How do you resist buying beauty products? Share your tips & tricks!
I don’t resist a lot, but I try to remind myself that I already photograph/swatch hundreds more products than I can actually test/review so I need to keep the purchasing in line with what I’m actually able to review!
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Well this year I just think of all the money I need to be putting towards my brother and brother-in-law’s weddings. (I just spent $250 on a dress hahaHAHAHA)
Previously I just kind of bought what I wanted, after reading reviews and making sure I didn’t already have something similar.
I try not to read about new collections when I’m super broke. I also try to consider whether something fills a gap in my collection, or if it’s going to be yet another mostly unused red lipstick that I pass over each day in favor of one of its mellower friends.
It’s hard. I mentally and visually go through my stash to remind myself how many similar colored products I have already. Organizing my makeup helps too – after putting 15 brown eye pencils/liners into a cup, I realize I don’t need anymore for 10 years. I also avoid going into Sephora or walking by a makeup counter. If I have to get my “fix”, I go to the drugstore when there’s a sale, so it’s a cheap fix. The best way is to avoid reading beauty blogs, but life wouldn’t be so fun
being poor generally helps HAHA!
LOL!!! So true!!
By constantly going through my stash! I love organizing and rearranging my stash anyway so that helps me a lot in rediscovering lovely products which I already have!
Usually I buy online, so I put things in my cart and leave them there for awhile. It’s amazing how after the initial fever I get over a product blows over that feeling of ‘omg I neeeeed this’ goes away and I can evaluate the product in a more level-headed way in regards to whether I need it and whether I’ll actually use it. I try to buy online as much as I can for this reason. Sometimes I go to Sephora solely to swatch or try on products or get samples, then I buy after if I still want it. I think I annoyed the Sephora SA last visit because she put a full foundation with primer on me and I insisted I needed to think about it and test the wear before purchasing. Sorry not sorry!
That’s easy. I’m just broke.
I’m actually sensitive to a lot of ingredients and that helps curb a lot of impulse purchases. I have to carefully try one product at a time (for example, I can’t try a new eyeshadow, eye cream and a new eyeliner bc if my eyelid becomes irritated it would be hard to pinpoint the origin). And if I do get a reaction, then I’d have to deal with a return too–which I find a pain.
I also keep a wishlist of items I want and if it’s still relevant after a while, I’ll go for it.
I try to wait. Usually, the urge to buy a specific product will disappear after a week or two. If I still want it, then I try to make it work with my budget.
Thats exactly what I’ve been doing Lulle! Cutting down on impulse purchases really helps!
I ask myself first if I need that product for personal use, for clients or for research purposes. If not, I check if I could afford to spend however much the product costs just for lust. If I find I can’t, I resist so I can spend my money on something for which the answer is yes to question number one! 😀
Resistance is futile!
No made in China products. Buy only one or two items of any new brand. Buy only unique pieces. Do not buy drug store brands. Don’t but MAC and only the select few matte lipsticks. Read blogger sites before buying anything.
I put lots of items into online wishlists and then let them percolate in my head for awhile and I then I pare down the lists to items I have researched and feel confident I will use. LE items blows this whole process to hell in a handbasket. (ง︡’-‘︠)ง
Well, not having enough money usually stops me…and thinking it may not be that good, lol.
I think about all the stuff I have sitting at home. It also helps to do a project pan to show myself just how long it takes to finish up one product.
I resist the urge to purchase new items when I look in my current stash and find something very similar or identical. I don’t need every purple lipstick, highlighter, and brush set…#iDigress lol
My desire to live a minimalistic lifestyle (same for clothing choices) naturally leads to an edited and well-curated collection! I’m still in the midst of deliberating which items to keep and which to drop!
I remember what college has done to my bank account and cry softly.
I think of what I already own that is similar and how that needs some love before I buy anything else. I also try to think of what else I need to put my money towards (home improvement, savings, new clothes for work, etc) before I buy any more makeup. I remind myself that makeup is always reinventing itself, so next year there will be something new and maybe I can get something better then. And finally I remind myself that the standbys will hopefully always be around, so when I finally finish my powders (and I have a couple) I can ultimately indulge in fancy Meteorites or something like that. Finally, working on a pan project is helping me and watching videos about those is really inspiring!
