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

[Debbs]

Pixie, I tried to look the other way everytime I saw this thread but I know I need to be here. I think I went on a more-buy and ventured into some high end territory which I had no business getting into. The good thing is that I understand why I needed temporary happiness and fulfillment - I was depressed. The not for me stash has worked well since I now have some real life buddies. Its so much easier and nicer to share items that are not getting any love with folks you enjoy who you know will use the hell out of it. My stash had decreased during the early summer months when I was happy to trade/ swap items but scarily expanded in size from the end of August until now. I only have one face and can only use so much of one item. When a seller asked me how I liked a item yesterday and I told her that I don't know yet I realize then that its utter madness. A lot of my eyeshadows and blushes got neglected this year as I wanted a more neutral look for work. I haven't been going out as much socially or having night-outs as I used to anymore therefore my fun pretties are untouched. My make up choices most times matches my mood if I am down I don't want to 'pop' and subtle has been working a lot lately. There is a cashier in the cafeteria at work whose line I always go in ( I love to eat and hook ups are good ) She is very pleasant and pretty, comments on my make up in a nice way often and is very humble so I have a few items that I plan to surprise her with for the holidays . Personally, I have no problem skipping collections but its the need to get multiples of the same item that gets me . If I love an item I will get approx 3 of the same blushes and 6 of the same lipgloss . Back up frenzy have me going to other counters because the sales associate that are familiar with me are able to talk me out of getting stuff. I noticed that the chase of LE gives me a high as I will call several counters when a collection is almost gone . After hearing that they are all sold out and one counter has four left in stock I will tell them to hold all four and find myself dashing in before closing after work feeling successful to have gotten "the last ones" . I have sold items before however stumble at the same thing at a CCO months later and repurchase the whole lot all over again. My plan is to limit backing up items and to be able to satisfy with one item. The world will not end if I don't have a back up. My mom and sister have been asking "When are you getting out of this make up business?". Business! Oh, Lord. My mom now refuses to mail off packages for me. It had gotten so bad recently that I had friends picking up packages from my mailbox for me before I got home so I could stash them in my bag and dispose the evidence- bulky brown envelops in public garbage. I am so busy at times that when my gloss is gone the last thing on my mind is to re-apply so things tend to last me much longer than they really should if I am honest with myself. I also plan to use GC, birthday, holiday gifts , store credit , rewards and notes for my make up needs next year so that will limit fund availability. When I think of B2M a full es pot or lipgloss used once thats not right for me I will save it for swaps and trades etc. I will question myself if I really need something before my impulse buys as some returns are totally unfair to the store /company.

 

[NaomiH]

I think we both did! Wink wink! Yay us! It feels good to stay strong! We are ready 2014!!

I was so proud of myself! Yay us!

 

[PixieDancer]

@Debbs .. I hear EVERYTHING you're saying girl! And you know I know a little about what you've been experiencing personally. I know sometimes our "addictions" are used as comfort mechanisms to replace other things in life... Just like you described the LE buying hunt high... That's probably giving you something to feel good about in the midst of other stresses. We all understand the struggle here!! I think acknowledging and setting a personal goal while supporting each other is going to be great! I'm happy you're joining us. Xoxo

 

[katred]

Can I play?

I have to admit that I'm cheating a little, because I already know that there aren't lots of items that I'm excited about in the upcoming Spring collections- Fall is much more dangerous for me. However I really do need to get my cosmetic collection under control, especially since my tastes have migrated towards the higher end in the last few years. I still adore make up and beauty, I think I just need to find ways to have fun with it besides buying the newest things on the market. What I really need to do now is to concentrate on wearing all the stuff that I already have and figuring out what products will truly add something to the overall collection, not just grabbing them because they look nice to me at that moment. I have an embarrassing number of red lipsticks because I just loved them so much and didn't think about what I already had in my stash.

I'm also sure that I have things that either don't work on me at all or that are very difficult to make work, things which I could just as easily do without.

 

[LinenWhite7]

I'm am SO in! I just started to get back into makeup and skincare this year after not buying anything for 3-4 years, and I went crazy. I honestly bought everything I thought I wanted to try at the drugstore (like ev-ryyy-thiiing), made VIB Rouge, got into MAC LE releases, etc. I have so much that I haven't even used. I want to shop my stash and buy strategically - only things I really want, and only when they are at a discount. I have a running list of items I would like to try but I'm considering wiping it clean and starting fresh. Or maybe editing it way way down. I stay on the email lists from Tarte, Too Faced, etc because I want to be buying only when I can get a great price. I use the tab feature in google and every morning I go to Promotions and select all unread emails and delete all.

