Days 11-20 of 100 day No Buy Challenge

[crazycatlady82]

Day 14 (late post): no beauty purchases. Successfully walked out of sephora without buying anything. However, did spend $50 on new clothes-2 sweaters, 1 skirt and 2 pairs of socks. All work appropriate and heavily discounted.

The hubby bought me a lipstick this morning...I picked one I knew I would buy eventually, and in the past, I would just order the other 2-3 that i also wanted...but not this time.

There's a gal at my 2nd job that I really like and we talk beauty...so, I'm giving her 3 of my duplicates: lipstick from Ipsy, a starlooks pigment and something else I can't remember, and I'm making headway into my stash of items. I was tempted to buy more hand soap from bbw last night ("it's so cheap!") but using what we have first. Finished a shampoo and a body wash yesterday, both full sized.

I've had a lot of down time at work and usually that's my downfall. I'm trying to focus on my goals, and so far, because of my forgetfulness and "discussing" money with the hubby, I have spent $13 on make up in 15 days. I will purchase my mascara primer tomorrow but that's something I use on a daily basis and a constant in my makeup bag.

Little steps, one day at a time.

 

[Jenn10]

However, did spend $50 on new clothes-2 sweaters, 1 skirt and 2 pairs of socks. All work appropriate and heavily discounted.

 
This sounds like a good deal- especially if you will wear them frequently. As long as you are conscious about what you are buying and all, these spending every now and then is fine. 

 

[eastofthesun]

I just caught myself mindlessly shopping online and had added two makeup items to my cart before I closed the tab on my browser. Mindless shopping! I'm trying to grapple with an insane workload and had to "turn off" my brain for a few minutes. Next time I'm overwhelmed I'll try hot tea or a walk around the office. 

Yes, I'm doing that too a bit. I'm not buying, but I for some reason really like to keep my  Sephora cart loaded up. I had to purchase my daily moisturizer with spf a few days ago (I just cut open and scooped out the last bits of the one I was using) and it's from Sephora, so when I ordered and my cart then said 0 items, I kind of freaked out a bit and loaded it up for the 'next time'. Why oh why? Good idea to try to walk around or make some tea to kind of soothe yourself. I'm also having some insane workloads right now. Eugh!!!

I ended up ordering two winter hats and two shirts for my kids who aren't twins but love to match. With all the promos and stacking I ended up spending $2.78. Not bad and I don't feel guilty since they needed hats.

Wow, awesome deals!!!!

Continuing the OT. It is crazy! They offered to rush it to me with 2 day shipping....for a $16 fee! No thank you!  I live close to where they are sending from, so I'm hoping for more like 5 days.   And it keeps me from spending, so it's not all bad.  

Good point, I should maybe freeze my credit card in a block of ice like in that movie. Hahah. I think it was called Shopaholic or something like that. But I need to do what one person here did and delete my credit card from my accounts to make it harder to order things!

Yeah, I guess the best time to have your credit card number stolen is during a no-buy!

Hehehe, yes!

all, the hardwood floor, and even the hand towel holder.  UGH.  Thank goodness for Pinterest, because I was going to spend HOURS chipping that stuff off!  Instead, I took my hair dryer, put it on low, and pointed it at the wall.  As the wax softened, I wiped it off with a paper towel.  SO EASY.  
Then I went to the office to clean out my desk (got the floor cleaned/holiday stuff out Monday) and a bin of items, and found so. much. craft. stuff.  No lie, I should not buy stickers til about 2063.  At first I was mad at myself, because the piles of stuff represent so much money spent over the years, but I decided to see it as now I don't have to spend money in the *future* on stuff and I'll have plenty of things to use for keeping the kids entertained over the summer.  (like 2000 Cars stickers.)

