I broke my no buy. It's fine. Don't panic.

Many a psychologist has pointed out that our shopping tendencies have little to do with our wants, needs, or financial realities and more to do with how our brains our wired. The fact that we buy stuff we don't need and spend more than we should because of our habits has become common knowledge; it's a factoid that appears in just about every blog post critiquing capitalism and every "stop shopping" YouTube video. And that's what made me break my no buy this month: a habit.

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I've moved to a rural area with few physical retail options, but I'm originally from Pittsburgh, where shopping opportunities abound. This means it's tough to get nice clothes where we live now unless we do a ton of online shopping and returning. However, we have plenty of options when we visit my family. So twice a year, we have a "refresh the closet" budget, slash, shopping spree. This includes visits to numerous thrift, consignment, and discount stores, including T.J. Maxx. And after a hundred T.J. Maxx visits, I'd built up a routine: spend 15-20 minutes scouring the beauty section for any products that might remotely interest me.

Sure enough, when we went to T.J. Maxx last week, I followed the same routine: I perused piles of Perricone MD skincare, Kat Von D palettes (oh, how the mighty have fallen), recently-discontinued Bite lipsticks, and nearly-expired Shiseido sunscreens. Then I noticed a few Bobbi Brown lipsticks, including the relatively new Crushed Lip Colors. I went through my usual procedure with T.J. Maxx beauty products: I checked the shade (Baby, a soft pink I've been wanting for a while), I opened the box and rolled up the lipstick to see if it had been tampered with (it was fine), I considered the price ($15.89 with tax--not bad), and I checked the batch code (it was from a later 2018 batch). I'm so used to doing this that I didn't even think of my no buy as I tossed the box in to my cart and wandered off to peruse the clearance sweaters.

My T.J. Maxx habits are so engrained in me, in fact, that even going through the checkout lane twice didn't set off my "WAIT WAIT NO BUY" thought process. I bought my clothes on the first go-round, noticed the Bobbi Brown box sitting in the cart under our bag, realized I'd forgotten to pay for the lipstick, and went right back through the line to buy the lipstick on a separate transaction.

This week, we finally got around to hitting up our local thrift stores and found tons of great, like-new clothing for all of $43. (Why can't my experiences in department stores crowded with $100+ blouses and dresses be as successful?) We decided to wash all of our new-to-us clothes so we could just throw them in our closet when we got back, and when I reached in to the T.J. Maxx bag to grab my $10 sweater, I realized...oh, wait. There's a new lipstick in here. And I didn't use a gift card to get it.

I broke my no buy.

Now, I didn't give you this whole story to make excuses for this new lipstick. It doesn't really matter that I bought it because shopping the T.J. Maxx beauty section is a habit; I still made an adult decision and broke my no buy. Rather, I'm pointing out that behavior modification is tougher than we think it is, and it is very likely that you will make mistakes with your own no buy. So much of what we do in our lives is based on routines and habits. In my experience, our financial habits are even harder to break. In a recent Reddit thread, I admitted that I used to prepare for each paycheck by looking for something to buy as soon as the money hit my bank account; it was a habit I didn't break until I was well in to my 20s.

It's also important that we realize that mistakes are normal, and as I've said before, flagellating yourself every time you slip up during your no-buy isn't helpful. You're just going to feel bad for a few days. How is that productive? Rather than downing yourself, think of ways you can address the problem and learn from your mistake. I've realized, for instance, that I should remind my shopping buddy that I'm not buying new beauty products this year. Then, when I make my habitual drift toward the beauty section, they can remind me that I'm on a no buy. If you prefer to shop alone, trying using cash to pay for your purchases instead of a card (we tend to spend less when we use paper instead of plastic), write a note on your hand, or jot down a list and stick to it. For instance, my wardrobe is now pretty well updated, but I still need a new pair of tennis shoes, a white bra, and maybe a back-up pair of jeans. I'd write down those three items on a list, and that would be all I'd look at when I was in the store.

Long story short, I broke my no buy, but I'm not mad about it. I got halfway through the year without spending my own money on any unnecessary purchases. I'm back on track. And I've learned something beneficial: the T.J. Maxx beauty section is the devil.

