THE LOW-BUY DIARIES #3

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I honestly can't believe I've almost done this makeup low-buy for a full year! Before I sit back and do a bit of a review of what I've learnt from this experience after 12 months; I thought I'd do one last update for you.

- JULY -

I did start this month in my previous post, but let's tie it up neatly! The first thing I picked up was the Tom Ford Acqua Liquid Eyeshadow in Reflects Gilt | £30. I got in Duty Free on my way to Portugal. It’s a pretty, pearly, long-wear eyeshadow in a light gold colour that was really great as a wash of colour for the warmer months.  I did also have a bit of a slip up, just not thinking. The Elf Poreless Putty Primer | £8 | full review | finally came back in stock and I just ordered it without thinking... Luckily, I do really like this product, so at least there’s that. It’s very affordable and has a great smoothing effect on the skin to prep it for makeup. I then had my ColourPop haul that I talked about last time (check out a review here). 

- AUGUST - 

For August, I managed to stay on-track! I decided to pick up the Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer in Deep | £12.99 | full review. This is a new brand to the UK and I’d heard so much about this particular product that I just had to try it for myself. Luckily I wasn’t disappointed; this is creamy, sheeny and blends out easily for a natural look that isn’t anything too orange but warms the skin nicely. I also picked up a full size of the Jouer Powder Highlighter in Skinny Dip | £19 | full review. I’ve loved this for a while, having tried a mini of it, so decided to pick this up when it was 20% off on Cult Beauty. This is a beautiful warm champagne shade with slightly peachy undertones. It blends in beautifully with the skin and has a creamy formula whilst giving a dewy, blinding finish. Finally I picked up two of the Lime Crime Lip Blazes in Fern and Herb | £18 each | full review. These were a great purchase and I’ve used them to death since I got them. In fact, I’ve barely reached for anything else. These are creamy, comfortable lip creams and I have two beautiful brown tones which are perfect for autumn.

- SEPTEMBER -

As we headed into September, I ordered two more affordable products from Beauty Bay; one of which was a hit and the other of which... wasn’t so much. I am a huuuuge fan of the Sample Beauty Reign Eyeshadow Palette | £20 | review. It's beautiful for autumn with these golds, reds and browns, and the quality has really impressed me (I was using it constantly until I got a second palette, which we'll get into...) I wasn't so much a fan of the BH Cosmetics Glowing in Greece Palette | £12.50. The colours of the blushers just weren't what I was expecting from the photos on the Beauty Bay site (they are actually pretty bright in person) and the highlighters are nice enough but I think I'll probably pass this one on to someone who will love it like I hoped I would! I also recently repurchased my Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser (St. Moritz) | £31 | full review. I think this is my fifth or sixth repurchase of this product; it's just my perfect everyday, long-wearing, light-coverage glowing base. Finally, I just had to have the Urban Decay Naked Honey Eyeshadow Palette | £42 | full review. I use this to death and I regret nothing! I haven't reached for anything other than this palette in ages, I think it's beautiful, I love the autumn vibes and the yellow / green based browns and golds and the quality is fantastic. 

- OCTOBER - 

For October, I decided to go for another ColourPop haul, given their recent launch of hydrating base products and the rose-themed autumn collection. That review will be up later this week!

- WHAT HAVE I LEARNT? -

There are various things going on in my life at the moment, which mean that not only do I want to spend less money on makeup, but I just don't have the space to hoard that many products! With PR I've been pretty good at just saying 'I'm not that excited to try this product so just put it in a giveaway' and passing things on that didn't work out to friends and family. Not only that, but I've been a lot more selective in the PR I accept and really questioned if I want to bring new 'stuff' into my life.

Content-wise, I've definitely shifted more towards skincare, so maybe next year I need a low-buy for that! In all honesty, though, I use skincare up pretty consistently (contrast that with, say, an eyeshadow palette) so it's less of a problem for me to have that in my life. My love for makeup definitely is still there but I'm excited to develop my focus on skincare in 2020.

Are you on a low-buy or have you tried one before? Share your progress in the comments!

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Read more posts from this series here!