On February 10 (Ash Wednesday), I vowed to give up buying makeup for Lent (basically a no-buy), with the exception of my Boxycharm subscriptions. Throughout most of it, I have been able to constrain myself, no matter how tempted I was...towards the end (Easter). Last week, I bought the Roses de Chloé fragrance, and then I went back to Ulta to buy the Benefit POREfessional this past Thursday, because I got suckered into the 5x Platinum membership points for any Benefit products. Then, I found myself the next day at Target with the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in hand (along with a bridal magazine and a Star Wars decal sticker for Cecilio). Also, I purchased a couple of nail polishes here and there.
I kept telling myself throughout it all, just because you are swearing off buying makeup, doesn't mean you should splurge on other beauty products (nail polish, perfume, skincare, etc). And I feel like I have garnered much more self-control, even though this was my first Lent practice and I was unsuccessful. I felt pretty bad about it, although I have Googled and looked up that maybe failing Lent was the way into succeeding at Lent, because it shows that we need God's help to see us through our struggles and temptations, and to strengthen us. Lent is 40 days long, so I am proud of myself for not buying makeup for the first 35-ish days. I wanted to do this because I wanted to be more responsible with my money and not spend willy-nilly, especially as I am embarking on marriage and have to think about how I can help Cecilio and I survive or even thrive financially and build a strong future together. I also have a lot of bills to pay, and I cannot forget about student loans: even if I signed up to be on forbearance (meaning putting off paying my student loans), the interest is adding up. I also don't want to be wasteful and keep throwing away products I don't plain like. It's okay to splurge if it makes you happy, and makeup definitely makes me joyous, but not if you can't afford it or if you are living beyond your means. I say this because I am still job-searching, and yes once I find a job then I will totally will splurge more.
Here are some lessons I learned throughout my "no-buy makeup" for Lent season:
1. I am always checking my bank account, like every other day. The 2015 Hannah would drop a few hundred a month at Ulta or Sephora, in addition to beauty subscription boxes, accidental impulse buys at the drugstore, etc. and even use my credit card sometimes. Now I am checking to see where my money went, and I am not touching my credit card, especially because I have a really high balance.
2. I don't go to the places where there are high temptations. I avoided going to Ulta all of February! And since Walgreens is my pharmacy, I usually go down and stop by the cosmetics aisle and drop more green. Lately when I need to pick up my meds, I go through the pharmacy drive-thru rather than going down and parking my car. And if I need a specific product, I will now only buy that product and nothing else, especially if it's on sale. It does get easier, but I still struggle. I have been wanting the Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly Palette forever, and surprisingly I still don't have it. I even was an inch close to ordering a bunch of Colourpop liquid lipsticks before Easter, but I decided to not go through with it. I have been eyeing the Dose of Colors liquid lipsticks (Berry Me, Brick, and Cork) but because those are fall shades, I will wait until maybe September to order them. It's difficult, but it gets easier and less tempting.
3. I will (for the most part) buy when I've been wanting it for a long time, it's on sale, or if there is an incentive (the 2x, 3x, 5x, 10x points at Ulta). I have a cart full of things from Sephora, and I'm counting the days until the 15% off VIB sale so I can order them. I will buy mostly from Ulta to take advantage of the point system, because the $1=1.25 points. I will check Nouveau Cheap regularly for drugstore sales going on frequently. Unfortunately, MAC doesn't have a point/reward system like Ulta or Sephora, so I have to make sure I really, really want something before I purchase it. I have been wanting the Prolongwear Foundation for a long time to use for my wedding, and the lipstick in the shade Retro (it was my absolute favorite MAC lipstick but I lost it, so I have to buy another one).
4. I am more apt to use the currents I have ignored for a while. The Too Faced Natural Matte Palette has gotten more love from me in the past 2 months. What if I had bought the Peanut Butter and Jelly Palette? The former would probably still be gathering dust.
5. I am more apt to buy dupes of higher end products. Of course I still love luxury, and there are products that are better on the pricey side, but other drugstore products that are just as good, if not better. I chose the NYX Micro Brow Pencil because it is an exact dupe of the ABH Brow Wiz, but it is $10 vs $21.
6. When I look at wedding dresses or decor, I am less tempted to buy makeup. Maybe because I am thinking of long term goals, sacrificing what I want absolutely now vs. what I want more in the future.
What are your methods for saving money on makeup?
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