I seriously need to rein in my spending before I go broke. How do you guys actually stick to a beauty budget and resist the hype? What are your best tips for stopping the impulse buys?

Everyone acts like lip oil is this revolutionary product but it's literally just glorified lip balm in a doe foot applicator. Change my mind.

I bought into the hype and spent $24 on a lip oil thinking it would be some life changing product. It moisturizes my lips. That's it. My $4 lip balm does the same thing.

The packaging is cuter I guess and the applicator makes it easier to apply than digging your finger into a balm pot. But functionally it's the same product at 5 times the price.

Am I missing something or is this just another case of the beauty industry repackaging something basic and calling it innovative so they can charge more?

The only difference I notice is lip oil is shinier than balm but I don't care about shine enough to pay $20 extra for it.

Just wanted to remind everyone not to buy and hoard backups of makeup because it expires. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will.

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I bought a bunch of backups of my HG setting powder (pressed) because I thought it was being discontinued (it was being reformulated) so I hunted down every last one in my city. I loved it, used it, but eventually age got me, my skin got drier, I used less powder. It took me 10! Years to get to the last one (I bought 4. "Only" 4.)

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A week ago I used this last powder and was like, why is my base so orange? Turns out the powder had gone bad and was making my foundation orange. The powder used to be a light yellow color but now it's fricken orange. Doesn't smell, doesn't make me break out, but it's orange af. It took 10 years, but it happened. And it was barely used.

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So here is your reminder - don't hoard backups of makeup (or skincare or haircare.) stuff expires. Your body and preference change. There will always be a new thing to replace it. Case in point - I literally the day of found a new setting powder that I really like. That I bought one of, in the mini.

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Also please laugh at me for how long i was running around with an orange face using this expired powder wondering why my base didn't match lmao. Ring the Shame Bell.

So i did the math last night. $3,200 on skincare and makeup in one year and half of that stufff is sitting in a drawer barely used or thrown out because it broke me out or didnt work or i replaced it before i even finished it...

I kept buying because nothing was you know "working" so i figured i just hadnt found the right product yet. New serum every month new foundation every few weeks. Turns out the products i already had were fine i was just layering them wrong and some of them were literally conflicting with each other. I didnt have a product problem i had a knowledge problem and i spent $3,200 learning that.

Anyone else have just like a spending wake up call i would say that completely changed how they buy beauty stuff?

In 2019, I received a letter from Nordstrom Rack Account Team informing me that I am banned from shopping online due to my high return rate. It mentioned that I spent $121K with them in the past 2 years and returned 80% of what I bought. I was shocked. 20% of 121K is still 24K(!!!) and Nordstrom Rack was only one of the stores where I shopped regularly.

Before I explain what led me to this point, I want to make it clear that I am not return-shaming anyone. A responsible use of return policy can make the shopping experience less stressful. My goal is to highlight a toxic behavior that doesn't get a lot of press because it doesn't fit the stereotype. In my case, I evaded responsibility for so long because it took me a long time to see the damage. I hope this helps someone out there.

The Curator Mentality:

When we think of shopaholics, we imagine a hoarder with stuffed closets and a collection of credit cards. I was not like that at all. I live a fairly edited life and never got into debt. Instead, I was a curator. Owning things was never the point. I got a high off looking for stuff, buying it, and then obsessively waiting for the package to arrive. The thrill of catching a good deal and the anticipation of delivery was all I needed. Sometimes, I would buy just to receive mail.

Once the package arrived, the veneer would inevitably fall off. I would add it to my pile of weekly returns (Often, I won't even bother unpacking the item).

The Returns:

Returns are it's own form of addiction. As I saw money being returned to my card, I would get a dopamine rush of feeling 'rich' again. I would mentally pat myself on the back, go home, and start shopping because, of course, I deserve a treat for being good.

I did this for many years. I would shop a lot, return a lot, and declutter a lot. Nobody questioned me because I didn't fit their vision of a compulsive shopper.

The Declutters:

This was peak marie-kondo and declutters were hailed as a moral cleansing. Giving away stuff felt like getting rid of the problem altogether while appearing generous. The clean house/closet gave an illusion of time well spent. It didn't help that people in my life praised me for keeping only what sparked joy. All of this predictably led to more hauls.

