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| My work station |
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| The dresser of makeup. Every drawer is full. |
I think the reason why I never felt as overwhelmed as I have was due to the fact that I DO tend to use the same products everyday despite having a wide selection to choose from. Those items I leave on my desk so that I can easily reach for them when I'm in a hurry, and as a result I completely neglect the rest of my collection.
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| Some of my most used products in the bathroom. |
As you can see, I never gave myself a set start date, neither an end date. I did set rules for myself and some reasonable exceptions:
- I am not allowed to buy any makeup OR hair products for own personal use unless I am replacing something I have run out of and cannot find a substitute for. The one exception to this rule is gift cards. I have a couple giftcards from my birthday and Christmas that I am allowed to use to treat myself if I need a little retail therapy.
- I am allowed to buy makeup, hair products, or tools that I ABSOLUTELY need for my kit.
- I am allowed to buy products at the Cosmoprof Spring Style Show (coming to San Jose, California this April!)
- Buying makeup for other people is perfectly okay.
- I don't have a set date for ending the ban. I will figure something out later.
Since my last makeup purchase was on January 1, 2013, I simply made a commitment not to buy anything I didn't need after that.
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| Extra lippies. Lots of extras. |
How am I doing, you ask? Surprisingly well. Once you get into the mindset that you own more than you need, it's actually a lot easier to resist urges. I still allow myself to look at products, but when I come across something I like, I ask myself 3 things. (1) Do I really need it? (2) Do I have something similar in my possession? (3) Can I get a more inexpensive version? Asking myself those questions have been, so far, enough to deter me from making any unnecessary purchases. On some occasions, it was a tad bit difficult. When the Urban Decay Wizard of Oz palettes came out, my brain was in turmoil. I'm still not sure I've completely convinced myself that I don't need want them. But I haven't purchased them yet so maybe I'm winning. I also had a look at CCO a few weeks back and saw the most gorgeous Estee Lauder blushes on sale. I still think about them. Haha.
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| The vanity |
In the past week, I have made a few hefty purchases for my kit. When I stopped by Cosmoprof to buy my show tickets, I also picked up a teasing brush and some more dry wax on sale. And a few days ago I placed a huge order for face powders and foundations that was much much needed for my kit. My bank account is still crying.
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| Loose pigments and mineral shadows drawer |
To summarize my wall of text, I have been on a beauty buying ban as of January 2nd, 2013, and I've been doing extraordinarily well. The last time I attempted one of these, I may have last two weeks. It's been a little over two months and I like to think that I'm still going strong. I find that what I miss the most is actually buying new products for the sake of buying, and that is very problematic. Being constantly reminded of what I already own by looking through my stash regularly helps me stay grounded. I'm sure there are a few of you who may be in the same boat as me, and I hope this post was inspirational and helpful. I will be doing updates now and then to let you guys know how I'm doing.
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| Extra hair products, pins, and lashes. |
With that said, does anyone care to to join me on my journey? And feel free to tell me that my organization needs work. I was trying to shame myself into cleaning by posting those pictures.
