Resolution "LOW-BUY" 2015

[Alysse011]

I've managed to trim my Mac is Beauty haul down to just three items (including a brush, which doesn't count against my low buy). Most significantly I'm skipping the fluidlines altogether. Looking Good was the one I was really stuck on, and even though I still love it having swatched it, I decided that I can as good as dupe it by topping Deep Diversion with Heritage Rouge pigment. I still kinda want Siahi, but as it's perm it can wait until I run down some other liners.  That means I'm left with a list (still waiting for one department store to launch it before I buy) of: Preening  I Get No Kick 221 brush Good job as I slipped last week and made a bit of an impulse purchase (Topshop highlighter) after a super stressful week at work. It wasn't completely out of the blue, as I'd been thinking about it ever since it came out, but I certainly had no plans to get it in the near future. Looking back it's only the second time I've impulse bought this year (last time was in Feb) which is a massive improvement over last year. If I could go the rest of the year without any repeats that would be awesome.  On the plus side, I had a good month for empties and purging items in May. My figures for the year so far are now at a net reduction of 34. Still a long way to go to my target of 150, but with a couple more purging sessions and continued focus on using things up I am still optimistic that I will get there, as long as I can continue to keep the buying down. 

I think that sounds like a solid year so far! Only 2 impulse purchases is pretty impressive. Good job!! I had a ridiculous day yesterday. My AC unit in my apartment is in the ceiling of my bathroom. It started to leak and water flooded my bathroom floor around 1:30am. The emergency maintenance people finally came at 3am and "fixed" it. 2 hours later I woke up to the sound of running water, and water was running from the ceiling and flooding the floor again. I called again and people were in and out all day. Then they sent plumbers who cut a hole in my ceiling to get to the section of clogged pipe. I was then told the cable broke so they would come back tomorrow (today). So I couldn't use my shower or AC and there was constant dripping. I emailed the office to ask for money off my rent and they said this is the first they have heard of the situation! I'm really hoping it's actually fixed today and not more of a headache. What can you do though? It could be worse.

 

[Buffy89]

I think that sounds like a solid year so far! Only 2 impulse purchases is pretty impressive. Good job!! I had a ridiculous day yesterday. My AC unit in my apartment is in the ceiling of my bathroom. It started to leak and water flooded my bathroom floor around 1:30am. The emergency maintenance people finally came at 3am and "fixed" it. 2 hours later I woke up to the sound of running water, and water was running from the ceiling and flooding the floor again. I called again and people were in and out all day. Then they sent plumbers who cut a hole in my ceiling to get to the section of clogged pipe. I was then told the cable broke so they would come back tomorrow (today). So I couldn't use my shower or AC and there was constant dripping. I emailed the office to ask for money off my rent and they said this is the first they have heard of the situation! I'm really hoping it's actually fixed today and not more of a headache. What can you do though? It could be worse.

oh my, what a bad day! Hope everything will be fixed soon so your bathroom can be used normally again soon. Each fall/winter, our heating and warm water need to be fixed, guess our landlord isn't skilled either. It's like an annual event for me, lol.

 

[Twinkle_Twinkle]

Confessions time... I bought one bronzer from Target (but it was BOGO 50% and the second one I'm returning so it came out to $9). I had a Sephora return and got two UD eyeshadows and an empty palette but still got $20 back on the card (so I didn't spend out of pocket) and I'm basically waiting for about $100 worth of returns to process. So if I figure in my Sephora return credit I've spent $3 on makeup so far this month. Not bad!

