I tell myself that I have to wait at least X hours (or days or weeks, depending on the type and cost of the purchase), which often includes doing more research.
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Seriously, sometimes it’s reading this website. I’ll be lusting after something and it will make me realise I already own dupes, or the quality isn’t worth the hype, or simply your impartial reviews make me be much more realistic about a product and I’ll start thinking about it practically.
If the item is permanent, I’ll wait until there’s a sale or promo and get it if I still want it. As for limited editions, I still have a bigger window of time to make a decision than most, because I don’t live in the US and we get limited editions usually about a month after the US release. So I’ll read reviews, watch videos and such. 🙂
I’m very good at talking myself out of purchases. I just repeat I don’t need it over and over 🙂
I’m the complete opposite, I’m very good at talking my self into things lol
Telling myself that I could get more with money saved by waiting for vib sales or yearly discounts. I make shopping lists (and constantly editing) and end up doing more research on things I want while I wait for sales. By thinking, “I could also buy this eyeliner by waiting 3 weeks for 15-20% off” is a good incentive.
If I can be busy enough to stay away from the malls (which is where most of the stores that carry makeup in my city are located), then I’m pretty good. If I could manage to stay away from Temptalia, that would be even better but that’s NOT likely to happen. At least this site ensures that the impulses I succumb to are going to result in good purchases!
Also, sometimes the delay in a product reaching the store (as was the case with the Nars Give in Take eye/cheek palette) will be enough for the impulse to totally die down. Had it been in store when I first went to buy it, after seeing it here and seeing what a good value it was, I’d have bought it. But it didn’t arrive for a few weeks and by then, I was really “over” it, having read some disappointing reviews and having purchased an inexpensive dupe for the one eyeshadow colour I really wanted.
Oh please tell us what was the inexpensive dupe and thank you in advance.
Pat, it was Sephora Cashmere Coat which Christine rated as 90% similar to Give in Take V (CC is matte and GiTV is that shimmery Dual Intensity finish). Cashmere Coat is now on sale on Sephora’s site so grab it fast if you plan to get it.
I try very hard
Not buying online, unless it is a product that I know from past experience keeps me from making impulse products.
Waiting for your reviews on new products helps me, especially when I see how the product looks on you, as we have similar coloring and I know if it is flattering on you that it would work on my. Going to the store and looking at the products helps as well.
I leave the ‘fun’ money and cards at home and only take the card that goes with running the household when I’m ‘trying’ to go on a no buy. My online shopping is harder and more out of control….
This is a good strategy for me as well
I have a pretty good idea what is in my stash and what I still need, and I rarely buy without giving myself at least one night of reconsidering. Impulse buys led to me owning about 30 red lipsticks, so I had to do something!
Sometimes I’ll go look at my stash and realize that I already have dupes or near-dupes. Also, I consider what else the money could buy, something that’s a need vs. a want.
2 things:
1. I only buy from a few brands. After a few years of mishaps and trial-and-error, I know which brands I like as far as aesthetic and quality.
2. I come here to check reviews. That has saved me a lot of money and a lot of headache.
I think at this stage of the game, everything is an impulse buy from the perspective that I really do not need it. That being said, I tend to go through seasonal buying phases (I’m the same with clothing). I build up a shopping cart, then let it percolate for a few weeks, and I always find a way to significantly pare it back through research.. I tend to completely lose self-control when big S is having their annual sales… anyone have an antidote for that?
I’m a bit disappointed in myself this week as I’ve already broken my no buy for eyeshadow. I just picked up the KVD pastel goth palette. I doubt I will be sporting full looks from the palette, but they all make very unique and interesting crease options. I had to have it.
You’ve just described my current state with both cosmetics and clothing….and my Nordstrom cart….except this past week I bought the KVD shade and light eyeshadow palette after telling myself I have way to many eyeshadows to go through…I just had to have it too!!
I hear you, cherie. Right now I am fighting off the denim demons.
I too use a ‘cooling off’ period, and during that time I check my stash to see if I have something that could already work. I also keep a running list of non-beauty items I need — e.g., new dishwasher — to remind myself to keep perspective since those items and cosmetics all come out of the same ‘bucket’ in my monthly budget. These strategies work maybe 80% of the time.
It helps to have gone through a few purges of my stash and found a lot of impulse buys that didn’t work for me. It reminds me to take a minute to look at reviews or swatches. It also really helps to have blogs like this one and a few trusted YouTubers who tend to know about products early and can swatch or review close to their release.
I find shopping online really helps. In store you can get caught up in the “I’m either getting it now or I’m leaving it behind” anxiety, while online you can just abandon your cart for a few hours or days and can return to it any time. You’re also not as enthralled with the actual look or swatches of the product, it’s more on research/consideration/faith, so you’re less pressured or excited to make an immediate move on it.
My mom always told me that if I wanted it after 3 days to go ahead and get it. And that advice has stopped me from so many impulse purchases, I usually find the next day or the day after that I didn’t want X item as much as I thought I did in the heat of the moment. When I was younger, I was constantly snapping up this and that because I didn’t want to miss LE launches, or I had to have THIS COLOR of lipstick when I knew I was never going to wear it. Now I just focus on quality and not quantity. Impulses can pass.
