Because my no-spend categories for this season are makeup, books, and alcohol, I'm letting myself spend a little more on some things that I've told myself for a long time that I just can't afford. These include some pricey health supplements and a slew of herbs, essential oils, and other ingredients for making some things (some gifts, some for me). All of this stuff will benefit my health far more than more makeup would. I may have a spending problem, but I'm glad I'm redirecting it to something I can truly feel good about!
Passing up yesterday's Smashbox lunchtime deal was HARD. I really want that brush set! But I'm so proud of myself....it's going well! I know many of the holiday sets won't be available in January, but those that are will (hopefully) be on great sales and I'll be able to pick up something that I love =)
I have my eye on a LE Laura Mercier palette but I know I don't need it. I recently discovered this brand and purchased several kits from her website that were on clearance. So I REALLY don't need this one.
I know that sick post-holiday shopping binge feeling so well and hate it. Many products that I purged from my stash were those discounted holiday sets. I didn't need them when they were on sale and I certainly don't need them one year later.
I am going to put a post it with "wasteful is never a good deal" in my wallet right now!
"Wasteful is never a good deal" needs to be taped to my computer! I would say my card...but I have that memorized.
I made one purchase so far. There are two items I want from Sephora/Ulta but I will NOT buy them for myself. If my mom or someone asks I will tell her but until then I know they are items I do not need.
There is one brand in particular I'm going to have trouble saying no to, so I think I will allow myself two purchases from them.
I'm now 100% certain that I won't be getting anything from Sephora's Black Friday specials. As I was sifting through all of my stuff to give away, I couldn't help but notice that there were several items in the pass on pile that I bought from the Black Friday deals. Ugh.
Okay, I've thought about it some more and there are a few things I'm going to allow myself to buy if there is a good sale, because I legitimately need them or KNOW I'll use them:
-A blush. I have no blush at all right now.
-Some bath bombs. I am running very low.
-Some candles. Also starting to run low.
- Yes to Cucumber Wipes. I use these on a daily basis.
-Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle. I also use this on a daily basis.
Eugh, I have been so weird about this- I've made a huge list, then whittled it down, then built it back up, and I just keep flip-flopping. I need to sit down and just tell myself what I can and cannot do. I'll be posting how I planned my holiday spending here, and what I'll do to stay on track.
Hope everyone is still doing well with their planning!
Eugh, I have been so weird about this- I've made a huge list, then whittled it down, then built it back up, and I just keep flip-flopping. I need to sit down and just tell myself what I can and cannot do. I'll be posting how I planned my holiday spending here, and what I'll do to stay on track.
Hope everyone is still doing well with their planning!
Totally in the same boat. I make a quasi-reserved list (for me), see some things I want to add, get disgusted with myself that I'm even thinking about adding to the list given my current stash, get disgusted with myself that I'm even buying at all, vow to not buy anything, and then see some more pretties and decide the quasi-reserved list is okay. And repeat.
Totally in the same boat. I make a quasi-reserved list (for me), see some things I want to add, get disgusted with myself that I'm even thinking about adding to the list given my current stash, get disgusted with myself that I'm even buying at all, vow to not buy anything, and then see some more pretties and decide the quasi-reserved list is okay. And repeat.
That's exactly what's happening in my head! Especially the part where I turn around and then get disgusted that' I'm planning on buying anything! Eugh.... right now I don't even know what I'm getting and what I'm sick of looking at, hahah!
Since there's so much waffling going on in my head, I'm tempted to just keep putting off the purchases, so as to enlongate my no buy, but then I'll miss the
I'm still waiting on a few companies to release their offerings before I decide my final list, but I think I'm getting there. I'm going to have a firm list for the actual items I know I want to buy, and then a small budget ($50 I think?) to take advantage of random things that come up--like Ulta points promos (I need some new brushes!) or some indie product I must try. [Edited to add: but that $50 can NOT be used to get things in my "problematic" categories--eyes, lips, and cheeks--just on things like body/bath products, brushes, a deal on my BB cream, etc.]
Okay, here are the specific treating-myself items I'm planning on getting (i.e., things I totally don't need but just want):
Either the Urban Decay Full Frontal mini lippies set OR a Bite Beauty set. As of right now, all I've seen that Bite is releasing is the lip pencils. If that is all they are releasing, I'll get the UD instead (the lip pencils don't interest me as much). But if they do come out with a lipstick set, I may get that instead of Full Frontal, depending on colors and price point.
I *think* I'm going to get the Too Faced Melted Kisses set during the Sephora 20% off promo. I'm guessing that I will only want to try/use the two lighter colors in the kit, which would normally make this a bad buy, but I'm hoping that I'll get a Secret Santee that likes dark lippies or wants to try TF Melteds!
The Tarte mini $10 set with a blush and a cheek highlight. This will fulfill my Tarte blush craving (lusting after this year's palette, like I mentioned!) for much less money!
Stila In the Know eyeshadow palette. I know this isn't a holiday item, but I heard they might be discontinuing this and I've wanted it forever. I ended up liking this more than any of the eyeshadow palettes I've seen from the holiday season, so I figured why not get this instead? I'm hoping it comes back in stock on Birchbox so I can get it with points!
Right now, assuming I don't get anything at a discount, my list totals $113. I'm assuming I'll be able to get at least 20% off on most of them, so hopefully it ends up being under $100!