I'm now about 2/3 of the way through my goals of cleaning the office & bathrooms.  And as every room in my house starts looking better, it's making me feel better.  It's giving me the strength to resist buying makeup and beauty items when I decide I'd rather spend the money on a shoe rack for the coat closet, or a drawer unit to hold my craft stuff.  And now, my only hope is that I'll be able to NOT become addicted to buying organizational stuff!  

14 Days Down!  86 left to go! We got this!

I love what you said about not being too mad about yourself for having a stockpile of stuff. Sure in some areas of life it can be unhelpful (like with products that expire) but you're right- think about it like saving money in the future, as long as you know what you have on hand and remember to use it. Hahah @ the Cars stickers!!! Try using them as rewards when your boys do good, like brush their teeth without you having to tell them. When I was young, my Mom made me a calendar and if I practiced my violin 30  minutes a day, I'd get a sticker on that day. I liked trying to get a sticker every day so I wouldn't have an empty slot. Hahah, maybe I should do that for myself with this no-buy?

Well, I have had online shopping carts filled up four different times already and we're only two weeks in, but I have been able to empty them all. No rules have been broken. None of the shopping carts were big orders, and I didn't buy anything, but it makes me nervous that I have done this.

I went on to take my credit card number off the account on three out of the four websites to make it more difficult for myself. The fourth place I frequently buy things other than what I'm trying to avoid on my no-buy, so it will have to stay.

What is making this tolerable for me right now is having new empties. Having new empties has replaced having new pretties. Maybe that is not the best state of mind for the long term, but it is where I am at right now.

In positive news, I have accomplished or am on target with almost all of my day 11-20 goals. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Good idea to take your credit card info off your most-shopped sites!!!

I can sympathize with you on loading up your cart and everything, even if you don't purchase. I have done this a bit, and at first was mad at myself as one of my rules was not to play 'cart roulette' and not to go on shopping sites. But you know what? Someone said something very smart- I think it was @tweakabelle - and that was not to be ignorant of temptation, because then you're not really resisting it, you just don't know about it. So I want to know about my temptations, track them, write them down, and actively resist them. I think it makes it harder, but makes your willpower stronger. Therefore, I don't chide myself too much for doing this, but seriously, going to Sephora every day is stupid, but I'm doing it ... why? I'm on a no-buy and don't need anything, but I still like checking it out and seeing what deals they have, even if I resist. I don't know... but I'm looking at it like I'm strengthening my willpower.

     Well, I have found my winner amongst all the BB creams in my stash! From now on I will only repurchase Missha Perfect Cover #13. If it were non-scented it would be perfection itself, but the fragrance has never caused any reaction or skin irritation so that is a win. It beat out Dr Jart's Black Label and Premium, Skin79 the Oriental Gold Cream, and Smashbox. The Missha is the only one light enough for my NC15 skin, and it had a high SPF of 42.

   The rest of my BB creams are a smidge too dark so I will use them on my forearms as my sunscreen and bonus freckle cover. They don't obliterate the freckles from view, but at least softens the appearance of them.

    I realized that for the past year I have used all high-end mascara samples, so tomorrow I am opening a drugstore one from my stash, I don't want to get stuck on an all high-end mindset.

    My high end palettes and lipsticks are all being used in rotation so they aren't being saved for a special occasion.

    I've tried all my different foundations to get down to just one Holy Grail of each type I prefer, which means no more wasting money trying every new thing out there. Mine are Powder Foundation= MAC Studiofix Powder+Foundation NC15, BB Cream = MIssha Perfect Cover #13, and for stick foundation=

Flower Cosmetics Stick Foundation in #SF1. The stick can also double as a concealer for my rosesea, but not for underye area.

   Progress, slow, but it is still progress.

Hey lady! I think it's awesome that you're going through all your foundations and BB creams to find your HG in those categories. I spent way too much money this and last year trying to find the perfect things for me. So I ended up with lots of stuff I don't like that much. I'm trying my hardest to say, "Well, this one is good, and although it's not my ideal, it works so I should keep with it." Instead of spending more $ searching for the perfect unicorn that may not exist.

