Announcement - No Buy Year

 

Starting a No Buy Year because the amount of stuff I have is truly embarrassing. Once upon a time all the makeup I owned fit comfortably in a single pouch. I only had one of each item (definitely not multiples like now) & some products like primers & highlighters just didn't exist. The same could be said for my skincare pouch too. Only a few items & all of them in use currently. Now I am using products I bought a whole year back because that is the amount of backlog I have. I am sick & tired of maintaining an elaborate excel sheet with detailed info. It's almost like a race against time where I'm constantly trying to finish products before they expire. And as a result of so much stuff I have to let go of products that I'm truly excited to try & continue using what I was excited about say, a year back.

Makeup & skincare along with clothes are my problem areas. I don't over-buy anything else. In the past year I've not stepped out of the house & hence not shopped. In fact I only had 2 new pieces of clothing in the whole of last year & both of them were gifts. I'm mortified to admit that I still have brand new clothes that I've not even worn in my closet. After the year that's been 2020 I've come to realise that I don't need so much stuff. I can live comfortably on way less. Less stress, less maintenance & less time spent cleaning all of this. It seemed difficult at the start but as time went on I actually didn't miss shopping for clothes at all. I want to replicate the same thing for makeup and skincare as well. 

June was my birthday month and I have gone a wee bit overboard with my shopping. Friends and family know that I love makeup & skincare and those generally form the bulk of my gifts. I'm not depriving myself of anything, just trying to use up things before they go bad. God only knows what possessed me to "save" makeup for a special occasion! And all that time the makeup sat on my vanity & died a quiet death. 

I've gone through several No Buys over the years but I feel I've had the wrong approach. I used to think it was like a short term diet where you deprive yourself & then go on an all out binge session. This is more like a lifestyle change. You use your things & only buy when you are about to run out(radical, I know) Baby steps ( don't judge me) 

As with everything else, let's start with the rules

1. I can only buy replacements of products when I'm down to my last bottle of said item. Now since I routinely buy bulk-sized products last bottle obviously doesn't mean last 1 litre bottle. It means when I'm down to the last 100 ml for shampoos, lotions, cleansing milks etc. It means even tinier bottles for nail polish removers etc

2. Schedule in an at home facial every fortnight so I can actually use the products I bought anticipating some quality me time. Also I shop less when I'm more relaxed & not holding tension on my face especially my jawline. The same goes for other grooming I do at home - manicures, pedicures, facial and body hair removal. Pencil them in so you actually prioritise them.

3. Declutter everything expired, what you don't like, what doesn't work for you or shades that you are less than thrilled about. I did this & pared down my lipsticks from 80 to 30. I feel so much lighter as does my makeup drawer.

4. Practice my makeup every chance I get. Not only will I finally make a dent in the mountain of products I'm holding on to, it will also improve my makeup game.

5. Watch & read content from others who have successfully done No Buys. Nothing like some motivation. I've saved No Buy related content by Whitney Hedrick & Personal Philosophy Project channels. 

This is not a rule as such but since I will have a lot of free time that was previously spent shopping, it does make sense to plan how I will utilise it. I plan to restart learning French & the keyboard. I have finished a couple of levels in both but just gave up midway. Wish me luck! 

Lips n Tips #1

 Not something I do regularly but sometimes I like to match my nails to my lips. I found 2 lip shades that match my pink nails from last week. I'm wearing shade #33 from Volo cosmetics on my nails 

Option 1 - Miss Claire Butter Lip Balm in #07 Panna Cotta. 

INR 150 for 4 gm

Very moisturizing & stays on my lips for a good 3-4 hours when I don't snack. With meals this one obviously doesn't stay put. The colour payoff is medium and can be built up. I like using it as is for a barely there look. Oh & like all Miss Claire products this one smells like vanilla cupcakes. Love!

Option 2 - Half n Half Super Matte Lipstick #2 Heaux. 

INR 130 for 3.6 gm

Comfortable matte formula that does not crease on my lips. Most mattes tend to exaggerate the lines on my lips. Stays put for an impressive 5 hours on my lips. With meals it fades evenly & doesn't look patchy.

Cheers

Two-toned Liquid Eyeshadow Palette Review

 I came across this gorgeous two-toned liquid eyeshadow palette a while back & was intrigued enough to buy it. It claimed to be from this brand called Global Innovations. I had never heard of them but it did not deter me. Unfortunately when I got the product it had Huda Beauty printed on the product. Like why? As far as I know Huda does not have a product like this. Why would you want to give credit to them? As well as an idea for further launches. I think Natasha Denona has a multi-chrome liquid eyeshadow & those are truly beautiful.

