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

[Yazmin]

PS - Going to IMATS, I caved and bought tix. Any advice on how to curb spending there? I want to visit MUFE mostly. And watch the MUA compete in the battle of the brushes competition.

Probably best to set your budget and only bring that amount. IMATS is a makeup wonderland and it's all too easy to get caught up in it.

I'd also suggest if there's anything you know you'll definitely want, especially if it's a popular item from a popular brand, head to those booths first. That way you get the makeup you actually want rather than the random items you might regret later.

 

[DarylandCarole]

  I finally counted my lipsticks and lip glosses and entered all of my info in Excel.  I categorized them by general color so I could see what I have the most of.  I have a total of 137 lipsticks, which is just slightly more than I thought I'd have. I was surprised to see how many purple-hued lipsticks I have.  It's been one of my favorite colors for years, but I still didn't think I had as many as I do.  (I can't remember the exact number, somewhere between 20 - 30.)  I was really surprised by the number of lip glosses I have - 63. I didn't think I had that many.  I should probably B2M some of them (some are more than 6 years old), but it's hard with some of the colors that I love that aren't available anymore.  I do have 5 or 6 lippies that I'm almost finished with, anyhow. I kind of hate that I know the exact number I have because I'll feel worse about buying any more. Getting pretty new cosmetics is something that I really enjoy and it brightens my day when I do, so I feel like I'm taking away something that makes me happy.  I feel like I shouldn't say that in this thread but it's how I feel. Logically I know that I should find other things to do that bring me happiness and I will. Today is just a bad day because I'm in a lot of pain and really frustrated that physically I can't do the things that I want to do and used to do.  I can't even do yoga right now.  Also money is very tight, so for the next 2 weeks I have to watch every penny I spend.  I get very unhappy when I don't have money for even one little thing. My birthday is next week and I'm so broke that I can't even do anything for myself  (I know I won't be getting anything from anyone else now that my Dad is gone). But it is what it is. I think when I inventory my eye shadows I'll do the same thing and categorize them by color so that I can see what I have too much of and if there are any colors that I actually need. I suppose I just need to retire from make up buying because I honestly don't need anything.

Hi I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling so down. I know how that is. Please take care of yourself. I don't want you to have a blue birthday!

.

I sooo agree with you @mel33t ! At several points I've said to myself that I shouldn't buy makeup again. Ever. But it's kind of like that Sunday morning hangover that tells you not to ever drink again.. that feeling in your gut is your mind's way of telling you it's uncomfortable and to back off of whatever you're doing to excess. Even though I threw out $200 of product that I'd barely used today and it made me feel really uncomfortable, I will continue to buy makeup. Of course I will! Because I love it! If I didn't I wouldn't be here. I just don't want to buy multiples of everything every year just to be constantly tossing barely used things the next. Moderation is what I'm aiming for. I already know 12 products a year isn't nearly enough for me.. and 100 is way too much! So I'm going for 25 in 6 months to see if that's my sweet spot! It's okay to evaluate and re-evaluate things, but don't shame yourself for it. We deserve things that make us happy. 

  I finally counted my lipsticks and lip glosses and entered all of my info in Excel.  I categorized them by general color so I could see what I have the most of.  I have a total of 137 lipsticks, which is just slightly more than I thought I'd have. I was surprised to see how many purple-hued lipsticks I have.  It's been one of my favorite colors for years, but I still didn't think I had as many as I do.  (I can't remember the exact number, somewhere between 20 - 30.)  I was really surprised by the number of lip glosses I have - 63. I didn't think I had that many.  I should probably B2M some of them (some are more than 6 years old), but it's hard with some of the colors that I love that aren't available anymore.  I do have 5 or 6 lippies that I'm almost finished with, anyhow. I kind of hate that I know the exact number I have because I'll feel worse about buying any more. Getting pretty new cosmetics is something that I really enjoy and it brightens my day when I do, so I feel like I'm taking away something that makes me happy.  I feel like I shouldn't say that in this thread but it's how I feel. Logically I know that I should find other things to do that bring me happiness and I will. Today is just a bad day because I'm in a lot of pain and really frustrated that physically I can't do the things that I want to do and used to do.  I can't even do yoga right now.  Also money is very tight, so for the next 2 weeks I have to watch every penny I spend.  I get very unhappy when I don't have money for even one little thing. My birthday is next week and I'm so broke that I can't even do anything for myself  (I know I won't be getting anything from anyone else now that my Dad is gone). But it is what it is. I think when I inventory my eye shadows I'll do the same thing and categorize them by color so that I can see what I have too much of and if there are any colors that I actually need. I suppose I just need to retire from make up buying because I honestly don't need anything.

