Resolution LOW-BUY 2018

[fur4elise]

Final Check In for 2018

December Check-In

Purchases:

Artist Couture – Spent $15 and promptly gave away the highlight powders. See below.

Beautylish – Sonia G Pro Eye Set - They are fantastic! They fit in and work nicely with the Chikuhodo T series and Wayne Goss brushes I already have.

Kate Somerville – 30% off + 20% Ebates – Cleansers, Eradikate Treatment Set and +C Retinol Serum – The sale gave me the opportunity to try out some new skincare!

MAC – 25% off – Shiny Pretty Things Face Compact - Md. Deep and Straight Fire Lipstick

Pat McGrath – 25% off - Lipsticks - LuxeTrance (Apricult – discounted shade) & Blitztrance (Electra) – This was my Christmas splurge and for my upcoming vacation.

Sephora – Marc Jacobs See-Quins in Gleam Girl, Hourglass Scattered Light in Blaze, Pat McG Labs Lust Lip Gloss in Blitz Gold (finally back in stock at the 23[SUP]rd[/SUP] hour of the $25 off sale!). I also used what was left of a g/c so the total was $16.42.

Ulta – 20% prestige coupons - Juvia’s Place Saharan II Cheek Palette, Ofra Toasted Cashmere Palette (further marked down); Benefit Bomba$$ Brow Set – While I am not into influencers, I am into rose gold packaging I also planned and needed to replace some of my brow products. This was a good deal!


Gave Away /Disposed Of/Used Up:

Gave Away:
Well, I was bit by a few deep discount sales by Artist Couture and Stila...needless to say I ended up with some duds! So, I put together a nice little packet, with some brand new stuff for a student worker: Stila Bare w/ Flair Golden Topaz e/s duo, Jackie Aina La Peach & La Bronze highlighters (a total disappointment! No pigment, no staying power at all!), my freebie MAC dazzleshadow in Dazzle Style, 2 mini Stila liquid lipsticks…all new less a swatch. I also gave her several makeup brushes and a Smashbox Photo Strip highlighting palette.

I also gave away several pairs of boots and some clothing. I also dropped off another sizable donation to the Good Will.

Disposed of:
Mascara Disposal Round-up: L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Primer.

MUFE HD Lip Booster – Old, ineffective
MUFE Brow Gel – Old; MAC Brow Set –Just about used up; ABH Brow Gel – Just about used up – I replaced all the old products with the new Benefit set.

I finally dekrappified my super large, super OLD nail polish and lacquer collection. I don’t know what took me so long! My biggest concern was proper disposal. I boxed them up and marked the box. It is my hope the waste service will get the materials to the right facility. I am down to 10 good bottles that include color, glitters and top coats.

Used Up:
Algenist Eye Balm; ELANR Serum; Herbivore Blue Tansy Mask; Ordinary Reservatol Serum

Will Dispose Of/ Give Away:
Nothing as of yet.

Favorites of the Month / In Heavy Rotation:
Sonia G Pro Eye Set
Marc Jacobs See-Quins in Copperazzi
Juvia’s Place Nubian E/S Palette

See my 2018 Beauty Wrap-Up in the next post. And then I will post my 2019 plan in the 2019 thread See you there!

 

[fur4elise]

It's A Wrap!

2018 Beauty Wrap-Up

Successful Avoidance ~

I did not drink any of the influencer Kool-Aid! In fact, I added a couple more brands to my list that are bothersome and troubling.

For a second year, I absolutely kicked my drugstore habit! I know some love their drugstore makeup but for me it is just like junk food candy…lots and lots to choose from at a cheap price point, that I end up regretting indulging in. Avoidance now is easier than ever, because…

I am Makeup-ed Out! ~

Officially! Seriously! I am cooked! In 2018, there were ongoing, never-ending, repetitive, overlapping releases. And on the horizon, all these new, never heard of brands. It seems overwhelming and I am literally getting a headache just thinking about it.

I did NOT make Rouge at Sephora for 2019.

I am still Platinum at Ulta. I am absolutely getting more out of the Ulta rewards program.

In total, I spent 40% less in 2018! That is success!
My spendiest time landed in mid-November through Cyber Week (first week of December). Lots of coupons and sales on top of sales. The upside was being able to take advantage of sales on my daily skincare and hair care products. I think I need to plan and budget better for that time period.

2018 Discoveries ~

Juvia’s Place ~ I purchased the Nubian and Warrior eye shadow palettes (warm metallics and mattes) and have not put them down. I love the colors, the formulas, the pigmentation and the price point.

Marc Jacobs Beauty ~ I already love MJ Velvet Noir mascara…I took a chance on the new See-Quins pot eye shadows. Sparkly, pigmented, metallic goodness!

I also purchased and love the O! Mega Glaze Luminizer in Gilty. A fantastic warm peachy gold highlighter in over-sized, beautiful gold packaging.

Sonia G Pro Eye Set ~ I held off on her first release, but the second I saw images of this set and then watched a great overview video of each brush, I was hooked. AND again, since I got these, I have not put them down. Love, love, love!