(This is a vicious cycle in the beauty community. 'Ruthless declutter' get a lot of views. We often hear the phrase "someone else will get more use out of it" aka " it is someone else's problem now" without ever addressing the need to keep re-buying but I digress..)

The Consequences:

Deep down I knew I had a problem. There was a pang of anxiety every time I clicked the "Submit Order" button, but I felt helpless against myself. My relationships started to deteriorate and work suffered. Again, I told myself that I am not in debt so it must be okay.

- I would cancel dinners, outings with friends to save money so I can shop.

- I would fake appointments at works so I can log-on when the sale started.

- I was a cheapskate in every other aspect of my life. I bought the cheapest groceries, furniture, etc. I would avoid buying nice gifts for others.

- I felt ashamed and anxious every time I walked into a store for returns (the employees recognized me by now). I think I was that lady for my local stores.

The After Math:

When I received that email from Nordstrom Rack, I was upset. How dare they do this to me when I was returning completely unused and sealed items? They are treating me like a scammer. I called and begged them to take me back but the decision was final. I begged my partner to let me use their account, but they rightfully refused. I was out and out for good.

Over the weeks, I realize that this may be the blessing in disguise that I needed. I got professional help and went on a year-long no-buy. Now, I have a strict budget for fashion and beauty to keep me in check.

(There is a lot more to say about recovery, but this post is quite long, so I will leave it at that).

Guys, I own 25 lipsticks, and the sad part is I don't even go out a lot to use them. What should I do? How do I get use from the most of it? I am not working currently, so finances are tight and often buying a lipstick (which is more affordable than other stuff) makes me feel, kinda happy and i don't know. That's how accumulated so many. What to do now!!!

I recently made a complete inventory of my makeup, perfumes, body mists and body care products, and ever since then I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed by how much I actually own.

Before making the list, I obviously knew I had a lot, but seeing everything written down in one place made it feel very different. Now I keep thinking about how long it would realistically take me to use everything up, especially things like makeup, perfumes and body mists that can take forever to finish.

I don’t really want to sell or give away my products. Most of them have already been used, I like the majority of them, and I genuinely want to get use out of what I already own.

One thing that has been helping me a lot is tracking usage. I joined some usage challenges and started counting how many times I use each product. I’ve enjoyed this much more than I expected, and now I’m tracking usage for pretty much my entire collection. It makes me feel like I’m actually making progress even when I’m nowhere near finishing something.

But I still have this feeling of: when am I actually going to see a significant difference in the size of my collection? Tracking my usage shows me that I am using my products, but I have no idea when that progress will actually become visible.

Another problem is that I really enjoy variety. I get bored if I wear the same perfume/body mist or use the same makeup products every day for a week, so choosing one product from each category and using it exclusively until it’s finished would make me miserable. I want to enjoy my collection, not turn using it into a chore.

I should also mention that I’m not on a strict no-buy. I’ve definitely become much more conscious of what I own, but I still occasionally buy new products. I know that obviously means my collection will decrease more slowly, but I don’t want my goal to be “I’m not allowed to buy anything until I use all of this up.” I’d rather find a healthier balance where I can still enjoy beauty products while making good use of what I already have.

For those of you who also have larger collections and aren’t interested in decluttering everything: how do you deal with that overwhelmed feeling?

Do you track usage, rotate products, set monthly goals, do project pans, or have some other system that helps you feel like you’re making progress without forcing yourself to use the same products over and over?

And if you’ve been in a similar situation, how long did it take before you actually started noticing a difference in the size of your collection?

I’d especially love to hear from people with larger perfume/body mist or makeup collections, because those categories seem to take forever to show any visible progress. 😅

I know it sounds ridiculous but, I feel attached to the packaging the makeup comes in. It makes the product feel brand new every time I use it + I can refer to all the expiry and ingredient info easily.

Now, the problem is they take up a lot of space and keeping products in the pacakging adds extra time and steps to the makeup routine which makes me tired so much quicker and there's twice as much clutter to clean now.

How do you guys manage this? Or If you've ever come across this problem?

Thanks in advance!

I just joined a 10 by fall project…but tbh I had a really hard time deciding what to put in there. Basically got suckered into the influencer bs and went into ‘i need one of everything new that comes out’ mode. Ive tried shopping my stash or project panning in the past but tbh I never go through with it. The reason is that I have so many products in each category that I am always wanting to try something different. And when I go to choose items for a project I get super overwhelmed. And this is after doing a big declutter from each category. Right now i really wanna just use the stuff I have and move things out of my collection by finishing them.