If I know it’s some you’ll review, I wait for your review (you’ve saved me from a LOT of bad products and dupes!). If it’s an indie or etsy product I’ll give myself minimum 2 days to see if I can find swatches online and check my stash for similar products.
This is difficult for me as the closest Sephora is 3 hours away and the closest Ulta is 2 1/2 hours away so when I go I am tempted to buy things that I like simply because I may not be back for quite a while. Having said that, I do try to make sure that I have read reviews and that the product is something I would really use. I agree with Wendy, very little that I purchase is not impulse driven as I have enough makeup to last me a lifetime. I have discovered a renewed interest in skin care and am using a lot of my “mad money” upgrading the products that I have used for years to take advantage of the new formulas.
Deborah S.
Sorry but I would die living that far away from stores. I have a serious addiction to makeup. Love it all and give in to temptation.I just keep on buying and stacking it,. Rotating it all back and forth. Crazy eh?
First I ask myself, ‘do I really need this?’ Then it’s ‘what could the money be put towards instead?’ and ‘how long will it take me to earn back the money I spent/am considering spending?’ If, after a couple of weeks I’m still in must-have mode, then I’ll log on here and read the reviews, taking it from there!
1. Research the product you fancy.
2. Check if you don’t have close dupes.
3. Wait. As long as possible. If the “obsession” remains, go ahead!
4. Try to find equivalents of LE you want in a permanent range!
I am going strong on my no buying since a month and a half. I acquired enough make up recently to keep myself busy.
It’s relatively infrequent that I make an impulse purchase these days due to having very informative, thorough beauty blog sites such as Temptalia, or some select, very honest YT vlogging sites. Unless, of course, I get to see something in store before formal reviews. For example; ABH x Nicole Guerriero palette. I got to swatch it before it was officially up for sale. It was love at first swatch! But again, that is not my norm. And never with a permanent product, because there is plenty of time to really think about it, and probably even talk myself out of it!
I also make myself go through my small stash. I have to prove to myself that the item is significantly different and better than what I already own and haven’t used up. Covers 90% of my would be purchases. The other 10%, I make myself look for more reviews, get a sample (or order from SoChiox if I can’t get it another way). I figure I would research any other investment, why not this?
I have no control. I see it, I like it, I buy it. The only way I control myself is staying out of those stores or departments. I only look at daily specials on makeup sites unless I need something anymore.
Me too. I see it, I want it, I buy it. I get it. I have a 2nd job just so I can buy whatever I feel like with no guilt.
Lol. My name is Bonnie too. Have a beautiful face night.
Sometimes I don’t, but by and large, I look at my checking account. Unless it’s a REALLY good deal, money-wise, I may go ahead and buy it but otherwise, I hold out. The extra time allows me to read reviews and do more research and then make a more informed decision.
If I don’t purchase something I want it’s hard to stop thinking about it .
I just remember my budget and that I’ve met some of my more pressing financial goal but not all of the pressing ones. I try to spend more money on skincare and perfume as I use those things daily!
Ha ha ha ha ha. The only restraint I have is my budget. Otherwise, if I see it and love it (and it’s gotten good reviews), it WILL be mine!!! >:)
– Many (but not all, sadly) limited edition or holiday products go on sale, or are re-released at later times. Sometimes there is no rush and time limits are made to see more pressing than they are.
– Realize that many products sell out online, but remain available in-store (and vise versa).
– Make a wishlist and stick to it.
– Double-check your wishlist against your collection, as you might already have something similar.
– Read reviews!
– Swatch in-person, as in a lot of cases stuff doesn’t look good with my skintone or coloring.
– Write down (in a notebook or your phone) something you see in-store. If you still want it by the end of your shopping trip, then consider it. Studies have show that carrying unpaid merchandise around with you will only make you want to buy it more.
– Check my makeup budget for the month, or if I have made any frivolous purchases lately.
– Watch Anti-Haul videos on YouTube (I like Kimberly Clark).
– Look at my entire collection and focus on the makeup I don’t wear often (the guilt method).
– Try to remember the last time I made an impulse purchase and assess if it was a good decision or not.
– Imagine when or where I would wear said impulse purchase. A lot of times I imagine a lifestyle I don’t have or can be met with my current collection.
– Read a minimalist blog with anti-materialism undertones (I like “The Minimalists”).
– Also wait for sales! Why pay more when something is just going to be marked down?
1. I go into my stash and swatch to see if I have anything similar.
2. I try to be VERY clear/specific on why I want it (it is a color or formula that I don’t already own, etc.)
3. I whine on the FB Make Up Use Up Page and they usually talk me out of it
4. I make myself wait (hopefully till the hype has worn off!)
It is a constant reminder that I don’t need it I have so many already that I haven’t even touched yet. Just a constant no you don’t need it and you won’t use it; use what you already have first.
When I read this blog, check out the reviews and look at the dupe list…….
I’m pretty fussy about what I buy nowadays and I seriously do not need any more eye shadow palettes, foundations, blushes etc.