Hi love! I saw this post and all day I was like respond to burghchick!! :support: It's crazy to actually sit and count the numbers. You don't realize it until you do and then you're at a point where you think about never buying any more makeup. But, and I know this is the low buy thread and it might be controversial, but I don't think you should stop doing something that makes you happy. Obviously we're all here for a reason, I'm here to show some restraint and not go crazy buying every blush under the sun. But if I throughouly think a lipstick through and look for dupes and decide this is something I want, and I will wear it, I let myself get it. No more $100 shopping trips at MAC or Sephora. No more unnecessary drugstore buys. That's my goal right now.  You have to do what makes you happy. Because otherwise you're just going to be sitting there analyzing every little thing and being unhappy.  I had a bit of a harsh wake up call this week too. I know how you feel.  I hope you have an amazing birthday. Don't let it get you down. I know Veronika offered the movie marathon, that's a great idea. Is there a park by you? Just going outside and sitting at the park or lake for a few hours might be good. If you can't get outside even sitting in your back yard or an outside area with a good book or magazine might help. Lots of hugs for you girlie, thinking of you. :hug:

Thanks, Wicked, Veronika, and Mel33t. I'm feeling better so far today. I told myself that the next few weeks will go by quickly and then I'll have more money. And the swatches from A Novel Romaance cheered me up. I'm not going to go wild, but the idea of getting a few pretty things truly does give me something to look forward to. I only have 2 lippies and 1 gloss on my list, so I feel like I'm being reasonable. I never buy the quads, as I know I don't need eyeshadow and for me 40.00 is too much for 1 thing. The one thing that I'll have to watch are the eye liners. I love all of the colors, but I know I don't need them. I'm thinking of getting 1 or 2 just to try them, but we'll see. Thanks so much for the input. It is exactly like the hangover and saying "I'm never going to drink again!" I know that if I hadnt joined this thread that I would have even more make up. My goals were never to totally stop buying, just to think about it more rather than impulse buying or emotional buying. I just needed you guys to remind me of that. :bigheart:

 

[veronikawithak]

@burghchick sooo glad you're feeling better!

You'll have those ANR goodies in your hands in no time!

I went on my first shopping trip since June today.. I did spend much more than I planned to, so I thought I'd share what I purchased and my thoughts. I won't talk about the actual products, just whether they were planned/impulse and my reasons for buying or not buying them.

Sephora: 3 items
- NARS Himalia (planned)
- Marc Jacobs eyeliner in (Luna)tic (exchanged a MUFE eyeliner for this instead because the MUFE one was sold out - it was on my wish list too)
- Cake dry shampoo in the brush format (total impulse buy - I didn't even know about this but I love the regular one and having it in a brush is going to be great.. and I can refill it with my full size container!)
x NARS Dione (planned but didn't buy - sold out but I still want it after swatches)
x Jardin Perdu (planned but wasn't in stock yet - crossed it off the list though.. I'm only letting myself buy 2/3 of the NARS items on my list and I'd rather have Dione)
x DKNY MYNY rollerball (planned but didn't buy - not in stock)

I also swatched the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks, BITE Matte Lip Crayons, and Dior Addict Fluid Sticks and crossed them off my wishlist.

MAC: 2 items
I wasn't even planning on going here.. I walked past it the first time but the second time it drew me in!
- 228 (impulse buy - a smaller eyeshadow brush was on my wishlist but I wasn't planning to get it today)
- Sable (impulse buy - on the wishlist but wasn't planning to get it today. I just randomly had the thought that if I bought the single in the pan it would put a roadblock up for me wanting the Amorous Adventure quad! $12 is better than $40+ and now I definitely 100% can't buy the quad because I already have one of the shadows.)