Also, so smart to use your BB cream that you don't like on your arms!!! It's probably really good for the backs of your hands too- as they get lots of sun exposure. I'm going to try this with some CC cream samples I have that aren't really my shade.

Checking in for day 13 and 14 today, and I need to be in bed in 8 minutes so I'm trying to write this up quickly. No purchases, I've been sticking to my Monday Club plans, though even with the greasy moisturizer my mineral foundation isn't the same as when I put it on during the summer, but it's better. I admittedly kind of like just having one face for the entire week, I did some tweaking from my initial plans, but I found a very neutral looking face that I like the look of and I can put it on lickity split because I know what I'm doing.

There have been some temptations, a lot of indie companies are reopening and having sales which is very tempting, but so far so good.

This is my last day of having to go to bed at 8:30 for science though, so I'm glad. I feel like once the hours of sleep I need to get goes down my life will feel a little more manageable. 

Hey there!!!

I'm glad things are going good for you! Sorry to hear you've had some temptations, but proud of you for remaining strong!

Also, how is the long sleep hours thing going besides the inconvenience of having to go to bed super early? Are you feeling any differently? Looking any different? I can't wait to hear from you!

I tossed some hotel type sample shampoo today.  I don't know why I keep these.  I can never resist free!  They are always so horrible, I need to break the habit.  I'm also using a  new shadow every day that I wear make-up so I can get an idea of my favorites.  I have so many I've never tried. 

This is me. I always take the hotel toiletries home with  me, but never, or extremely rarely use them. I don't know why I keep them either, but the whole free thing gets me every time. It could be a free sample of itch cream, I don't care, I'll take it! I guess the good thing about the hotel toilitries is if unused you can donate.... my Church went to Mexico when I was in high school and we gave out tons of little hotel toiletries on our mission trip.

Day 14 check in!  Two weeks in yay!  Today was a hectic day running, running, running so no time to think about shopping!

I got in my BB today and the CS box.  I think I will be good for a few days lol.

Another night at spinning.  I think I am going to buy some shoes for the class.  I need to do some research though.

I cannot believe January is half over?  Wasn't it just Christmas?!!  Where does time go?!

I have also been pretty busy, so I hope that doesn't skew my impression of how this no-buy is going for me. I tend to feel like time goes slower in the summer (maybe because the hours of daylight are longer and it's miserably hot) so only time will tell how I deal with that when the second no-buy comes around (if you guys reading this don't know, check out the pinned thread- @@Kristine Walker and @ are talking about a summer 100-day no-buy to start in June through September). Also, I would love to hear how the spinning class is going. How often do you do it? 

I agree about the time. EUGH!!!! Time is so slippery!

 

[eastofthesun]

Ok, let me tell yall how proud I am of myself! So about 6 months ago, I bought a 3-drawer storage organizer because with the way I was shopping for beauty products and with all the samples I was getting, I knew my stash was getting bigger and I needed to prepare. Also, in the midst of studying for my PhD comps, I started feeling anxious and bought a whole bunch of lipsticks/beauty products over the course of a 3 month period, particularly from WalMart.

So over the past few months, I've been trying/wearing some of the lipsticks/beauty products and even tho I wasn't feeling some of them, I never thought to return them. Well today, since I'm on this No Beauty Buy Challenge and I'm trying to downsize my inventory, I decided to return the lipsticks I weren't particularly fond of, as well as the 3-drawer storage organizer I never used (because really my stash isn't big enough for it). I got a total of $42 back! They even accepted a two year old lipstick! :lol: Anyway, I was so proud of myself. As soon as I got the money, I thought about rewarding myself with a new skincare item but then I remembered how many skincare items/samples I ALREADY have that I need to use up.

