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Since the start of 2019 I've been on a makeup low-buy (you can read about why I'm doing this and what my rules are here) so I thought it was only right to do a few check-ins throughout the year telling you how I'm getting on (warts and all). This is the first of those updates...
Since the start of 2019 I've been on a makeup low-buy (you can read about why I'm doing this and what my rules are here) so I thought it was only right to do a few check-ins throughout the year telling you how I'm getting on (warts and all). This is the first of those updates...
- JANUARY -
January started off with good intentions but we were unfortunately thrown off course... As two of my three purchases, I decided to pick up the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer (310) | £19 | and repurchased the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Foundation (250) | £27 | in the correct colour. I reviewed both products here. The foundation in particular is a product I've got so much use out of, though after my shade match disaster the first time I tried this foundation (when it launched), it was a pretty risky purchase.
I haven't actually reviewed it yet but I chose the Karity Picante Eyeshadow Palette | £27 | as my last purchase of the month. Looking back, I do wish I'd taken some more time to consider this and it definitely taught me not to rush into choosing my items for the month. Although this is beautiful, no sooner had I ordered it, had Cult Beauty announced that they were going to be stocking Milk Makeup - a brand I'd wanted to try for a really long time. Given it was a big launch, I thought a lot of the products I was after might sell out, so I broke my low-buy to pick up a few bits that I reviewed here. I can't say I regretted making this choice because I loved the products I bought but I also can't say that it felt good to let myself down like that!
To make matters worse, whilst I was in London one weekend in January, I lost one of my favourite lip colours: the MAC Satin Lipstick in Mocha | £17.50 | review! It's one I reach for a good couple of times a week so it wasn't long before I started to miss it and decided I'd just have to buy a new one. I actually decided to change my rules slightly by upping the allowance to 4 items to let myself do things like making repurchases, which are no fun but need to be done. However this doesn't change the fact that January didn't go well for me at all!
I haven't actually reviewed it yet but I chose the Karity Picante Eyeshadow Palette | £27 | as my last purchase of the month. Looking back, I do wish I'd taken some more time to consider this and it definitely taught me not to rush into choosing my items for the month. Although this is beautiful, no sooner had I ordered it, had Cult Beauty announced that they were going to be stocking Milk Makeup - a brand I'd wanted to try for a really long time. Given it was a big launch, I thought a lot of the products I was after might sell out, so I broke my low-buy to pick up a few bits that I reviewed here. I can't say I regretted making this choice because I loved the products I bought but I also can't say that it felt good to let myself down like that!
To make matters worse, whilst I was in London one weekend in January, I lost one of my favourite lip colours: the MAC Satin Lipstick in Mocha | £17.50 | review! It's one I reach for a good couple of times a week so it wasn't long before I started to miss it and decided I'd just have to buy a new one. I actually decided to change my rules slightly by upping the allowance to 4 items to let myself do things like making repurchases, which are no fun but need to be done. However this doesn't change the fact that January didn't go well for me at all!
- FEBRUARY -
I went into February with a resolve that things had to go better than they had done in January... My first purchase was the Stila All Fired Up Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow Set | £29 | review. I really love these liquid glitter eyeshadows and these were exactly my sorts of colours so - although I didn't agonise over this purchase for a long time - I think it was a good buy. One purchase that I had agonised over for a very long time was the Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Blush in Pillow Talk | £30 | review. This originally launched before Christmas and promptly sold out. When I heard they were bringing this collection back; this was the one product I really regretted not buying so I was ready and waiting to get my hands on it this time round. Again, I think the distance from this collection made me really consider what I wanted and the low-buy meant I was probably restricted to one item, so I ended up only getting the blusher and absolutely loving it.
I actually made two repurchases last month, using up one of my 'fun' items! The first was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (Ebony) | £22 | full review. I love this brow pencil but I do get through it quickly! At the same time - nothing quite works as well as it, so I guess I'm tied in for life... it's a bit annoying because I do have to buy it every couple of months, leaving little room for other repurchases. The other product I picked up was a fresh bottle of the Touch in Sol No Poreblem Primer | £15 | full review. Given how many primers I have on the go, I obviously didn't need it! However this is such a great all-rounder that when I finished my last bottle, I just really wanted it back in my collection.
