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

[SassyWonder]

My buying is starting to effect my marriage. My husband is noticing how much makeup I am ordering. The UPS guy asked me if I had an issue because he has been coming so often. My husband had been understanding and not saying anything for over a year now he's had enough. It's like a compulsion. I see a new pretty shiny color and have to get it. I want to low or no buy this fall but there are a few collections coming I want things from. Thinking I might need an MA meeting, seriously.

 

[awickedshape]

My buying is starting to effect my marriage. My husband is noticing how much makeup I am ordering. The UPS guy asked me if I had an issue because he has been coming so often. My husband had been understanding and not saying anything for over a year now he's had enough. It's like a compulsion. I see a new pretty shiny color and have to get it. I want to low or no buy this fall but there are a few collections coming I want things from. Thinking I might need an MA meeting, seriously.

If it's very serious, I do hope you can find some help here

 

[awickedshape]

Well done everyone for making your lists. I had some bad news yesterday about my best friend at work, she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a very short time frame, she is only 24. I made me realise what is truely important to me. My autumn list is very short....so far there is nothing on it, I want the hourglass palette, but I already own mood exposure so I don't need it. The Nars holiday sets may tempt me or a laura mercier set, but not really feeling like wanting much right now. I spent the money I have been saving by not buying as much on a holiday to Norway in the Feb to hopefully see the northern lights. Today my FOTD is as follows: Primer: Clinique Even Better SPF45 Foundation: YSL Fusion BR20 Powder: MAC MSFN Light Blush: Tarte Exposed Eyes: Lancome les odillasies Quad and MUFE black pencil liner, Clinique Mascara Lips: Revlon Colourstay Moisture Stain in Cannes Crush

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. Certainly gives some perspective.

 

[DarylandCarole]

Well done everyone for making your lists. I had some bad news yesterday about my best friend at work, she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a very short time frame, she is only 24. I made me realise what is truely important to me. My autumn list is very short....so far there is nothing on it, I want the hourglass palette, but I already own mood exposure so I don't need it. The Nars holiday sets may tempt me or a laura mercier set, but not really feeling like wanting much right now. I spent the money I have been saving by not buying as much on a holiday to Norway in the Feb to hopefully see the northern lights. Today my FOTD is as follows: Primer: Clinique Even Better SPF45 Foundation: YSL Fusion BR20 Powder: MAC MSFN Light Blush: Tarte Exposed Eyes: Lancome les odillasies Quad and MUFE black pencil liner, Clinique Mascara Lips: Revlon Colourstay Moisture Stain in Cannes Crush

That's so sad to hear, Charlotte! Just awful. I can't even think of what to say. Things like this do make you think about what's most important in life. It's been one year today since my Dad died from cancer. One thing that makes me feel better about it is knowing that he was able to do a lot of things that he wanted to do, and he enjoyed his later years. It made me start thinking more about what I want to do. Planning your vacation was a great idea. That is the kind of thing we all can do if we save our money. Thanks for the reminder! I hope that your friend can do some fun things in whatever time she has left.

 

[DarylandCarole]

My buying is starting to effect my marriage. My husband is noticing how much makeup I am ordering. The UPS guy asked me if I had an issue because he has been coming so often. My husband had been understanding and not saying anything for over a year now he's had enough. It's like a compulsion. I see a new pretty shiny color and have to get it. I want to low or no buy this fall but there are a few collections coming I want things from. Thinking I might need an MA meeting, seriously.

Sorry to hear about the problems. you're not alone! I think addictions of all kinds are a growing problem. And I do believe that buying is an addiction for many people, regardless of what you're buying. Make-up is addictive for the reasons you said. It's colorful, cheerful, pretty. What I realized is I'm happy when I get it and shortly afterwards, then I it gets lost with everything else I have. And I have so many that I don't get to wear any of them that much. And as you probably know, then I want something else to look forward to, so I start focusing on the next upcoming things. Hopefully hanging out here will help you. We try to shop our stash, which truly is fun, and we learn what triggers us to want/need to buy the new shiny things. It's made a big difference for me. I still buy make-up, but it think about it first and choose more carefully.

