Your rules for ballin on a MAC budget?

[Pushpa]

i love mac but i found that in the begining i had no self control

now i go when the new stuff comes in and i take a look around hahaha i have my cam/video phone and i take snapshots or video of the things i like...i chat up my fave mac ladies...go home do what i gotta do...the next morning review how much i want it look at the vids/pics on my phone and go back to mac and pick up what i want


i really like to go home to see what i already have casue i hate that i buy very similar stuff when the new line comes out

 

[gorgeousgirlie]

Its really good reading all the replies. I've picked up a few more tips as to how to save money when buying mac. My own tips are:

- try on/swatch everything before you buy it. This is a hard learned lesson as I have wasted a lot of money buying some stuff without trying it out in the store, only to get home and regret it later.

- read as many reviews of the product before you buy it, I made this mistake with the mascaras. I bought mascara X, took it home, tried it and hated it, only to go and read the reviews on MUA, doh!!

- don't et the MA/SA bully you into buying something you are uncertain about.

- I only get lipsticks with back-2-mac. I don't usually wear lipsticks that much anyway.

- don't get swallowed up in the hype about upcoming collections! Make up your own mind about what works for you.

- use sales on the lj communities/ swapping on MUA/ ebay as much as possible. I've saved myself a whole load of cash by buying/ swapping for the stuff I wanted instead of paying the full price in store. The only negative is that you have to check feedback and find reliable sellers/swappers so you don't get scammed.

 

[anuy]

i take my money-stingy friend with me when i go to MAC. they convince not to buy anything i don't absolutely need and i get embarresed spending a lot of money in front of them so i end up only getting a couple REALLY GREAT things instead of a bunch of stuff that i kinda sorta like. also, i try to sell all the things i don't use at really cheap prices so i can gt rid of them fast.

 

[Peaches]

Just say no.

Only get it if you 'need' it, not because it looks pretty.

 

[lizsybarite]

My MAC rules

1. I try very hard not to buy anything I know I won't really use. For example, I do not collect any of the following:

* TLCs in pots (I do want the sticks, though)
* Lip palettes
* Brush sets (I have more than enough brushes, MAC or otherwise)
* MSFs (I adore them but because they last forever I only have Shimpagne and might get one or two more in contrasting colors, but am going to avoid the "collect them all!" hype)
* Full-size pigments. I have TONS of samples and doubt I'll ever run out. I let myself buy samples as I please because they're cheap.
* Paints. I have Stilife; that's enough for me. I am starting to have a shadestick problem, tho

* Permanent eyeshadows. I have two palettes' worth (perm and LE/DC), and with a few small exceptions will only buy LE ones from now on *if* I don't have something really similar already.
* Lipglass. They don't last too long, I have more than I need, and I'm not in love with the texture. I do like lustreglass & lipgelee, but since I have the holiday gelee set I don't feel I need many more. (Wish I hadn't missed WTL, though.) I let myself buy lipstick pretty freely, esp. w/B2M

If I like a lippie, I buy it. If I can get stuff used, so much the better.
* Short-lived eye stuff, like liquid/glitter liner (I only have 2), mascara etc. I can see myself collecting f/l but am trying to bereasonable since you can always layer shadow over blacktrack or pencils. I do love the kohls & powerpoints and since they practically last forever I let myself buy what I like.
* I don't collect lots of body-shimmer products - pigments & MSFs are enough for me, plus I'm 28 years old and work in an office and can hardly go around sparkling all the time.

* Glitz glosses. (I have one, but that's my sole exception. I'm not fond of lip stuff in pots.)
* CCBs. They're pretty, but I hardly need mroe bases. Stupid me just bought one off eBay in an impulsive-buy moment; it will probably get resold.
* "Gimmicky" stuff, like those petit-glosses with the icing. Cute, but a. it's a lippie in a pot, so no good for me, and b. way too cutesy for my taste.
* I collect the postcards, but not obsessively - I won't pay crazy prices on eBay for the old/non-U.S. ones no matter how cool they are.

2. I try not to buy LE/DC just because it's LE/DC. I've made exceptions, but in looking at the upcoming collections I think I'll be very selective. (The exception this season wil be chromeglasses - OMG they look like pure love!) Icon, for example, is gorgeous but likely to be too warm for my coloring (NC15). Sweetie Cake is a bit too cutesy for me, but the pencils look like fun. Culturebloom, however, may present a serious temptation. :-/

3. I try to evaluate what I have and don't need on a regular basis, and sell off what I don't/won't use.

4. I try not to buy something that looks like what I already have or could be recreated by layering colors. Of course I've broken this rule a bunch of times, but it helps me sort thru new collections.

5. I DON'T BUY BACKUPS, EVER. NO EXCEPTIONS. Something will always come out later to replace anything I use up, and the only product I regularly use up is pressed powder! I have enough makeup that running out of something is highly unlikely.

Uh, these rules subject to change...