I'm gonna finish going through some of my products (I have hair products, nail polishes, etc) that I want to return to WalMart/Target and return them by next week. I've decided to put all the money I get back towards getting the $100 hair steamer I've always wanted it but never bought because it was such a high price item. But all the money I spend on beauty products that I never finish or end up not liking, I could've gotten the steamer that would make my curls magnificent! lol.

Hey there! I'm in the same boat as you are- when I was doing my masters (well, technically still am, hahah) I got really stressed and that's around the time I started buying a lot. I also amped up my spending when my divorce started happneing, and now, a year after being told he wanted a divorce, I'm only now really decreasing my out-of-control spending. Good for you!!!!

Wow we are already on Day 15! 

When I decided I will return a hair spray which has $4 return value to Ulta yesterday, the first thought was "I CAN GET THAT LIPSTICK" - I had one drugstore lipstick I wanted to buy for over 3 months already, but my lip product counts in my inventory is highest, and I wanted to wait till I finish at least one lipstick- But then, I realized I am in this thing with all you ladies. So when I walked into Ulta, I bought facial wipes because I was running out of them which was $5 so I walked out paying $1. Sure, the cashier lady was not as excited as I was, but hey- my money is my money. 

So, I am starting my day 15 on a positive mood-- Will keep checking in to hear your stories and thoughts!

That is really helping me too- just thinking about being in this challenge with you all!!!! I'm glad you resisted the lipstick, even though it could have been yours, but at least you got something else you needed for a good price, and you are going to work harder on finishing up a lipstick you have so you can buy a new one when the no-buy is over!

The whole week has been stressful because of work and today and tomorrow will be more of the same.  Still fighting the urge to get something to cheer me up.  So far all I bought was hand soap as I will run out of it today or tomorrow.   

Ugh, same here. Work is so stressful for me right now. It sucks so much! How are you ladies fighting the winter doldrums? I'm finding it a bit difficult to get out of bed on these cold days .... Good job on not buying anything except for hand soap. I know it's not the most fun purchase, but at least you know you'll use it up soon!

--

Day 15!! Wow!!! This is going by pretty quickly.....so far!

Update for me: I purchased my daily moisturizer with spf on the 11th. That's my only beauty purchase this week so far, and it was in the 'restock ok' category so it doesn't count against my no-buy.

Good luck to all of you ladies! Keep up the good work and keep updating us because it gives me lots of good ideas and hope!

 

[LadyK]

I may be blaspheming here but I threw away my beauty blender this morning.  

I think I have had it for almost a year and used it a total of 6 times.  It is just so much easier to put on BB cream with my fingers.  

 

[SneakyBurrito]

I've had a lot of down time at work and usually that's my downfall.

I don't know what your work's computer policy is...but I have been reading books on the Kindle app at work during downtime.  Have finished 3 or 4 already this year that way.  (You have to be able to install the Kindle app on your work computer, though.  Some companies don't give employees that sort of permission.)  Yeah, I'm spending money on the Kindle books, but I try to pick at least some of them up when they're on special.

 

[SneakyBurrito]

Hey there! I'm in the same boat as you are- when I was doing my masters (well, technically still am, hahah) I got really stressed and that's around the time I started buying a lot.

Haha, I was so poor when I was trying to finish up my PhD, plus I was stressing about finding a job, that I actually didn't buy anything (my makeup obsession started later).  Instead, I was baking ALL THE TIME.  One week, I made a two-layer chocolate cake and ate the whole thing myself in about 4 days.  (Also I had a really sick cat who caused me to run up an extra $7000 on credit cards -- she eventually had to be put down but not for lack of medical intervention -- so I was stressed about that, too.)

There's actually no good reason I started spending too much money on makeup (and shoes and handbags).  I did my PhD defense in May of 2012 and graduated in August of 2012; two or three days after graduation, I had a job interview at a patent law firm really close to where I live and I have now been working there for a little over two years.  So that stress is gone.  I had some rough spots at the end of 2012 (my dog died and another cat got diagnosed with a chronic illness) but it wasn't until 2014 that I started spending like crazy.

