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CaliMommy Avatar

Ha! I actually tried doing this a couple months ago after Sephora’s F&F sale and failed miserably. My “no-buy” period lasted for about two weeks before I cracked and bought something for myself. I’m trying to jump back on my ban since it’s the start of a New Year. Wish me luck!

Autumn Avatar

I tried, but it didn’t work 🙂 there is always something catching my eye. Luckily I do my research so I don’t tend to overbuy like I use to.

AnGeLwInGz Avatar

I usually limit myself to a seasonal splurge (gotta keep up with each spring/summer/fall/winter collection) and then only buy a fresh mascara every 2-3 months, and drug store items when they go on sale.

Brittany Avatar

yes! new years resolution.. no clothes or make up till summer! (exceptions are if i run out of my foundation or something i use everyday but thats it!). this is the first time doing this! wish me luck!

fiaspice Avatar

lol, most of the time. Beeing on a really tight budget, I have too. But I think I’m gonna undulge myself with christmass money with my first MAC product.

Brenda Avatar

I’ve tried, and done it once or twice for a few months. Once with the help of my mother (i gave her all my debit/credit cards). I’m trying to go back on it now!!!

Nic Avatar

Yes. I’ve been on a no-buy (for the first time ever) since October, when I lost my job. It’s not absolute (I paid a little in addition to a giftcard I received to get a couple of things at MAC last week), but I’m amazed at how good I’ve been! I’m frugal when I need to be. 🙂

Deconstruction Avatar

Yes, and I have done it for far more than just beauty products. One January a few years ago I bought NOTHING that was not food or basic toiletries. I cannot believe how much I saved in just that one month. It helped that January is a very cold month and I didn’t really feel like going anywhere after work or during the weekends.

Ashley Avatar

Yes, all the time.
Like when I don’t have any actual money, or when I don’t get a chance to get my parents to buy me things.
If I had a steady stream of money coming in and had an easy way of getting to all of the stores I like (without having to take a bus), then no, I’d never do that. I can barely even limit myself to the specific products I need to pick up when I go shopping, and I always end up spending 2-3 times longer in the store than I meant to.

Nicci Avatar

I tried to do it with lipgloss/lipstick and was good for a month but caved in when I went to Nordstrom during my lunch break 🙂 The plan was not to buy anymore lip products till I am done with all of the ones I have.

kp7* Avatar

are you kidding? i do this all the time and i never follow thru…. theres always something out there that i feel like i need to try out.

baybee415 Avatar

yeah i did when i dont go to read blogs and i keep myself watching movies. hahha so i dont find out what’s new. since i know that i am still in a budget, i dont buy that much because at the same time i still have makeup that i dont use or it is sitting there..

Carol Avatar

I’ve succeeded a couple times, but it was more out of necessity than voluntarily, lol. I think I need to try one for a few months, I’ve had two big hauls lately!

Wilcoa Avatar

I have but it tends to never work unless I’m in classes since then I’m stuck in the books and can’t really make it out to the stores often.

amy Avatar

Yes, the longest I went is about 3-4 months and I succeeded. I tried to do that again for the month of December 2009 where I only buy skin care items and try to skip out on makeup but I completely forgot about the Warm and Cozy and Love Lace launches and ended up buying makeup. I am going set myself up for a no buy for two weeks, which is when I get paid again. I know Lilyland is launching this week but I really need to hold out until I get paid. However, I have enough containers to B2M something to treat myself from Lilyland.

Dini Avatar

I’ve tried, but regretted it later! With so many collections with limited edition colors and palettes, it is hard to stick to a no-buy plan. I find myself eying eBay for limited edition colors and products once the no buy period is over (products at exorbitant prices, of course). My new rule is to buy only what I absolutely love and would use the next day without exception.

Inky Avatar

yes actually I did in November, along with a friend and we called it the November No-Spender Bender. It wasn’t limited to beauty products – it covered all unnecessary spending and it was a great success. I’m doing it this month with another friend – it really helped me focus my spending overall.

Lorna Avatar

Yes, but then some sale comes along that makes me break it. For example, since I spent so much on NARS e/s duos for winter, I was on a no buy right up until the NARS concealer duo went from $30 to $10 at Sephora. I think I bought about 7 of them since it’s in my shade. I will have one for my purse, one for my dresser, one for my overnight bag, one for my travel bag and then three backups. Then dermalogica products are buy 2 and get 1 free at Ulta right now. Since my new year’s resolution is to focus on maintaing a clear complexion and using more SPF to protect my skin, this whole no-buy thing went completely out the window. Thankfully the only MAC collection I am looking forward to is the one with the greasepaint sticks and that doesn’t come out until March or April. I think I am safe for while since I have kept away from the MAC winter collections except for the pigments during Christmas. I think I can keep my makeup buying light for the spring and focus on other things…

Rosanna Avatar

Just recently. From November till Christmas, I told myself no make-up purchasing until Christmas. (I did a Back 2 MAC in December but it’s not a purchase so it doesn’t count, lol!)

Mariella Avatar

omg…i have…i gave up buying makeup for the entire lenght of lent last year…and it was really hard…especially for some odd reason all the good sales were going on around that time…:( but i was proud of myself that i didnt break it..lol

Katya Avatar

i personally have limit myself once in a while!!!!!!!!! and it does work for me perfectly!!! i just think that if i really need something or i just want it, and if i just want it it could wait!!