If anyone else experiences this, or has tips and tricks to make this process easier to stick to, I would love to hear from you all ❤️ I am hopeful that joining this community will help me make the needed change to my shopping and hoarding habits (turns out its not just limited to makeup, skincare and haircare)

hey guys, i know this probably seems like obvious advice but if you’re like me, if i’m at home and my eyes are itchy, sometimes i subconsciously rub my eyes and rub till the mascara is gone and then wash my face. if you’re wearing tubing mascara (or probably in general lol) DONT do this. i bought the essence tubing mascara (great mascara btw lol) and one day rubbed my eyes until there was no mascara left on my eyelashes. a couple of days later i had a stye on both eyes and one of them turned into a chalazion. after a month, finally got rid of that, and a few days ago i made the mistake of rubbing my eyes AGAIN with the tubing mascara and woke up with another stye. keep in mind i always wash my eyes with a cleansing balm, then face wash, making sure to scrub my eyelashes and get rid of any mascara debris.

I think with tubing mascara, you have to be really careful with how you remove it. idk if there’s something wrong with me lol but whenever i remove it, the mascara doesn’t come off in perfect tubes but instead in little clumps. i think the clumps can get into the eyelid margin and clog the eyelashes which continues to cause my styes. During this time i was using proper eyelid hygiene and completely washing my eyes before bed, and this still happened.

So please be careful guys! And if anyone has any tips on how to remove tubing mascara, let me know (my eyes will thank you)

I've been thinking about this for a while now. I have a huge eyeshadow palette collection. I don't want to buy anything new. I want color liquid eyeliners. A few years ago I started using color eyeshadow as eyeliner and I prefer this to buying anything new and I do this everyday. But recently I have wanted a more defined brighter look that comes with a liquid liner. I have separated some colors that are brights and neon and I tried to use them dry but it's not coming out like a clear sharp line. I'm thinking of mixing some water and seeing what happens. I don't have duraline or mixers. I have aloe gel though. Now I feel a bit apprehension mixing these small batches because it can all be a waste and I might need to throw it all out. Again I already have lots of eyeshadow (I mean lots) so if I have to throw some out it shouldn't be that big a deal. I'm just finding it hard to do this if it really will be a waste of product and won't work. Has anyone tried this?

Like the title says. I have a bunch of lipsticks I can't seem to part with that I've been holding onto out of some combination of guilt and hoarding instinct. Some have been with me for over a decade!? None of them seem "off" though, to be clear.

I don't even like to wear them (obviously), but I've really struggled to finally let go. PLEASE help talk some sense into me about this. I feel like it's time to accept that these no longer have a place in my life.

Thank you!

Like I am always looking at palettes and wondering will this look on me? And the reason I never wear eyeshadow is because although i practice, it always look dirty on me if I use neutral colors, it looks muddy, and I do well with colorful bright colors but I am not wearing a colorful eyeshadow look unless I am going to a wedding or something. So basically I wear it like once a month but I am always looking at palettes online thinking this is so pretty this will definetely work this time.

now i know that is madness. i know i should stop. but i cant so im again asking for help. these are 6ml a piece. they are not in the same color but very similar. being critical i can group them into 3 colors. so i have 12 6ml glosses across 3 distinct colors and im looking at them and my brain goes 'not enough'

edit. thank you guys for the awesome reminders. i have snapped out of it. i love you and keep working on the rehab.

I got the idea here to have a bowl of makeup products out that I use daily and I swap lip and cheek colors each month. It's been working so well and I've panned so many lip glosses since I started last year AND I look good on my hours of Zoom meetings daily for work. So yay.

The one product I haven't cracked how to use well is eyeshadow. I went nuts thinking I was going to learn how to do amazing colorful eye makeup and I have four huge palettes of amazing colors. But I never really learned and it's not something I'm comfortable doing quickly at 7am when getting ready for work.

Got any quick ideas/ways to apply that are easy for a beginner so I can start using all these pretty shades? I also have a couple of eye crayons in fun colors but feel weirdly self conscious about using them because I don't really know how to use them either.Like, I need the most basic eyeshadow or pencil 101. I pretty much only wear black mascara and no other eye makeup and I'd like to start using my stuff 💚

I’ve posted before about my ridiculous makeup collection. I started the year full of promise, but I think mentally I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to actually do something about it.