 

[mel33t]

@SassyWonder, you're not alone in your spending habits girlie. I was really bad. I used to spend $500 a month or more at Sephora or MAC. This past April and May I spent over a thousand on makeup. That wasn't okay and I knew what my triggers were. I tried changing my habits but nothing really changed until I did an inventory and sorted my stash. I've been much more picky about what I've purchased since then and truly use my new and old products as much as I can. You'll get through this. Take a deep breath. Plan a day to sort everything out and jump in. Everyone makes mistake, but each day is a new day to start over.

 

[Ajigglin]

My buying is starting to effect my marriage. My husband is noticing how much makeup I am ordering. The UPS guy asked me if I had an issue because he has been coming so often. My husband had been understanding and not saying anything for over a year now he's had enough. It's like a compulsion. I see a new pretty shiny color and have to get it. I want to low or no buy this fall but there are a few collections coming I want things from. Thinking I might need an MA meeting, seriously.

I'll echo everyone else's sentiments. You're in the right place. Figuring out what motivates you to make those purchases is the first step. Then you can figure out how to substitute those feelings with something less harmful. You're human. You're not alone in this. Don't beat yourself up. You'll get to where you want to be.

 

[CrimsonQuill157]

My buying is starting to effect my marriage. My husband is noticing how much makeup I am ordering. The UPS guy asked me if I had an issue because he has been coming so often. My husband had been understanding and not saying anything for over a year now he's had enough. It's like a compulsion. I see a new pretty shiny color and have to get it. I want to low or no buy this fall but there are a few collections coming I want things from. Thinking I might need an MA meeting, seriously.

This post really hit home with me. I've been embarrassed to tell my boyfriend how much makeup I'm buying and how much I'm spending. And when I think about it, in the first day or so of getting makeup I'm so happy to have it, but after that it just sits in the drawer. I was gonna haul hard from Matte Lip and RHPS but now I'm rethinking it.

 

[SassyWonder]

Thank you so much for the support. I don't have anyone I can talk to about this who really understands. I have been putting off going thru my stash because I know I will add up all the money spent and get upset. Most of my items I have never used or barely swatched. I have a few more boxes from Mac, Sephora and Ulta coming. I'm thinking about returning them. They were impulse buys. If I see a review or pic I "need" it NOW! I almost bought the Makeup Forever Anniversary box today but the price stopped me. I knew my husband would be furious. I think all this came about when I was diagnosed with MS. When my body feels yucky make up makes me feel normal. I am going to make myself go thru my things this weekend. I'll be hanging out in here and I'll update when I'm done. Thanks again. I feel better!

 

[shellygrrl]

I had some bad news yesterday about my best friend at work, she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a very short time frame, she is only 24. I made me realise what is truely important to me.

:support: Ugh, cancer.

My buying is starting to effect my marriage. My husband is noticing how much makeup I am ordering. The UPS guy asked me if I had an issue because he has been coming so often. My husband had been understanding and not saying anything for over a year now he's had enough. It's like a compulsion. I see a new pretty shiny color and have to get it. I want to low or no buy this fall but there are a few collections coming I want things from. Thinking I might need an MA meeting, seriously.

I think all this came about when I was diagnosed with MS. When my body feels yucky make up makes me feel normal. I am going to make myself go thru my things this weekend. I'll be hanging out in here and I'll update when I'm done. Thanks again. I feel better!

As soon as you can go through your stash and sort it out, do that. Photographing it may also help you. Seeing everything laid out can be a serious eye-opener. From there you can work out where you can cut back on and start using what you've got.

 

[Rainbunny]

I think sometimes all the hype really kicks off a "collectors" impulse that can be really hard to resist. All the over-the-top descriptions of how great an item is can make you second-guess yourself about products that you aren't really all that interested in on your own, but you get convinced because everyone else sees something in it and you don't want to miss out on something LE. That's why it's good to do personal lists in advance, based on what you personally really like, and maybe stay out of collection threads until after you have made your purchases. Just a thought. For example, everyone is raving about Fun Ending from a Novel Romance so hard, but I've swatched it at the counter twice and it really seems quite ordinary to me. So stayed strong, and skipped it despite all the hype!

 

[CrimsonQuill157]

For example, everyone is raving about Fun Ending from a Novel Romance so hard, but I've swatched it at the counter twice and it really seems quite ordinary to me. So stayed strong, and skipped it despite all the hype!

Yeah I am definitely a "collector". I have a "gotta catch 'em all" mentality. Granted I have found some gems (like Lingering Kiss) due to that mentality but it does need to change. I need to buy things I know I will use and not just buy for the hype.