No Buy 2019: Almost Halfway

Have we talked about how graceful I am? I'm practically a ballerina. And this past month, I danced right in to my ring flash and snapped the base.

I've also been horrifically busy with work. As much as I love my career, reading piles of student writing and creating 6-8 new lesson plans every week is starting to wear on me. I've spent a lot of my free time in bed, just trying to recover from the weird creative exhaustion.

But I'm back, armed with a new ring flash and my Sephora VIB sale purchases! Let's talk about how everything's been going.

What did I want?

Let's take a moment to appreciate this wants list. First of all, I've X-ed off half of the stuff on the list, meaning reading reviews or re-assessing the product has killed my desire for it. The Jillian Dempsey Lid Tints, for example, look absolutely STUNNING on the many bloggers who have been posting about them, but realistically, I don't need more eye makeup. I'm already beyond lazy with the eye products I have.

Second, I haven't added anything to this list since March. Seriously, for a month and a half, nothing has really tickled my fancy. I actually spent half an hour combing through the "New" sections at Sephora and Nordstrom, and there was nothing interesting enough to add to my wish list.

What did I buy?

I returned the very lovely, but very not my shade, Laura Mercier foundation I tested a few months ago and got the Anastasia Brow Powder Duo and a brush instead. I'm honestly loving this purchase. A brow powder takes a bit longer to apply than, say, a super-pigmented pencil, but it gives me a lot of control, and my brows look fuller without being blatantly drawn-on. Also, I have a problem with my brow products turning very red on my skin; the brow powder stays true to color.

I also made several purchases with store credit and gift cards. Glossier recently released Mango Balm Dot Com (it's okay) and an eye cream called Bubblewrap (haven't tested yet), so I grabbed those along with another bottle of the oil wash. For the Sephora VIB sale, I bought a whopping two things: the Verb Sea Spray and the YSL Touche Eclat High Cover Concealer. I had a rough time buying that concealer because I was sent so many conflicting reports about the shades. After being torn between 0.5 Vanilla and 0.75 Sugar, I went with the latter, since the peachy undertones will likely be better for my undereye circles.

Today, I repurchased the Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35, my staple day cream, from Nordstrom. I had a bit of a panic attack when I noticed the product was no longer on Sephora and contacted the company to see if it was being discontinued. They directed me to several other retailers, so apparently, Sephora is just not going to carry it anymore and everything is fine. If they ever discontinue this product, I'm going crazy and buying as much as I can without overwhelming our budget.

How am I feeling?

At the risk of sounding smug, it's crazy to me how easy this has been. Every time I find myself tempted to buy something new, I remind myself that I only have so much spending money, or that I really want to achieve a no buy year, or that I already own a ton of stuff that needs loved. And I feel fine. Again, looking through the "New Products" sections on several websites and feeling zero interest was a wake-up call. I still enjoy makeup, and in fact, I'd say I've gotten even more in to skincare over the past year. But I don't need to buy a ton of it to be happy.

I do think part of what's making this easy, though, is that I've been so busy at work. I'll be visiting my family for a few weeks this summer, then I'm working a very reduced schedule (roughly 8 hours/week) in July. That makes boredom shopping a very real possibility that needs to be curbed.

Anything else?

So I had to pay some of the taxes for that Sephora order out of pocket--$4.62, to be exact. I'm wondering if that counts as breaking my no buy. On the one hand, that seems needlessly strict, since it was just taxes, not another product, and it was under $5 of my own money. On the other hand, I'm worried that that's a bit of a cop-out, and/or that I'll use that excuse to buy things I don't need later in the year.

I'm keeping track of how much of my own money I spend on non-staples, and $4.62 isn't a bad amount, in my opinion. But I really don't want it to creep up to $50+. What do you think? Am I making excuses, or was this a reasonable expense?

PS: Recently, I've gotten a TON of questions about replacements for the discontinued D&G powder foundation. For a variety of reasons, namely this no buy and my personal pickiness about powders, I haven't found a replacement. If I do, I'll let you know. If you find one, please, for the love of all that's holy, hook a sister up.