Sometimes I wait for the item to be on sale too.
I don’t avoid impulse buying very well. But I am to the point that buying because it’s ‘pretty’ is ridiculous. I am pretty upset with myself lately. Out. of. control.
I stay out of Sephora stores and only purchase online, even though there is a Sephora two blocks from where I live. I go into the store only if I have to test a product. I have the flash two day shipping so it doesn’t cost more and I time purchases to get bonus products. Getting the bonus is my reward for waiting.
Ive been known to wander around the store with swatches all over my hands to see if a would-be impulse is a dupe for things I can think of in my collection at home. I’ve walked out of Sephora with swatches still on to go check the Chanel & Mac counters if need be. It’s definitely helped before, but I have moments of weakness, too.
Waiting for sales can be helpful, but it can also lead to overbuying from around Black Friday to early January when EVERYTHING is on sale. looool.
I like to check my bank account when I’m getting the urge to go on a shopping spree. I’m also experimenting with only buying recreational items on my debit card, rather than using my credit card.
I don’t! Lol ?
This website has saved me from more impulse buys than I can count. I find myself pumping the breaks until your reviews/swatches. Christine, thank you so much for all of the dedication that you put forth into Temptalia. You my friend, rock! And a big thanks to all of the other people who comment. The feedback is priceless to me. Another thanks to Nancy T., your previous comment (about Too Faced’s “scented” eyeshadows, yuk) for sure saved me from a severe allergic reaction. All made possible because of this website!! Other than that, I try to hold off until good sales. And if my funds are super low, I try (try being the opperative word) not to look at stuff. But, thats like taking me to a chocolate store to look around and telling me I can’t get anything. Hehehe it’s not happening. Also, I try to make sure that I don’t already have a dupe of something hiding out in my stash.
I don’t. Any stuff I decide isn’t working for me gets passed on to my son’s girlfriend or my neighbor or mom. There are many throughout the years who have been grateful and appreciative of being on my cast off makeup list! Makeup has always been a “go to” for when I need a lift. I’ve always loved color and the hope of a new me through some magical product. This is one of the things to be grateful for as one gets older; if you’ve played your cards right then you have money to blow on fun stuff. Lord knows, you won’t be getting the same bang for the buck on an older face but one can’t have everything.
Eye shadow palettes I can hold off if they have a lot of shades I already have (peach palette) a lot of orange (abh ren palette) that I won’t use or a lot of light shades which I have never use up. I like to wait for Christine’s reviews. Makeup is expensive but if you know it’s good it’s worth it.
Like the too faced highlighters just reviewed so cute but not worth it for my coloring! Or the new Tom ford cream/powder shadows money saved!
Mac is hard some of that stuff really sells out.
I try to ask if I really need it! Eye shadow/lip gloss is hard to resist.
I don’t. I’m the worst when it comes to cosmetics.
What [ve been doing recently is if I want it really bad, I get it on SoChoix. It is enough for me to try it at home, play with it just a little bit, and then decide if it is worth the purchase. Sometimes, this small amount is enough to get it out of my system.
I decide what I want or what I need and then go to my 3 different places. After I’ve looked at all 3, I make my decision and make my purchase. The rest of the time, I don’t browse cosmetic counters or read much online (except your blog and a couple of others). If I’m not seeing it, I’m not going to want to buy it.
Research, lots of will (like, “You won’t buy this, you don’t need this, look at your wallet, do you see a lot of money???”), bringing less money, and bringing a friend with lots of sense.
Well, sometimes I can’t resist! But I have made an effort and have become better at pumping the brakes and not impulse buying every single thing that catches my eye. To be honest, most of the time I just tell myself to wait until it’s reviewed on Temptalia 🙂
I don’t
I’m so terrible at this! I simply avoid going to my favourite store and avoid them online as well. I’m currently on hiatus from “want” shopping since I know I killled by budget for March and I really don’t need another lipstick, highlight or eye shadow palette ( this month ?)
Wish lists! Though it’s tougher when it’s limited edition. It helps to follow blogs that review the products before they’re released so I can decided if they’re worth it or if I have something similar already.
I analyze my collection and see if the product fills a hole of replaces a product I’m running out of. Then I wait overnight and reanalyze.
Sometimes if I’d just like to give it a try and see if I really want it, I’ll get a sample at SoChoix. You get enough for a couple of wears, long enough to tell if you like it. Usually I have a better chance of making the right decision on if I should buy it or not. I find it especially good for foundations, to tell if you get a decent match.
I canceled my credit cards
right now since I’m on a budget awareness kick, I compare my LY spending with this the previous yr to determine if I can buy makeup that month or I ask myself if I need it.
The one thing I have gotten used to doing is swatching things in store. I no longer buy items I don’t swatch first unless I am familiar with it and own a few items already.
that has helped me greatly in stopping impulse buys
For me it’s all about planning my shopping either online or at the store very carefully. I now go in with a game plan on a product I’ve researched first. I’ve noticed that if I go in with money to spend but not sure on what i will fall victim to impulse buy.