And I totally agree with you on FE. I got all hyped, swatched, and was so glad I didn't pull the trigger on buying online. Would have been so disappointed. Indie blushes have me spoiled anyway - they're soooo pigmented.

 

[Rainbunny]

Yeah I am definitely a "collector". I have a "gotta catch 'em all" mentality. Granted I have found some gems (like Lingering Kiss) due to that mentality but it does need to change. I need to buy things I know I will use and not just buy for the hype. And I totally agree with you on FE. I got all hyped, swatched, and was so glad I didn't pull the trigger on buying online. Would have been so disappointed. Indie blushes have me spoiled anyway - they're soooo pigmented.

Yes, going to the counter is better if you can because you're just not as blinded by the hype when you see the stuff in person. I've been avoiding online, and it really cuts down on impulses a lot. Lots of things are pretty meh when you actually see them yourself, and the opposite doesn't occur all that much.

 

[DarylandCarole]

I had some bad news yesterday about my best friend at work, she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a very short time frame, she is only 24. I made me realise what is truely important to me.

:support: Ugh, cancer.

My buying is starting to effect my marriage. My husband is noticing how much makeup I am ordering. The UPS guy asked me if I had an issue because he has been coming so often. My husband had been understanding and not saying anything for over a year now he's had enough. It's like a compulsion. I see a new pretty shiny color and have to get it. I want to low or no buy this fall but there are a few collections coming I want things from. Thinking I might need an MA meeting, seriously.

I think all this came about when I was diagnosed with MS. When my body feels yucky make up makes me feel normal. I am going to make myself go thru my things this weekend. I'll be hanging out in here and I'll update when I'm done. Thanks again. I feel better!

As soon as you can go through your stash and sort it out, do that. Photographing it may also help you. Seeing everything laid out can be a serious eye-opener. From there you can work out where you can cut back on and start using what you've got.

I agree with Mel33t and Shelly about the inventory. I've done a few categories and it surprised me. I have not stopped buying those things altogether, but it makes me think before buying something that I have a lot of. I can see why the MS diagnosis would trigger make-up buying. I have a few health issues and it's one of my ways of trying to cheer myself up. There are others on here with some similar problems so hopefully having people who understand will help.

 

[PixieDancer]

Yeah I am definitely a "collector". I have a "gotta catch 'em all" mentality. Granted I have found some gems (like Lingering Kiss) due to that mentality but it does need to change. I need to buy things I know I will use and not just buy for the hype.

And I totally agree with you on FE. I got all hyped, swatched, and was so glad I didn't pull the trigger on buying online. Would have been so disappointed. Indie blushes have me spoiled anyway - they're soooo pigmented.

I have found some gems over the years with that mentality too... sadly, the opposite has also been true... that I have hoarded and over-bought lots of makeup that went bad, didn't work for me, or just didn't get used as much as it should. Finding a few Holy Grails and a TON of fails hardly seemed like much success at all to me. And I'm glad to be at a point where I'm doing MUCH better at avoiding that "hype bug"!! Glad you are doing so well too girlie! YAY YOU!!

 

[PixieDancer]

Went through my stash and am happily purging lots more from my BU box, let go of 6 LE lippies I hadn't even used, and pulled at least enough old MAC items for THREE B2M's!
I also realized I'm now on a STRICT Lipgloss/Lipglass NO BUY indefinitely! I rarely wear gloss these days and even if I do, I have way too many to get through before they go bad!

I love making headway with my makeup stash! Gets me excited to do it again. As I mentioned before, I'll do a HUGE purge as I start transitioning to Fall shades and will probably be letting go of a ton more stuff. YAY for #TeamLowBuy!!!

 

[DarylandCarole]

I think sometimes all the hype really kicks off a "collectors" impulse that can be really hard to resist. All the over-the-top descriptions of how great an item is can make you second-guess yourself about products that you aren't really all that interested in on your own, but you get convinced because everyone else sees something in it and you don't want to miss out on something LE. That's why it's good to do personal lists in advance, based on what you personally really like, and maybe stay out of collection threads until after you have made your purchases. Just a thought. For example, everyone is raving about Fun Ending from a Novel Romance so hard, but I've swatched it at the counter twice and it really seems quite ordinary to me. So stayed strong, and skipped it despite all the hype!