Anyway, glad I found MUT and these threads because I think this is the kick in the pants that I need to get responsible about spending again.

 

[greendaisy]

@@eastofthesun

So this week, I spent five days (three I was measured for, two of them were just to get myself used to going to bed so early before it was important for data) getting 9 hours of sleep for a classmate's blood pressure experiment. It did seem to lower my blood pressure from what it originally was, but already have low blood pressure so that doesn't mean a lot health wise for me.

I felt more alert and active in the morning, but I was still groggy if I got woken up mid-sleep cycle and I still hated mornings. I moved faster, I was more productive once I got working, and I always woke up when my alarm went off, but it was really stressful trying to go to bed at 8:30 every evening. I felt like I couldn't run out and do errands if I needed to and I got a lot lazier about taking care of myself. Next Monday the sleep hours lower to 8.5 hours per night, so I will be going to bed at 9:00 PM which is a little closer to my usual bedtime. But, in the mean time, I will have a whole weekend to mess everything up and see how much I regret it once I stop getting so much sleep. 

---------------------------------

Day 15, doing good. My indie shadow orders from when I went on an indie spree in December have been arriving, so I have a TON of eyeshadows now. I can't say I regret it though, because it got me to start using my Elf Lock and Seal, the colors are all unique and beautiful and fandom themed, and I'm supporting small businesses. But I now have a lot of things to organize and plan how to use. 

I realized the last of my orders will probably be in by the end of the month, then I wean down to just my few sub boxes. I won't even be getting letters from colleges anymore soon. Empty Mailbox Syndrome might set in. 

 

[lovepink]

@@eastofthesun

So this week, I spent five days (three I was measured for, two of them were just to get myself used to going to bed so early before it was important for data) getting 9 hours of sleep for a classmate's blood pressure experiment. It did seem to lower my blood pressure from what it originally was, but already have low blood pressure so that doesn't mean a lot health wise for me.

I felt more alert and active in the morning, but I was still groggy if I got woken up mid-sleep cycle and I still hated mornings. I moved faster, I was more productive once I got working, and I always woke up when my alarm went off, but it was really stressful trying to go to bed at 8:30 every evening. I felt like I couldn't run out and do errands if I needed to and I got a lot lazier about taking care of myself. Next Monday the sleep hours lower to 8.5 hours per night, so I will be going to bed at 9:00 PM which is a little closer to my usual bedtime. But, in the mean time, I will have a whole weekend to mess everything up and see how much I regret it once I stop getting so much sleep. 

---------------------------------

Day 15, doing good. My indie shadow orders from when I went on an indie spree in December have been arriving, so I have a TON of eyeshadows now. I can't say I regret it though, because it got me to start using my Elf Lock and Seal, the colors are all unique and beautiful and fandom themed, and I'm supporting small businesses. But I now have a lot of things to organize and plan how to use. 

I realized the last of my orders will probably be in by the end of the month, then I wean down to just my few sub boxes. I won't even be getting letters from colleges anymore soon. Empty Mailbox Syndrome might set in. 

If this happens maybe we can have some kind of "notes of encouragement in the mail."  Someone could PM you get your address (if you are comfortable sharing that) and then randomly mail you something.  I know last year after the Secret Santa exchange people started a pen pal thread and a traveling journal.

 

[PA Anna]

The whole week has been stressful because of work and today and tomorrow will be more of the same.  Still fighting the urge to get something to cheer me up.  So far all I bought was hand soap as I will run out of it today or tomorrow.   

Keep fighting the urge. You can do it! I hope the end of the week is better for you.

I've been giving thought to why I have a lot of product. 2014 was a difficult year. I put it in a spoiler.

Spoiler

I had a difficult miscarraige in Jan, folllowed by an illness that resisted antibiotic treatment, then a bad case of tendonitis causing me to delay the next part of my business plan.  It was 2 big losses for me. All in the first half of the year!