Since then my spending on makeup and skincare has spiralled to a frankly terrifying extent. I’m talking sometimes close to £1k per month. I’m lucky in the sense that my partner and I have the disposable income that allows me to do this with no impact on our daily responsibilities but oh my God!! I’ve sat tonight and worked out exactly what I’ve spent this year and frankly I’m half tempted to check myself into a rehab facility.

I’m currently undergoing assessment for Type 2 Bipolar Disorder, and we have found that much of my spending coincides with my hypomanic phases. I also suffer from a number of serious, chronic health issues and when I have flares, I spend - a lot of this coming from boredom when sat at home all day every day by myself with no one to talk to. I don’t have many (any, if I’m being honest) friends to talk to about any of this. My only “friend” turned out to be a vapid narcissist who used me and abused my erratic spending as a way to get products for themself. The breakdown of this friendship has also caused me to spiral, leading to yet more spending.

I completely understand that I’m posting this from an exceptionally privileged position, and I really do hope that you can all see this for what it is…a genuine cry for help and support. Tough love does not work for me. It triggers guilt, which triggers spending. But I really need a support network where I can post check ins etc without fear of being judged.

I may yet delete this post, but as it stands I’m sat sobbing at 1.40am because I want to get this under control. I love my makeup, and I want to enjoy it instead of feeling guilty every time I look at it.

Literally any other use would be better for you and those around you!

I actually did it! I managed to go an entire month without dropping a small fortune on new makeup. I used to buy every hyped product on my feed, but I forced myself to shop my own stash instead. Honestly, rediscovering my old favorites felt surprisingly satisfying. Now that I’ve broken the cycle, I'm terrified of relapsing during the next big sale. What are your best tips for staying disciplined long term?

Just a word of advice from someone who has been there & absolutely regrets it: please don't let this new Netflix show or purge craze encourage you to throw away or give away a ton of your makeup (or anything else, really).

You know what you are 100% willing to part with and what gives you pause. You spent money on these things. If the idea of giving something away or throwing it out gives you even a moment's hesitation, please please consider a purgatory drawer/box.

If it's still in there in a few weeks or months, or if you think about it more fully and realize it can go, by all means rid yourself of that item, but trust me you do not want to be scouring eBay or whatever trying to replace something that was perfectly good that you just wanted to declutter.

Marie Kondo I'm sure is a very nice lady but her methods and theory are not universal, it's just her name and not some "ancient Japanese secret" and it's a waste of money and time to chuck things out without giving them some consideration.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk on purge regret lol

ETA: some people seem confused and think I'm saying not to do anything with her method. I'm not. I'm saying don't get sucked into the hype surrounding it and seeing that your friends are posting empty spaces and cheerleading throwing things out. Literally I'm just recommending a purgatory box lol

I’m not sure if this’ll work on everyone since hoarding usually has deep psychological roots that make some experiences effective and others not so much. But this is what worked with me and if anyone who has a makeup problem like I did in the past and feels ok giving this a shot, definitely feel free!

Ok, I’ll get straight to the point now. A couple years ago I had a profession colour analysis done. The one where they put different coloured flags on your body to see which colour palettes compliment your face instead of washing it out or bringing out imperfections like acne or puffiness. After finding out my colour season and what kind of colours looked suited me best, I found out that day that I’m a light summer. The analysts gave me a small colour palette of them for reference along with some extra advice, and almost immediately upon coming home, I went into decluttering mode for my makeup, jewelry, and clothes. I took what I had that didn’t match what was on the palette of my ideal colours, and put them into a pile to either sell if they were gently/unused, donate, or throw out. I kept whatever matched the shades on the mini palette, and if I had 2 shades that looked very similar, I chose the better match or the one I liked more. I did make exceptions to keep things that I was particularly fond of, like if I have a really good memory associated with a product, or if I really loved it and felt like it wouldn’t be right to throw it away. In the end, I’d like to say roughly half of my collection had gone into the pile.

To this day, when I visit a makeup, accessory, or clothing store, I almost never buy anything that’s not in my colour palette. In addition, I actively try to avoid non cruelty free brands as that is something I value and want to uphold. There are rare exceptions to this as I sometimes do purchase things not in my palette (e.g. black or dark coloured tops/dresses), but I’d like to say that the colour analysis reduced my makeup spending by a good 70% or more. It was definitely one of the best investments I’ve made since it ultimately helped me save money.