Miscellaneous: 6 items
- 3 dresses for Fall/Winter (impulse buy - on the wishlist but wasn't planning to shop for them today.. I just saw one in the window of one of the stores I like and it was downhill from there)
- a pair of boots (total impulse buy but I couldn't resist them.. again, saw them in a display at one of my usual stores. They were the new Fall ones from my favorite brand in a style I've been wanting for a while. I knew as soon as I saw them that I had to have them. I also don't consider boots a problem area for me [at least not yet] since this is only my third pair, they're all different styles, and my climate requires them lol.)
- OPI Glitter Off base coat (planned)
- purple conditioner (planned)

Alright.. so in total that was 3 planned items, 1 substitute item for a planned exchange, 5 impulse buys of wishlist items, and 2 impulse buys of non-wishlist items. Some general thoughts - I'm really happy with everything that I bought. Absolutely nothing was a "maybe" kind of purchase. Everything was a "love!!!" and especially with the Fall clothing and footwear items, there's only a few of each item in my size and if I waited to go back and get them they would probably be sold out. I'm also so picky about those categories so if I find something I like I'm okay with buying it. If I decide later that I don't like any of the dresses I can always return them. I also think I'm lucky that some of the items were out of stock since that will help me think about them some more! I'm proud of myself for thinking things through and putting back items.. I resisted temptation with a lot of things! I'm also happy that I only bought 2 makeup items.. plus my 1 exchange. I'm wondering if I should count my single eyeshadow pan as 1 of my 5 allowed items this month.. it was only $12 but I still probably should!

 

[kerry-jane88]

@burghchick sooo glad you're feeling better! :frenz: You'll have those ANR goodies in your hands in no time! I went on my first shopping trip since June today.. I did spend much more than I planned to, so I thought I'd share what I purchased and my thoughts. I won't talk about the actual products, just whether they were planned/impulse and my reasons for buying or not buying them. Sephora: 3 items - NARS Himalia (planned) - Marc Jacobs eyeliner in (Luna)tic (exchanged a MUFE eyeliner for this instead because the MUFE one was sold out - it was on my wish list too) - Cake dry shampoo in the brush format (total impulse buy - I didn't even know about this but I love the regular one and having it in a brush is going to be great.. and I can refill it with my full size container!) x NARS Dione (planned but didn't buy - sold out but I still want it after swatches) x Jardin Perdu (planned but wasn't in stock yet - crossed it off the list though.. I'm only letting myself buy 2/3 of the NARS items on my list and I'd rather have Dione) x DKNY MYNY rollerball (planned but didn't buy - not in stock) I also swatched the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks, BITE Matte Lip Crayons, and Dior Addict Fluid Sticks and crossed them off my wishlist. MAC: 2 items I wasn't even planning on going here.. I walked past it the first time but the second time it drew me in! - 228 (impulse buy - a smaller eyeshadow brush was on my wishlist but I wasn't planning to get it today) - Sable (impulse buy - on the wishlist but wasn't planning to get it today. I just randomly had the thought that if I bought the single in the pan it would put a roadblock up for me wanting the Amorous Adventure quad! $12 is better than $40+ and now I definitely 100% can't buy the quad because I already have one of the shadows.) Miscellaneous: 6 items - 3 dresses for Fall/Winter (impulse buy - on the wishlist but wasn't planning to shop for them today.. I just saw one in the window of one of the stores I like and it was downhill from there) - a pair of boots (total impulse buy but I couldn't resist them.. again, saw them in a display at one of my usual stores. They were the new Fall ones from my favorite brand in a style I've been wanting for a while. I knew as soon as I saw them that I had to have them. I also don't consider boots a problem area for me [at least not yet] since this is only my third pair, they're all different styles, and my climate requires them lol.) - OPI Glitter Off base coat (planned) - purple conditioner (planned) Alright.. so in total that was 3 planned items, 1 substitute item for a planned exchange, 5 impulse buys of wishlist items, and 2 impulse buys of non-wishlist items. Some general thoughts - I'm really happy with everything that I bought. Absolutely nothing was a "maybe" kind of purchase. Everything was a "love!!!" and especially with the Fall clothing and footwear items, there's only a few of each item in my size and if I waited to go back and get them they would probably be sold out. I'm also so picky about those categories so if I find something I like I'm okay with buying it. If I decide later that I don't like any of the dresses I can always return them. I also think I'm lucky that some of the items were out of stock since that will help me think about them some more! I'm proud of myself for thinking things through and putting back items.. I resisted temptation with a lot of things! I'm also happy that I only bought 2 makeup items.. plus my 1 exchange. I'm wondering if I should count my single eyeshadow pan as 1 of my 5 allowed items this month.. it was only $12 but I still probably should!