I couldn't do much in the late spring going into summer and found out about subscription boxes when looking for other boxes for my younger son who loves Kiwi Crate. Then I found out there were products out there that I could use despite my rosacea. My beauty world expanded. Still everything was good until I started taking my sister to her appointments in November. That was when I started to buy a lot of LE boxes and one-time special boxes. The good news is that the Bianca Jade Summer Quarterly box got me out of my business slump. We emailed back and forth for a little while which helped a lot. She was also encouraging about where I was at physically which helped too.

So now I have lots of products that I can use, but in November and December I used those purchases to deal with my emotions regarding my sister. It's a habit that needs to be broken. Also it upsets me when she comments to me about my weight because she is aware of what happened in the spoiler. It is insensitive.

Still working on my inventory. I am using an excel sheet.

 

[annatomical]

Today I redeemed 250 Ipsy points for a hand cream sample.  This was something I legitimately wanted and didn't get in my Ipsy bag when it was offered a few months ago.  As per my own set of rules I can continue with my existing subscription boxes but I can't subscribe to any new ones.  This is a decision I can live with because it isn't an additional out-of-pocket expense. 

 

[kawaiisofoxy]

Received a package today (one of my two allowed monthly subs!) and that totally helped with my craving to  buy pretties!  I did spend a ton of money, but it was all on bills. :angry:    And spending money on bills makes me want to spend money on ME.  Thankfully, I had tracking to let me know that pretties would soon be mine!  It totally got me through the day.

So when I went to Walmart today, I avoided the beauty section.  I didn't get out entirely unscathed, because I was planning to *only* buy a shoe rack, but I ended up buying the shoe rack, dish soap (we're almost out, and I wanted the Dawn soap to try some Pinterest cleaning recipes!), toilet bowl cleaner (can't run out of that. Ick.), a 10-pack of hangers (now that I've organized the closet, I ran out of hangers!), a canvas storage cube (that was too big, and will be returned tomorrow, $6 back into my pocket), and.... sponge paintbrushes.  CRAFT SUPPLIES.  I know.  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> But the one craft project that I know I'm going to do soon is painting red crosses on the little canvas bins that will hold our medicines in the linen closet, and I only have regular paintbrushes, which are not gonna work for dabbing paint onto canvas.  But it was only $3, and I have ideas for summer crafts once I'm done.  

So I went about $9 over what I wanted to spend, but most of that was on cleaning/storage supplies I needed.  And that's so much better than throwing a nail polish into the cart, a lipstick here, some face wipes there, and before I know it, I've added $20 into the cart.  I am improving!  

Also!  I found that some of the canvas bins I was planning to use in my closet work perfectly in my linen closet (which means I can get bigger bins for my closet later.  That linen closet is TINY), and the baskets I was using for shoes (the new shoe rack looks amazing!) can now be used on my husband's side of our closet.  Which is money I don't have to spend!  Remember, before you go out to find organizational stuff, look around your house!  I'm totally going to use some of the boys' old Easter baskets (with the handles snipped off) as storage in their closet!

That's my ramble for the night.  I realize my 100 Days is a lot more about organization/cleaning than makeup temptations (which I still have, I promise.  Every. Single. Day.), so if this gets annoying, please let me know!   

So proud of us!  15 days down!  We've done 5 days 3 times!  We're amazing!

 

[kawaiisofoxy]

@@greendaisy I totally used "supporting small businesses" as my justification to go indie-crazy in 2014.  And I still fully support indies, I'm slowly switching all my makeup/skincare/bath stuff to indie, but I need to work through my conventional stash first.  And I keep telling myself that!  I can't help keep indies in business if I go bankrupt buying their stuff!   :lol:

@@annatomical I think that's a great "purchase"!  You didn't spend money, it's an item you wanted for months, but have resisted so far, so it's well thought out, and you're not opening yourself up for more temptation.  Awesome!

