The End of My October No Buy Challenge, Results & Final Thoughts

So… it didn’t go well LOL Actually, maybe I should rephrase. I bought a couple of things and so technically ‘failed’ my no buy challenge for the month, but I’m putting a positive spin on it, because life isn’t black and white (usually) 😛 and there’s lots of lessons to be learnt so stick with me!

So what happened? Usually I did the $100 Beauty Challenge, which gives you $100 for basic toiletries for the month. Limiting, but there’s still some leeway should you really need something. I always did really well with those challenges, so maybe I just became way too confident thinking I could get away with spending nothing for a month, either on necessities or makeup. In saying all of that, while I bought a few goodies – let’s blame it on the deodorant for making me unhinged! – I certainly didn’t buy as much as I might have otherwise… I think this year in general, I’ve cut down on my spending, as I’m just over a lot of the hype over new products and collections. It’s just too much and you don’t enjoy what you already own. While I’ve still got room to improve, I’m ok with how I went 🙂

So what did I end up purchasing?

1. Mitchum Clinical Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant, $10 from Woolies. The best deodorant on the market! I have a Nivea deodorant in an aerosol can, but generally speaking, deodorants/anti-perspirants just don’t work very well on me. I don’t sweat more than an average person, but they just don’t work. I use the Nivea deodorant just to ‘touch up’ or to refresh myself, but otherwise, it’s cream deodorants for the win! When I ran out of my Mitchum Clinical, I knew I needed to purchase a new one. I didn’t wanna be stinky at work after all 😛

2. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit, Unlocked, $117 Mecca Cosmetica.When this palette became available in Oz, I knew I was in trouble. I don’t own any of the Hourglass ‘compilation’ palettes  of powders and I have to admit, I’ve always wanted one. So when this one had rave reviews on Temptalia and other places (Paris did a live Instagram chat about it, which was super helpful as she has quite a few). Being limited edition (*shakes fist*) I had to get it while it was available *sigh….

3. Guerlain Kiss Kiss Lipstick $52 & Duo Blush $71, David Jones. I first saw the lipstick on Paris’ Instagram and I just. couldn’t help myself after that… Paris does the best flatlays as a side note 🙂 The blush/highlighter duo is part of the same limited edition collection (for fall?).

There’s no point beating myself over my purchases, because what done is done. The purchases above will be used and won’t be forgotten about and that’s important. However, there are some lessons that can be learnt from this exercise!

I’ve even got piggy bank ‘no spend’ stickers! Lol! I love them, they are from DoodlesDoAU on Etsy.

Lesson 1: Stay away from social media and blogs. If doing a challenge like this one, you might want to limit your exposure to new products and collections that might tempt you. This is probably where my downfall lay.

Lesson 2: Find new ways to treat yourself if you really need a pick me up. October was a difficult month for me. Work was incredibly busy and I have the luxury of working from home a lot, so whenever I’d feel frustrated, I tended to google and browse online shops. To create new habits, you need to do and act. Go out for ice cream, hug your cat, or catch up with a friend. Try and treat yourself with experiences instead of things.

Lesson 3: Self-care. Rae posted on Instagram a great tip that follows along the same lines as the tip above (she also did a no-buy month challenge and succeeded!) except that she recommended to focus on self-care activities that don’t cost money. E.g. working out, limiting coffee, pampering yourself with products you already own, taking a bath etc.. I struggle when it comes to self-care and when I let myself come last in this respect, I get into a bad frame of mind (just feeling down and melancholic) and no one should go down that path you can avoid it.

I am slowly changing old habits and that’s what counts. I’ve said this before and I really think it’s true – as you get older (I’m turning 30 soon, eeeek!) you want to simplify your life as you get busier. You just don’t have the head space for every new eyeshadow palette that gets released (and neither should you, there’s more important things in life, even though makeup is fun).

I hope someone finds this post helpful, if you are trying to either do a no-buy challenge or if you’re wanting to adopt a ‘low-buy’ philosophy!

So tell me Beauties, do you find you’re simplifying your routines these days? Let me know your thoughts!

Catch ya next time,

Beauty Bee~

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