PPS: When this no buy is over, I'd like to try a new series testing super-expensive products, our finances permitting. It'd be called "I Spent My Paycheck On This," or something of that ilk. Does that sound interesting at all? Is a review of a $200 foundation even on-brand for me?

Spring Cleaning: Products I'm Purging

The beautiful card catalogue Kirby made me only has so much space, and it forces me to keep only what I love. That means I've got to get rid of some products to make room for the new stuff I've tried and loved. I'm actually a bit surprised that I'm getting rid of some of these things, to be honest, because there are some gorgeous products here. But if you're not using something, it's just going to waste.

So let's talk about the really amazing products I'm getting rid of! At the top of the list are these Face Stockholm cream blushes. I stand by my belief that these are some of the best cream blushes on the market; they have a slightly "jelly" texture that blends easily and provides a natural highlight. But I always, always reach for more hygienic liquid blushes in tubes or slap-it-on-and-go stick blushes. Another beautiful, but rarely worn, product is the MAC Amplified lipstick in Nicki's Nude. As pretty is it is, on the rare days when I wear a beige nude, I reach for NARS Raquel.

The list of makeup that's really lovely, but just not my style, includes the Marc Jacobs Dew Drops in Dew You, the Milk Makeup Holographic Highlighter in Mars, and the Fenty Mattemoiselle lipstick in Freckle Fiesta. The highlighters are a tad too sparkly and "makeup-ish" for my tastes, though most people with less ghostly skintones will probably find them natural and beautiful. As for Freckle Fiesta: I absolutely ADORE the color of this lipstick, but I think I have to admit that it isn't flattering on me at all. I keep telling myself it'll be better if I tan up to NC20, but that's turning out to be a lot harder than I thought.

Now for the epic fails. Look, there have been some rave reviews for the Kosas Tinted Face Oil, and it's SO up my alley and I SO want to love it...but it just doesn't work on me. It deserves a better home. The Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer came highly recommended, too, but I found it pretty "meh." It has zero staying power on my dry skin and it can look a bit chalky on my undereyes.

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I tried the new @urbandecaycosmetics brow gel and it was...eek. #urbandecaycosmetics #brows #nomame #beautyproducts

A post shared by Renee (@reneesanatomy) on Feb 19, 2019 at 6:53pm PST

The new Glossier Generation G formula is an abomination, so I won't linger on that. But can we talk about how every other brow product on the market seems to turn bright red on me? I had high hopes for the expanded Colourpop Precision Brow Pencil shade range, but nope, every shade is still too dark or too orange on me. And don't even get me started on the Urban Decay Brow Beater gel. Woof. Maybe if you have decent brows, this will look nicer, but it just made me look like Groucho Marx.

Speaking of brows! Sephora is finally releasing some freebies I want, so I'll be purchasing that brow powder and brush I mentioned this coming week. Beyond that...there's not a lot I want to buy with my birthday gift cards. Don't get me wrong; there's plenty of stuff I'd be interested in trying! But even after this purge, I've got plenty of products in my collection that I'm rediscovering. I think that's one of the best parts of being on a no buy: you have to be creative and use what you already have.

I Refuse to Buy This Until the Freebies Stop Sucking

Apparently, I am one of three people on Earth who actually likes the Sephora rewards program. Granted, spending around $75 to earn a deluxe sample is a bit rich, but at least Beauty Insider points don't expire. Getting actual cash back a la Ulta's rewards program is definitely preferable, but I will never spend enough money in a year for it to be worth it to me. So I do most of my shopping at Sephora, and I wait to push the "checkout" button until there are samples I really want.

Now, I've wanted the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo off and on for several years, and I decided to buy it back in February. But I have a birthday in April, so I waited until this month to place my order so I could use the credit from a return and cash in on my free birthday gift. That's already a big win for me; I never could have waited months to place an order in years past.

Annnnnnd I'm still waiting because the samples suck. One of the weirdly satisfying things that's come out of my downsizing and more conscious spending is that I'm very picky about what samples I'll settle for. It has to be a product I'm genuinely interested in, and it has to be in a shade or a formula I know I'll use. Currently, there's a red Laura Mercier lipstick available with a coupon code. There was a time when I would have just used that code and been done with it, because hey, free lipstick from a nice brand. Now, however, I know that I already have a ton of Besame reds I love, and I'm not actually interested in the formula. I'm actually quite interested in several of the foundation samples they've offered recently, but they're not offering a shade that will work for me. Nope. I'll wait.