DevaCurl ~ I am a curly head! I finally took the dive into higher end products designed for curly hair. I can honestly say using their low-poo, conditioner and styling products in combination have done wonders for keeping my curls and refreshing them a few days later.

Successful Shopping the Stash ~

I feel like I was very successful in getting into my drawers and rotating use of what I have. I was also very successful in disposing / letting go of things…whether they be given away or simply tossed in the can. The gamut included not only makeup, but skincare, hair care, shoes, clothing, accessories, etc. No mercy was shown!

Speaking on “tidying up,” Marie Kondo has hit the big time! There is a new series on Netflix. She is the sweetest, cutest lady!

All in all, I think I had a much more mindful year. I spent less. I was very selective in what I added. I did not impulse buy and waited for sales and coupons. I experienced far less FOMO and therefore did not miss out on much. I realize I have some very pretty makeup products. It is true, sometimes the only time we have for ourselves, is in the morning. I try to make the most of my beauty routine at that time.

With that I am heading into 2019!

 

[Alysse011]

[MENTION=51593]fur4elise[/MENTION] - I have heard such great thing about Juvia's Place! Their products look beautiful, I'm glad you're enjoying them.

I agree about makeup overload. It feels like we are being inundated with new releases, usually by the same brands repeatedly throughout the year. I don't even try to keep up with the new stuff at this point.

 

[lenchen]

Hello everyone! Happy New Year!

I just went back through this thread to reminisce on my posts and...I never really posted. I guess I really kept it to my bullet journal for the most part. So, even though I haven't kept y'all updated on how things are going, I still wanted to participate in an end of year recap!

2017 Recap:

I did a lot of life things in 2017. I got married. I went to multiple friends weddings. I went on a few small trips. I went on my honeymoon.

In regards to makeup, I spent a lot of time during the first half of the year trying to figure out what I wanted my wedding makeup to look like and then finding suitable products. I did my makeup and hair myself because we got married in a different city than where we live, and I had no opportunity to have a trial with anyone. This lead to some spending that I would say is out of the norm for me since I wanted "special" products, and I also was trying different things to discover what would work best for me.

My honeymoon was in August, and my husband and I had saved up quite a bit so that we would be able to do as many fun things as possible without feeling guilt or like we needed to hold back. We had an amazing time!

After the honeymoon is the period of 2017 when I really started to evaluate my relationship with shopping. I did a lot of self reflection and found that I do think I had some kind of shopping problem. I say this because I've never really stuck to any sort of budget that I have laid out for myself. I've never gone so far as to be in debt because of it or cause any real and serious issues, but I do realize that it could become an issue. I think the shopping problem used to be much worse. I do think that in 2017 I improved and I know that in 2018 I improved even more. But, I still decided to do a replacement only no buy in 2019.

Along those lines, I also feel like my idea of what is "normal" or "okay" to pay for cosmetics has become way too inflated. I've spent enough time shopping at Sephora/Nordstrom/Neiman's that I no longer have sticker shock over things that I probably SHOULD still have sticker shock over. I'm not saying that luxury products aren't ever worth it to me or that I don't enjoy indulging. But, for me personally and where I'm at in life, I shouldn't look at luxury makeup and not pause and want to know why it's that price, what makes it special, etc. I would like to reset my mind back to how it was before I became desensitized to certain prices.

I also decided in 2018 that I needed to stop flitting all over the place when it came to skincare. I feel like watching YouTube and browsing Instagram has normalized a 10 step or greater skincare routine. And often the morning and evening routines are comprised of entirely different products, and sometimes they even change day to day. In late November I severely cut back on skincare and I also chose one skincare brand to primarily purchase from. It was kind of exhausting to try to mix and match various brands, figure out if ingredients would clash, try to determine if the products could be used together or if I was duplicating steps, etc etc. I am way happier with my skincare now, and I feel like it's been more effective.

I also went on a no buy right after Black Friday for 1 month. I took one day off the no buy and bought 3 things - a new eye cream (I ran out of mine shortly after my no buy started) and 2 of the Tarte Chrome Paint eyeshadows (they had been on my wishlist for months, and I decided to go ahead and get them before my year long no buy started). I debated purchasing the Natasha Denona Gold palette, but I came to my senses and didn't buy it.

And with that, I am transitioning to the 2019 thread to post my specific replacement only no buy rules.

Great post! Congratulations!! I bolded parts that really resonated with me, I took a look at my skincare spending habits overall in 2018. While the Korean 10 step skincare routine really worked for me and improved my skin, ( I had hyperpigmentation issues, dark spots) I went to my dermatologist last month, and based on her recommendations really simplified my routine, all of her recommendations were drugstore products, and I was given a prescription of trentonin (retin-a). my skin care regimen day and night is 3-4 steps including if I decide to pamper and do a face mask with the foreo, or a plain ole regular mask.

Fur4elise, I hear you on the influencer Kool-aid! I also added more problematic brands to the list, and I unsubscribed from the remaining larger influencers to the list.