Go you! I like that you're even whittling down your wishlists even.further too. If I were you I'd probably count the pan es as one of your five, as I know if have the tendency to be sneaky and start over categorising things so they don't count towards an allowance! Good on you swapping that eyeliner too! I'm on.day one of my august no buy. I had a bobbi brown lipstick in sandwich pink that I'd bought for my friends wedding as her bridal lip colour (I'm doing her wedding makeup in September) Now I'm thinking I'll return it and maybe get a dupe via b2m after all those expired products I sifted out of my stash last night.

 

[veronikawithak]

Now I'm thinking I'll return it and maybe get a dupe via b2m after all those expired products I sifted out of my stash last night.

Thanks! It felt sooo great slashing that wishlist down, surprisingly great. You're right, I'm going to count the eyeshadow! Thanks for the push and reminder, I tend to get sneaky too.

That leaves me with 3 items for the rest of the month. I thought I wanted a couple of the lipglasses from ANR too but now I'm not so sure! Need more lip swatches, but I can still get 2/3 of them if I want. Right now 5 items looks totally manageable. Then again, it is Day 1 of 31.. haha.

1. NARS Himalia
2. MAC Sable
3. ? Fun Ending blush from ANR
4. ?
5. ?

Good luck on your August No Buy! You're going to do great!!

Also, fun story about that eyeliner! As you know I just bought it this summer and when I checked to see how old it was, I saw that it was manufactured almost 5 years ago! When the Sephora SA asked me why I was exchanging it I told her that it was a 5 year old eyeliner I bought last month and it wasn't performing the way my newer ones do.. all she said was "oh, it's probably dried out." Um.. maybe it's just me but I would have expected something more than that.. like some sympathy, an apology, a free sample.. something.. anything. I always thought they rotated cosmetic products the way they rotated produce at the grocery store (like after 3 years they couldn't sell it anymore). Now I always check batch dates before I buy unless it's new/LE. My Sable eyeshadow was made April 2014 so I know I get a solid few years at least of it performing at its best!

 

[veronikawithak]

Also just remembered to add those 3 things to my Inventory spreadsheet! I'm trying to get into the habit of doing that within 24 hours after every purchase!!

 

[kerry-jane88]

Thanks! It felt sooo great slashing that wishlist down, surprisingly great. You're right, I'm going to count the eyeshadow! Thanks for the push and reminder, I tend to get sneaky too.  That leaves me with 3 items for the rest of the month. I thought I wanted a couple of the lipglasses from ANR too but now I'm not so sure! Need more lip swatches, but I can still get 2/3 of them if I want. Right now 5 items looks totally manageable. Then again, it is Day 1 of 31.. haha. 1. NARS Himalia 2. MAC Sable 3. ? Fun Ending blush from ANR 4. ? 5. ? Good luck on your August No Buy! You're going to do great!! Also, fun story about that eyeliner! As you know I just bought it this summer and when I checked to see how old it was, I saw that it was manufactured almost 5 years ago! When the Sephora SA asked me why I was exchanging it I told her that it was a 5 year old eyeliner I bought last month and it wasn't performing the way my newer ones do.. all she said was "oh, it's probably dried out." Um.. maybe it's just me but I would have expected something more than that.. like some sympathy, an apology, a free sample.. something.. anything. I always thought they rotated cosmetic products the way they rotated produce at the grocery store (like after 3 years they couldn't sell it anymore). Now I always check batch dates before I buy unless it's new/LE. My Sable eyeshadow was made April 2014 so I know I get a solid few years at least of it performing at its best!

No probs, thought you'd take the push well I hope my low buy ladies will do the same when I get back to purchasing things too! So instead of buying beauty I'm going to see what else I can occupy my beauty curiosity with. I've just ordered a book called no more dirty looks that I'm excited about. I'm trying different looks with the organic makeup I recently bought. And seeing what I reach for now I can only live on what I have and nit some magical new potion or colour that's on its way in the post should make me.realise my true preferences, as opposed to how my shopping habits have shaped my stash. If that makes sense? Like why buy bobbi brown lipsticks if what I really want is Charlotte Tilbury? Or lush moisturizers when I want kora organics? Already I'm seeing that I've been buying what's easier, more widely available and therefore mire chance of getting a product at a bargain price or on promotion, bonus points etc. Don't want to be a slave to all that! I honestly don't know how you gals can survive with the siren call of sephora all the time, hats off to yous!