The palette is made of a gorgeous pale pink cardboard with a magnetic flap. I love how it closes with a snap. Inside it are housed the 12 eyeshadows in a thick layer of foam. The whole palette feels very heavy even though the eyeshadows by themselves are almost weightless. Each liquid eyeshadow weighs 6 ml. These mix pearl & shimmer and are ideal for parties etc. 

INR 650 for 72 ml

Listing down the shades here. I know they are not in order. They are sequential according to the picture (bottom - up) 

ES 01 silver & dark pink, mixes to form mauve

ES 02 lilac & purple, mixes to form lavender

ES 03 silver & turquoise, mixes to form pale blue

ES 04 silver & grey, mixes to form silver

ES 05 baby pink & dull bronze, mixes to form baby pink with sheen

ES 11 gold & copper. Dual tone most prominent in this one

ES 07 Silver & copper, forms a pale gold

ES 08 Medium pink & dark pink, forms grape colour

ES 09 pale pink & violet, forms a blue based purple

ES 10 silver & bronze, forms a dull bronze

ES 06 silver white & pale gold, mixes to form a pale gold. Dual tone is visible

ES 12 copper & bronze, pretty copper. Dual tone prominent in this one as well

This is a great idea. As with everything new there is obviously a learning curve associated with it. Once you remove the doe-foot applicator, you have to swipe in a single motion & not go over and over again on the same area. It takes some getting used to. If you are impatient like me you can blend them together & it still does look good that way. 

A minor gripe, these are not waterproof. But once they set they don't crease. Considering the price I'm pretty happy with the purchase. 

A couple of pointers. Make sure you prime your lids before using these. Also for the love of God DO NOT BLINK before the eyeshadow sets. 

Yays

Gorgeous jewel tones

Doesn't crease or budge once set

Budget friendly 

Nays

Not waterproof 

The colours suit cooler skin tones more

April 2021 Empties

 Time for another round of empties

Clean and Clear Blackhead Clearing Daily Scrub

INR 120 for 80g

This one lasted forever. I've taken to cutting open tubes of late & when I did, I discovered that there was enough product to last me  a long time. Pretty OK product. I have one more tube of this. 

Alps Goodness Papaya Face Mask

INR 99 for 29g

Thank God this one finished. I always buy products with papaya & then can't stand the scent of synthetic papaya. I think I have one more face mask from Alps Goodness 

O'range Rose & Chamomile Shower Gel

INR 135 for 250 ml

Loving these shower gels from grofers. I picked up a lot of these recently. Never running out of it. 

Vaseline Cocoa Glow Moisturizing Cream

INR 230 for 250 ml

I have several half finished creams lying around. Trying to finish using all of them. This one's OK for summer. Does not work for me in winters 

Fiama Body Lotion X2

30 ml each

Still using these. Bottomless pit, I tell you 

Decluttering my lipsticks this month

ADS Long lasting lipstick X5

Awesome lipsticks. Only throwing away because they are pretty old

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick #120 Cutting Edge

Dupe of MAC Rebel. Love it!

Blue Heaven Artisto Velvet Matte Lipstick #410

Blue Heaven Splash Lip Colour #306 Pink Rush

Blue Heaven Gossip Matte Lipstick #12

All of these are extremely drying. I haven't tried them more than twice. Never purchasing ever again.

Elle 18 Matte Color Pops in P26 Prom Pink & P21 Pink Kiss

Amazing. I wish these came in smaller quantities. Who can finish using 4.3 gm of product in 2 years?

ADS Velvet Matte Lipstick

This is part of a set. No names /numbers, absolutely nothing written on it. This piece arrived damaged & I've never used it.

ADS Minion Matte Lipstick #10

Just bought for the packaging. Okayish 

TYA Matte Lipstick #11

Amazingly pigmented. Pretty decent 

Insight Ultra-thin Second Skin Long Wear Foundation

 

One thing I've consistently been disappointed with while buying affordable makeup is definitely foundation. For some reason it's manufactured in only 3 shades & all of them seem to be designed for far eastern skin complexions. I'm pretty fair but even then nothing seems to suit. I should know - I have tried every single one of them. 

Recently while browsing amazon I came across this Insight Ultra-thin Second Skin Long Wear Foundation. The shade seemed to match & I bought Shade 04 Warm Nude. It comes in a glass bottle with a plastic dropper (yay! I've had enough of those plastic wands) & the bottle is housed in a cardboard box with all details mentioned on it. A 20 ml bottle retails for INR 160. Expires in January 2024.

It feels utterly weightless when you apply it & it gives a nice, satin finish. The coverage is sheer-medium & you can build it up with a second layer. Although that would affect the whole "Ultra-thin" claim. The finish is not matte & your skin appears to have a slight sheen to it. Apt for summers when you don't want too much on your skin. This particular shade oxidises on my skin after about an hour (Drat! Just when you get a perfect match) It just gets one shade deeper but doesn't look too bad. Oh! & it's not waterproof as claimed. 