Will I eventually just buy the ABH products and get the birthday gift if the samples never improve? Sure. But those Milk Makeup minis will be free to me until the end of April, and that store credit isn't going anywhere. I can wait. And the longer I wait, the more I feel like I'm breaking away from this endless need to BUY BUY BUY.

Speaking of my birthday! If you're interested in getting me a present and you have $3 to spare, donating to my Ko-Fi would be absolutely stellar. This spring's charity of choice is the DNA Doe Project, an organization that uses emerging DNA technology to identify John and Jane Does. While I have mixed feelings about law enforcement and medical organizations accessing genealogical DNA, I am all for it being used to give these people back their names and bring closure to families. You can read more about the DNA Doe Project on their website.

I have not received any donations for the past few months, so my recent donations will remain private.

Companion Piece: 2019 No Buy and Goals Check-In

Buying fewer beauty products means less to review and more time to brainstorm new post ideas. That's how I came up with "Companion Piece," a new series that will combine a blogpost and a video on a related topic. I figure this is the best way to please a variety of my readership, since some of them prefer to read and others prefer to watch or listen to a video. Fair warning: the video cuts off very suddenly because the last piece of the file was corrupted, but I'd love to hear about how your 2019 goals are going!

What did I want?

There have been a ton of great new releases these past few months, like the YSL Touche Eclat High Cover Radiant Concealer I've been eyeing, but I've also found myself looking in to more "established" products, like the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo, the Jillian Dempsey Lid Tints, and the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Contour Wand. I talked myself out of the contouring product because, quite frankly, I will never be the sort of person who contours, and I just have to admit that to myself. I have a thin face; contouring isn't going to do me too many favors. I'm also pretty sure I won't buy a Lid Tint anytime soon, just because they're super pretty on other people, but not the sort of makeup I'd fuss with on the daily.

That said, I do plan on buying the Anastasia Brow Duo and a brush to go with it. Don't worry, I won't be breaking my no buy! I returned the Laura Mercier foundation I tested earlier this month (it's beautiful, but I don't have a shade match), and that plus my leftover gift cards will more than cover the cost of the brow products. April is my birthday month, so I'll use the opportunity to get the yearly birthday gift and whatnot on the same order.

What did I buy?

As is usual for a 2-3 month period, I had to replace some staples; in this case, it was my favorite Paula's Choice BHA. I've used their 2% BHA liquid for years and have never been disappointed.

Also, Glossier decided to launch their new sub-brand, Glossier Play, and I used my store credit to order (and review) quite the haul. That slew of products and Kirby's bout of shingles kept me preoccupied for most of the tail end of winter.

How am I feeling?

To be totally honest, I'm feeling better than I ever expected re: No Buy 2019. I've been wearing makeup a little less than usual due to my odd work schedule, some exhausting traveling and conference-attending I've had to do, Kirby's illness, etc. So every time I've found myself wanting to jump online and buy something "for fun," I've opened the drawers of my card catalogue and said to myself, "Well, here are these 20-some lipsticks I'm barely wearing right now. Do I really need another one?"

As for how I'm feeling in general? That's...a bit different. I've struggled with depression a lot this month, especially at the beginning of March. There have been far too many days when I've felt useless and unhappy with myself and my choices. A large part of the problem is that there are several huge life changes looming on the horizon, but they're not guaranteed, ie, I won't know if my life is changing in these massive ways any time soon. I hate uncertainty. The realization that it's not safe to fly my cat across the country has also affected me. She's my cat and I want her with me, but I also want her to be happy and healthy, and a long-haul flight just isn't in her best interests.

Anything else?

Something that people always mention is how quickly a no buy can lead to overspending in another hobby, and I really experienced that this past month. Living in a rural, relatively isolated area means there are limited shopping choices in-town, so traveling for work becomes an opportunity to shop. Last week, I walked in to a Joann Fabric for the first time in months, and...well, let's just say it's a miracle I only spent $40 on planner supplies versus $100. My planner supplies drawer is full now, so even though I want some new pens and more washi tape, I'm telling myself, "No no no, use what you have."

