What are your top three tips for resisting the temptation of a new product?
1.) Unsubscribe/unfollow any brand or people you find particularly too tempting too often–I think this works well for marketing emails or fast brands (like ColourPop) so that you don’t feel inundated with new, new, new or buy, buy, buy. There are some people who may post a good mix of content that isn’t as product-focused while others may share your aesthetic and tempt you too much to indulge in a new favorite.
2.) Clearly articulate your current goals (and why you need/should resist purchasing new products) — I think if you can articulate why, e.g. paying off a student loan or going on a vacation, it makes it easier to keep your eye on the prize.
3.) Dupe it with what you have, whether that’s duping the vibe or aesthetic, and it might be very similar dupes or close-enough dupes or mixing two different shades to create what you’re tempted by.
Here’s what I do. First, I see if I have any dupes. Second, I try to avoid reading/watching reviews of that product. Third, I’ll wait at least a couple weeks and see if the desperate urge to buy it fades away (it often does). Bonus tip: If it’s a limited edition, I hope that it sells out before I get to it!
I just of a really important tip—more important than the ones I already mentioned: Stay off the computer after I’ve taken my sleeping pill!!!
Haha I hear you, the struggle is real!! #Ambienmademedoit
#ambienmademedoit
As a widow, I’m always reminded as to how tight my budget is.
1. Consider the cost of groceries!
2. Remind myself that I may already have an identical shade in a different product. I find myself duplicating shades via various brands often.
3. Carefully read reviews. This way I can carefully decide whether I can/should/would purchase the tempting item.
1. I’ve just finished unsubscribing to a whole wack of beauty and fashion sites. I do this every year around this time when the marketing gets insane and I feel bombarded by temptation. So great point, Christine.
2. Play the waiting game. I frequently add items to my basket and let myself cool off for a few days, and in many cases, I end up removing the item(s) and not purchasing. I have 5 items sitting in my Sephora basket right now. There is only one 1 product I know I need.
3. Take the time to set up your vanity on Temptalia. Check for dupes. It has saved me from myself countless times.
3.
LOVE the Vanity feature for organization and dupe cheking!
1. Pull all of my makeup out and really look at it as a whole. Being able to see everything makes me realize I actually need nothing.
2. Unsubscribe from mailing lists.
3. When I feel like I’m going (or just tempted to go) overboard with my spending, I will actually block websites on my phone and computer for a while to stop perusing, this avoiding impulse purchases.
My credit card bill is a very good inspiration! Really, having a budget worked out for each month where you add up your monthly expenses from housing to bills and food and see how much you really have for this kind of purchases really helps. Decluttering only seems to create more space for unnecessary purchases for me.
1. Do I have a dupe?
2. Am I reaching my financial goals?
3. When and how often am I going to use it? Plus, when am I going to use up the make up I already have?
4. Do I have space? I got myself some organizers and all the slots are full. Unless one suddenly clears up, I literally don’t have a space for it.
Number 3 and 4 are incredibly practical and helpful. Thanks!
I have zero tips. I am constitutionally incapable of resisting new makeup baubles. People like me allow brands to behave badly, overcharge, and under-deliver, because they know we’re suckers for a pretty shiny thing.
The times I don’t buy something is if for some reason I didn’t get it when I saw it and forgot about it, got distracted by another new thing, or somehow by divine intervention I realized it wasn’t going to work for me.
The only active thing I do to manage my makeup addiction is follow Christine’s blog and at least that keeps me away from stuff that doesn’t perform well. She has saved me thousands $$$.
1. Hide your credit cards. I’ve found that this is the key to keeping me from impulsively buying, because I have to consciously go to my house, dig out my credit card, and go to the store to purchase.
2. Stop buying online. Online shopping is designed to be addictive, but I found I was much less likely to use (and therefore keep) things I’ve purchased online. If I take some time with the product, sample or at least swatch it in-store first, and give myself a week before deciding to buy it, I was much less likely to (see above) dig out my credit card and go back to the store to buy it.
3. Spend some time with the makeup you currently have. Some people do “shop my stash,” or something like it, but I’ve found that I need to work more organically, and just play with what I already have. Sometimes, I’ll take off and do my makeup 4-5 times at night before I go to bed just to explore what I already have, and that usually gets rid of the obsession for a new product.
This amazing advice! #3 helped me just last week! I was tempted with Hourglass ambient powders but saw I had a wet n wild reserve my cabana, which is excellent as a finishing powder. Totally didn’t need that dupe!
My main tip is to set purchasing a new item as a reward for reaching a goal of some sort. An item is far more likely to mean something that way.
I’ve found that by doing that, I don’t have to worry about being within budget because I haven’t been spending like a bandit in the interim. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to spend $150 recently worry free!
I should also explain that having to wait until a goal is reached means the lure of having to have something NOW has to be ignored and you’re more likely to realize you didn’t even need the item to begin with it.
Excellent points!
1. Avoidance: Unsubscribe from brand and blogger emails, avoid haul videos on YouTube, etc.
2. Shop your stash for dupes.
3. Let shopping carts sit for a few days. Nine times out of ten, I don’t buy what’s in them after I’ve had a couple days to think about it.
