Hey, everyone! Just a quick beauty~ update here, as we approach the end of the first month of the year. I don’t really “check in” and update very often when it comes to my makeup affairs—I just post looks and reviews and stuff and not a lot of “thinky” reflective things—but I’ve been having a hard time sticking to my resolutions and have been breaking a few of them. Yes, this early!
Anyway, I got to the bottom of things, of this mysterious situation I’m in that should really have been something I figured out right away because it’s so damn obvious: I’m a compulsive beauty shopper.
(Duh, they said.)
It manifests itself more when I am stressed and/or bored and this January has been a volatile mix of both. I’ve been preparing for a show (February 8!) and also wrapping up some pending projects from last year. Basically everything I needed to do needed to have been done in January and I consoled myself with teh pretties because I can’t find the time to unwind in a healthy manner. I’ve seriously been sleeping at 5 a.m. on average, daily, and waking up at around 9 to work some more. Anyway. The shinies. I made myself vulnerable to them. The NARS Spring 2014 collections did me in real good, for example, like I’ve mentioned.
Also, though, I’ve noticed that quite a bit of my purchases were old lemmings like the NARS Duo in Charade and a few Rouge Bunny Rouge eyeshadows that I finally decided to buy in a moment of weakness after holding off buying them for so long.
This is a dangerous game I’ve been playing, but honestly, it gives me a tiny (sometimes quite substantial) sense of satisfaction when I click that ‘check-out’ button and await my parcels. Oh dear.
In any case, I’m going to have a lot of content in the near future. I think I’m slowly accepting the fact that I do like having quite a bit of makeup, by which I just mean that I like playing with color and texture and having options and posting stuff on this blog like, “SEE? LOOK. LOOK HOW PRETTY.” And, in the grand scheme of things, that’s okay. I don’t want to make myself hate makeup. Or hate myself for liking it.
Makeup Monster actually brought this up recently in a post, and the comments were a mixture of responses. Whatever, I know I sound like Jekyll & Hyde, but there it is. I’m okay with buying makeup. It’s okay to indulge sometimes. You can’t hate yourself for not being able to say ‘no’ to a freaking lipstick, man. Life’s too short to beat yourself up for splurging on something pretty, especially if you don’t really harm anyone by going into debt for it or you know, not even using the item and just hoarding everything you can get your hands on. I mean, it is what it is.
Part of me is disappointed that I couldn’t say ‘no’ to some of the stuff I bought, but part of me understands why I bought them. I realized that the times I feel really bad about makeup is when other people eye my stash and I can see the outpouring of silent judgment. And honestly? I don’t want to give a crap about that anymore.
How has your year been so far, in terms of your Makeup Goals? I’d love to know! I will check in with you guys at the end of the month, and probably revise a couple of things. We’ll see.
Softly Sometimes 
One thing first – don’t give a crap about what others think. People’s opinions are reflections of themselves, their issues, troubles and past experiences. Theirs, NOT yours. So it fully belongs to them, not you. Unless you decide to accept it as your own.
I’m a stressed shopper too! And makeup is therapeutic. One clear example – I always have to go swatch something (even if I don’t end up buying anything) after visiting parents-in-law 😉
What seems to help me is cultivating the indecisiveness when it comes to purchase decisions. If there’s any tiny reason why I think I’m not going to be 100% happy with something, I walk away. If the particular item continues to hunt me down, then I go back and buy it. But usually I end up distracted by another shinny thing 😀 It doesn’t help that the entire marketing industry is working against it, with their limited editions and sales. But if you know that they’re purposely trying to get you to buy something on the spot, it’s easier to say “no”.
Just some random thoughts from another compulsive beauty shopper! 😀
Thank you so much for the kind words. Not just now, but always. 🙂 You are definitely one of my favorite Internet friends that I found from this weird little hobby.
I do random swatching, too. 🙂 If I pass by a beauty counter, I can’t not spend a few minutes swatching stuff. My girlfriend hates it, but lets me anyway, lol.
I KNOW I HATE LIMITED EDITION THINGS. I realized that A BULK of my palettes are LE and that’s probably why I bought them in the first place. I have a sale threshold of at least 30% now. If the sale is less than that, I don’t budge. I am thinking of upping it to 40% just to make myself be more discerning of “worth” and “value,” but we shall see. A bulk of my shopping is done online, so it’s really a battle of wits between my immature half and my more practical half. Haha.
Reading this after just preordering an hourglass ambient lighting blush. I’m conflicted.
Aw, why are you conflicted? P.S. What shade did you buy?