Yays

Ultra-thin, they actually mean it. I've never used anything this light weight before 

Gives a nice satin effect with sheer - medium coverage 

Love the bottle design 

Affordable 

Nays

This shade oxidises on my skin. Not sure about other shades or other skins for that matter. 

Eraser Soap Review

 Having oily, acne-prone skin; I'm always on the look out for products that will help combat it. About a month before Deepavali, I was breaking out like crazy. And I couldn't seem to single out the cause. If felt like everything aggravated my skin. At my wits end I finally reached out to Eraser soap. Truth be told I wasn't expecting much.

INR 65 for 75g 

Eraser Anti-acne & Pimple Soap comes packaged in a cardboard box with the soap inside it. All the details regarding it are printed on the outer cardboard box. It's manufactured by Ipsa Labs.

As with all ayurvedic products in India, the product gets away with mentioning only the key ingredients. Which is Cinnamon Bark extract and it form 1% of the composition. The remaining 99% disappears into the mysterious Base QS. Cinnamon Bark Extract's properties are antimicrobial, antioxidant, astringent, emollient, humectant, skin conditioning, skin protecting & perfuming. 

The product claims to act against bacterial proliferation, inhibit inflammation, regulate sebum production, check formation of free fatty acids & protect skin from free radicals. 

The TFM content of the soap is 70% which puts in Grade 2 soaps according to the Bureau of Indian Standards. Probably not the best thing to put on your skin but since I'll rinse it off in less than 2 minutes it shouldn't matter. 

The soap is oval shaped & cream in colour. It's scent reminds me of baby soap - very soothing, barely there scent. It lathers very well & feels like a foaming face wash on my skin. It's also extremely drying & sucks up all the moisture in my skin. (Definitely not for dry skin type) The directions of usage want you to wash your face 2-3 times with this. I used it once a day at night because of the drying nature of the product. I figured it was okay as I would be going in with my skincare less than a minute after washing my face.

After a week of usage I noticed that my existing acne dried out but it did not stop new ones from appearing. At the end of 2 weeks, I was still getting pimples but they would go away sooner. 3 weeks is when I hit the jackpot of a completely acne-free face. I'm pretty happy with the product & I'm continuing to use it. Also, a little goes a long way. It's lasted forever & a half for me. Way longer than any face wash.

I was so happy with the results that I bought a backup & a different variant which claims to remove acne marks. Fingers crossed.

Yays

Stands true to claims. Acne actually did reduce.

Affordable

Nays

No idea about what goes into it... Not that I'm a chemist who can decipher why each ingredient exists.

Grade 2 soap & hence a little harsh for facial skin.

I'm baffled with the claim of checking formation of free fatty acids. They are important for healthy cell function as well as for improving the look & feel of the skin. Why would you claim that your product will do away with it altogether?

Overall, a pretty decent product. Go for it if you suffer from recurring bouts of acne. Cheers! 

March 2021 Empties

 Hi all. Here I am with my monthly empties again. I'm cutting short my No Buy this month & I couldn't be happier. I seem to do better on a Low Buy comparatively. With an all out No Buy I'm attracted to things I wouldn't even be interested in before. Human psychology is intriguing, at the very least. 

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum Radiant As Show Stopper

These are poorly formulated, don't do much for me. Just trying to finish what I've already bought. Still 3 of these to go through. Sigh! 

My Nail Enamel in Clear 9ml

I picked this up from More & I'm pretty happy with it. Will probably be buying after we start stepping out like normal again. 

Alps Goodness Charcoal Detoxifying Face Mask 29gm 

Pretty decent. This has got to be my favourite from this range. Not repurchasing. 

Aqua Shui Moisturiser

Sample. Glad it's gone. 

L'Oréal Pro keratin Liss Unlimited Shampoo 1.5 litres

I'm a big advocate of buying regular products in HUGE sizes. Not only is the cost lower, you will also be cutting down on the plastic pollution. Been using this from close to 2 years now. Love it to bits. The only reason I'm not repurchasing is because there's a lot of fake stuff floating online. Will buy once I'm able to go out again. 

Declutter & Spring cleaning 

ELF Palette

One of my first palettes. Got a lot of use out of it. One of the reasons I buy cheaper makeup is so that I can get rid of it when it expires without guilt. I'm terrible about throwing away stuff & an over-thinker to boot. 

Essence Shimmer Brick

This was the first highlighter I ever bought. Love using it underneath my blush & as eyeshadow too. Will be replacing this soon.

Are you decluttering this spring?