 

[veronikawithak]

I honestly don't know how you gals can survive with the siren call of sephora all the time, hats off to yous!

Totally makes sense!! Not buying anything for 30 days really was a great wake up call for me. I have so many beautiful eyeshadows and blushes that are a few years old now and not used enough because I'm all about either not doing makeup at all and leaving them to sit there or running out looking at the next thing! I pulled out my Shell Pearl from the Year of the Snake collection the other day when I was going through things.. I can't believe I've had it for 18 months already. And I LOVED it when I first got it. Like head over heels loved it, it was revolutionary. But I'd been "saving" it to wear every once in a while. The last time I used it was probably at the beginning of the year when I did my 30 Day Challenge of wearing everything once!! What is wrong with me? Lol. Even if I used it every day for a year it would probably still have a little bit of product left.. yet I use it once every 6 months until it gets powdery or hard I have to throw it out? No! I can't do that anymore. If I love something I'm going to use it whenever I want until I don't love it anymore or I use it up, and then rotate in something else that I love more.

It was also great because I couldn't stockpile anything.. I was tempted to buy a shampoo & conditioner recently but I still have an almost full one I'm using. If I were to buy a new one now it would sit there taking up space for probably a few months and by then there might be something I would have rather had. It's a never-ending cycle that way. I'm trying to break the stockpile habit but it's so hard.. If I see something I want to try out, I put it on a list and let the store do the warehousing! I am not a warehouse or a store.. I am a person. Lol. One of my many mantras lately.

 

[kerry-jane88]

Totally makes sense!! Not buying anything for 30 days really was a great wake up call for me. I have so many beautiful eyeshadows and blushes that are a few years old now and not used enough because I'm all about either not doing makeup at all and leaving them to sit there or running out looking at the next thing! I pulled out my Shell Pearl from the Year of the Snake collection the other day when I was going through things.. I can't believe I've had it for 18 months already. And I LOVED it when I first got it. Like head over heels loved it, it was revolutionary. But I'd been "saving" it to wear every once in a while. The last time I used it was probably at the beginning of the year when I did my 30 Day Challenge of wearing everything once!! What is wrong with me? Lol. Even if I used it every day for a year it would probably still have a little bit of product left.. yet I use it once every 6 months until it gets powdery or hard I have to throw it out? No! I can't do that anymore. If I love something I'm going to use it whenever I want until I don't love it anymore or I use it up, and then rotate in something else that I love more. It was also great because I couldn't stockpile anything.. I was tempted to buy a shampoo & conditioner recently but I still have an almost full one I'm using. If I were to buy a new one now it would sit there taking up space for probably a few months and by then there might be something I would have rather had. It's a never-ending cycle that way. I'm trying to break the stockpile habit but it's so hard.. If I see something I want to try out, I put it on a list and let the store do the warehousing! I am not a warehouse or a store.. I am a person. Lol. One of my many mantras lately.

You're posts are on point for me so much! It's a running joke that when my sister comes roubd I'm like come into the kerry shop (my room) - I'm already a crazy cat lady I don't need hoarder on my description list!

 

[CrimsonQuill157]

I failed no buy July. I ended up getting Black Ivy fluidline (which I love and don't regret a bit) and I just made a Shiro order. Oh wait. It's August! So I guess I just got the fluidline in July. Still failed it but not as bad as I thought.

 

[mel33t]

Oh wait. It's August! So I guess I just got the fluidline in July. Still failed it but not as bad as I thought.

Liking the new avatar!!

 

[CrimsonQuill157]

Liking the new avatar!! :clapping:

Thank you! :bouquet:

 

[shellygrrl]

FOTD... * It Cosmetics YSBB CC Cream - Fair * Becca RSSF - Shell * OCC Skin Conceal - R0 (inner corner darkness) * MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer - NW15 (undereyes and blemishes) * NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder - Translucent * NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base * Smashbox Eyeshadow - Vanilla * BareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara - Black * OCC Creme Colour Concentrate - John Doe (used very subtly for a contour) * Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Sweet Tart My Becca foundation ended up being tossed a little earlier. It seemed to be separating slightly as I squirted some out to put on, and I don't want to keep it any longer. I was close to finished with it anyway, so it's not a total loss. So I'm down to three foundations/base products (the aforementioned CC cream, NARS Sheer Glow, and Maybelline Fit Me), until my Face and Body gets here (though that's really going to be more of a mixing product, sooo...). Also tossed: all my mini UDPPs (one tube, and two versions in the old doe-foot packaging). The ones in the old packaging will likely never be used, and they're old anyway. The tube is getting quite old now, and I've found that I prefer the NARS eyeshadow primer these days. (The LORAC one is still a primer I'd like to try out at some point, though.)