Haha that I’m a college student, and that comes before buying beauty products right now. Once you get a job, you can be more spendy with beauty. I do buy makeup when I do well on a particularly difficult exam or class, not much but something I’ve been eyeing for awhile and want really badly.
Aj..That is an awesome strategy and very commendable. I worked my butt off to put myself through college and later through grad school as a single parent while working too. I did take some loans for grad school.I barely had time to apply bare minimum makeup, much less shop! I am 39 and just in the past 2-3 years have really started building my collection.But, I am doing it somewhat rapidly because in all honestly, I can and still keep my finances together. Keep your head on straight. The beauty industry will always be here..trust me..it is not going anywhere. Your education is now and if you don’t get that,chances are the $ for that stuff you want is going to be hard to get. Buy what you can afford when you can and reward yourself as you deserve! your hard work and will pay off and patience is a virtue! 🙂
Thanks for the amazing comment! <3 and can I say, I really admire you for putting yourself through college AND grad school as a single parent. Thank you for sharing that about yourself, and you are right, the beauty industry won't be going anywhere. 🙂
Hi Aj! Thanks for saying that. But, when I made the comment I wasn’t intending to get you admiration.But,thank you. I am very happy I stuck through every 2 hour of sleep night,sometime working night shift, straight to classes. Thank God for coffee! 🙂 Just trying to help encourage you and realize that your short-term sacrifice will pay off. I know it gets hard and I am sure sometime you wanna throw those books in the trash and get some sleep! 🙂 Heck yeah..the beauty industry is just getting better! Hang in there!
haha, coffee is the ultimate lifesaver in college! Thank you for all those amazing words, and yes they did help to encourage me more to keep at it. It has been very nice chatting with you, this is why I love the beauty industry online with these blogs and different types of forums, you’re able to talk to even more amazing people. 🙂
🙂
Christine, in response to your answer, what types of products would you not be able to review that you would like to buy?
1000s – the list is endless. Everything that I haven’t reviewed. I wish I could review more for readers – I always feel a bit like a failure, because I don’t review more.
I guess that’s why you’re so good at what you do. Thanks for sharing your passion.
Honestly, I don’t know how you review as many as you do!!
As much as we’d all like you to do that, we don’t like in a utopian society – yet. Please don’t feel like a failure for not being able to review everything – we are thankful enough that you’ve being doing what you do for the more mainstream (accessible) brands!
You’re a wonderful and inspiring woman, Christine, and I’m proud to call myself an avid fan of Temptalia <3
Thank you for your vote of confidence 🙂
I second that! You are IMO the very best beauty blogger I have yet to read. Without a doubt the most detailed and at the same time you are some how able to turn out so much with that quality. You have saved me so much $ form buying poorly performing items and helped me find loves! Appreciate you 100% plus some!:)
Thank you, Nicole!
I do not resist a lot. I have a budget and try to stick to it.
I remind myself what else I need or could use the money on. If I have something similar, I remind myself that I don’t need it. If it’s a permanent item, I take note of it so I can request it as a gift later, or use it as an incentive to reach a goal.
I don’t lol. Unless it’s very dupable or just not in my budget at the moment. It’s hard resisting new makeup lol
I stopped buying after I took out all my stash and purging a lot. I now buy a new product if it is something unique, very innovative or if it is something I know will look good on me and I don’t have dupes already.
I try to stick to products that I either really need or know that I will get plenty of use out of.
It’s getting easier now that I’ve hit saturation and nearly everything that comes out is a dupe of something I already have…
That’s exactly where I am right now! Which is great….right? 🙂
Resist buying makeup? Lol that doesn’t happen. The only thing that keeps me from buying is that I’m a college student and don’t have a job just yet haha
I resist by referring myself to the stash I’ve already accumulated. Sometimes my own collection at home can be like a treasure hunt, for example, not realizing that I already have the product I’m eyeing to buy.
