Resolution "LOW-BUY" 2015

[CrimsonQuill157]

I have a feeling I'm going to go slightly crazy with Bao Bao, but at the same time I skipped Cinderella and none of the other collections are grabbing my attention thus far.

 

[Buffy89]

Trying to catch up, I'm quite busy, just wanna post quickly about going to the mac counter today. Here, only Toledo and the liners were released on counters today. I ended up buying Oxblood lipstick, which kinda was my plan. Once trying Kinda Sexy, I did not like it, but now I liked both the color and the fotmula of Oxblood although they're so very similar. Besides, it is a nice everyday shade that will be used frequently (in contrast to all those reds in the collection). But nothing else for me, I wanted to stick to a one-item-limit this time!

 

[ramarose]

Successfuly skipped BBW today. I added Lavendar Jade & the beauty powder to my cart then exed out and turned off my data. Close call, close call. Thinking I'll do "No makeup buying March"

 

[itskathleeeen]

Thinking I'll do "No makeup buying March"

Same here! Was really tempted to buy some of the lipsticks but I have similar shades in my stash

 

[Lipstickwh0re]

I skipped Cinderella because a lot of it didn't jump out at me. However, I did get Bermese Kiss and Imperial Green. I went back and forth about BK but said if I don't like it I can return it. I've been looking for a bright pink for spring but I'm kinda scared it will look crazy on me. I bought some banishing cream for my acne scaring but otherwise, no new beauty purchases for me.

 

[Buffy89]

Successfuly skipped BBW today. I added Lavendar Jade & the beauty powder to my cart then exed out and turned off my data. Close call, close call. Thinking I'll do "No makeup buying March"

Same here! Was really tempted to buy some of the lipsticks but I have similar shades in my stash

oh great! Kudos! Well I'm feeling a little guilty for buying my lipstick today. But in comparison to my hauls of former spring collections, I think I did well (last year I bought eight items from the spring collection; the year before about five). I must admit that I am really, really, really intrigued by Mac is Beauty. And I'm so glad this thread with you low-buy ladies is so supportive!

 

[treasuremymac]

Hi @treasuremymac! Welcome!!

We have ALL been there! Kudos to you for recognizing that your purchasing is no longer making you happy. That's a big step in itself, and even just being open to change is a start. It's a long road back up.. but I can say from experience that with some dedication and commitment you WILL get to a point you're happy with. It just takes time and being truly honest with yourself!

I personally try to keep all of these things in mind about my makeup purchasing habits:

• Be ready to change. This is #1! If you're not truly ready to commit to a lifestyle shift, you'll end up making up all kinds of excuses for yourself. Been there.
• Set concrete goals, and maybe an item limit or beauty budget. Stick to it! Pretty self-explanatory, and doing some of the other things below will help with the motivation to stay on track.
• Forgive yourself for slipping up, but then re-commit to your goals. Mistakes happen.. MAC's summer collection last year I just went absolutely crazy and bought waaay too many items. But after that I re-evaluated what I was doing (and WHY it didn't work - this is key!), made the necessary changes, and really made some great progress after that.
• Think about your motivation. Why do you want to do this? Every time you shop for makeup, think about whether buying that item will bring you closer to your goals.. or further away.
• Confront your feelings, don't self-medicate with shopping. This was HUGE for me.. once I stopped using purchasing things as a crutch to deal with stress or sadness or loneliness, I was able to actually feel the emotions I was trying to avoid. We're pressured by social media and advertising to feel positive things all of the time.. but the reality is that humans are emotional and when we accept that we can just go with it! Once you deal with the underlying feelings, you can work on those instead of delaying the problem with spending.
• Remember makeup is a consumable, NOT a collectible. Most contain antibacterial agents and preservatives but those eventually start to break down - leaving your products open to all kinds of bacterial colonies. Makeup is not worth the health of your eyes or skin. No matter how much companies try to dress up the packaging to make it look like a collector's item, as soon as you purchase that item it starts to lose its value and eventually expires. Don't rely on the idea of being able to sell something later, you often end up losing money on makeup items.
• Your material possessions are not an extension of your personality. They're just inanimate objects. Advertising does an amazing job of subtly making us feel inadequate so we buy the product to fulfill some idealized version of ourselves. That new pink lipstick will not make your lips any fuller or more luscious than the last pink lipstick you just bought. Nor will it make you better at applying makeup. Practice will make you better at applying makeup. Think about what you're getting out of buying makeup, then try to create that feeling in a more healthy way!
• Get rid of the temptation. Willpower is a muscle, and eventually it will get tired. Unsubscribe from mailing lists, collection threads.. avoid walking past stores. Don't set yourself up for failure by exposing yourself to all of these opportunities to buy. Once you're really solid in your low buy and have made progress, you can slowly add these back in and see how you do.
• Add in inspirational content - instead of watching hauls on YouTube, search for Project Pan or declutter videos. Watch channels that have a realistic amount of makeup instead of drawers and drawers and drawers full. Shift your focus to tutorials and try to create looks using items you already own.
• Make yourself accountable. Find a friend to go on a low buy with, post updates in this thread, keep track of how you're doing so you can stay motivated.
• Watch out for dupes. Nobody will notice the specific shade of blush you're wearing. There's only so many shades and once they're on your skin the differences tend to be even more minimal.
• Wear your favorite things every day instead of saving them for special occasions. Get rid of the sub-par formulas and focus on things that you really love so you can get as much joy out of your stash as you can. This will help you feel like you have everything you need, rather than pushing you to go out and purchase more.
• Find other coping mechanisms. Do things to help yourself feel good that don't involve purchasing anything. Take baths, read a book, learn how to do something new, talk to a friend. Whatever works for you. Hobbies are great. I love taking classes that get me doing something physical because they're challenging, social, and they make me feel good about myself in a natural way - endorphins and confidence!
• Spend money on experiences rather than possessions. A vacation and the memories of it will bring you much more joy overall than a piece of makeup sitting in a drawer. If you add up all of those $20 purchases you might be surprised to learn that you could have taken a couple of great trips instead. I enjoyed the book The Myths of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky which explains why a lot of people are ultimately disappointed by our purchases of even big items like houses or vehicles.
• Be realistic with yourself about how much you own and how much it cost. This might not be for everyone, but I keep an updated inventory of exactly how many products I own and how much everything cost. It's one of those things where you look at everything organized in a drawer and it doesn't seem like much but it's really hundreds of items or thousands of dollars. It can help to know the numbers so that in a store you can remember that you already have multiple lipsticks in a certain color and don't need any more. Maybe create an ideal inventory of the numbers you'd like to have, and work towards it.
• Similar to the last point, be realistic about how long makeup takes to use up. One lipstick can last you a few months even if you reapply every day.. Multiply that by how many you have and you easily could have stock for 5, 10, 20 years. I watch a YouTuber named Amber F and she used her Naked palette for an entire year and just barely finished it using it pretty much every day.. Which means backups are usually a bad idea! By the time you actually finish something, there will definitely be a bunch of new things that are even better. Formulas get better all the time, so you don't want to feel stuck using older products. Now add in the part about expiration.. It never feels good to be throwing out a bunch of barely used makeup that smells off or doesn't perform well anymore, just because you had so much to use that you never got to it.
• HAVE FUN with it.. you're never going to fully stick to something until you're ready, committed, motivated, and excited! Figure out a way to challenge yourself and still have fun with makeup as a hobby but not as an unhealthy obsession.

I hope you found a couple of these points helpful. Remember that this is YOUR journey and only you can decide what your goals are and how you can best reach them. This is such a personal thing, and what works for some people might not work for you. So choose which tips from everyone speak to you the most, and try to keep those in mind. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress this year! Wishing you all the best! Make sure you keep us updated on how you're doing.