And then I am planning on getting a few value sets during the various Sephora sales/gift bag promos of things I already use and love:
A L'Occitane hand cream set with 5 hand creams. These are my favorite hand cream, and I tend to go through hand lotion pretty quickly, so I think stocking up is okay in this case! And I'm being good by resisting the 10 piece set anyway, haha.
An Ole Henriksen skincare set. I'm leaning toward the 3 Little Wonders Bonus Collection because aside from the face wash, the 3 little wonders are HG products for me! (And I like the face wash too). And amazingly, I don't have a super hoarded stash of skincare products right now!
A $10 Blinc mascara set, if Sephora runs that promo again during Black Friday.
A $10 Caudalie hand cream/chapstick set, if they run that promo again during Black Friday too! Caudalie hand cream is a close second to L'Occitane (can you tell my hands are super dry?!).
If I stick to these lists, I will CERTAINLY still letting myself indulge in the holiday deals and sets, and I really shouldn't feel deprived at all. But at the same time, I'll be sticking to a preset budget and not letting myself get caught up in every good review or new deal that comes out. Now the hard part--doing it!
Well, one of my planned purchases already sold out at Sephora, and I don't see it at Ulta. It is still in stock at other places, but I like consolidating my purchases at Sephora and Ulta just to get the points. Not sure what I'm going to do on that particular set. AND the non-holiday item that I had planned on purchasing during the Sephora discount (before the product is discontinued) is also currently sold out. Maybe it will come back in stock by then, but if not, I'll buy it elsewhere I suppose.
But now this is making me panic that the other holiday sets that are on my allowed list are going to sell out soon. I was hoping to wait for the Sephora sale AND practice a little delayed gratification, but I don't want to miss out on the remaining couple of sets I was planning on buying. What to do??
Nothing makeup for the holidays for me, I think. There's nothing that's been screaming must have and working through what I DO have has been an eye opener to say the least. If I invest in one thing it might be a good blush and powder brush for christmas...I've been eyeing some from hakuhodo, but we'll see.
Ok so I told you ladies about what I was doing to try to help create my holiday wish list. I'm still working on it. I'm glad I am being so diligent about it because it's making me 1) think about it more and 2) time is going by, making the impulse to buy a little weaker every day.
So, I went to polyvore.com to put together a collage of all the things I want to buy myself over the holidays. I gradually whittled it down, and then I printed it off. Then I wrote down the prices of all the items, and gave them a number. (You don't have to do this if you're working online, as it stores the name, price, etc., but I was working on paper, so I did this.)
Then I make a list of each numbered item and write down why I think I should or shouldn't get it.
It's actually helping! I've gone from a list of $400 to one of $230. But like I said, I'm still waffling about everything. But when you work on paper and have already crossed something out with an x, and wrote a reason why you shouldn't get it, it's kind of hard to go back. In this way it's way better than a regular online wishlist.
Here's what it looks like (I'll put spoilers on it so as not to tempt anyone with my list:
Prices in red, number in black.
And here's my list of reasons:
Please ignore my chicken scratch!
I hope this helps someone!
Please share how you're thinking about what you're going to allow yourself to buy this holiday!!!!
Thanks you two! It's an idea inspired by @@jaylilee because she had a notebook she was writing in. I can't remember what exactly. @@jaylilee - have you kept up with that practice?
I'm bouncing back from being in survival mode from last September thru this past June. There were lots of health things going on for me and then my mom became really ill AND fractured her back (she's 78).
Once life settled down, I over-rewarded myself a wee bit and although I'm in a good place with my purchases, I need to stop this train before it derails. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
My problem areas: lips, hand creams and citrusy stuff.
My goals:
buy no more than one thing a week after I've thought about it for a minimum of three days
keep my Black Friday/Cyber Monday spending under $100 (the only caveat to #1 above)
no online buying between midnight and 6AM (I have NO impulse control during these times!)
when I'm tempted to buy, clean something for 30 minutes and see if the urge goes away
What I've accomplished so far:
Wanted:
UD Full Frontal**
UD Shadow Box**
UD Liner set of 10
Philosophy Bubbly -- Congrats
Philosophy Bubbly Trio
Philosophy Holiday Hand Cream Trio
L'Occitane Zesty Lime Trio
L'Occitane Hand Cream Trio
L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil
L'Occitane Cuticle Oil**
QVC Advent Calendar**
Jo Malone Lime Basil and Mandarin anything**
Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt anything**
Lush Mint Julep Lip Scrub**
Smashbox Santigold Palette**
Butter London Wink Eye Shadow**
Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream**
Tarte Rainforest After Dark**
Molton Brown Lime Patchouli Hand Wash**
Nest Holiday 3-wick Candle**
Nest Blue Garden Hand Cream**
Nest Blue Garden Hand Wash**
Marcelle BB Gold Set**
Micro-Pedi Extra Course rollers**
Atelier Orange Sanguine**
Thanks you two! It's an idea inspired by @@jaylilee because she had a notebook she was writing in. I can't remember what exactly. @@jaylilee - have you kept up with that practice?
Yes I have! I keep the notebook on my vanity /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> It's really helpful and so invigorating to see my list of "used up" items grow, plus it reminds me what I'd like to buy and what won't be repurchased.
I love your print out with pictures! if I wasn't so lazy I'd do the same, lol but writing them down works just as well for me (again, I'm lazy).
/emoticons/