In general, I don’t resist temptation when I have that feeling that this is a product I want, will use and is a good product. When I feel that my spending has gotten out of control or I like the product but one of the three points above is not applicable then I try to delay purchase until a later date, say my next paycheck, and if I still want it I will try and get a sample or just outright purchase it. Again, in general, I have unsubscribed from a lot of makeup channels on YouTube as I was feeling that I was seeing the same thing over and over and a lot of the time it isn’t something I want or will use. I also seemed to have developed a bit of an issue with just not loving many of the channels that I use to watch religiously. Temptalia has always been the only makeup blog that I follow and has saved me a lot of money. I also will set spending goals and I can be very strict when I have another goal that I am saving towards.
I have little to offer in the form of advice on this subject, since I am clearly a shopaholic with zero self-control!
Your last two suggestions are ones I need to employ ASAP. That first one would be as painful psychologically as a root canal would be physically. Something that’s probably necessary, yet I just cannot work up the gumption currently.
My only piece of advice? After oohing, ahhing, pining over a new-new something; Wait. Give it a week, at bare minimum. Better yet, wait a good solid month to see whether the initial excitement you felt is still there.
I truly believe that there’s just one tip: understanding why you are tempted by purchasing a new product and `fixing the issue`.
Are you tempted because of a make-up addiction or are you just using new make-up as a copping mechanism or feel a void in your life? Go to a specialist or seek some for of guidance/help. Are you tempted because shopping helps with bore? Find a new hobby. Are you tempted because make-up gives you status? Find other ways to fulfill yourself. Are you tempted because your make-up collection is boring and doesn’t really fit you? Declutter everything, buy just the things you really love and need.
Are you tempted because you are a make-up collector? Well… people collect stamps, books, cars, purses… to each their own. If it’s just a collection, not a hoarding issue, why not enjoy it?
I personally follow more than the usual Jane the beauty industry, but I’m not tempted. I still receive marketing emails, I’m still loaded with information and advertisement, but I’m not tempted. I have the finances, but I’m not tempted. I have a small collection so I don’t have dupes for most things, but I’m not tempted.
Why? Because I understood the make-up I really need and want. I still love make-up. But sometimes the temptation is `fake`. Sometimes it’s enough to try in store a lipstick shade or swatch a new eyeshadow palette.
But to add a bonus tip for the people who look to be more sustainable, please remember that most make-up packaging is not recyclable. Each time you purchase things you won’t even use up, you are generating more and more waste in the world.
I’m not an advocate for renouncing all make-up for earths sake, I’m not bashing anyone for having large make-up collections and I do understand it’s a job for someone (like Christine)… but if one year someone resists temptation for 5 palettes… well… that’s 5 palettes out of a landfill. Than multiply it. 🙂
My three tips for resisting temptation are:
1. Look at the dupe list for the shades you love – do you already have it?
2. Would you use all of the product, half, third – if you would actually use more than 70% of it, then it is a possibility. If you like less than that percentage, it is not worth it.
3. Is it too expensive, hard to access? Leave it. There will be something else coming out soon enough that will be better. What are the reviews like? Has it rated well on this blog?
Interesting. I have not lived in my native USA for 12 years. I live in a country where very little makeup is available for purchase (and what little is here is ridiculously expensive). I’ve gotten out of the habit of buying so much makeup simply because it is unavailable!
My 3 tips:
1) I find watching YouTubers actually decreases my desire to buy new makeup- I get a vicarious thrill watching them open, swatch & use the products.
2) Find someone whose opinions you trust ( a blog like this or other sources) to get an idea if something is even worth purchasing. There are a lot of expensive duds and overpriced products that are easily dupe-able out there.
3) Shop your stash and be realistic about what you’ll actually use. Do an inventory of what you have. I have 28 blushes that are either mauve-y pink, dusty rose, or muted coral. I really do not need another blush for the rest of my life. I also have 12 different metallic eyeshadows which I only use on ‘glam’ occasions- I’ll never need another of those for the rest of my life too. Remember that cream, liquid, and a lot of things like gel pencils go bad in a year or 2 – are you going to really be able to use that product up in that amount of time?
My tips: 1) I follow accounts where people buy what they personally like and look to get more from what they already own. I stopped following accounts that report every new release and ask what people are getting, or who rush out to get a collection so they can be the first to show their viewers. It’s a level of consumerism that doesn’t work for me. 2) With some exceptions, I prefer to wait and buy cosmetics when they’re on sale or when they eventually come to the CCO. Not only does this make me feel that I’m spending my money wisely, but it causes a delay in feeling a need to buy now. 3) I physically see what I already own. Lately, I’ve started to question what more I need. I’m especially noticing that the pace of launches, even if I buy minimally, outpaces my ability to spend the amount of time I want with what I’ve bought. I also really enjoy finishing products (lipsticks, cleansers, foundations, liquid illuminators, setting powders, foundation sticks, etc.) and this is reinforcing my wish to enjoy what is already on hand.
I’m not the person to ask about resisting. Usually I just delay the purchase rather than resisting-wait until I know I both want it and can afford it.
I can’t resist… Any cosmetic company that offers AFTER PAY, can have my money!… ??♀️