I pay more and more attention to the likelihood that I will have 1) time to review and 2) that there’s good reason to review it! I’m trying really hard not to over-buy.
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For makeup; Scoping out possible dupes i have in stash has been a criteria for quite awhile now, but the main difference currently is i hold my wish list to a much higher level of want.
For skincare; I have to finish the product before i repurchase or buy a replacement. Not having the product on hand for a couple of weeks is a good determinant of whether or not I can’t live without it.
I’m trying to be more conscientious of what I buy. Not getting caught in hype. Waiting a little bit. Reading your reviews and using the dupe list- I tend to buy the same lip colours over and over??♀️ Just trying to spend my money on things I need rather than things the internet tells me I need.
Since I seem to have everything I need and don’t use makeup often, I’ve been much more pickier in what I choose to buy. This includes being realistic about what would actually look good on me and what wouldn’t, and in making sure (to the best of my ability) that my current collection doesn’t already contain the thing I’m tempted to buy.
Last year I went sort of nuts for me. So this year it’s A) Do I want to review it, B) Trying to ignore all LE stuff unless it’s something I like the formula of and don’t have the shade(s), C) Will it replace something in my stash. D) Would a cosplayer be interested in this?
The first thing I look at is whether the product is vegan and cruelty free. Then, I try to make sure I don’t already have a dupe for the color (whether it’s nail polish or a lipstick/eyeshadow, etc.). If I think the product has a shade that’s unique to my collection, then I’ll probably buy it as long as I don’t think it’s too pricey.
I used to get sucked into limited edition and pretty packaging. But now I stop and think “will I really use this? Will I use it “up” enough to warrant spending money on it?” Usually the answer is no lol so I just keep it moving.
I used to buy mostly drugstore makeup and I never read reviews, so it was pretty much a crapshoot as to how the product would work on me. Over the years, I amassed an awful lot of stuff I didn’t like or use.
Since I started reading and watching reviews online a few years ago, I’m getting better quality makeup and I am making informed, well-researched decisions.
I’m over the hype around LE items, and less willing to go through hoops to get them. I buy less and am more conscious of what dupes I have.
I’ve become a bit more picky, mainly because I have very limited storage space and already own too much stuff!
Therefore, any recent and future purchases go through an “interview” process before I buy:
1.) Will I actually love the shade(s) on me personally?
2.) Do I love it so much that I can be certain that I really will use it often enough to validate the cost?
3.) Most important of all; how is the quality? How well did it review on here as well as for at least one highly honest Yt’r?
4.) Do I have dupes? One at 85%, perhaps even 90%, is not necessarily a deal breaker, but several at 90% or higher will usually talk me out of it!
I need to ask myself question #2 from now on. This is one of my biggest problems. As an example, I don’t wear red lipstick very often, but I keep buying more of them. I love every one of the reds I bought, but I just don’t have the opportunity to use all of them.
We should all type out your questions Nancy and hang it on our makeup corner in our homes.
Excellent questions.
I’d like to think I’m more discriminating but sometimes, it doesn’t feel that way. I’m brand loyal, so it’s a knee jerk reaction to buy ALL THE THINGS when a launch from a preferred brand comes out. I load up a cart online and then for the next 3 weeks, I argue with myself and take it out and put it back in the cart. I eventually get something or a few somethings, but it is definitely a process of filtering it down moreso than it used to be.
I don’t feel the need to get out of a comfort zone as much anymore, either, so that’s another reason why I don’t get everything in a launch. As recent examples, Pat McGrath Subliminal Mothership palette (I can’t wear that blue) and PatrickStarrr’s recent palette (again with the blue) were things I passed on, even though I initially was just going to get the whole lot and then make it work somehow. What’s the point? I’d try the palettes maybe once or twice and decide they weren’t for me and give them away.
TLDR: Less compulsive buying=less anxiety about neglecting products=more fun collecting=more fun wearing all the things
No more LE products for me, I’m over all the hysteria which surrounds them. If I receive any ‘you must buy this NOW’ emails I delete them without reading. I know what I like and I stick with it. Simple.
I feel like when my makeup collection was much smaller I tended to buy things impulsively or simply because I liked a certain shade (i.e.: teal eyeshadow, coral blushes) which landed me in a pile of teal shadow and 10 coral blushes which, realistically, I’ll probably never go through in my lifetime.