@@PA Anna I'm so sorry for all the losses you experienced last year, both personal and professional  :hugs3: You definitely deserved to spoil yourself for awhile, and do what you needed to do to maintain your emotional health.  It's so good that you're recognizing and taking steps to improve your shopping habits, and working to build a resistance to your sisters unkind comments.  We are always here to encourage and give you all the virtual hugs you want!

 

[ZeeOmega]

@@PA Anna  :hugs3:   :hugs3:   :hugs3:   :hugs3:

 

[annatomical]

@@annatomical I think that's a great "purchase"!  You didn't spend money, it's an item you wanted for months, but have resisted so far, so it's well thought out, and you're not opening yourself up for more temptation.  Awesome!

Thank you for your kind words and for supporting this decision.   /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Megan27ist]

That's my ramble for the night.  I realize my 100 Days is a lot more about organization/cleaning than makeup temptations (which I still have, I promise.  Every. Single. Day.), so if this gets annoying, please let me know!

You're posts actually inspire/remind me that I have a lot of cleaning and organizing I should be doing instead of makeup shopping.

My inventory is complete! There is so. much. stuff.  A lot of it is stuff that I don't know what it is and how to use it, I'm going to have to do some reading up on how they are used.  Last night, I was going to paint my nails, but rather get up and get the box of polishes, I started swatching my already opened blushes and once I was done with that, I started to swatch my eyeshadows.  Most of them I've never swatched before, I just started wearing them once I got my hands on them.  But now that I have an idea of what they look like, it should help me get a great look out of them.

Egh, I just remembered 2 more eyeshadow palettes that I have hiding in my medicine cabinet.

 

[caffeinatedhoarder]

Day 15 and no purchases because I absolutely can't afford anything right now. I'm going to coast through January because I have no funds. I'm not sure if it really counts as a no-buy as much as it's a can't-buy lol. Of course my HG eyeliner (Stila's Stay All Day liquid liner) is starting to run out. Makes sense since I use it every single time I put on makeup but I can't afford to replace it any time soon. Guess I'm going to have to get reacquainted with those gel liners I haven't touched in months. At least I'll be using some more things in my stash now! 

85 more days, peeps!

 

[missionista]

Feeling really good about this section of the no-buy.  I've painted my fingernails, and worn eyeshadow the past 2 days, bringing my total to 5 days of eyeshadow in a row!  I'm not sure when the last time I did that was... So now I've finished the goals for the section, and I'm going to try to continue wearing eyeshadow over the next few days.  I'm trying to think about how best to go through my eye and lip stash.  

I went to Sephora tonight to get my birthday gift.  I thought about my inventory, and opted for the skincare, which I don't have so much of and will actually USE, rather than the lipsticks, which are pretty, but which I already have way too much of.  It was a little frightening just how enticing that store is.  It was hard to stop myself from looking at all the goodies.  But I felt good for being strong, and not looking, just getting the gift.

Stay strong for the next few days, everyone!  We can do this!

 

[missionista]

Oh, and forgot to add--@@PA Anna (and anyone else who had a rough year or two and turned to retail therapy), may 2015 be far, far better.  I hope you (we) all find support and community and hope, and do not have to try to get these things through shopping.

 

[mollybb]

I did go on a small spending spree today but none of it was beauty-related so I'm still good, right? My sister and I have been talking about getting an actual theme for our blog (not just a basic free one) for awhile. I've been looking at a lot of blogs to see what I like and went through a bunch of themes yesterday. I was able to talk her into the less expensive one because it actually had things we needed (she wanted one that was twice the price because it had a cute picture layout option that we would almost never use). I also picked up some photo props for cheap and bought some really cute baking items (that were all either on sale or I had coupons for them). So while I did spend a little bit, it was stuff that we've been planning and I will actually use all of it.