To keep myself on track, I'm limiting my allowance to $10 for April. That sounds crazy, but really, what do I need? Nothing. $10 will buy me a Steam game or a nice new pen, and that's more than enough combined with what I already own.

Video: 2019 Goals Check-In

VIDEO: No Buy Tips That Don't Work For Me

There are dozens of no buys tips flitting about the internet, and of course, some of them just won't work for you. Here are three no buy tips that don't help me. Let me know how your no buys and low buys are going in the comments!

No Buy 2019: One Month Update

I don't think the first month or two of a year-long challenge is all that interesting, since so little time has passed and you've likely faced few challenges. However, I've gotten a lot of questions about how my No Buy 2019 challenge is going. And since this seems to be the Year of the No Buy for many beauty bloggers and YouTubers, it's as good a time as any to update you all.

What did I want?

I jotted down three wants in my bullet journal: the new Fenty concealer, the new Laura Mercier foundation, and the Rituel de Fille range. Helpful comments from Instagram followers and fellow Redditors knocked the purportedly drying Fenty concealer off of my list. I'm still very interested in the Laura Mercier foundation, especially with all of the positive reviews coming out, so I might use a gift card to purchase it. This being me, though, I might wait until there's a sale on it to sweeten the deal. I always prefer to buy things on sale! And while most of Ritual de Fille's cream products purportedly dry out and become unusable quickly, I've been sent tons of comments that state the highlighters are an exception, especially the Alchemist Highlighter Intensifier. I'm still waffling on this highlighter, so I'll wait a while longer and see if it's worth a gift card.

By not purchasing these products I wanted, I saved $106 this month. I'm hoping that "total saved" number will grow as the year goes on!

What did I buy?

The Milk Makeup Face Gloss has been on my Sephora "loves" list for quite a while, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay $20 for such a tiny tube. When they put it on sale for $10, however, I snatched it up. After taxes, it was $10.80; I used a $25 gift card I received for Christmas to cover the charges. (I pay for a yearly Flash Shipping subscription, so there were no shipping fees.) I plan on using the rest of the gift card to buy a mini size of the Benefit Gimme Brow, but I'm holding off until Sephora puts up some point perks and samples that interest me.

As for staples, I repurchased my day cream, the Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35. There's still a bit left in my current bottle, but it's only a few uses and it goes out of stock too frequently for me to risk it in the dead of winter.

How am I feeling?

Honestly, thus far, this hasn't been a struggle. I have a lot of willpower (aka, I'm stubborn as a mule), and when I tell myself I'm not going to do something, there's a good chance I'm going to stick to that. Life has also played its part: I'm often too busy with work to pay attention to product launches, and the water in our building randomly shuts off at least once a month, which makes me hesitant to wear makeup sometimes. Furthermore, I've been putting the money toward my other goals. I'm one payment away from killing a student loan, and holy shit, the YES YES YES! feeling I'm getting is more powerful than the need for lipstick.

That said, I'm not getting cocky. I know it's only the first month in what is shaping up to be a stressful quarter. The desire to stress shop could hit me like a truck. Also, I'm turning 31 in April, and my birthday has traditionally given me an excuse to buy a lot of stuff I don't need. I'm trying to focus on experiences for my birthday this year, especially since, by some strange stroke of luck, I'll be off work on the Friday before and Monday after my birthday.

Anything else?

Something that keeps popping up on Reddit and Instagram is that many people have already caved and broken their year-long no buy. There's a lot of guilt and shame on both sides, with the people who messed up self-flagellating themselves for making a mistake and their readers/viewers questioning how they could be so weak as to fail in less than a month. Instead of doing that, I want to stress that, while year-long no buys are very popular this year, not everybody is ready for a no buy this long.

Trust me, I know; there was a time when I spent entire paychecks on makeup I barely used. Willpower or no, telling myself I couldn't buy anything for a year wouldn't have worked back then. Instead, I started with easier challenges, like a beauty budget. Change doesn't happen overnight, my friends, and most of us need to break bad habits carefully and mindfully.

