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Are you an impulsive beauty buyer?


Are you an impulsive beauty buyer? What was the last product you bought on impulse?

Sometimes! The last one for me was By Terry’s Baume de Rose!

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Natalie Avatar

I always do reading up before I buy a product, but then I go on a binge buy when stressed. =X It’s a pretty bad habit, so I always end up spending lots of money around exam season.

CKG Avatar

Same here re: stress.
I will do research; read reviews and swatches, look for the best price before purchasing most items but sometimes something just randomly catches my eye and I pick it up/ add it to my cart.

CeeBee Avatar

Amen to that, prices here in NZ are ridiculous.

Having said that, the internet facilitates and several online cosmetics websites do quite nicely out of my frustrations! I tend to find a product with a formula I like and then order every shade – the Rimmel lasting finish colour rush balms are my latest impulse score, I did a scant hour of research and then ordered 10 of them! And it paid off, they’re great!

Brandi Avatar

One of the new MAC Patentpolishes in Sultana. I usually really like MAC lip products so I felt confident that I would like it… and it’s LE so I was like “IT WILL GET GONE GET IT NAO”.

Got it yesterday and I can’t stand it. I should have waited for swatches. It’s going back.

Precious Avatar

A bit, I guess. I always read reviews before purchasing and committing, but whenever I see something I like, I have the tendency to go for it even if said product hasn’t been reviewed yet. At the end of the day, I just cross my fingers and hope that it works well on me. 🙂

Nikki Avatar

Not at all. I basically research items I’m interested in to death. If a product has consistently good reviews, I’ll usually sample the product (if possible), and if I’m impressed, I’ll purchase it. So no, I’m the very opposite of impulsive!

Sarah Avatar

It depends what mood I’m in, especially if I am watching youtube. It makes me want to buy stuff. The latest was a Coastal Scents makeup palette online because my friend was talking about it. I don’t need it but I want it.

Helena Avatar

Sometimes. It happens more often in the drugstore than on things that cost >12$, because sometimes things haven’t really been swatched or reviewed, or it’s limited edition and if I don’t jump on it, it’ll be gone… The majority of my purchases (and many, many things that I decide not to purchase!) have a lot of research behind them.

zainab Avatar

Occasionally, though I usually prefer to research so I know I won’t get any duds. However I did make an order for $60 of indie cosmetics without doing much research. I think the problem for me is shipping, I order a lot of my beauty stuff online and if they have free shipping over $50 or a higher flat rate I tend to order more stuff so the shipping costs are ‘worth it’. Fortunately that hasn’t backfired too much.

Oh, the other thing is LUSH products. Even my son insists on going in there now, he likes the bath bombs.

Hima Avatar

No, I research A TON before I buy something. Unless it’s in a product line I’ve already tried and know is amazing, like those color tattoos xD. But even then, I read a bunch of reviews and saw swatches before I got em. Yeah, it depends on if I know the product line or not.

Judith Avatar

Yes oh yes. But now I’m more of an informed one. Yesterday for example I bought a pot rouge as an impulse buy. But I knew that product had god review before taking the plunge. (I didn’t know they reduce the quantity by more then half with their new packaging though!)

StrangeOne Avatar

I generally go crazy on research before I buy. I’ll look at youtube videos, swatches, read reviews but eventually the steam will die down and I’ll shrug off the impulse to buy. Then one day *boom* I’ll go out and buy it at the speed of lightning.

So I’m very careful about choosing what I want but how I buy it is another matter.

Sassa Avatar

Yes, but almost exclusively with lip products and eyeliners. Everything else I can manage to control my sudden urges and I plan my purchases.

Mariella Avatar

Thanks to beauty blogs like this one and also Makeup Alley, I make fewer impulse buys (or maybe fewer bad purchases) but there are times when I’m just in the mood to “buy SOMETHING” or feel in the need for a treat and then I might buy a little more impulsively or buy something I perhaps really could live without.

Andie Avatar

Not really. I impulse buy clothing items if they are on sale sometimes, but the beauty brands I normally purchase don’t have many sales. I would actually say I’m quite calculated with what I pick up. I find myself much happier with my purchases and returning far fewer things if I do some research beforehand.