 

[kerry-jane88]

ok here it goes, my belated May breakdown *braces self* 1st Kora Organics Purifying Day & Night Cream - i did an order from Kora direct from australia to cut down on costs as this is pretty expenisve in £ on netaporter.  This cream has been on my wishlist for years now! 1st Kora Organics Blemish Gel - this was a repurchase, its a pricey spot treatment but i really like it, its one of the few spot treatments that doesnt depress me! 1st Kora Organics Balancing Rose Mist - another repurchase, i use this more as a pick me up than a toner. 1st Kora Organics Luxurious Rosehip Body Oil - a very pricey body oil but i'd used the facial oil and liked the results on my skin so was hoping for similar with this.  I do really enjoy using it but for the price i wont be buying it again. 1st Kora Organics Hand Cream - free! 2nd Tanya Burr Lipgloss Lunch Date - was half price at £3.15 so i went a bit cray with the lipgloss order! 2nd Tanya Burr Lipgloss Berry Picking 2nd Tanya Burr Lipgloss Champagne Toast 2nd Tanya Burr Lipgloss Daydream 3rd new c-id cosmetics nail polish pink macaroon - free with Cosmopolitan magazine, binned it as it was rubbish 6th Neal's Yard Remedies Wil Rose Hand Cream 50ml - free with Marie Clare magazine 10th Bioderma Sensibio H2O 500ml - a repurchase 10th Bioderma Sebium H20 500ml - a repurchase 10th Bioderma Sebium Foaming Gel 200ml - i've been loving the micellar water in the sebium range so figured the wash would pair well with it and i needed a new face wash. 14th Clinique Custom Smart Serum 10ml - free with InStyle magazine but i gave it to my sister. 14th Charlotte Tilbury Audrey Classic Pencil - i'd wanted the dark brown eye pencil the last time i purchased CT in selfridges but i got given teh wrong one 14th Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Cheat - had been on the wishlist for ages, sadly its super drying and very uncomfortable so i have to slather lipbalm over the top of it. if i could take it back i would 14th Lush New Charity Pot Sample - this body lotion is brilliant! I definately want a pot when i've used up a few more body products 14th Lush Ultrabland Facial Cleanser 50g - i'd ran out of all of my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish so was looking for a new hot cloth cleanser.  I don't think I'm that keen on this though :/ 14th Lush Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask - free! 16th L'Oreal Luminizer Shampoo 200ml - free! i used my boots points 16th L'Oreal Luminizer Conditioner 200ml - free! i used my boots points 17th Real Techniques Sculpting Brush Set - i'd been waiting for this set to go on offer 18th Simple Micellar Face Wipes - i needed some facial wipes and thought i'd try these new ones but theyre pretty rubbish and smell too alcoholic. 22nd Lush Princess Dusting Powder - great for the gym! 22nd Lush Tea Tree Toner Tab - my friend said you can use this as a facial steam and then chill the water to use as a toner but it didnt really do anything for my skin oher than irritate my eyes! 22nd Lush Movis facial soap sample - free! i'm made up with this sample, it's a decent size i'd say about 50g 22nd Lush Fresh Farmacy soap sample - free! same as above wahoo! 27th Mac Keep It Loose Casual Color - a repurchase at the CCO. i'd thrown this out last summer as i'd had it too long so it feels awesoem having a fresh one 27th Mac New Love Mineralise Gloss - a true wishlist item found at the CCO! 27th 17 Falsifeye Brown Mascara - honestly this was an impulse buy as there was a points offer on if you bought it 27th 17 Belle Mirror Shine Lipstick - a recent wishlist item that was half price with another purchase ^ 29th Lush Hair Custard - a smoothing hair dressing that smells like vanilla! 29th Lush Sunny Day Hair Detangler - my hair is so frizzy atm i cant even handle it.  this doesn't smooth frizz as theres no silicones in it, so i see it as more of a styling spray to add weight. 29th Lush Violet Nights Bath Oil - i'd used up my one bath product so i was allowed to get this one that had been on my Lush wishlist for a while 29th Lush Jackie Oates Colour Supplement - my Dr Hauschka Tinted Cream is about to run out so i needed a new skin tint 29th Lush British Nanny moisturiser sample - free! 29th Lush Gorgeous moisturiser sample - free! 29th Lush Vanishing Cream moisturiser sample - free! 30th Elemis Illuminating Skin Balm 15ml  - free with Marie Clare magazine 30th Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel 15ml - free with Marie Clare magazine but as i bought this one for the freebie i added the £3.99 cost onto my running total 30th Nails Inc nail varnish - free with Instyle magazine but I don't like the formula so gave to mum 31st Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser 29ml - free with look magazine this is pretty basic. I'm happy that i've started being more creative with getting things for free with points or on offer, but i still need to make sure that the offers aren't ruling me and to stop and think more carefully before an impulse purchase. I'm liking all the bits and pieces like the magazine freebies and the samples I've got with my Lush orders, and honestly i've got enough little extras to tide me over for quite a while now. If i'm being honest with myself now i don't really need much of anything in the forseable future except more shampoo & conditioner, a replacement for the hot cloth cleanser when it runs out and a deodorant. I'm 10 days into June so far but let's see how i do thinking on that!