If you're struggling with a year-long no buy, I have a few less intense options that might work better for you:

• Try a monthly or seasonal no buy. See Auxiliary Beauty for an example of this strategy.
• Instead of challenging yourself to stop spending money, challenge yourself to recreate certain looks or make a dent in a few of the products you already own. I've written more about suggestions like this here.
• Create a budget. Budgeting videos are huge on YouTube right now if you need some inspiration! The best thing about budgeting, honestly, is that it helps you figure out your priorities, e.g., "Wow, I spend 10% of my income on makeup and only 1% on travel, but I always say I want to travel more."
• If you struggle with wanting to spend your disposable income the moment it hits your account, set up an automatic transfer: every paycheck, X amount goes in to your savings, a retirement fund, etc. instead of sitting in your checking. (This works best if you have consistent paychecks.)

Duping that Perricone MD "No Makeup" Look

A no buy tip I repeat often, in part because it works so well for me, is "focus on the look, not the products." This tip saved me from a $100+ purchase of Perricone MD products, which always tempted me because I love that "no makeup makeup" look and easy-to-apply makeup. By looking at the promotional images for the range, I reminded myself that the actual look they create is easily duped with stuff I already own.

Noticing the laughably tiny shade range for Perricone MD's No Foundation Foundation and No Concealer Concealer was already a turn-off, but it's also easy to see that these are not especially unique products. A tinted moisturizer with SPF and a serum-textured concealer? If you have a decent amount of makeup, you probably already own those. I replaced Perricone's foundation with my Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint, a favorite of mine, and lightened up by undereye circles with the Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer. I think that Sephora concealer is "meh," to be honest, because it creases constantly and fades after a few hours. Still, it gets the job done.

If you dislike tinted moisturizers, you could probably get the same effect by applying a similar sheer, skin-like concealer to blemishes and discoloration, then topping it with a bit of powder. You could also try sheering out your favorite medium coverage liquid foundation with a bit of moisturizer.

The easiest products to dupe were definitely the cheek products. The blush was at the top of my "wants" list until I realized that I already own a product that's the same damn color, the Becca Beach Tint in Watermelon. As for the highlighter, my original inclination was to use some MAC Strobe Cream. I decided to go with something even more natural and barely-there, so I applied a few dots of YSL Touche Eclat to my cheekbones. Normally, I wouldn't use this as a highlighter on its own, but I wanted to look like I wasn't wearing makeup, so...there you go.

Here's where things get a bit hairy: Perricone MD doesn't have a "No Brow Pencil Brow Pencil," or what the fuck ever they'd call it, available. And while a lot of makeup artists have created amazing natural looks that I'd love to duplicate, I've noticed that they pretty much always choose models with fantastic eyebrows. I, however, have terrible eyebrows. I tried to lighten them up just barely using a bit of Anastasia Brow Wiz in the back half of my brows, avoiding fuller front portions, but it still looks a little drawn on. Hey, I never claimed to be a makeup artist. At least I have eyebrows now!

As for they eye makeup, the replacement for the Perricone MD mascara was clear: Glossier Lash Slick. Used sparingly and applied with a light hand, it gives you that separated "I just got a lash tint" look I often love. To mimic the look of the No Eyeshadow Eyeshadow, I used some Catrice Prime and Fine, since it's a translucent beige color that camouflages the discoloration on my eyelids. I had no interest in the Perricone eyeshadow, to be honest, but a dupe is a dupe.

Finally, it was time to replicate the lipstick. The Perricone MD lipstick is a glossy, sheer, slightly warm pink--pretty, but easy to dupe. I decided to replicate it by dabbing a small amount of Kosås Rosewater lipstick on to my lips, then topping that with some Glossier Balm Dot Com. Kosås says Rosewater is a "cooler" pink, but I find that it reads like more of a watermelon color on my lips.

So there we have it: my attempt to dupe the Perricone MD "No Makeup Makeup" look. I don't think I was entirely successful, thanks to those eyebrows, but it did save me some money. Hurrah! No Buy 2019 is still on track.