 

[LinenWhite7]

@Debbs .. I hear EVERYTHING you're saying girl! And you know I know a little about what you've been experiencing personally. I know sometimes our "addictions" are used as comfort mechanisms to replace other things in life... Just like you described the LE buying hunt high... That's probably giving you something to feel good about in the midst of other stresses. We all understand the struggle here!! I think acknowledging and setting a personal goal while supporting each other is going to be great! I'm happy you're joining us. Xoxo

Agreed! My mom has always been a addictive shopper and I'm trying to break myself before I fall into that too. I am committed to really thinking through it before I make a purchase and identify if I'm buying to make myself feel better, or just because I have had a hard day. I also feel like I'm starting to hide purchases from my husband And I don't really want to do that. I want to think through every purchase and know it's something I wanted and it wasn't just an impulse buy that I'm now slightly embarrassed about.

 

[IHughes]

This is a great thread to join! I've only started buying makeup this year (amazing huh?) and I've quickly noticed I've bought too much, too fast! I don't want to collect, I want to use, so I'm now obsessed with how much they're going down, I want to finish things to justify buying more!! I want to stop buying lipsticks or at least as many as I have loads already and try to keep things under control. I think we can all support each other!!

 

[MakeupForMommy]

i was going to go on a no buy 2014 but every time i think about it i feel like im going into a panic attack.
so maybe this would be a bit more realistic for me. i have such a problem with thinking i will "miss out" if i dont purchase almost everything in a collection. i will discuss this with my friend since we were going to do it together and see if maybe only 2 or 3 items per collection allowed. =]
this is a great idea!

 

[abjarrett]

I'm in! I'm going on an extreme low-buy for 2014, well at least until Black Friday. I have a really bad problem with makeup, hair products and indie perfume oils. For the most part, it's going to be four three-month-long no-buys. The only makeup that I'm allowing myself is the Maleficent collection because I'm so excited about that. Products like mascara, liners, etc. can be replaced if I ran out of them. No lippies, shadows, etc.

Hair products are a no-go. No hair products until I've used up the ones that I have.

Perfume oils are definitely something I'll have to give up for the year. The only exceptions will be the Violette Market State Fair collection or something that is EXTREMELY limited edition.

For every three months that I go without buying anything (unless it's a necessity), I'll give myself $50 to spend on whatever I choose. All of my current "makeup allowance" saved will be put in a savings account until Black Friday. If I make it until Black Friday with no slip-ups, I'm giving myself permission to go nuts and spend all of the makeup money that I saved all year. It's going to be tough, but I have bills to pay and this is the way to get it done.

 

[Bcteagirl]

I think we can all support each other!!

The three of us could be triplets

I will need Naked 3 since I don't actually have one eye shadow palette yet (unless you count Revlon) and other than that I am *trying* to go on a use 2 up buy 1 until the VIB sale, but we shall see how that goes.

 

[misfitted]

I'm so in! I am aiming for low buying, and no BU's in 2014 as well! Time to swap my lippie addiction for the baby section at target anyway lmao!

 

[Audrey C]

I'm out there on the board preaching my new gospel of moderation. I don't think it's going over well. Maybe the rest of the board doesn't care for a reformed addict vomiting wisdom?

 

[Ajigglin]

I'm in! I'm allowing myself to get Heroine, Viva Glam RiRi, and the Malficient collection in 2014. Other than that, I'll just B2M when I finish products, which I actually do because I'm bad at rotating through the stash. Like Debbs, I've been using makeup shopping as therapy and I need to chill out. I'm also going to stay out of the MAC Chat section so I'm not tempted by new threads. I really should stay off Temptalia, too. I like the idea of unsubscribing from mailing lists. I did that with MAC years ago, and it worked until I found T. Smh. Thank you, Pixie! I'm looking forward to this. We can do this, ladies!

 

[IHughes]

Thank you, Pixie! I'm looking forward to this. We can do this, ladies!

I agree with you, if you're subscribe it's easier to fall prey of the hype and excitement. And someone always says: "You must buy it guys!" and like robots for some reason we run to the store and buy it, hahaha. It has helped me to unsubscribe from threads here in Specktra, I even forgot when Rihanna holiday was coming out and haven't bought anything!