 

[Yazmin]

Did my first batch of 'tidying' last weekend and amassed 3 30-gallon bags of clothes that I will donate to Goodwill. My closet looks so much better already! I'll be tackling my books next before I move onto my papers.

 

[VAL4M]

My may was disastrous for my low buy .... I purchased the Laura Mercier Eye Art palette and 1 Bite Beauty Luminous creme lipstick Duo to round up my order to 75$ and more for free shipping at Sephora and I won ''lost'' a bet on Ebay and was the lucky winner of a less expensive perfume bottle of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, that I'm still waiting for by the way.

And now I'm not half way into June and I purchase Shalimar Ode a la vanille (Mexique) because 'it was really cheap' on a discount site and it is limited edition from 2013, and I did purchase this week Guerlain meteorites rainbow perles. I really need to hide all my cards (debit and credit).
The only thing that is good is all is paid for, so no outstanding balance but still no makeup purchase till August, please, please please ....

 

[Buffy89]

@kerry-jane88 I wish Lush was as generous with samples here! Back in, like, 2008, when Lush was quite new here, I always got loads of samples, but nowadays they're less generous. At the moment, I don't own any Lush items, but I was crazy for them some years ago (massage bars/used as body lotion, shampoo bars, and those solid body scrub/butter things!). I still got plenty of Soap & Glory stuff to use up (another body care craze

), but after finishing them, I might pick up two or three items. Got no Lush shop in my town, so I'll have to wait till I get somewhere else anyway!

@VAL4M I think it was you who uploaded her empties in the "use it up" thread, and I was really impressed by all those makeup products you finished/purged!


Until now, I haven't purchased any makeup or clothes in June

Although I'm super busy and sometimes even a nervous wreck because of my MA thesis, lol. I've even gotten better when it comes to stress eating, which I'm really proud of. I plan to go on a shopping spree as soon as my thesis is finished (in about a month), but rather for looking at stuff/having coffee and ice cream and lunch somewhere, than for really purchasing loads of stuff. Still looking for a pair of Birkenstock shoes but nothing else.

 

[VAL4M]

@kerry-jane88 I wish Lush was as generous with samples here! Back in, like, 2008, when Lush was quite new here, I always got loads of samples, but nowadays they're less generous. At the moment, I don't own any Lush items, but I was crazy for them some years ago (massage bars/used as body lotion, shampoo bars, and those solid body scrub/butter things!). I still got plenty of Soap & Glory stuff to use up (another body care craze

), but after finishing them, I might pick up two or three items. Got no Lush shop in my town, so I'll have to wait till I get somewhere else anyway!

@VAL4M I think it was you who uploaded her empties in the "use it up" thread, and I was really impressed by all those makeup products you finished/purged!


Until now, I haven't purchased any makeup or clothes in June

Although I'm super busy and sometimes even a nervous wreck because of my MA thesis, lol. I've even gotten better when it comes to stress eating, which I'm really proud of. I plan to go on a shopping spree as soon as my thesis is finished (in about a month), but rather for looking at stuff/having coffee and ice cream and lunch somewhere, than for really purchasing loads of stuff. Still looking for a pair of Birkenstock shoes but nothing else.

Thanks Buffy! I'm really trying to use my stuff.
As for your thesis, I remember when I was doing mine (10years ago yikes! ) it was during summer too and what I did was every morning I took a book i needed to read and went outside (read in the park, at the beach etc) and came back home wrote 10 to 15 pages from 11h till 17h00 and 3 times a weeks a went to my dragon boat practices. So I never felt deprive of sun, activities and still socialized and I did finish my thesis in time without any extra pound and with a nice tan.