Zoffe Avatar

I don’t think it would work 😛
I do try to limit myself (or I would end up spending all my money on makeup, lol) and I think that works better than telling myself not to buy anything at all.

dolce aria Avatar

I research a lot so I don’t buy without ogling the product quite a bit before. I’ve tried doing no buys, but most of hte time it gets broken really soon by special occasions. Way back when, i discovered that if I let myself, i’d reward myself with food for “a good day at work”, or other really stupid things. Wasted money, and diet sabotage and paranoia. So I just let myself buy something small that’s NOT edible as a reward instead. Better to buy makeup, than to have to buy a BUNCH of new clothes, right?

Amelia Avatar

yes, I didn’t buy any new mac products since the Hello Kitty collection, so like you can see it’s been a while, I’m very frustrated and I’m dying of envy whenever a new collection comes out but I’m tight on money so it’s not like I have any choice

igswonderworld Avatar

I have tried it but it fails almost all the time. The only time it works is if I have something that I’ve been waiting for and I absolutely hate the stuff that are out at the moment, such as MAC holiday collections. I usually don’t care for the sets and I don’t ever want to spend that much on a makeup bag with brushes.. So I tell myself no buy until this particular collection comes out. During that period I don’t even buy the permanent items I might need and therefore when the collections come out I purchase less – since I opt for the LE than the perm ones.

Nicole Avatar

I’m doing a project 3 lips right now and it is really hard not to buy lip products. But I have to be stong to resist, because I have too much lip stuff.

kristina Avatar

I don’t really see the point of these, If one can’t afford something then isn’t that a no-buy? I don’t live outside of my means, with everything, including m/u.

dancepig Avatar

Yes, I’ve tried, and seems I more than make up for the no-buy when the no-buy is over. The space constraints of my house are putting me on a no-buy now.

JoElla Avatar

“No buy” is just so damn harsh! *wails*

What works for me is going on “buy only what you need” phases. That way I don’t feel bad if I buy something, and I feel like I can still purchase. Doing this doesn’t make me crazy or feel guilty if I do purchase something. Think of it as “no buy lite” LOL

Leni Avatar

How can you when every 2 weeks Mac comes out with something new !! The two WORST WORDS ARE …. LIMITED EDITION….if it wasnt for those wicked words I would def behave when it comes to buying !!

Jessica Avatar

Ah Christine… I try and try and it’s just not working!!! One of my new years resolutions was to not buy any makeup for unknown time frame (because I am saving up for a BlackBerry). But yesterday, I set foot in a drugstore to buy a birthday gift for one of my close friends (she loves Revlon and it was on sale), and that was the end of my decision. I gave in. But… I am back on track today!! I say no more, gotta do this 🙂

Melia Avatar

I’m actually on a no-buy now. No more eyeshadows till I finish at least one, I shop my stash when I want a new color, because 9 times out of 10, I will already have it. The only thing I could never stop buying is nail polish.

Catherine Avatar

I’ve tried numerous times… but I don’t succeed. If I know there’s a really good collection coming soon (ie: MAC Color Forecast) I’ll go cheap on other collections, but I cannot deprive myself 🙂

Silvia Avatar

I did this past june/july. I saw all my make-up in the bathroom and realized that I have so much and I had the feeling that I don’t use it accordingly. There were lipsticks I did not wear etc. And so I figuered I will not buy new stuff but enjoy the ones I have and experiment with them! It was not a strict rule, I allowed mysef to buy something if I really wanted it. But 3 months went by and I did not buy anything. I guess none of the collection persuaded me, so it was not difficult.

Catherine Avatar

I tried and was successful for about two months during the summer, and then totally fell off the bandwagon once Fall Quarter started and the stress was killing me. I’m trying to start a no-buy again though. In addition to trying to cure my shopholism, I’m also trying to save up for a graduation trip!

Anitacska Avatar

Not really. To be honest, I’ve only got into buying this much make up about 18 months or so ago, I did have plenty before, but not high end and certainly not this much. So back then I wouldn’t buy much for weeks or months, and there was no need for no-buy periods. Since then I haven’t really wanted to do that as there were always so many things I wanted. But if I spend a lot one month, I will try to spend less the next. I spent a huge amount on cosmetics on eBay in November, so I’ve tried to spend a lot less in December which worked really well, and in fact I’ve only bought 3 things in the last 2 weeks which is huge for me. (That’s only eBay though, I’ve bought a few other, mainly drugstore items as well, but really not much.) But with Warm & Cosy and Love Lace coming to the UK this week, I’m sure I’ll be spending plenty at my Mac counter. Hohum.

Catherine Avatar

Yup, right this moment. I’m pretty good at it, too.

I am, however, running out of a couple of my staples, so I will have to make an exception for those…

claudia Avatar

Yes ! I went for over two months without getting any make-up !! The worst thing is, this happened around last October, when Style Black and Dsquared2 came out and I missed almost everything!! I managed to get hold of Young Punk and I’m glad the greasepaintsticks will come back in 2010 ….

Christina Avatar

it’s my new years resolution! i already have enough makeup to last me years. so i’m trying not to buy anything new until i use some of what i have. except foundation, cleanser, and moisturizer, because i don’t think i could live without those.

Alix Avatar

I’m supposed to be on one now! My sister says, stop buying makeup and save for a house. Er, I don’t think makeup money is going to nab me a condo. Besides, why not ask me to give up food, water or some othr necessity??

Moni Avatar

I am currently doing this. I haven’t bought make-up since July. However, I bought much needed products (cleanser, loose powder, moisturizer) during Sephora FF because I ran out of the old one.
I also can’t resist buying 2 Koress lipbutter for less than $5 when Sephora sent out the giftcard email.

I think I’m doing good so far. I told myself that I need to finish 1 lipstick and 1 lipgloss before I can start buying stuff again.

Diane Kristine Avatar

I tried this back in September and I ended up buying 3x more makeup than I would normally buy. It was probably because I knew I wasn’t supposed to and felt so sneaky when I did. Haha!

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