- MARCH -
I recently ran out of the brow gel I've been using for a while so decided I'd try the brand new Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Gel (Ebony) | £19 | review coming soon. It doesn't perform the exact same function in my routine as the lightweight tinted setting gel I had been using; instead it's a thicker product designed to be one-step solution. I probably should have looked into it more but oh well! I'll be reporting back with my thoughts on this product later in the month.
I also picked up two base products. The first was the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer | £27 | full review. Like I said; it isn't like I desperately needed a new primer but this seemingly promised me the answer to my base makeup problems! And to be honest, I feel like this has delivered on its promise; hydrating my skin and helping my makeup to last longer, so I'm really pleased with this purchase. My next buy was the Maybelline Dream Urban Cover Foundation | £10.99 | review coming soon. This is the first totally 'for the blog' purchase I've made this year, which is pretty impressive compared to how I used to be! I'd heard this was a dupe for the IT Cosmetics CC Cream so picked this up for a comparison / dupe post I'll be sharing with you soon.
At the time of writing, I haven't made my final purchase so will likely carry it forwards for a special purchase in April...
- APRIL -
For April, I've decided I want to do a ColourPop order. There are four items I want - one of which I've had my eye on for months - so I'm going to treat myself to those and nothing else (other than a repurchase, if I need one) for the rest of the month!
The annoying, derailing part of this is that brands often don't give that much notice when launching something, which can be difficult - whether you're trying to plan and budget or if you're on a low-buy. It's particularly bad when products are limited edition, so you feel pressured into making a snap decision.
I also feel like this is helping me give more love to my existing collection. I've always tried to do a weekly makeup rotation but when you're constantly testing new things, that's what ends up taking priority. It's been nice to work on using up some products I already have and to have had the opportunity to rediscover some old favourites.
At the same time, I do still receive products as PR, so it's not like these are the only new products I've had the opportunity to try, for which I'm grateful because I still obviously want to review things for you guys. I'm also pretty smart about stuff like Boots points - if you download the app you can load your Advantage Card with bonus offers. This is how I built up enough points over a good few months to treat myself to a new foundation without spending a penny. It also forces me to be more thoughtful about what to spend the points I've been saving up for months on. I'm also being very, very selective about what PR I receive, as there are definitely categories I feel like I'm at capacity in!
Overall, this has been such a valuable experience and I'll be continuing the low-buy for the rest of the year so there'll be more updates coming soon. Are you on a low-buy or a no-buy? Let me know how you're getting on in the comments or how you got on if you've done something similar in the past!
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- WHAT HAVE I LEARNT FROM THIS SO FAR? -
To me, the biggest benefit of doing this is that it's forced me to stop and think before making a purchase. Sometimes once the initial hype has died down you realise you don't want a product or maybe you want one or two bits as opposed to the entire collection. It also stops me jumping into purchases I might later regret, because if it's early on in the month; I'm thinking whether something better might come along in a couple of weeks or if there's a launch I'm interested in coming the following month that I should carry forward a purchase for.The annoying, derailing part of this is that brands often don't give that much notice when launching something, which can be difficult - whether you're trying to plan and budget or if you're on a low-buy. It's particularly bad when products are limited edition, so you feel pressured into making a snap decision.
I also feel like this is helping me give more love to my existing collection. I've always tried to do a weekly makeup rotation but when you're constantly testing new things, that's what ends up taking priority. It's been nice to work on using up some products I already have and to have had the opportunity to rediscover some old favourites.
At the same time, I do still receive products as PR, so it's not like these are the only new products I've had the opportunity to try, for which I'm grateful because I still obviously want to review things for you guys. I'm also pretty smart about stuff like Boots points - if you download the app you can load your Advantage Card with bonus offers. This is how I built up enough points over a good few months to treat myself to a new foundation without spending a penny. It also forces me to be more thoughtful about what to spend the points I've been saving up for months on. I'm also being very, very selective about what PR I receive, as there are definitely categories I feel like I'm at capacity in!
Don't forget to follow me on:
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