By being broke! Hahah no but reminding myself that I other excpenses as well :p
These days, I look at my actual collection, which I’m trying to organise better now, or my Google spreadsheet that includes all the purchase dates, and think about how much I have and how much of it is going to expire and be a waste of money soon, especially anything I still have marked off as an untried! That motivates me to try and use more of what I have first. I also try to avoid going to make-up stores or department store counters even just to browse because I know I’d be tempted otherwise, especially for cheap(er) drugstore make-up that’s likely to be on sale. And right now, I’m really into thrifting clothes, so with my money going there, I don’t have any left for cosmetics anyway.
I keep to a strict budget (do I want a few drugstore glosses *now*, or something fancy-schmancy next month?), have a rule that all potential purchases must stay in my online cart for at least a week (to avoid stress-shopping), and keep track of those items of which I own too many vs not enough (do I really *need* another bright coral lipstick? Probably not as badly as a I need a good highlighter, even if highlighters aren’t as fun to buy).
And, of course, I check Temptalia to make sure I’m not buying a dud!
Cliche, I know, but I try to think if I already own something that looks like it, if I can use something else for the same purpose, or if I really need it or just sorta want it. If I check none of those boxes, then I can buy it. If not, I’ll pass it up!
Also, if I want something I’ll put it on my wishlist and then check if I still NEED it after a week, which is rarely the case 🙂
I look in my wallet and see that it’s empty.
But seriously, I have way too much already. I know that. I just conveniently “forget” when there’s something new and interesting =D
Oh, I have a hard time with this one. But, I know it is my thing. I am not into clothes and shoes and stuff like that. I mean I like that stuff..but, I know I can’t have everything..unfortunately! I make a budget weekly and don’t go over it. Since, I know I will want a lot of that stuff, my budget for “beauty and skin” is generally high. But, I also put some into save,etc. I remind myself that I have a daughter that needs to go to college one day and I need to retire one day. Another thing to prevent impulse buying, is making sure you research items. Then you have time to think about it and sleep on it.
i just don’t look! haha! or before i buy i ask myself a lot of questions & go through what i have to see if i have anything like it. Do i REALLY need it? (usually no) If its limited edition i read reviews (like temptalia!) first to see if i can live without it (usually yes) but if i hear enough buzz about it…i usually cave
I look at my bank balance. I have a little leeway–if something really grabs me, I’ll buy it. But mostly it involves making a choice, mostly between makeup, nail polish, perfume or books. Putting stuff in my online shopping basket or in a wish list helps especially with a new, hyped product. When I go back after reviews are out or a week or so has passed, I often find that I don’t really want it.
Good strategy! I’m going to keep this in mind…..
I check my bank balance lol x
It’s hard! I think about the look on my boyfriends face when I come in the house with more makeup….The overflowing amount on and in my vanity…and the multitude of products I bought but have not tried yet!
I make a list of what I’d like to buy,I research and compare swatches of what I currently own. I sleep on it and usually end of buying eventually but not an impulse as I am a makeup junkie lol. But making lists helps sooooo much.
It is very hard to resist buying what I want, or rather justifying the cost of what I want. Rather, I try and buy a dupe, or a drugstore purchase…something pretty, or even a bath soap. I try and buy just a little something to make me feel good, until I can buy what I really want. I treat myself to something, because I deserve it…
My wallet does the deciding for me. If I want to eat and have a roof, I can’t spend much.
I am doing an inventory to focus on my stash. I keep the list in my wallet and when I look at it, I definitely know I don’t need anything else! I also swatch my stash and realize how many similar colors I already have.
By repeating “I have something similar” to myself and get out of there as fast as I can
I tell my self , I need this palette as much as I need a hole in my head.
Resist?
I don’t understand the question.
hahahahahahaha!!!!
It’s pretty easy to resist buying new products when you have a sizeable stash and a more practical view. The majority of women only use a small fraction of their stash regularly. So that “steal ” from the department store holiday collection will not be such a great deal when it ends up gat hering dust in your drawer. I also shop my stash and finds new ways to use the proven and true stuff I already have. If I need to feel that retail buzz I buy something small and inexpensive. I actually draw inspiration from that advertisements sent by ulta and the like. I guess reviews are pretty inspiring too because I will probably have something very similar to that my stash that works with my skin type and skin tone and I can find new uses for what I have.