 

[veronikawithak]

So far this month I've purchased: - skincare set from a new brand (love it) - clothing (3 summer dresses and a romper - the climate here is much warmer than I'm used to and my summer clothing was pretty much nonexistent) - dance membership and workout clothing (I gained about 40 pounds during school and I'm starting to get serious about losing it - I've already used the membership quite a bit and the workout clothing was needed now that I'm doing different activities and going more often) The workout portion of my spending this month was quite large but definitely a good investment towards my health and happiness! My plan for the rest of June is to pick up a few more clothing items. I only have 1 pair of shorts and the rest are long pants so I'll need a few shorts/capris. I also need new walking/hiking shoes and we're planning on buying bicycles. For July I plan on going on a No Buy (for everything) and testing out my budget to see if it is comfortable for debt repayment. I have to start payments in November for one debt and the other starts in April. All of the money I would be putting on debts if both my payments started in July I'll keep track of in a savings account and make a lump sum payment to my first one in October. For August we'll need to buy furniture and kitchen/miscellaneous things when we move into our new apartment. September will be another No Buy month. October I need to pay for a trip to attend a friend's wedding. Then November the debt repayment starts in earnest. Not much room for makeup spending in there, but to be honest I haven't been tempted. I purchased a few things from indies last month (including tons of samples) and haven't even gotten around to trying them yet. Haven't purchased anything from MAC since probably November I think, and nothing from Sephora since April. All I forsee needing is a new mascara in October.

 

[shellygrrl]

One more makeup item for the month for me, and it was a replacement item. A couple of nights ago, I tossed several items I wasn't using anymore, along with a few old things. One of those old things was my UD eyeliner pencil in Perversion; with that gone, I no longer had a black eyeliner pencil in my stash. So I bought one today. Prestige True Kohl Kajal in Black Matte. (I think it first came out a year or two ago, and I've been intrigued by it since. So I picked it up today to try out.) I think I'm good for the rest of the month. :nods:

 

[Twinkle_Twinkle]

I B2MAC'd for a lipstick and purchased a pro pan eyeshadow as the brown color and an pity 2-shadow pro palette for my eyebrow eye shadows. I'm returning a blush soon and that's it for June. I may end up returning some d/s items I ordered depending on whether or not I like them. That puts my June cosmetics spending at just under $60, maybe less depending on returns. The only purchases I'm allowing for July are the Becca highlighter and possibly the BB Shimmbrick. I want to wait until August on the Shimmerbrick, but I don't want it to sell out.

 

[starletta8]

I'm currently in the middle of some serious re-organization/deep cleaning in my entire home. I've noticed that I'm being overrun with makeup, beauty products, lotions and shower gels, etc.

No buys are unrealistic for me. I think I need to go on a low buy- just the products I truly love and may have room for. I have way too much makeup (ok, yes, nail polish too but I can have a pass on that) that I keep kicking items out of my "in-rotation" stash to my deep storage.

Enough.

I've been working down my stash towards my goals in certain categories but not making dents in others. For instance, I've only bought one tube of mascara in the last 2 years (navy Guerlain Cils d'Enfer) but am religious about throwing tubes every 30 days for eye health reasons (if anything happens to my eyesight, I will lose my job since 20/20 correctable vision is a requirement). I've ID'd 3 bottles of foundation I need to finish and 2 primers. I've finished one foundation, and am almost done with one of the primers.

I think the fact that this fall isn't luring me in is perfect timing to put me on a low-buy. I just discovered a Diorshow Fusion Mono that had completely dried out and cracked because I didn't have time to use it. Enough.