Try This: Keep the Boxes

Some people genuinely enjoy every piece of their makeup's packaging, including the cardboard box it arrives in. I used to be one of them, especially with special boxes for limited edition products. I'd keep every tube and compact inside its beautiful sleeve, even though it took up a ton of space in my organizers. Initially, forcing myself to recycle these pretty boxes to free up space in my suitcases post-grad-school-move was a challenge. Now, though, tossing the packaging is just something I do reflexively. The card catalogue is the true beauty. Why clog it up?

So after doing some major damage during Black Friday 2018, I decided I'd curb that impulse and hold on to my boxes for a while. Every time I received a new product from December to today, I stashed its box, planning to create a helpful No Buy 2019 visual by arranging everything Tetris-style as above. But even before I pulled out the boxes and lined them up, the trick was working: the envelope I was keeping all of the boxes in kept overflowing and spilling all over my office floor. It was frustrating, and that frustration reminded me that I don't need more stuff. Hell, between the start of the year insanity at my jobs and several personal crises, I haven't even had a chance to test everything you see in this photo!

Hence, if you're like me and you're attempting a No Buy, or you want to curb your spending and you benefit from visual arguments, keeping the boxes for a while might be helpful. If nothing else, they make for an interesting photograph.

No Buy 2019: What I Pulled Out of the Purge Box

I get that the whole "New Year, New Me" thing is based on arbitrary dates, numbers we've assigned on a calendar, but...it's powerful for me. There's something exciting and motivating about that 1/1/19 date, especially after experiencing so many life changes in 2018 (quitting three jobs, starting two new jobs, moving across the country, etc.). I'm genuinely anxious to start working on my 2019 goals, including that year-long no buy.

Now, 1/1/19 feels like my clean slate starting point for sure, but that doesn't mean I can't start reinforcing good habits at the end of 2018. When I noticed I was visiting the Sephora website 2 or 3 times a day, I decided to stop looking for something to purchase and rifle through the purge box at my parents' house instead. Much to my surprise, I did pull out about a dozen items. Don't get too stressed, though: I only missed two products and really wanted to test out one. The others were just "I bet I could finish this meh thing" grabs.

What I Genuinely Want

I think my Besame lipstick collection is well over 15 shades now, and with so many beautiful reds residing in my card catalogue, I probably could've left American Beauty where it was. But it's been over 6 months, and I just can't bring myself to get rid of that beautiful berry red. Pulling this one out of the box definitely shut off my desire to buy more because I wanted to show off this shade instead of purchasing other lipsticks.

Also, it feeds my Besame addiction without tapping in to my wallet. I won't deny that I spend an unhealthy amount of time clicking through their website.

I also decided not to get rid of the Kevyn Aucoin lip pencil in Minimal. I don't wear a lot of purple-toned nude lipsticks or soft pinks anymore, as I've embraced my warm-ish undertones. It's a gorgeous lip liner, though, and I realized that, even if I don't pair it with a matching lipstick, it can create some beautiful new lipstick shades if I mix it with other products.

Last, but not least, I grabbed a big sample packet of the DevaCurl Wave Maker. I actually wanted to try this product for some time, but I never got around to it before the move, and I wanted to save room in my suitcases for more important things. Now I can toss it in to one of the checked bags I dragged home for Christmas and give it a shot at my leisure.

Well, why not?

I pulled two L'oreal products, the Magic Lumi Highlighting Pen and Brow Stylist, mostly because they weren't worth reselling or donating, but they could still ostensibly be used up over the course of a year. I dislike the faint shimmer in the highlighting pen and the Brunette brow shade is a tad warm for me, but hey, it could be doable!

The same goes for Tarte Shape Tape: I greatly prefer my other concealers, but it's a decent product, and I'm thinking I can get some use out of it before it goes rancid. If I really don't reach for it, I know for a fact that my boss uses the Shape Tape foundation and therefore might enjoy the concealer. (I know this because I brought something to her hotel room at a conference and looked at her makeup bag. For five seconds. And I recognized almost every product in that bag in those five seconds. #productjunkie)

I removed the three MAC lipsticks that were in the box--Rebel, Scarlet Ibis, and Faux--because I'm pretty sure one of my friends could make good use of them. If not, well, they're coming with me until it's time to Back 2 MAC some things. I'll never forget how much I loved MAC lipsticks, but with so many other brands producing high-quality formulas, these lipsticks just don't top the charts for me anymore.