@veronikawithak thank you for your inspirational and thoughtful reply. I really appreciate you taking the time to put together these amazing suggestions which I will definitely refer to in the coming weeks.
You're absolutely right about product usage and the length of time it would take to use an item. I cant remember the last time I finished an entire tube of lipstick let alone an eyeshadow palette. The worst part is I have so much that if I lost a few items its not noticeable (unless its a favorite of mine) because I cant keep up with my supply. Ive now started to use a 2nd drawer for my makeup and need to start selling items because its too much and borders on excess. (To be fair I give a lot of items away to my sisters and friends but its still too much for my needs...)
Thanks for also pointing out that an experience is worth so much more than a material possession. I just got back from a week long hiking/backpacking trip and only wore makeup 2 times (flying to and from my destination to make sure my face matched my passport)...it was refreshing to not worry about it on the days I didn't wear makeup and to enjoy the outdoors and being surrounded by the mountains.

 

[DMcG9]

Thinking I'll do "No makeup buying March"

Good for you. The presentation of the colours in that collection is very pretty as is the packaging but they are all so close to things we've seen before in other LE collections or even the perm line up. Also, those VPF eyeshadow palettes just remind me of the palettes I grew up buying from the drugstore in highschool. I hate those skinny rectangular strips to swipe a brush along.

 

[CrimsonQuill157]

I got one lipstick and two polishes from BBW. I have nothing like either polish in my collection so i don't feel bad about my purchase. I'm just hoping the quality is decent or I'm returning them.

 

[kerry-jane88]

well well well do i have some musings :/

so i was totting up my beauty buys for february:

• Lush Godiva Shampoo Bar
• 17 Va Va Voom Black Waterproof Mascara
• 17 Doll'd Up Brown Mascara (repurchased staple)
• Embryolisse Sun Cream (ended up giving this to my mum as didn't suit)
• Bioderma Facial Wipes
• & Other Stories Sugar Crush Body Lotion
• & Other Stories Tabby Brown Eye Pencil
• Aesop Control Gel
• Chanel Rouge Coco Adrienne Lipstick
• Chanel Rouge Coco Gabrielle Lipstick
• Chanel Natural Lip Pencil
• Bioderma Crealine 100ml
• Bioderma Sebium 100ml
• Mac MSFN Light (repurchased staple)
• Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDP 50ml
• Ysl Faux Cils Mascara Sample (bought french grazia for 1.70euro specifically for this!)
• OPI 50 Shades of Grey Collection (4 colour polishes and two nail envy)
• Lush Jasmine & Henna Fluff Ease (planning to return this asap)
• Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask (was FREE as i returned five empties
• Bumble & Bumble Quenching Shampoo 250ml
• Bumble & Bumble Quenching Conditioner 250ml

The items in navy are things i purchased on my week jaunt to paris.
would i have bought all of those things if i wasn't on holiday?
definately not, at least not all at once anyway.

now at the end of every month when i add up the monthly beauty total i'll be noting down the running yearly total too.
i need to keep myself mindful not to be frivolous as now i'd like to keep myself to a £1,200 yearly limit - a rough aim of £100 a month,
but if i can finish the year at a total of £999 or under i'd consider that a real bonus!

 

[Anaphora]

I got one lipstick and two polishes from BBW. I have nothing like either polish in my collection so i don't feel bad about my purchase. I'm just hoping the quality is decent or I'm returning them.

I really want the green polish for pedicures. I'm thinking about it.

 

[Buffy89]

well well well do i have some musings :/ so i was totting up my beauty buys for february:

• Lush Godiva Shampoo Bar
• 17 Va Va Voom Black Waterproof Mascara
• 17 Doll'd Up Brown Mascara (repurchased staple)
• [COLOR=000080]Embryolisse Sun Cream (ended up giving this to my mum as didn't suit)[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Bioderma Facial Wipes[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]& Other Stories Sugar Crush Body Lotion[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]& Other Stories Tabby Brown Eye Pencil[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Aesop Control Gel[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Chanel Rouge Coco Adrienne Lipstick[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Chanel Rouge Coco Gabrielle Lipstick[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Chanel Natural Lip Pencil[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Bioderma Crealine 100ml[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Bioderma Sebium 100ml[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Mac MSFN Light (repurchased staple)[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDP 50ml[/COLOR]
• [COLOR=000080]Ysl Faux Cils Mascara Sample (bought french grazia for 1.70euro specifically for this!)[/COLOR]
• OPI 50 Shades of Grey Collection (4 colour polishes and two nail envy)
• Lush Jasmine & Henna Fluff Ease (planning to return this asap)
• Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask (was FREE as i returned five empties
• Bumble & Bumble Quenching Shampoo 250ml
• Bumble & Bumble Quenching Conditioner 250ml