Lately I’ve been trying my best to shop my collection and see if I have any dupes or can maybe mix some products together to produce the shade I’m after and am also testing similar-looking products side-by-side (i.e.: two similar-looking blushes on each cheek) to see how well they perform and passing along the product that doesn’t do as well – unless they’re both really good (if that makes sense).
As for products I to tend to go through – foundations, eyeliners, mascara… I really try to wait until I’m almost out (like only 1/2 or 1/3 left… or the eyeliner is just starting to show signs of drying out) before I replenish.
I have almost all I need at this point and also my knowledge base on quality and cost factors is much greater. So now my purchases are more a matter of the occasional indulgence or being able to look for a specific item (like I was looking for a warm berry shimmer lip for holidays). And, I’m less likely to make bad choices in color, quality, etc.
I used to impulse buy and shop out of emotional/boredom, buy things because I liked the collab/name/packaging, and buy dupes because “oh it’s 1 shade darker than the one I have and it’s satin not shimmer it’ll be totally different.”
I’m a lot more frugal since doing the major destash when we moved a year ago – I skip on most LE, collab, name/packaging gimmicks. I try to only buy during sales, with my ebates cash back, or using gift cards. I’m really careful about shopping my stash and only buying if it fills a gap in my collection or is replacing an empty. I wait for swatches/reviews from someone I trust before buying. I don’t buy when I’m bored, depressed, or angry – I will add stuff to my wish list though and 9/10 times it gets removed a week later 🙂
Oh yes.
Makeup: checking the dupes first (even if not identical) and reminding myself that I already have a stash that allows me to create a multitude of combinations and variations. I’m not a fan of consumerism and see it as a form of external control over me, as a consumer. Also, the quantity of plastic and chemicals involved in the production of makeup, that’s waste that’s not good for our environment. My friends are not into makeup and the women shelters in my area accept only brand-new cosmetics (unused). Therefore if I want to get rid of something I cannot return, it will have to be thrown away.
Skincare: I read and research the ingredient list. Alcohol, perfume, parabens, sulphates, phthalates are a big no for me. Also, if plenty of filers, binders, PEGs and other chemicals, whereas the active ingredients are a tiny % as compared to the previous (or listed in the second part of the ingredient list), this represents big turnoff for me. I keep two-three serums in rotation, two oils in rotation, two moisturizers/season. Toners, essences: two-three in rotation. Most of my skincare is made-up of organic ingredients, therefore the products have to be used in six months.
My purchasing decisions have definitely changed over time: no longer do I just purchase willy nilly, especially eyeshadow quads, quints and palettes.
For a start, I check out your blog and pay far more attention to the quality of the product and think about how it will work with the rest of my collection.
As for skincare, I have also become more choosey about brands and how they would work on my skin and repurchase when on sale.
I have become much more dollar savvy.
The continuous onslaught of new products/collabs/LE collections has just worn me out. I’ve started to lose interest in makeup because of it, so I want to refocus my energy on what I already have and start shopping my stash. I need to get better at it, that’s for sure. I still buy too much.
As far as actual product choices go, I’ve gone cruelty free for the most part, learned that quality is more important than quantity (i.e. no, I do NOT need that holiday palette, nor do I need the new palette of the week just because), I don’t even buy palette anymore unless I can depot them and they’re standard round pan sizes (which cuts down on what I buy) and I pretty much only use cream/liquid products on my cheeks. Since there are far less of these kinds of cheek products available (and even less when you throw the cruelty free restriction in there), I’m buying far less and trying to really enjoy what I buy.
I still have a ways to go. Y’all’s answers really help!
I try to limit my purchases to things I actually want and will look good in, and I usually check my credit card balance (and, when I’m at home and buying online, my bank statement) before making a purchase to make sure I have enough money to buy it-I tend to be responsible and conscientious anyway, so I can’t really say my process has changed over time. Maybe the biggest change is that I’m slowly finding the balance between waiting a responsible length of time before buying and buying the item I want before it sells out.
I’ve switched from asking “Do I want this?” to asking “Is this what I want?” Though small, this simple change in question makes me think more critically why I want to buy something. Before everything was an option. With the new question, I find myself thinking about what I want and then passively searching for something to fill that want.