few pages about how terrible and full of bunk it was but then put it on shelf. I asked him why and he said so that he can refer to it and quote it when disputing it. le sigh

Oh, that sounds quite hopeless! I have yarn (also a knitter) and art supplies, too, so I know what you mean about not being in much of a position to argue. He's probably against ebooks on principle, too, I bet. Mind you, I started getting rid of books to make room for yarn and art supplies, so I really can't talk! Ebooks have really been a blessing for me (invisible hoarding, yay!).

 

[vaisforluvrs]

Is snow mold?

No, it's caused my temperature fluctuations. It can be cleaned with alcohol. Check this thread for more info: http://www.specktra.net/t/181169/mac-strength-collection-discussion-december-2012/3600.

 

[liba]

Here's a little idea I was just thinking about:

I enthusiastically bought the CC creams and powders in yellow and lavender wanting to recreate the great look I got over the weekend. At the same time, I so often don't do a full face with foundation. It's often so time consuming and easy to overdo, so I just skip it instead.

The good news is, I decided to do a test today to see how much time it would add to the routine and if the results were worth it. Resounding yes - using the CC under my usual foundation definitely gives a more natural look than foundation alone. Added time was minimal because I'm working with a perfect set of brushes for what I need.

Here are the important takeaways:
1) If you buy a complicated product, have a pro show you the tricks for using it first. It will be much easier to replicate and get good results at home.
2) Once you have good results, assess what it's going to take to repeat it.
3) Use the tools that will make things as fast and easy as possible. I wouldn't have bothered with any of this if it wasn't for the Masterclass brush, which has completely revitalized my use of foundation. I've never tried another brush that gave such flawless and natural results with so little work. THIS IS KEY.

Now that I see the benefits, I am saying to myself "There is no reason to let this stuff sit. Use it regularly now, look fabulous and don't just be lazy or fall back on old habits where I didn't bother perfecting my skin first." I was already using foundation more, because of the brush being so good and this small extra step takes it to the next level. I'm worth it! My purchase was also totally worth it!

If you can do these things for yourself with what you buy, you will get use out of everything and go through your supply in a reasonable amount of time too.

 

[macnc50diva]

Ohhh ok it's that grease from all of my retro mattes. Just never heard of it called snow lol

No, it's caused my temperature fluctuations. It can be cleaned with alcohol. Check this thread for more info: http://www.specktra.net/t/181169/mac-strength-collection-discussion-december-2012/3600.

 

[lipstickaddict]

Here's a little idea I was just thinking about:

I enthusiastically bought the CC creams and powders in yellow and lavender wanting to recreate the great look I got over the weekend. At the same time, I so often don't do a full face with foundation. It's often so time consuming and easy to overdo, so I just skip it instead.

The good news is, I decided to do a test today to see how much time it would add to the routine and if the results were worth it. Resounding yes - using the CC under my usual foundation definitely gives a more natural look than foundation alone. Added time was minimal because I'm working with a perfect set of brushes for what I need.

Here are the important takeaways:
1) If you buy a complicated product, have a pro show you the tricks for using it first. It will be much easier to replicate and get good results at home.
2) Once you have good results, assess what it's going to take to repeat it.
3) Use the tools that will make things as fast and easy as possible. I wouldn't have bothered with any of this if it wasn't for the Masterclass brush, which has completely revitalized my use of foundation. I've never tried another brush that gave such flawless and natural results with so little work. THIS IS KEY.

Now that I see the benefits, I am saying to myself "There is no reason to let this stuff sit. Use it regularly now, look fabulous and don't just be lazy or fall back on old habits where I didn't bother perfecting my skin first." I was already using foundation more, because of the brush being so good and this small extra step takes it to the next level. I'm worth it! My purchase was also totally worth it!

If you can do these things for yourself with what you buy, you will get use out of everything and go through your supply in a reasonable amount of time too.

Great advice Liba.

 

[User38]

I have been using the lavender CC cream, and a bit of the setting powder over my foundation too. It's looking good so far, and I am not getting oily or even shiny.. I seem to use less of my foundation too as my skin looks -- kinda perfect without it. I am going to use it w/o foundation, just a good setting powder over it to see how that works.

so far so good.. I have the compact but will only use it when I travel.