 

[Ajigglin]

Happy belated Birthday! It's nice to know that someone feels the same way about it. I don't love getting older every year, but that will happen regardless, so I don't think it's a good reason to ignore a birthday. I see them exactly like you do, more special to the specific person than a general holiday like Christmas. Did you do something special for your Bday? My sister and I have always been close, but we have been growing apart the past few years. She seems to prefer spending time with her friends now. It is sad, because although we're very different we always got along well and had things to talk about. I would guess that she forgot about the things that my stepmom sent because she didn't think they were anything special. They're little things like a blanket my Dad used when he slept on the couch, etc. but to me, that will be a great thing to have. I can wrap it around myself and think of my Dad hugging me. My Dad and I were very close for awhile because I followed him when he moved to another state, and I lived with him my first year there. We just had a different relationship. The rest of my family is very unemotional, they only talk about things like TV shows. So that's probably why she doesn't think these "things" are important. Plus she's older and no matter how old I get or what I've done, she acts like she knows better than I what I should do, etc. I know it's part love and part habit, but it does get annoying at times. She's lived her whole life in the same town, has been married since she was 21, and I've moved around the country by myself, put myself through college... You get the idea, I'm sure. Thanks for the support and encouraging words. Maybe I should go to a therapist instead of posting here, but I very much appreciate the support here. I hope I don't bother people when I post about the things that trigger me. I did get through the day without buying anything, and I'm not feeling that urge to buy something anymore.

Girl, please. You could never be a bother. Thoughtfully planning the end of no-buy with ANR. Getting Myself, YTL, Talk Sexy, and LK. My birthday is on the 11th, so these will be gifts to myself.

 

[DarylandCarole]

Happy belated Birthday! It's nice to know that someone feels the same way about it. I don't love getting older every year, but that will happen regardless, so I don't think it's a good reason to ignore a birthday. I see them exactly like you do, more special to the specific person than a general holiday like Christmas. Did you do something special for your Bday? My sister and I have always been close, but we have been growing apart the past few years. She seems to prefer spending time with her friends now. It is sad, because although we're very different we always got along well and had things to talk about. I would guess that she forgot about the things that my stepmom sent because she didn't think they were anything special. They're little things like a blanket my Dad used when he slept on the couch, etc. but to me, that will be a great thing to have. I can wrap it around myself and think of my Dad hugging me. My Dad and I were very close for awhile because I followed him when he moved to another state, and I lived with him my first year there. We just had a different relationship. The rest of my family is very unemotional, they only talk about things like TV shows. So that's probably why she doesn't think these "things" are important. Plus she's older and no matter how old I get or what I've done, she acts like she knows better than I what I should do, etc. I know it's part love and part habit, but it does get annoying at times. She's lived her whole life in the same town, has been married since she was 21, and I've moved around the country by myself, put myself through college... You get the idea, I'm sure. Thanks for the support and encouraging words. Maybe I should go to a therapist instead of posting here, but I very much appreciate the support here. I hope I don't bother people when I post about the things that trigger me. I did get through the day without buying anything, and I'm not feeling that urge to buy something anymore.

Girl, please. You could never be a bother. Thoughtfully planning the end of no-buy with ANR. Getting Myself, YTL, Talk Sexy, and LK. My birthday is on the 11th, so these will be gifts to myself.

I'm looking forward to ANR, too. I haven't been very excited about a collection since AA. Happy birth month for the Leo's!

