What worked for me in my yearlong No Buy

 

I waited to post about this just to make sure I would go the distance. The longest I've ever gone without shopping is 54 days & when I'd crossed more than double that number I knew something fundamental had changed in me. 

Start with why

Why do you want less stuff? Because it's visually more appealing. Because you are sick of tracking expiration dates. You have no clue what you have in your stash. All of the above & more. This is the most important step. And definitely the backbone on which your No Buy rests. It's also helpful to make a list and go through them once everyday (more if temptation strikes)

Put all your stuff in one place 

UI was doing the classic hoarder thing where apart from my dedicated skincare drawer, I had a small pile in my bathroom, an extra drawer in my kid's bedroom & some more stuff at my mom's house. It doesn't seem like much until I put everything in one place. It was staggering to see how much I had accumulated.

Use your stuff 

Make a schedule. I've been using up so much after I made a dedicated beauty routine. I'm not talking about your regular skincare routine but all the extras like facials, manis, pedis etc. I actually look forward to these tiny oasis of me-time /selfcare + it's so relaxing. 

Watch / read about other people's No Buys 

It helps to feel like you are not alone + you can definitely pick up a few tips from people who have done multiple years of No Buy(I'm in awe!) 

Make a wishlist 

Sure you have more than enough products right now but there will come a time when a newly launched product will call out to you. I have saved all haul videos from my favourite youtubers (the FOMO is real you guys) until I can watch them without breaking my No Buy. Several products have made it to my wishlist but I don't feel the need to buy them immediately. 

Stop tracking your empties 

I've been diligently tracking my empties since 2015 but it didn't really matter since I never stopped buying new products. Like you can out eat any exercise regime, you can out buy any empties project. In the process of accumulating more empties I was mindlessly using products, even things that did not work for me. Even products that broke me out like crazy. I stopped, took a step back and only used products that I liked or ones that worked for me. I still have a pile of empties with me but they are not as many as I used to finish up back in the day. 

Have a goal

For me the goal in skincare is to have only 2 products in every category. I know it might seem excessive to some people but you have no idea how big of a deal this is for me. Makeup is slightly more tricky since there are products that I only use a couple of times in a year (like a berry lipstick for fall/winter) but I love having these in my stash. For now I'm sticking to fitting all my makeup in 1 drawer(I'm managing, just about) Nothing like playing a little makeup tetris eh? 

Almost 6 months down. I hope I can continue like this. Fingers crossed. 

NOTW Week 49

 

Hey all, I picked up this polish because it looked nice & neon in the bottle. Was I wrong! 

A couple of disclaimers - I had sacrificed 2 nails at the altar of Deepavali deep cleaning, I was mad that someone thought it fit to name this shade Dazzling Red (I mean seriously, this is the 3rd misnamed polish from this brand. Who is responsible for this? + Can I have that job?), I had used 2 polishes from this brand before - 1 good, 1 bad so I probably should have known better eh? 

Anyway, like they say "Hindsight is 20/20". I'm wearing shade S14 Dazzling Red which happens to be orange IRL (go figure!) It is super sheer and I can only use it as a topper. I had to use 4 coats here to get a semblance of colour. It's a beautiful iridescent pale orange with sparse gold glitter & if it were more pigmented would look pretty. As it stands I don't think I'll be reaching out for this one. 

I bought a set of 5 11ml bottles for INR 300 from Flipkart. Stay away, you have been warned. 

NOTW Week 48

Hey all, Beromt makes some of the most innovative and affordable nail polishes. I'm wearing one coat of 7007 Black Cloacked (which is a black nail polish that goes opaque in a single coat) topped by a coat of 902 Unicorn Horn. It's a stunning dual chrome flakie nail polish with green, blue and purple coloured flakies. The colour shifts from green to purple/blue. Depending on the base colour the flakies change colour & sometimes are not visible. I have tried these with various bases but I feel these pop best with black. 

I love the fact that these are of super thin consistency & even the flakies are super slim. You can easily build up the flakies by sponge dabbing without any chunkiness. 

A full set with a black polish and 3 flakie toppers of 8 ml each retail for INR 500 + shipping. You can buy from Amazon or Beromt. 

NOTW Week 47

 

I know I've been MIA from a while now. It's not that I'm not painting my nails, it's just that life is repeatedly getting in the way. Picking up right where I left.

I'm wearing one coat of #6 Azure Allure from SQ Metallic Lust range. It's a beautiful shimmery teal. I love this polish, it goes on opaque in a single swipe & stays put for at least 5 days. I'm pretty sure I have all the colours from this range in my wishlist. My year long shopping ban (which incidentally is going strong) is the only thing stopping me from buying them.

A single 6ml bottle retails for INR 90 & as always I picked it up @50 % off. Totally worth the money. Cheers. 

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