Wednesday Avatar

I tend to be fairly methodical: researching products, saving them to wishlists, mulling over them for awhile and then when I have a number of products saved up and hopefully a discount code to apply or at least an attractive eBate rate to apply to purchases, I pull the pin and buy. Occasionally additional non-planned goodies will magically jump into my cart just before checkout..how dat happen? Some LE items, I just spontaneously buy outright if I think they have sellout potential.

grlnxdor Avatar

Usually only with drugstore makeup. Yesterday I picked up two of the Revlon retro shades Jungle Peach and Icy Violet on a whim. Walgreens had buy one get one half off so my wallet was ok with that.

Julie M. Avatar

Yes, I would probably have to admit… I can go for weeks without buying any beauty products, but usually when I suddenly need to replace one of my must-haves – such as mascara – a bunch of other things end up in my cart… Recently I ran out of my Benefit Porefessional (and I cannot live without primer!), so when I went online to repurchase it, two eyeliners found their way into my basket too… Woops!
I really only shop online for beauty products though, because the selection is very limited (and expensive) where I live!

Emy Avatar

Yes, most definitely! I do research on every beauty product I buy, but they’re still impulsive buys (i.e. buys I don’t particularly need).

My latest impulse purchase is Paula’s Choice C15 Serum Booster — mainly because it was on sale.

Lisa Avatar

Not really. Mostly for two reasons, I hate returning products. Not only can it be inconvenient but it’s also disappointing to buy a product and then hate it. So I always make sure to do research, e.g. read reviews, swatch in store, etc. The other reason is I don’t have a large beauty budget. So anything I buy impulsively has to be cheap so I can use the rest of my budget to buy what I really want. Last impulse buy was a package of nail files for a dollar. 🙂

Cynthia Avatar

When Im stressed or upset I go out and buy too many makeup : ( . My last impulse buy was a Giorgio Armani Lipstick in the color Tokyo. Oh well, I love it!

Veronica Avatar

Occasionally, though more often with drug store level products. If I get impulsive on the high end, it’s because I’ve had a vague idea of a product in mind and come across something that works – i.e. I picked up Guerlain’s Coque d’Or on a whim because I’ve been looking for a sheer red for awhile warm enough to stay red on my coloring.

Amanda Avatar

At high-end retailers, almost never. I like to do research before I buy, especially if that product is going to cost me $30+. I can’t tell you the number of times bad reviews have convinced me not to pick up a particular product!

At the drugstore, however, I’m more likely to impulse buy. Most things are so inexpensive that even if they’re garbage, I can write it off as a $5 purchase and not feel too bad about it.

My latest impulse buy was a Gosh Cosmetics Forever Eyeshadow stick that is beautiful and super metallic, but that you can’t really blend out because it’s FULL of glitter – I’m still trying to figure out how to make it work!

Luiza Avatar

I always try to do some research before buying a product, but that doesn’t always happen if there’s a good deal or something. And also I sometimes find myself buying products that people have hated, maybe because I’m stubborn? lol

abigailod Avatar

Generally no, except for lipsticks and Guerlain. New things absolutely excite me but I don’t give in quite too easily. My (too much) loyalty to certain things keep out of trouble. 😉

LU Avatar

I’m usually good about not buying things on the spot. However, when there is a discount involved (Sephora Chic week or F&F, Skinstore or Beauty.com 20% off) I will sneak some new things in my cart that I did not budget for. I tell myself I deserve it since I limit myself to only making large purchases three-four times a year for things I need (skincare, makeup refills) and new things I want to try. I just bought a new Hourglass blush and my first Rouge G Gracia today that I did not budget for, darn Sephora. I also predict another Rouge G in my future before Chic Week is over. LOL!

Denise Avatar

I’m in agreement with the comments posted: I do some research, make a wish list , try and stick with said wish list then go bang my head up against the wall when i walk past a bobby brown or YSL counter and think ‘coo thats nice, I’ll have some of that’ and then get all furtive with my purchases when my long suffering hubby asks me how my day was. He already knows how it was.
I like to think I’m much better when ordering online tho’. Its just that when you are actually in a shop and a limited edition comes out and it looks so nice….Gah! whats a gal to do eh?!

Rosana Sayuri Avatar

Last time I bought without a second thought was the venomous villains and wonder woman mac collections. Amounted altogether to almost a thousand dollars (you spend much more $ to buy things in Brazil but even so, that’s no excuse…)

I was addicted to that feeling you have when you buy something “special”, you know? Since buying things in order to hide the real thing (anxiety) wasn’t actually of any help whatsoever, I decided to give almost everything I had and never used. Fortunately nowadays we have committed beauty bloggers, like Christine, so I read lots of reviews before purchasing anything.