Yeah I am definitely a "collector". I have a "gotta catch 'em all" mentality. Granted I have found some gems (like Lingering Kiss) due to that mentality but it does need to change. I need to buy things I know I will use and not just buy for the hype. And I totally agree with you on FE. I got all hyped, swatched, and was so glad I didn't pull the trigger on buying online. Would have been so disappointed. Indie blushes have me spoiled anyway - they're soooo pigmented.

i completely agree! I've been swayed by the hype several times. Sometimes it works out (Hoop, which I'd never heard of but I love it), but often it doesn't. I'm happy that I've learned how to resist some things. I also passed on Fun Ending, and Heart's Aflame. I have Studded Kiss, Subversive, Carnal Instinct and many other red-browns. I think I should make up my list, allow myself to stalk with everyone, but not go back to the thread after my first purchase. I tend to see what everyone else got and loves, and then I want it.

 

[CrimsonQuill157]

i completely agree! I've been swayed by the hype several times. Sometimes it works out (Hoop, which I'd never heard of but I love it), but often it doesn't. I'm happy that I've learned how to resist some things. I also passed on Fun Ending, and Heart's Aflame. I have Studded Kiss, Subversive, Carnal Instinct and many other red-browns. I think I should make up my list, allow myself to stalk with everyone, but not go back to the thread after my first purchase. I tend to see what everyone else got and loves, and then I want it.

I picked up HA, but I was wanting a SK back up anyway because its just a perfect deep red for me. So it made more sense to get HA rather than pay mote for SK.

 

[charlotte366]

Thank you so much for the support. I don't have anyone I can talk to about this who really understands. I have been putting off going thru my stash because I know I will add up all the money spent and get upset. Most of my items I have never used or barely swatched. I have a few more boxes from Mac, Sephora and Ulta coming. I'm thinking about returning them. They were impulse buys. If I see a review or pic I "need" it NOW! I almost bought the Makeup Forever Anniversary box today but the price stopped me. I knew my husband would be furious. I think all this came about when I was diagnosed with MS. When my body feels yucky make up makes me feel normal. I am going to make myself go thru my things this weekend. I'll be hanging out in here and I'll update when I'm done. Thanks again. I feel better!

If it was an impulse purchase, return it, don't make the problem any harder to deal with when you have just made the first crucial step!

Then go through that stash and do a full inventory, its tough but you need to know extactly whats there in order to deal with it.

Stage 2 is to start condensing out the things that you don't like or don't work for you. Put anything you aren't sure about in a seperate box to start with and store that box in your wardrobe for 4-6 weeks, if you haven't missed the stuff in there or reached for it in that time frame it can go! If things are recent purchases you might be able to still return them if they are Sephora and you are in the US, do this, it makes sense.

Also if there is anything like BU's or new untouched items BNIB etc that are not hero status or you might never get round to using, sell them now.

Money from any returns/sales of new products, either use it to pay off debts if you have any or put it in a seperate account and put it towards something meaningful for you and your other half to enjoy together, memories and experiences outway material items!!!

Post the results of your inventory here, it helps us all and then we can support you. Its also a good idea before you do the inventory to do a list of how big your ideal stash would be, we can then come up with suggestions to help you work towards it! Its a long road it doesn't happen overnight and there will be hiccups along the way, but there are many fun challenges you can do to really get to know your stash and what you want to keep and what needs to take a hike!

 

[charlotte366]

Went through my stash and am happily purging lots more from my BU box, let go of 6 LE lippies I hadn't even used, and pulled at least enough old MAC items for THREE B2M's!
I also realized I'm now on a STRICT Lipgloss/Lipglass NO BUY indefinitely! I rarely wear gloss these days and even if I do, I have way too many to get through before they go bad!

I love making headway with my makeup stash! Gets me excited to do it again. As I mentioned before, I'll do a HUGE purge as I start transitioning to Fall shades and will probably be letting go of a ton more stuff. YAY for #TeamLowBuy!!!

I am really enjoying the purge these days, I am finding it satisfying to spend an hour getting rid of things that just don't work, although I seem to be purging more drugstore items than high end at the moment!
Quote: Originally Posted by shellygrrl

Ugh, cancer.

As soon as you can go through your stash and sort it out, do that. Photographing it may also help you. Seeing everything laid out can be a serious eye-opener. From there you can work out where you can cut back on and start using what you've got.

Ugh indeed Shellygrrl x

Photographing it is a really good idea, particularly on your phone so you have the reminders out and about with you when you are shopping.