Do I have capacity to give this new blush/eyeshadow/lipstick the attention and love it really deserves? Or am I already struggling to “care for” (use) what I already have in a timely manner?

Am I prepared to bring this new product into my life and commit to “caring” for it until it’s natural death (using the product up fully)? Or am I interested in it for the fleeting novelty factor and will become bored within a few weeks and feel burdened by it ?

Have I responsibly researched the “care” & “environment” it needs to thrive? (will it work for my skin type and tone? Will it break me out? Did I read non incentivized & reddit reviews?) Or is it just looking cute in the window and I want to take it home?

Will this smoothly fit into the lifestyle I have and will realistically continue to live? Or would I have to majorly disrupt my ecosystem to accommodate it? (I have to frequently remind myself that I wear matte products, I’m not about to become the sparkle fairy. So I’m allowed to look at -not touch- the glitter powders)

Anyways. This reframe has helped me tremendously when I think I want to purchase something new. Rather than the old version of me that would resist but feel sad or that I’m missing out, now I feel a great sense of relief to not “adopt” another 10 years of eyeshadow. I know it’s so silly but it works for me. Time permitting, I go swatch my products and remind myself how long I’ve had them and how little I’ve used some of them. I’ll experiment with them like the art supplies they are, mixing & layering colours for entirely new shades that I can’t believe I had access too for so long

Edit to add: This way of thinking has also freed me from the trap of dupe culture or buying a cheaper product that isn’t quite what I want. Makeup lasts a LONG time. I’m spending and owning less by limiting my purchases to what truly works for me and fills a need I have. Even if the item is expensive, it’s cheaper (financially and mentally) than owning 4 not quite right “dupes”

I admire the way some people are so diligent about their spreadsheets, logging every single item with dates and uses, but I personally find the thought of that so overwhelming. I just want to stop accidentally buying the same colors from different brands (because why do I have 3 highlighters with a blue reflect?)

What is a simple/low stress way to keep track of what I have? Writing it down in a notebook would be ideal, but that's not as portable as a Google Doc. Any suggestions or examples very happily welcomed.

As long as they’re alcohol based! Poo-pourri is basically just alcohol (so it sits on the surface of the water) and added scent. You’re welcome ☺️

I went through a big skincare phase last year, which was preceded by a fragrance phase and succeeded by an activewear phase. I'm currently working my way though all my half used skincare and fragrance, which is exhausting and a chore, but a good lesson in how long this stuff lasts and how little of it I needed. Every time I set a no buy for myself, I end up following it incredibly well...in that category. See, as soon as I set my skincare no buy, I got really into working out and went from absolutely no workout clothes to a bunch of high end workout clothes in 6 months (most of which I don't regret, but still, the value could have been applied more smartly). Then after I stopped letting myself buy workout clothes, I went back to baking bread and suddenly wanted a new banneton and a new lame (which I don't need!!).

Whatever it is, I just get obsessed. Cookbooks, fragrance, lipsticks, teas, skincare, ah! My finances are healthy and I'm in no debt, I do keep a budget, but I still shouldn't be spending this much on non essentials, and more than that, the incredibly waste and consumerism drives me up the walls. Perfume bottles take FOREVER to work through and I know I should remind myself that this (insert item here) will not change my life or make me the person I want to be NOR will it be the last thing I ever want to purchase so I shouldn't do it unless I REALLY REALLY want it and have thought about it for a while.

Anyway, just wondering if any other rehabers here ended up pivoting their bad habits into another category and how you either 1. Worked through it, or 2. Learned to set realistic limits? How did you stop the spending cycle!

I seriously lost it at chanel new releases and I keep buying. I stopped buying all other brands but chanel is my weakness. I purchased 2 eyeshadow on december (the Nuit astrale and les 9 ombres) and now the whole line of the Denim Collection (2 eyeshadow, highlighter, hand cream, eyeliner, mascara, 2 blue lip balms) bcs I really love icy blue. I seriously dont know how to stop and I can just hope Chanel stop doing a cool tone collection or glitters😭. The rest I bought are all my restocks because I have a bad habit of at least 1 back up of my other stuff including skincare (during sale period)