Generally speaking, I’m not. Well, not since a few years ago I discovered beauty blogs and reviews. I used to pop into Sephora, pick whatever catches my eye and be done with it. Of course, I’d end up with a lot of products that either don’t suit me or are too similar to each other (I kept buying MLBB lipsticks, for example). Nowadays I do much more research and planning. I still succumb to an occasional impulse buy, but I’m more likely to go home, look for dupes in my stash, check reviews online and Temptalia’s dupe list etc. Of course, if there’s a discount/clearance/GWP, I find it harder to stick to my plan.

Sometimes I am. A few products I’ve purchased on impulse, I’m really glad about as the impulse that drew me to them was what makes them great to use. It’s funny, though – not all my “impulse” buys are those that take place at the last minute, at the store or counter – sometimes (most of the time, to be honest), it’s seeing something online that will create that burning impulse that has me thinking “I MUST have that; I MUST have that”! Sometimes, the impulse will slowly dissipate if I don’t have time to get the store right away, but other times, it gets more intense!

On nail polish only, and never more expensive than OPI (so less than $8.50). Otherwise I’d be dead broke.

Occasionally I will see something and buy it on an impulse, but most of the time I am a planner. The only thing I buy impulsively is nail polish.

It takes me weeks of research, including, most heavily, your reviews, in order to let myself buy a new product. Especially with high end products, I do not want to be dissapointed.

I’m pretty meticulous and always go into a mall knowing exactly what I should be buying, if anything (if I’ve been shopping a lot recently or I don’t need anything, I won’t even look at cosmetics). Sometimes I’ll stumble across things that suit me so well and I’ll splurge on them, though it’s only ever on products I’ve read about before. For example, I just bought a Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream on an impulse since I loved the color so much, but I’d heard a lot about these eyeshadows before and I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed with the product. If it’s something I’d not heard of before but I am interested in, I’ll remember the name of it and look up reviews online before I go back and buy it.

When it comes to higher end stuff, I do plan ahead of time, because I’m a college student making just above minimum wage and I have to budget out my money. I generally don’t buy something high-end without doing my research…Sometimes I do end up making an impulse purchase if something’s a really good deal on Hautelook, though.
Drugstore stuff is a big problem for me though…every time I go to Walmart or Target I end up with at least 3-4 impulse beauty items. Yesterday I went to Walmart for shampoo and laundry detergent and left with 3 revlon lip stain balm things and several sinful colors nail polishes. Could probably save a lot of money if I’d stop doing that!

I’m an occasional impulse buyer, but in general I am a heavy researcher and a huge bargain hunter. I am going to price check items and if the retail price is the same everywhere then I will look for discount options available (store coupons, store rewards programs, gift with purchase options, pro discount programs, etc)…if I am determined to get something then I will get it at the place that offers me the best value. Exceptions would be if I need it immediately or if the place with the best price is also the place with the worst customer service experiences lol. But…like my MAC purchases recently, sometimes I am talked into impulse purchases if I let the salespeople talk to me for too long when browsing lol.

I’m impulsive towards clothes, shoes and purses. But for jewellery and cosmetics – not so much. I also do some research and looks up reviews before buying them – especially if the products are expensive, but if it’s inexpensive and has cute packaging, I probably won’t pass up on it.

Yes, if I look and have money, I’m gone!