 

[swaly]

I used to buy everything I could get my hands on, back when I'd first discovered makeup and didn't recognize any distinctions between brands or products. Now, I've been buying makeup so long that I (usually––there are always surprises!) know what I like and don't like. I don't really have rules, I can usually tell as soon as I've seen a product and tested it out whether I'm going to purchase it and love it or not. I don't really have anything I would NEVER pass on, as even the best line of products has their "off" times. For instance, I LOVE MSFs, but if the next round is even sparklier than this time, I'm definitely passing. New collections don't really faze me either, as the colors being new and/or limited edition doesn't make them better...I only found a couple of items from Lingerie appealing. My only rule is to consider whether other, less expensive brands make similar colors, which is why I generally pass on neutrals. My greatest weakness is super-bright and unique colors.

 

[NutMeg]

My Mac rules...

I've started these because I spent about $1500 on Mac from July to about September. This may seem fine to those of you with an income but I am a jobless 16 year old, who has no time for a job. Lol. Now mentally I can excuse my crazy buying this summer because my cousin died at the beginning of the summer, and I really needed to do something out of character. However unless I plan to start whoring myself out on the side, the spending has got to stop. (not that out of character, tee hee) So here are my new rules.

* There are absolutely no "must buys". MSFs were fast on their way to becoming one, but I'm starting to wonder about the ability of Mac to continue producing the same quality and variaty of colour that they mostly have so far. My collection so far has no similar ones, and I use all of them... Ok maybe not Gold Dust. As well, I don't buy piggies simply because they are available, like I used to do. Before, collections were the only way I could get them so they were a must buy. I'm glad I stopped that. I didn't pick up Goldenaire or Lovely Lily because neither of them really appealed to me.

* I don't buy things just because they are in a collection. I don't care if something is LE. Something similar will be out in a few months. I haven't seen an eyeshadow from a collection that I've wanted since D'Bohemia. All the new ones look boring.

* No l/s unless it's from B2M. This was very hard because I put off depotting for almost two years, but I held fast. And now I have five beautiful and free l/s! Score for Meg.

* No more e/s. I have what I judge to be a good collection, and unless I feel the need for something when I'm coming up with a look, I'm not buying anymore. That said if I see something truly spectacular and I know I'll use it, it's coming home with me!

* No more paints, I've got enough. As for s/s, only if I think a colour that I already have could be enhanced by a s/s.

* No more l/g! I have enough. Although they are so pretty it's hard to resist.

* No pencil eyeliners of any form. I never use them, so why waste my money?

* No gimmick products. If it comes out in a collection and looks cool, I wait for reviews. That being said, I'm glad I didn't rush buy Glitzglosses.

* No mascaras. I can get ones that work just as well for half the price.

* No buying purely on the strength of reveiws. Usefulness of a product depends alot on your individual face and style. I bought Brassy f/l because of a reveiw and never use it as a liner. That being said, it's not a waste because I use it alot as a base.

* Use products for more than what they are advertised as. I don't need as many shadesticks because of my fluidlines. I also don't need as many e/s because of my MSFs. I also tend to buy products if I know they can be used for many different things.

* No more Mac foundation products. They're nice, but not so nice that I can justify spending that much on them. After I've used up my current batch I'm going to be on the market for a new foundation.

* Remember that just because it's Mac doesn't mean that it works or that it's the best thing out there. Always try to make sure that you can't get something of similar quality for less. There are certain things that I will always buy from Mac, like e/s and MSFs. Nobody has pigmentation like Mac, and MSFs are hot.

* No more Mac brushes! I'm done. Anything after this will probably be Quo, or artist brushes.

* If I want something that's permanent, wait! There's no sense in rush buying something that isn't going anywhere. Wait a few months and if you still dream about it, go ahead. I did this with the 187 because it's the single most expensive thing in my collection and it burns me to spend that much on a brush. That being said I waited six months and I still craved it. I haven't heard a bad review, and it is the most beautiful thing! I'm so glad I got it, but I would have been really mad with myself if it hadn't been worth that much. Something I didn't do this with.. Paradisco. I don't exactly regret getting it, but I don't thing I really needed it.

* No Mac shopping more than once a month! Sometimes even less. These rules are all very nice, but they make some damn pretty makeup and it's very hard to say no!

Hopefully these rules help somebody. God knows I wish they helped me more. I'm down to about forty bucks, and like I said I have no income. Oh well, hopefully my friends will take pity on my when we go to the movies.

 

[artemisa]

For me, the PRO card helps a lot, though I don't spend as much as many of you.

But I share most of your rules. Mines are:

- No lustre e/s, no matter how much I like the product.
- Nothing too shimmery for the face, like pearlizers. My pores look huge!
- Nothing similar to what I already have. And I have a lot... My NARS collection is HUGE and I'm surprised to see how many similar colors I find.
- Test everything before ordering. It helps a lot to kill my lemmings
- Only B2M lipsticks
- And no blushes at all. I find NARS to be much better than MAC.

 

[tiramisu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by karen I would give you some help, but my rules all go out the window everytime I see new collection pics. *looks at empty wallet and smoking credit cards and cries silently*

I am with you all the way. Although I have managed to walk fast by the MAC counter lately, my saved items list online takes about 10 minutes to scroll through. At least I have held off lately. Only to be replaced by my shoe expenditures LOL *sigh*