The items in navy are things i purchased on my week jaunt to paris. would i have bought all of those things if i wasn't on holiday? definately not, at least not all at once anyway. now at the end of every month when i add up the monthly beauty total i'll be noting down the running yearly total too. i need to keep myself mindful not to be frivolous as now i'd like to keep myself to a £1,200 yearly limit - a rough aim of £100 a month, but if i can finish the year at a total of £999 or under i'd consider that a real bonus!

Without having read the part about the part of the list in navy, I initially thought you purchased those things on holiday and I was right lol. Although I wanna try to be a clever low-buyer when I'm on holiday, too, I think it's fine to splurge and treat yourself in a great city like Paris. If not on holiday, when else? There are so many shops that don't exist in my area, like & other stories (haven't tried their beauty items yet but I own some shirts/tops and jewellery), so I must admit I'm spending money like crazy when I'm on holiday. But during the prevoius weeks or months, I do refrain from shopping to save money and to avoid buying "less interesting" things. I guess I've written an essay now, well I hope one can get the idea what I mean

 

[Jennifae]

I only got 3 lipsticks + 1 BP from Bao Bao Wan!

I managed to talk myself out of the palette and the polishes. The palette looks beautiful, but I can't justify paying $44 when I only like the middle three shadows, and I'm almost sure I already have very similar colors in my stash. I might get the polishes if they end up at the CCO. If not, I'm sure I can find dupes. They don't seem that unique to me.

 

[veronikawithak]

Yay! Go Team Low Buy! I've been following along but haven't had time to post much in the past week. I did just want to pop in and say that I've officially gone 50 days without any makeup purchases! That's my best streak since probably late 2013.

 

[Maris Crane]

Nothing from BBW or Cinderella here

AND I finished up my Tom Ford Traceless liquid foundation today. One down, an embarassing amount more to go.

 

[mel33t]

Nothing from BBW or Cinderella here   AND I finished up my Tom Ford Traceless liquid foundation today. One  down, an embarassing amount more to go. 

Finishing foundation is the best! I finished my NARS Sheer Glow this month. I won't repurchase. I'm finding that I like really sheer coverage 98% of the time. On my skin it looks 100x better than any medium or full coverage foundation.

 

[Audrey C]

I bought one BBW lippie for myself, rather by default. I bought Royal Ball for my youngest daughter and then decided I should have gotten a lippie for her older sister as well. With Cinderella sold out, I got Romantic Breakdown. MAC had a restock yesterday and I was able to get Free as a Butterfly after all. Since I've all but finished French Kiss and NARS Falfala, I'll keep Romantic Breakdown for me. I've been reaching for near nudes a lot more than more saturated colours lately.

I'm thinking I'll do some trimming in my red lippies. They've always been my favourites, but I have close to 10 and 3-4 would do. I'd like to keep my lippies in the mid-high teens and that would get me there. I reapply lipstick all day every day, so I finish at least 6 a year (more if they're creamy/semi-sheer).

 

[kerry-jane88]

Reminding myself that there's other things I enjoy other than makeup, I got some frozen dolls!

And now I'm skint! So it's definately a low buy month in all areas for me now!

 

[kanne]

Two major purchases in the last couple of weeks: the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette and the MAC x Toledo Violetwinks palette. The Hourglass palette has been on my to-buy list since it came out so it was more of a "finally" type purchase. The Toledo palette was more spontaneous but I have to say I do not regret it. They are all colours I use frequently but do not have dupes of (except the black) and it is just so beautiful. I also through away my huge to-buy list this week and rewrote it. All that I have left on it now is the MAC 130 brush, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Fetiche (a repurchase) and Chanel Mademoiselle EDP. There's nothing much out there that I really want or need anymore.

 

[DMcG9]

And now I'm skint! So it's definately a low buy month in all areas for me now!

Ah, Elsa and Anna, so cute.