Inventory and Review for 2018 and No Buy 2019 Prep

One of my most-repeated "stop buying shit" tips is to pull out everything you own and really look at it. You can arrange everything in neat rows and count it, or you can pile it up like a dragon's hoard. I like to do both: the organized method helps me calculate exactly how much I have, and the pile o' stuff is just a fun visual. I mean, c'mon, look at this picture! Isn't that quite a lot of frivolous stuff? Just call me Smaug.

I dropped almost $2000 worth of makeup on my office floor because I've decided to go through with my no buy in 2019, and before I start that, I need to get a handle on what I currently own and how I did with my 2018 goals. Frankly, I didn't do well, but I'm not the least bit upset about it. Why? Because I absolutely underestimated how taxing it is to move to a new place and start two new jobs. I was up at 7am and working by 7:15am most weekdays, and I worked until 5pm, then made dinner, then cleaned...reading and wearing makeup took a back seat to so many things these last few months.

I will not read 50 books this year.

I will not finish $200 worth of makeup.

I spent too much money these last few months on things I didn't need.

That's fine. I've got this. I'm settled. We're looking forward to a brighter, better 2019.

First up, let's look at some numbers! Here's what I had at the start of the year versus what I have now.

PRODUCT	JANUARY	DECEMBER
Concealer	4	4
Foundation	2	4*
Powder	2	1
Spray/Mist	1	1
Brow Pencils	3	5
Brow Gels	1	3
Eyeliner	2	1
Powder Shadow	16	3
Cream/Liquid Shadow	5	12
Eye Primer	2	2
Mascara	3	5
Lip Gloss	1	2
Lipstick	18	26
Lip Pencils	6	7
Blush	11	12
Highlighter	4	6

Note the * next to my foundation number: I just bought a foundation I've been wanting for over a year from Sephora, but it disappeared from the website ten minutes after I placed my order, so I have the sneaking suspicion Sephora will cancel that item. Also, I'm not too upset about where my numbers went up, since a decent amount of that is going to get used up pretty soon. For instance, I'm almost done with my Milk Makeup Gel Brow pencil. That drop in my number of powder shadows is just...so pleasing. Lastly, I have a small pile of products I plan on purging: I've set them off to the side, and if I don't miss them in the next month, away they go.

Now for my official plans for my 2019 No Buy! First, the exceptions. I am allowed to:

• Purchase replacements of staple products, like MAC Face & Body foundation or Jordan Samuel Hydrate Serum.
• Buy new things if I have gift cards or store credit.
• Receive products as PR or gifts.

 To stay on track with my goals, I plan on:

• Collecting all of my makeup and skincare empties for the year. This might be easier said than done, since we only have so much space, but I can try to squeeze a bag under the sink!
• Keeping all of my receipts AND keeping a list of my purchases. If I buy something with a gift card and end up paying a few dollars for taxes, I need to keep track of it.
• Writing down what I wanted to buy, then calculating how much I saved by not buying it. I already have a sticker in my planner for this!
• Doing regular update posts and/or videos. (Would posts or videos be better?) I think a monthly post in the same format would be a bit dull, but I could probably do something no-buy related each month.
• Forcing myself to be more inventive with the products I have. As I've gotten older, I've grown away from heavy eye makeup, but isn't it worth revisiting?

So what new stuff do I plan to bring to the blog? Well...

• It would be great if I could bring my day jobs in to the blog from time to time. There's a slim chance of that happening, since I work in education, but my career is incredibly important to me. 
• I want to write about food from time to time, particularly as it relates to my health. I've been somewhat shifty about this because it's so personal, slash, some people hate hearing about it, but I try to eat a certain way 90% of the time because I have irritable bowel syndrome and I work weird hours. So the occasional meal prep, what I ate today, food challenge-type stuff seems interesting and worthwhile.
• Kirby will probably come back for another video. He's funnier than I am, so, you know...worth it.