 

[PixieDancer]

I'm out there on the board preaching my new gospel of moderation. I don't think it's going over well. Maybe the rest of the board doesn't care for a reformed addict vomiting wisdom? :haha:

Its so funny you should say this! Lol I was actually PMing w Serenity and I told her I was thinking of starting this thread. But I was honestly nervous that I may only be on here chatting w her! I didn't expect this thread to be so popular! But I think it's great that we are all truly making a commitment to ourselves and to each other. I'm so glad I didn't scare myself out of starting this thread now because its clear we could all use the moral support. And to Audrey and EVERYONE here.... Your anti-enabling is REQUIRED here! I'll be counting on it! Welcome to our support group fellow makeup addicts! Heehee

 

[Glitteryvegas]

I love, love, love this idea. I'm a firm believer in the power of goal setting - if it's not in stone it's not going to happen. In moments of weakness it can help to refer back to our main goal for strength. It feels weird to be describing makeup this way, but for me it's become quite an addiction. It feels harmless in a way, because my friends joke about the quantity of items that I have, etc. but it's not really a joke when you're spending more than you make to fund your shopping sprees. Like others have mentioned, I think this year I have been using makeup as an outlet for emotional issues and that needs to be addressed.

There are certain collections that for me will be no-brainers (Maleficent being one of them....) & I will be getting some items from those collections. Mindless stalking Specktra (which is OH SO FUN!!! Seriously...seeing the swatches....sigh...) is going to be replaced with researching collections for items that I don't have any dupes for or completely avoiding collections entirely to prevent impulse buys.

The suggestion about unsubscribing from emails is a great one. I've also been thinking of taking pictures of my collection with my phone, so that it's always on me (I sometimes find my buys happen when I'm just "browsing"....). So seeing the photos of what colours that I already have, etc. may make me stop and think "Do I really need another purple eyeshadow?!" I guess this method will only work depending on how big your collection is.

Well ladies thanks for this idea - I'll be checking in often for inspiration!

 

[novocainedreams]

I have been contemplating doing an altered type no buy. I did one last year from Jan-May and I think it went pretty well. I didn't cut myself off from buying completely because I just think that can set one up for failure, although I am sure if I put my mind to it I could do it. Instead I challenged myself to DO THINGS, in order to earn my gifts to myself. Somewhat like a resolution...like I want to read more so I give myself X amount of money or x amount of items for every book, or amount of pages I read. Or say I want to blog more, so every blog post earns me something. Whatever my goals are contribute to my makeup bank. It worked for me, everyone is different, some people just say, OK I can only buy X amount an that's it. Whatever works for you! But it's nice to have people going through the same thing to talk to and chat about what you're doing. I also blogged my experience to help me see just how much I was spending...and made me think about what I really needed or wanted and made me save up for that collection 3 months away instead of spending on one now that I don't really need *another* red lipstick from. LOL. Since I found specktra I've definitely been buying more MAC than I had in a long time...strike that more of EVERYTHING mainstream, haha....I'm a huge Indie makeup lover so that's generally where I really need to watch myself. I think I can say no to MAC(except for Maleficent and VIVA Glam...those are musts for me, other than that I am going to try and say NO...unless it's ultra amazing). The second half of this year I *really* overdid the makeup buying, so I think this is a good thing. I was planning on going to IMATS in January but that might be a no now...hah.

Anyway, that's my experience in a nutshell....thanks for posting this!!

 

[novocainedreams]

And I really love the shop your stash idea...or putting a box/drawer out to use that week of products that aren't being used...I have SO MUCH STUFF, that sometimes I just end up using what is right in front of me, even though I have lots of awesome stuff, because I don't want to look through everything...even though it's neatly organized, LOL. I think I will try to set up a drawer or something for this too. Great idea!

 

[2browneyes]

*jumps on wagon* I'm in. I am so over all of this LE hype and whatnot. I was just thinking the other day about when I started really getting into makeup, especially MAC and it was when they had the Naked Honey launch and there was something like a certain % off deal they did online. Well, needless to say, that was the last time they did anything like that but I was hooked lol Over the past few months, I've limited the time I spend digging for collection info and searching for LE products since I really do have more than enough for my one face (loved that comment Debbs). I am working on using up stuff that I already have. The 3 items or less restriction for purchases from LE collections is perfect for me because I doubt I'll even buy 3 items. I'll keep checking in on this thread for support and to give support as well Great idea Pixie!

 

[ma146rina]

I think i need a little of anti-enabling power over here.Riri holiday will launch where i live and i reasonably need to skip the lipsticks.I mean i have ruby woo(and how much different is really riri?),a ton of fuchsia lipsticks that i wear twice a year and i really don't believe that BGRR will look good on me(nc20-25).AND i even want the bag,i mean come on 32 euros for a makeup bag made in China,makes no sense.Still want it though.HELPPPPP