I’m excited and guilty at the same time. I preordered ethereal glow
I’ve actually said no to so much makeup this year! I’ve only bought a couple of things as opposed to 5 each week!
That’s great Natasha! I’m happy for you. 🙂
As I see it, as long as one doesn’t get into financial trouble, being a stress shopper is worth it. It makes you happy and you are always armed with the best makeup for important work meetings etc. I think if it stops making you happy, that’s when you should step back.
And other people will always find something to judge you with; if it’s not makeup, it is something else.
I am of course also 100% a stress shopper, so I might be biased.
Haha that’s true! 🙂 Thank you for your input. 🙂 I did notice that I used to stress shop for books and different types of film before I plunged into makeup shopping. I think I’ve just always been an impulsive buyer.
(We’re totally biased. But that’s okay.)
Several times during this month, I caught myself adding stuff up ‘in my cart’ and I catch myself right before pushing the checkout button. It also helped that I don’t work near a mall anymore.
Anyway, I’ve been doing a new strategy that I read somewhere — to have twice the amount of cash for the stuff I’ll be buying, and when I buy it, I should put the half in my savings account. It helps because everything seems twice as expensive, and it makes me critical with deciding. But this: “photoluminescent technology to exhibit depth and dimension” I was too weak to resist.
Hay, I’ve stopped myself a lot, too, but there are times when I have to give myself a break and just get something nice. Haha that’s a nice strategy! 🙂
I totally agree with everything you’re saying, but for me, this year, I still want to cut back and maybe even not buy anything since I started my Project Pan. I just SO MUCH stuff. I saw your makeup collection and believe me mine is probably much worse. I just own a huge amount of stuff including nail polish (SO MUCH) that I can’t reasonably ever finish it all, so I want to start using what I have and giving more away etc. I don’t feel bad for having bought it, but it’s not other peoples’ judgment, it’s my own, when I start to feel like- or I am- buying stuff without having even tried the last stuff I bought. I have enough products in my collection to do reviews for years, so I am trying to start there and focus on that. We’ll see how it goes.
Good luck with your show!
Yeah, I love using my stuff up! 🙂 I love discovering new brands too, though. A lot of the stuff I bought this year are from indie companies. Otherwise, it’s NARS or stuff from Illamasqua’s crazy sale. I will most definitely not be able to finish my stash, but I’ll just keep using what I have until they can no longer be used. I’m thinking of a blog sale, but I have attachment issues, too.
Thank you so much!
I’ve so far bought two bottles of foundation and a bottle of MAC’s brush cleanser, but I keep telling myself it’s okay because those were for a production I just did makeup for. Naked 3 is still unfortunately sold out islandwide. =(
Aw, that’s not so bad. I really bought a shit ton of things this year. It’s kind of depressing but also it gets me through the day, as sad as that is to hear. Sorry about Naked 3. 😦 I’m getting mine some time in March, so I am Naked 3-less too.
The only judgement I pass when “eyeing your stash” is the judgement upon myself for not owning all of that pretty makeup! You’re amazing, it’s amazing, and as long as you’re (mostly) happy with your purchases, who cares what everyone else thinks?
Aw, thank you Olivia. 🙂 I certainly don’t care anymore!
People deal with stress in a lot of different ways, our way just happens to be makeup shopping! I agree with it being ok as long one doesn’t end up in debt because of it.
Yeah, I feel like there’s a “healthier” way to deal with stress, though, but if it’s makeup for me, for now, that’s totally fine.
Thanks so much for the mention missus! My NARS palette arrived today and I’m delighted I took the splurge!
I loved your post! I could totally relate to it. 🙂 I’m glad you love it so far!
If you feel like buying, go ahead Carinz! As long as you’re not burying yourself in financial, emotional, et-al debts becase of it – then wapakelz sa sabihin ng iba! If it makes you happy (AND FRIKKIN PRETTY!!), why the hell not! 😉 😉 😉 Plus you went on a super long makeup ban so this year should be (!!) makeup shopping spree! 😉 hihi
True, that’s always my logic naman, pero minsan parang nabuburden lang ako sa dami lol. I’ll still try to shop within a reasonable level hahaha.
I guess I’m grudgingly thankful I don’t have a lot of disposable money, so it really forces me to budget it for makeup haha! It does keep me from impulse buying, although I do fall for it occasionally when I stroll the malls and find nice cheap stuff.
PS: I giggled at “makeup affairs”! 😀
Ah, I’m totally an impulse buyer and I’ve gotten into the bad (!) habit of online shopping. I rarely shop outside anymore. :0