 

[DarylandCarole]

@burghchick sooo glad you're feeling better! :frenz: You'll have those ANR goodies in your hands in no time! I went on my first shopping trip since June today.. I did spend much more than I planned to, so I thought I'd share what I purchased and my thoughts. I won't talk about the actual products, just whether they were planned/impulse and my reasons for buying or not buying them. Sephora: 3 items - NARS Himalia (planned) - Marc Jacobs eyeliner in (Luna)tic (exchanged a MUFE eyeliner for this instead because the MUFE one was sold out - it was on my wish list too) - Cake dry shampoo in the brush format (total impulse buy - I didn't even know about this but I love the regular one and having it in a brush is going to be great.. and I can refill it with my full size container!) x NARS Dione (planned but didn't buy - sold out but I still want it after swatches) x Jardin Perdu (planned but wasn't in stock yet - crossed it off the list though.. I'm only letting myself buy 2/3 of the NARS items on my list and I'd rather have Dione) x DKNY MYNY rollerball (planned but didn't buy - not in stock) I also swatched the Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks, BITE Matte Lip Crayons, and Dior Addict Fluid Sticks and crossed them off my wishlist. MAC: 2 items I wasn't even planning on going here.. I walked past it the first time but the second time it drew me in! - 228 (impulse buy - a smaller eyeshadow brush was on my wishlist but I wasn't planning to get it today) - Sable (impulse buy - on the wishlist but wasn't planning to get it today. I just randomly had the thought that if I bought the single in the pan it would put a roadblock up for me wanting the Amorous Adventure quad! $12 is better than $40+ and now I definitely 100% can't buy the quad because I already have one of the shadows.) Miscellaneous: 6 items - 3 dresses for Fall/Winter (impulse buy - on the wishlist but wasn't planning to shop for them today.. I just saw one in the window of one of the stores I like and it was downhill from there) - a pair of boots (total impulse buy but I couldn't resist them.. again, saw them in a display at one of my usual stores. They were the new Fall ones from my favorite brand in a style I've been wanting for a while. I knew as soon as I saw them that I had to have them. I also don't consider boots a problem area for me [at least not yet] since this is only my third pair, they're all different styles, and my climate requires them lol.) - OPI Glitter Off base coat (planned) - purple conditioner (planned) Alright.. so in total that was 3 planned items, 1 substitute item for a planned exchange, 5 impulse buys of wishlist items, and 2 impulse buys of non-wishlist items. Some general thoughts - I'm really happy with everything that I bought. Absolutely nothing was a "maybe" kind of purchase. Everything was a "love!!!" and especially with the Fall clothing and footwear items, there's only a few of each item in my size and if I waited to go back and get them they would probably be sold out. I'm also so picky about those categories so if I find something I like I'm okay with buying it. If I decide later that I don't like any of the dresses I can always return them. I also think I'm lucky that some of the items were out of stock since that will help me think about them some more! I'm proud of myself for thinking things through and putting back items.. I resisted temptation with a lot of things! I'm also happy that I only bought 2 makeup items.. plus my 1 exchange. I'm wondering if I should count my single eyeshadow pan as 1 of my 5 allowed items this month.. it was only $12 but I still probably should!

Ooh, boots! I have a weakness for boots. I went on a binge last year, though, so I can't buy any more. There's no way I could justify them. But I'm really curious what yours look like! Picture?

 

[veronikawithak]

Ooh, boots! I have a weakness for boots. I went on a binge last year, though, so I can't buy any more. There's no way I could justify them. But I'm really curious what yours look like! Picture?

@burghchick Pictures of boots under the spoiler!

From left to right: purchased in 2012, 2013 and 2014. All Hushpuppies, all waterproof, all amazing. Pricey but worth it. Last year the pair in the middle started leaking and they sent me a replacement no questions asked (1 year warranty). Awesome customer service too.. I'd have to really love a pair to stray from this brand!

 

[CrimsonQuill157]

@burghchick Pictures of boots under the spoiler!

From left to right: purchased in 2012, 2013 and 2014. All Hushpuppies, all waterproof, all amazing. Pricey but worth it. Last year the pair in the middle started leaking and they sent me a replacement no questions asked (1 year warranty). Awesome customer service too.. I'd have to really love a pair to stray from this brand!

Oh I love the ones on the right!

 

[veronikawithak]

Oh I love the ones on the right!

Those are the ones I just got! Love them! Kind of a more feminine version of the combat boot style. And they zip up on the side so you don't have to play around with laces. They only had 2 pairs in my size and the other pair was damaged.. Oh just take my money!!!

 

[CrimsonQuill157]

Those are the ones I just got! Love them! Kind of a more feminine version of the combat boot style. And they zip up on the side so you don't have to play around with laces. They only had 2 pairs in my size and the other pair was damaged.. Oh just take my money!!!

Oh nice! Yeah I don't do well with lace ups lol.