 

[awickedshape]

I'm currently in the middle of some serious re-organization/deep cleaning in my entire home. I've noticed that I'm being overrun with makeup, beauty products, lotions and shower gels, etc. No buys are unrealistic for me. I think I need to go on a low buy- just the products I truly love and may have room for. I have way too much makeup (ok, yes, nail polish too but I can have a pass on that) that I keep kicking items out of my "in-rotation" stash to my deep storage. Enough. I've been working down my stash towards my goals in certain categories but not making dents in others. For instance, I've only bought one tube of mascara in the last 2 years (navy Guerlain Cils d'Enfer) but am religious about throwing tubes every 30 days for eye health reasons (if anything happens to my eyesight, I will lose my job since 20/20 correctable vision is a requirement). I've ID'd 3 bottles of foundation I need to finish and 2 primers. I've finished one foundation, and am almost done with one of the primers. I think the fact that this fall isn't luring me in is perfect timing to put me on a low-buy. I just discovered a Diorshow Fusion Mono that had completely dried out and cracked because I didn't have time to use it. Enough.

That's interesting, about the 20/20 vision being a necessity at your job. I feel like products at that price point should have better longevity but perhaps it's the nature of the item.

 

[ellemarie]

I'm not much of a reddit user but I'm dabbling with it. The /makeuprehab sub is great and they pointed me toward /makeupexchange. Maybe I'll have better luck selling my stuff once I figure out how to post images.

 

[starletta8]

I feel like products at that price point should have better longevity but perhaps it's the nature of the item.

It's a visual job, and I knew the requirements prior to taking it. There are other places in the organization that I could work with uncorrectable eyesight (I wear glasses), but my technical field requires 20/20 correctable vision.

The general rule is 3 months for mascara due to bacterial growth, but especially since I'm just using deluxe minis, throwing them every month is rational to me. Plus, I've tried many, many mascaras this way. I think I can go for another year without buying a full-sized tube (aside from any colored mascaras I may fall in love with). And I've given my mother handfuls of mascara samples too. I'm always on the hunt for Sephora codes for deluxe samples for my favorites to use when I purchase staples.

Today I started the first in what I hope to be a weekly experiment to work down my stash and try to re-love old favorites: Try to use products I used to love and no longer reach for instead of my daily staples.

Today's Experimental FOTD:
Primer: Shiseido Refining Makeup Primer (current daily picks: Guerlain Meteorites primer/Nars Pro-Prime)
Concealer: Shiseido Natural Finish Concealer (current daily picks: combo of NARS Radiant Concealer & NARS Concealer)
Foundation: Burberry Sheer Foundation (current daily picks: Tom Ford Traceless Foundation/Tom Ford Foundation Stick/Chanel Perfection Luminere Velvet)
Powder: Chanel Les Beiges (my go-to, but I only own 2 finishing powders)
Brows: Armani Eye & Brow Maestro (current daily pick: Tom Ford Brow Definer)
Blush: Shiseido Face Color Enhancing Trio (current daily pick: Tom Ford Blush)
Bronzer: Tarte Park Avenue Princess (current daily picks: Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons/Tom Ford Bronzer)
Highlighter: NARS Albatross (current daily picks: ColourPop)
Eye Primer: Smashbox 24H Primer (current daily pick: NARS Smudge Proof Primer)
Highlight Shadow: Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow Trench (my HG, daily pick)
Eyeshadow: Tarte Aqualillies Palette (hadn't picked this up in at least a year)
Eyeliners: Urban Decay Mainline, Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Amber Dore

I still haven't settled on a lipstick today, but I only incorporated 2 of my morning go-tos in the entire face. I forgot how much I loved the Shiseido Face Enhancing Trio, and remember why I wasn't a huge fan of the Aqualillies palette (but it's awesome for being waterproof- that's why I keep it around, for those 100 and humid days when everything melts off of my face). The Burberry foundation, Shiseido primer, and Shiseido concealer are all on my "use it up ASAP" list, so I'm making good progress on them. I'm almost done with the concealer. I expect the primer to start going down quickly since I finished the other primer I was trying to use up yesterday.

I'm having a hard time keeping my "active" stash in 4 plastic drawers (the Sterilite ones you can get at Target for like $15 each); I'm trying to consolidate my 1200 bottles of nail polish into 8 of them. I have an entire vanity in an extra bathroom (don't worry, no shower or humidity) that's full, too.