The price – if I am broke I just think of the price (especially here in Australia where cosmetics are routinely marked up a ridiculous percentage).
Secondly – I read the reviews from beauty blogs like this one and see if the product is worth buying. So many products – especially eye shadow palettes, have been substandard so it is easy to pass.
Thirdly, using your dupe list (which is AMAZING), I look to see if I have similar products
I then look at my stash to see what I really need – now a setting powder.
I don’t. LOL
I don’t resist well at all – the only thing that keeps me from buying something I really love is a bad Temptalia review!
So hard to resist… I Have to be sick, or broke! Otherwise I try it all
From Mac, Nars, hourglass, queen, mufe,
By Terry, Kevin Aucoin, etc.
So im very bad at resisting..just bought hourglass blush, opaque lip gloss, and the olive eyeshadow pallette. Have so much I can never make up my mind what I will use from day to day.
Depends on my mood!
I don’t resist, usually my wallet resists me! Lol! :)) Seriously, though, I ask myself if I’m gonna use that item as often, so that I’d realize it’s not worth buying.
Two words: DON’T LOOK. I’m a sucker for all things shiny and new, so I just have to avoid the counters altogether when I really can’t justify a new purchase.
huh? you mean people can actually DO that? resist buying beauty products? really?
I just remind myself I need to follow my budget. It also helps that I am saving for the Fall and Holiday sets. I just look forward to having a big shopping spree later in the year. That helps a little.
My buying has slowed down a lot in the past year. I have gotten to the point where it is very hard to come out with a product that I don’t have a pretty good dupe for — or a product which I know won’t work on me.
But I think a big part of slowing down was finally getting my stash organized into a collection — so I know where everything is and I can find my products. I don’t buy as many things that I bring home, only to find a forgotten dupe.
I put myself on a no/low-buy this year and so far I’ve been sticking to it. The low Canadian dollar compared the US$ has helped curb my usual spending habits from a few major sites. Also, I kind of feel like I’ve reached a saturation point – my stash is pretty big now & I don’t always feel like I have to chase after the next big thing (because I probably already have a dupe for it). I still have a wish list though! But I’m trying to thin that out also 🙂 Also I’m starting to question my own consumerism and think about how that’s contributing to the local/ national/ global economy & asking myself ‘what’s the point of having all this stuff?’
I don’t. I’m an addict. The only reason I won’t purchase a beauty product is if I already have two or three of them in my “storage” bin. I hate when I completely use up a product and don’t have a back-up. So I always make sure I have extras!
I don’t resist that’s my problem. I am currently a fully functioning addict. That will happily buy more makeup stuff before food. My collection to me is ridicules and I’ve put myself on a monthly budget. So far I’ve blown it every month hahaha I was even shopping a mac release while on holiday and me mate had ago at me, it arrived while I was still away. To which I received messages from home going ‘you didn’t did u’ or ‘were gonna get you some help’. Cracked me up as I only had a chance to go online for a few hours yet I still did some damage. Oh we’ll let’s see if I can’t stick to me budget next month.
I am on a low-buy for the next few months, so this is something that I am still struggling with! I try to keep in mind EXACTLY what I have already, and only go looking for what I truly need, such as if I am out of a product. It is still hard, as I love makeup so much. Last week, I went into the new CVS that had opened a couple blocks from my house, and was checking for the NYX soft matte lip creams, as I always do. I am obsessed with finding the Copenhagen and Transylvania shades, and refuse to pay what they are going for on Ebay. The manager was so nice that she actually took me back to the stockroom and let me dig through all of the stock, and I have to say that was probably one of the hardest days I have had yet, seeing all the new makeup that hadn’t been brought out yet, all kinds of products that I can think I really need. But I keep focused on the bottom line, that in a few months I will be in a much better place financially, and can reward my hard work with a few treats. And no, I didn’t even purchase any makeup at CVS that day. LOL
I got better at it with time :). I usually think of other things, more important things I could do with that money, or other things I’d rather have (shoes, bags, etc.).
sometimes I get overwhelmed by the amount of make-up i have. Seeing all the unused make-up gives me pause, but the urge to shop is so much stronger.