So yeah, I used to be an impulsive beauty buyer, like, a lot. But life is better now. Simpler =)

kjh Avatar

Read up, check reviews, crave for a while, major mental wishlist. If by impulse, you mean unplanned, then yes. I don’t go to S as if it were the grocery store. I check for discontinuations, like Korres or old Pantones I missed, that had a good track record with me, then I’ll go for it. It’s more like wine shopping than grocery shopping….I do both infrequently (makeup + wine). But, if the S store stock has been mauled, especially if I was seeking a specific palette (that’s you, UD Smoked) as a GIFT, and it’s far too gross to give….HTH (How the H&*_?) do you leave empty handed? And there’s always some BITE with my name on it! We need representatives of the entire range of some things, don’t we? And, yeah, I do hear the chorus singing about delusional…

manu gmz Avatar

Yes, especially at Sephora. I would go in to buy something, then grab something else on the way to the counter and end up paying twice as much. It’s really bad for my finances, but I’m trying to be a good girl and fight it. My last one was a Sephora Collection eye shadow.

kellly Avatar

OMG yes!
I frequently buy based on reading reviews of a product, but if I’m first seeing it, if it’s inexpensive, I’m all over it! I do read reviews, tho, and don’t buy what I consider expensive products unless I’ve read reviews of it first.
My latest impulse buy was NYX stick foundation, which was sort of an impulse buy, but I swatched it first and watched how it wore the rest of the day and was happy with it so I then went back and got it.

AmyBS Avatar

I love reading reviews and blog posts about different items, so I always have a long list of wants in my head… sometimes I don’t plan on spending the money, but my car somehow just ends up at Sephora!

Danielle Avatar

I definitely used to be! Lately I have been trying to really think about whether or not I actually need something or if I own something similar. I can get a bit impulsive at the drugstore, though.

kurohana Avatar

No I’m not. I always have to do some research and look at swatches think about it for 1-3 months and them decide how bad i want it before i purchase something.

Leticia Avatar

Unfortunately, I am….. I rarely impulse buy high end makeup, I usually go for a drugstore item, mainly a lipstick or a nail polish. My last ones were a couple of Revlon nail polishes that come in a tube with a color on one side and a glitter on the other. I didn’t like them much, so I should learn my lesson…..

Maddie Avatar

I try to wait for reviews, but when it’s something limited edition and hard to find, I’ll buy everything of the collection that catches my eye and return whatever I don’t like/didn.t work. If I miss out on something that I would’ve loved to have but decided to wait on reviews or decide if I need it, it will HAUNT ME FOREVER!!!!!! (Ariel palette, I’m looking at you, sniff.)

doroffee Avatar

Most of the times I do a lot of research and think it over loads before I buy even the cheapest drugstore product (or at least have an idea that I want to try a new concealer). But I can’t say I can’t be sucked in by a nice color, a limited edition display or a crazy sale. The last impulse buys for me were: two Labello (in the US) Nivea lip balms, because I’ve been interested about them for a while, but I couldn’t justify buying them, but as they were on sale, and the flavours were intriguing… and an Essence Effect Nail Polish in the shade Glitz and Glam, because it has the prettiest greenish shimmery base with specks of soft pink glitter in it, it looks stunning,

Lotus Avatar

I’m not usually an impulsive beauty buyer but tonight I was so thrilled to donate And after so much hard work, I finally decided to splurge on 2 YSL Golden Glosses! 😀 I’m so Glad I did! They’re being discontinued and I’ve never tried them, plus the two shades I bought ate perfect spring/summer lick me ups and I got 15% off. 🙂 All will be reviewed when my site is finally in operation but this will be the only implies buy for me for awhile.. I really hope they work out! <333

Melissa Avatar

Sometimes yes, I went to the MAC counter yesterday to purchase two lipsticks and one lipglass. I ended up buying another creme blush by Chanel in Chamade impulsively. I go through spurts of impulsive buying, fortunately it’s not very frequent.

Haley Avatar

I usually end up kind of planning my shopping trip to Sephora or Ulta. If I don’t I can get pretty stressed because I want a lot more than I can get at a time! I have made few impulse buys, and somehow they usually get returned! 🙂

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