It's time to fall in love with my stash again and use a bunch of stuff up. I'm already rehoming as much as I can....

 

[Buffy89]

I'm not much of a reddit user but I'm dabbling with it. The /makeuprehab sub is great and they pointed me toward /makeupexchange. Maybe I'll have better luck selling my stuff once I figure out how to post images. 

oh interesting, I didn't even know this existed *blushing* maybe I can find some inspiration there, thanks! Today I finished Satin Taupe eyeshadow, yayyy! Feels so good to throw an empty (!) pan into my B2M box. Won't repurchase it because I still own a million taupe/shimmery brown shadows. Once applied, there's no big difference between them.

 

[shellygrrl]

FOTD... * It Cosmetics YSBB CC Cream - Fair * MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer - NW15 * Anastasia Brow Powder Duo - Ash Brown * Maybelline Brow Drama Brow Mascara - Clear * NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base * MAC Paint Pot - Tailor Grey (love!) * Prestige True Kohl Kajal eyeliner pencil - Matte Black (used on the waterlines; not terrible staying power but could be better) * Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara - Black * MAC Blush - Next to Skin * The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder - 02 Fair * Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids - Shocking Coral

 

[ellemarie]

Today I finished Satin Taupe eyeshadow, yayyy! Feels so good to throw an empty (!) pan into my B2M box. Won't repurchase it because I still own a million taupe/shimmery brown shadows. Once applied, there's no big difference between them.

I have to build up 50 points of comment karma before I can sell, so I just have to do that without buying from the sales threads.

I'm going to start putting stuff in my B2M bag since it's not selling at all. I'm talking the older six-pan holiday palettes. It's not worth the effort to try to sell them anymore. I might also go through the 15-pans again and get rid of the older/more used shadows. Unfortunately, my destashing is mostly just getting rid of all my MAC because, as KonMari puts it, those items no longer spark joy when I touch them.

 

[PixieDancer]

BTW is @PixieDancer still around? Miss you, girl!


Quote: Originally Posted by jennyap


Missing her too! I follow her on IG and it seems like she's been pretty busy / doing well. Would be great to see you pop in to the thread @PixieDancer!

Awwwwww! Hey my sweet girlies! I've been missing you guys too! I HAVE been super busy... work work work. And of course, raising the silly kiddo! Hope you ladies are all doing well and having much success with your 2015 low-buys! I'll try to peak in more often!


Here's my update!!! I have tried to stay away for fear of the "sucking in and buying too much" that sometimes gets ahold of us on Specktra!
SOOOOO glad to see that many of you are still commited to your goals and trying to low-buy! I think my first go-around with this little experimnent back in 2014 was a HUGE success! For the most part I don't freak out or even keep up with all the new LE craziness. I've found that I feel much less stressed with my makeup when I find things I LOVE that I can get anytime I want rather than chasing that LE high just to feel let down when I couldn't get something, or even worse, when I WAS able to get the things I wanted but they fell short of my expectations. I did recently get a few more of the Huggables, since I loved that formula so much last year. But I know I'll use them all! I also got several of the new MUFE Artist Shadows, but I KNOW they will make it easy peasy to let some of those MAC shadows go that just don't make the cut against these for me.
I need to get around to doing another purge now that I'm feeling better about not getting the LE goodies... I think it will be easier for me to let some of the ones I don't use go now. I'm sure I'll be appalled by the quantity I let go, but at least I'm not just replacing it now with more. I have way more makeup than I (or 50+) could go through in a lifetime most likely. I am keeping really busy with my career and just wrapped my new movie project where I was the lead actress AND did makeup on set too... so it was really nice to use some of my kit again and pass on some valuable info to some actresses that didn't have the knowledge I've accumulated by being a makeup lover and "collector" for so long. It was really cool to feel like I was passing on info and using up some good products that I would probably end up throwing away. I also passed on lots of products I knew looked good on some of the other girls but I never really reached for often. Feels good to let go and be happier with my stash because it's stuff I LOVE!

I'll check back with everyone soon! Keep up the great work!!!

 

[shellygrrl]

Pixxieeeeeee! :hug: