#lowbuy

[arvaelstyle]

Going Through My Makeup

Due to my New Years’ resolution/challenge I really wanted to devote some time to go through my makeup to categorise and evaluate what I have.

I also wanted to highlight the items that I will probably need to replace due to using them up.

I will also highlight items that I will probably get rid of.

Primers

1. NYX Bare with me Hydrating Jelly Primer - I enjoyed this primer, it really softened the skin and gave a smooth base. I believe NYX discontinued production of this product, so I will have no chance of repurchasing.

2. Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched face base - Surprisingly, this product did not give me a result that I really liked. It also caused small breakouts, so once I used it up, I will not buy it again.

3. NYX Honey dew me up primer - Best of the best, this is the primer for me, so I will repurchase once I will use up all the others.

4. NYX Hydro Touch Primer - Second best primer I have, but I like a bit of stickiness on my skin after using a primer and this does not work the way I would like it to.

5. NYX MarshMellow Primer - This is not bad either, however it is smelling too heavy. Not gonna repurchase.

Foundations

1. Chanel Vitalumière Aqua - Well, actually not my favourite one for some reason, although I did not give it enough chance yet. I will need to keep using it and later evaluate.

2. Dior Forever Skin Glow - Like this foundation, probably will need to repurchase later during the year.

3. Chanel Les Beiges - Ultimate favourite, no question about this one.

4. It Cosmetics CC Cream - Will need to repurchase very soon, because it has a very small amount in it already.

5. Erborian CC Red correct - This one, I want to repurchase, because I really like it when I need only just a hint of coverage, I like to use it at home as well.

6. Erborian Super BB - No, this one I do not like, it causes horrible breakouts, so I am thinking of tossing it.

Concealers

I think I am still searching for ‘the concealer’, but until I will use these up, I won’t buy any new ones.

1. Catrice Liquid Camouflage (015 Honey) - Use this for concealing breakouts, because it is the same shade as my skin.

2. Catrice Liquid Camouflage (005 Light Natural) - Use this for under eye, but not a favourite

3. Maybelline Instant anti age eraser - Use this for under eye again, I like this a little bit more than number 2 because it does not set into the fine lines

4. It Cosmetics Bye Bye under eye - disappointment, the cream consistency is just too heavy, and it cannot be blended properly. I would like to sell this one, it is just not for me.

Eyeshadow Primers

1. NYX Glitter Primer - Having this for obvious reasons, will replace if I use this up.

2. NYX Ultimate Base - Not my favourite, I will not repurchase.

3. Mac Painterly Paint pot - Yes, yes and yes, will probably not need to repurchase this year, but will do once it runs out.

Powders

1. Maybelline FaceStudio setting powder - I am not a powder girly, if I will use this up or it will expire, I will not buy this product or any products like this again. Not because it is unsatisfactory, but I simply do not need it.

2. Mac Mineralize Skin Finish - This is a great product, but again, not sure if I really need this to be honest. I will probably not repurchase it.

Contours

1. Mac Studio Fix Contour palette - The best contour palette I tried, would buy again if I needed to.

2. - 4. NYX Wondersticks - They are just great, easy to blend sticks, the light medium color however just looking a bit orange on me when I have no tan, so I like number 3 and 4 way more. Fortunately, I do not think I need to buy anything in this category during 2025.

Blushes

I just have too many blushes it seems, so I would like to get rid of a few. As they are quite old items, I will get rid of number 2 and 10. I am very likely to get rid of number 4 as well, it is just not my vibe.

Highlighter

I only have this one highlighter, apart from the ones that are included in palettes. That is Why I do not need more.

Bronzer

1. Catrice Sun Glow - This is an old item, I will get rid of this, because it is already expired.

2. Estèe Lauder Bronze Goddess - Favourite bronzer, if I would not have purchased the others, I would only use this one.

3. NYX Matte Bronzer - Really nice bronzer as well, but I just recently realized that I like bronzers with a little bit of shimmer in them.

4. Revolution Blush Palette - Although it should be a blush palette, it is more f a bronzer, blusher, highlighter palette. It is very versatile, with really nice colors, but would not repurchase it.

Mascaras

Apart from the SkyHigh and Lash Princess mascaras, the other 3 were basically purchased for only trying them, so once they will run out, I will not repurchase them.

Brow Products

I just have too many prow products as well, but there is basically no products here that I would not like particularly. Almost each piece has different colors, so until I use them up, I won't buy another one.

Eye Pencils and Eye Liners

I like using different colors of eye pencils, what I will need to be more careful about in the future is trying to avoid buying duplicates. I currently have duplicates of dark blue and dark brown eyeliners, and the reason for that was me thinking I have lost them.

The same happened to the brown NYX Eyeliner as well.

Lip Liners and Glosses

I will need to declutter my lip liner "collection" - there are too many of nude lipliners, although I do not really like to use them to be honest.

Lip glosses - I prefer natural colored lip glosses. I rarely touch the Essence lip glosses (number 5-6) - they are too sparkly for my taste so I will probably toss them.

Lipsticks

Although I am not really a lipstick girl, I have quite a few in my collection. I mostly love using nude colors - light and dark versions as well. I will get rid of number 4, 5 and 6 (The NYX Long Lasting Lipsticks) because they are just too matte for my taste.

I have the following MAC Lipstick colors :

Modesty

Creme in your coffee

Media

Brave

Amorous

On Hold

Verve

Eye Palettes

Lastly, my eye palettes. These are the eye palettes which remained in my possession after decluttering a much bigger collection - I owned almost the double of the below, which was to be honest ... crazy. If I were a makeup artist (which I am not) the below collection could even be called crazy. I am expecting to get rid of 2 or 3 in the next couple of months, so it is unlikely that I will purchase an eye palette in the near future.

[what-got-bought-today]

I bought nothing today.

[leannadalton]

June & July Beauty and Makeup Empties | Low Buy and Declutter

[katlowbuynobuy]

I attempted a low buy last year and did pretty well until the second half of the year. I didn’t set very good rules last year. I didn’t have them accessible on my phone to be able to easily see them. I didn’t express to people how much I needed to stop buying so many things. I wasn’t successful to sticking to my low buy rules but I did much better than I did in 2019 and I feel like I learned a lot about my triggers. This year I feel more confident about my ability to stick to my rules. I have stricter rules and more numerical rules.

Items I have a problem with: clothes, books

Items I don’t have a problem with: makeup, skincare

RULES:

If it’s a clothing item that isn’t for working out, for an event, or underwear, it must be on my wishlist for at least a month.

Strict no buy: jeans, plain/basic t shirts, lipsticks, books, vitamin c serums

Allowed to use rewards, gift cards, and codes that work like gift cards.

Must stick to $83.33/ month fun budget ($1000 total for the year). Whatever isn’t used for that month will rollover to the next month allowing me to save up for bigger ticket items.

For clothes, one in, at least 3 items out

For makeup/skincare, only buy things that can be finished/well-used before it expires.

Necessary items such as body wash, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, cleanser, basic face lotion, and sunscreen do not have to be taken out of the fun budget if they are not expensive and if they are to replace an item and not stock up.

GOALS/ WHY?

I want to be more self-disciplined. I want to be able to control my wants and stick to my monthly and yearly fun budget.

I want to want less things. I want to become less obsessive about items.

I want to be influenced less. I don’t want to feel like this one item will be what makes me look better, feel better.

I need to save up money. I will most likely need to buy a car this year. I also really want to get Invisalign. Both of these need a lot of money and if I hadn’t wasted so much money on clothing, I could’ve probably had one of these already.

I want to have a 3-6 month emergency fund. I have a $1000 emergency fund but I want to feel more stable.

I want to travel. I would like to pay for a trip out of pocket and not on credit.

I feel good about this. I know I’ll be able to do this. I know it’ll be hard, but I think I have a better support system this time.

[88frostfromfire]

My February & March budget

I just recently posted a photo of my budget tracker, but last night I made another purchase, so my budget for the month is pretty close to gone now. So, I think it's a good time to discuss what I've spent and how I feel about it.

Originally, my idea was only to include shopping from certain categories (beauty, clothing, accessories, and homewares). However, as I was shopping on my trip to Toronto, I bought a few things that still felt like "shopping" even though they weren't part of these categories, so I included them.

Overall, I am happy with my purchases. Even with the budget and replacement-only rules for makeup/skincare/haircare, I felt like I was still able to have fun and enjoy shopping. The key difference is that I wasn't able to make mindless purchases because I had a limit for how much I could spend. This gave me a good mix of carefully planned purchases, as well as a few spontaneous purchases. I expected traveling to be difficult because I normally shop a lot on trips. I know that I still want to want, so coming home from the trip with a few new things that weren't planned in advance really satisfied that desire, but I know I didn't go over my budget, so I don't feel guilty about it. The main question I have is whether that desire will fade over time. Honestly, I don't know if I want to stop shopping entirely. I just want to be more mindful about it and be happier with what I already have.

This contains all shopping between February and now (today is March 23). My trip to Toronto was March 14-18, so I decided to mark all the purchases made during that trip with *

Sephora: I originally wanted to go on a "no buy" and save my entire Feburary and March budget for the trip to Toronto I took in mid-March. However, I am glad I bought this colour corrector locally instead of waiting to buy it. It works well and gives me more confidence that some of the redness in my face is minimized.

*David's Tea: Even though this latte mix technically falls under "food" and not the categories I laid out to include in my budget originally, I bought it because I wanted to buy something. It was something I specifically planned to buy and I'm glad I did. I've already had a couple cups of it and it's really delicious. It's pretty pricey for what it is, though, so I don't think I'd get it again.

*Rohto Lycée eye drops & breath care: I bought these Japanese eye drops from 2 different stores (I decided to buy 2 packs of it) and am happy I did. I did research into them before purchasing and I happened to come across 2 different stores that sell them. I bought 1 pack at the first store, then tried them and by the time I went to the second store, I decided to purchase ... A BACKUP! (I know backups are frowned upon in the spending less/minimizing community). The reason I decided to get a backup is because eyedrops are perishable and for hygienic purposes cannot be kept for too long, and also, because I know I don't have access to these drops at home. I also purchased some Japanese breath mints. While I don't regret buying them, I can pinpoint exactly why I got them. I was in an Asian beauty store, and before going in I'd planned on purchasing only 2 things (the eyedrops and Beauty Blender cleanser). They didn't have the cleanser and I wasn't allowing myself to buy any other beauty/makeup/skincare items that I don't need. So when I found a cute looking bottle of mints, I jumped on it.

*Starbucks mug: My list included a Toronto Starbucks mug (I have a Montreal one and thought it would be neat to collect as a practical souvenir). However, I go to Toronto fairly often so when we went to Niagara Falls and I saw a mug there, I decided to get it instead and was very happy about that! I paid with my Starbucks card, so it didn't cost me anything (most of the money on my Starbucks card was from gift cards at Christmas).

*Lush: This was a carefully planned purchase, as I only allowed myself to buy bubble bars (I got 2), a facial scrub (I got the smaller of the 2 sizes available), and a solid shampoo bar.

*Muji: Even though my purchase at Muji was just 2 highlighters for school, I decided to include them in my budget because I didn't actually need highlighters. They will be useful, but I bought them mainly because I wanted to buy something from Muji for myself (I also got a gift), and they didn't have the other 2 things I was looking for.

*Nordstrom: These were both somewhat impulse buys. I love checking out Nordstrom's Pop-Ins, which is a little "pop-up" shop inside their store, and it changes every couple months. I checked it out one day, and then at the hotel that night, I read reviews of the 2 items I'd been interested in. Again, similar to what happened at the Asian beauty store when I got the mints, almost everything else at the Nordstrom Pop-In were items I can't buy right now (like skincare, haircare, and makeup), so I bought a brow serum and a lip plumper, 2 items that I don't have. I honestly don't regret buying either one. I had read reviews before buying and I also made sure they fit into my budget. But it also felt a little like finding a loophole in my own rules.

Pusheen box: During my trip, I got an email that the charge for my quarterly subscription box went through. Because it also is a form of shopping, I included it in my budget.

Sephora: During the trip, it was a bit too early to pick up my free birthday gift at Sephora, so I placed an order last night for it. I also got the Glow Recipe Watermelon face mist. I don't want to call this an impulse buy, because I waited a while to buy it, but I wanted it the instant this product launched. I also am very low on the existing face mist I have, so I'm going to use that one up first.

[swatchmystash]

To combat my serious makeup addiction, I've created a pan for a 12 month low-buy and a project pan

[chicgeekblog]

Interested in hearing about why might have have failed a no buy? Check out my youtube channel!

[mumamsterdam-blog]

Yes it’s happening! In mijn YouTube video deel ik 20 dingen die ik niet meer koop. Van nagellak tot scheermesjes. En Ik vertel je waarom!😅 Zoals je weet, ben ik bezig met het verduurzamen van mijn kledingkast. Daarnaast ben ik ook mijn leven aan het verduurzamen. De laatste jaren heb ik interesse gekregen in het #minimalisme. Ik probeer te houden van de dingen die ik heb en daarmee tevreden te zijn. Een lesje in dankbaarheid, zal ik maar zeggen. Dus check mijn video. De link vind je in mijn bio. En laat me hieronder weten, welke dingen jij niet meer koopt. 👇🏼 Ik ben benieuwd! Fijne dag! • • #slowliving#slowlife#koopgedrag#koopminderdraagmeer#koopminder#dankbaar#dankbaarheid#innerlijkerust#koopiknietmeer#nietmeerkopen#lowbuy#lowbuy2020#nobuy#nobuyyear#nobuychallenge#nobuy2021#nobuyyear#nobuyyear2021#nederlandseblogger#nederlandsebloggers#nederlandseblog#mamaishblog#mamaish#minimalistlifestyle#minimalistwardrobe#minimalistlife (bij Bos En Lommer, Noord-Holland, Netherlands) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMT5ZVpjLX9/?igshid=1p85k1xupyntj

[nailartbyqueenie]

PAN!!!!!!! I’m so excited!! I literally yelled woohoo!!! 😂 Its a banner day here in the Queenie Kingdom!! 💛😊👑 . . . . . #makeupqueenie68 #physiciansformula #pfbutterbronzer #butterbronzer #physiciansformulabutterbronzer #panporn #projectpan #panthatpalette #panningcommunity #projectuseitup #useitup #shopyourstash #nobuy #lowbuy #panitall @physiciansformula @physiciansformulaau 👑💛👑💛👑💛👑 https://www.instagram.com/p/B_SjNujhH1t/?igshid=jad18x2rnnik

[furiousrascalhorseherring]

This is my introduction to my very first project pan! I’m excited to start 2020 with a positive attitude and the resolution to use and enjoy the things I have in my collection. I would love it if any of you wanted to join me in this journey, let me know in the comments what products you’ll be focusing on using up this year. . My First Project Pan | 2020 Intro https://youtu.be/ttth0FiV6jY . #projectpan #projectpanner #makeup #panningcommunity #projectpan2020 #projectpancommunity #useitup #projectpanning #makeupcollection #panporn #makeupflatlay #panning #makeuplover #shopmystash #empties #beauty #lowbuy #makeupuseup #panningmakeup #hitpan #shopyourstash #skincare #panthatpalette #usewhatyouhave #projectpanningcommunity #projectuseitup #makeupaddict #makeupinventory #makeupjunkie #beautyvloggers (at The Beauty Expert) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7JRvFHJhWN/?igshid=1ns4e2m0nfar1

[arvaelstyle]

What did I wear for the first couple of days in 2025

Hello Everyone,

Thought I would show you a couple of outfits I wore in the first couple of days of 2025. For each of them, I thought I would show you my inspirations as well, pictures from Pinterest that I either used for copying the pieces almost exactly like on the picture or I just used some elements or style that I liked. As one of my New Year’s resolution was to value what I already own more I will try to shop my closet more often and use more imagination than I used to.

January 2nd

This outfit on Pinterest caught my eye: vibrant color of red, feminine elements like the flowy skirt, pearl necklace paired with sharpness in the shirt collar and with loose coolness in the trainers.

In my outfit, although the material of the skirt is heavier, it has its own feminity, as well as the pearl necklace. I have added the sharpness through the structure of the blazer and I have added a little sporty vibe with the trainers and a simple white T.

January 3rd

I loved this outfit for its simplicity and clearness. I had everything to create this look in my wardrobe. We cannot see what type of shoes the woman on the picture wears, however I paired the look with a pair of pointy boots to match the sharpness of the look.

January 4th

This was an outfit again that I liked for its simplicity. Bulky sweater, oversized blazer, and distressed grey jeans. These pieces are wardrobe staples, you most likely to have similar pieces in your own closet, so I tried to recreate this outfit with my own pieces. I paired the clothes with my very comfortable black leather trainers and I was ready to go.

January 5th

Monochromatic looks: to be honest, my favourites. I enjoy a head-to-to same color or color family moment, they look sheek and elongate my otherwise shortish body. I got at least three compliments on my look that day from total strangers while making a short shopping trip (needed to buy detergent and some cleaning products). I felt good in this outfit, although the colors are creamier and my pants are more flowy than on my inspiration picture, and the sweater are not that bulky, but I really liked the result overall.

January 6th

Sunday, chill vibes, going for a brunch in the morning, so I wanted something cool. I saw this picture back in December and I really wanted to try recreating it with my own clothes. Although I created the outfit with different colors (olive green) I wanted to grasp the coolness and military vibe of the outfit.

That is all - for last week, hope to post a similar one at the end of this week as well.

Hope you enjoy this new year to its fullest!

[1200adayok]

🌟 Empty 🌟 Used up my Elf Illuminating Eye Cream. I bought this a while ago from the ELF website. It's very thin, silky and sinks in nicely. I enjoyed using it. I actually applied it with a foundation paddle brush and it felt super nice that way. There isn't that much in there and it's super light so I apply a lot. Even though it was only $5 I don't think I will repurchase it. For now I'm going to DIY an eye cream with a mix of moisturizers and coconut oil. I'm going to reuse the jar. 🌟 #empties #empty #beautytrash #useitup #usewhatyouhave #nobuy #lowbuy #projectpan #panning #playbeautifully #elfilluminatingeyecream #eyecream #illuminatingeyecream #elf #elfmakeup #elfbeauty #eyeslipsface #drugstoremakeup #drugstorebeauty #makeup #beauty #beautyblogger #mua #canadianblogger #canadianmua #beautyhaul #drugstorehaul #newatthedrugstore https://www.instagram.com/p/B10EraJJqpr/?igshid=1jrvbz1y4a12

[katlowbuynobuy]

feelings are changing

It has only been about 3 weeks since the year started, but this past weekend, I felt a change. When I saw things on Instagram, I didn’t feel a strong want for them. I have been looking around for what to get to use a $30 reward that was set to expire this month. The search for just the right item made me so tired that I no longer felt excited to shop for an item. For weeks, I had planned on getting a sunscreen with the reward since it’s an item that I use daily and I consider it extremely important to my well-being. For some reason I thought that I should find something else to use the reward on. I searched and searched and I got so tired I just finally got the sunscreen. I felt a wave a relief afterwards. I no longer had to look and I knew I’d be satisfied with what I chose. 

After that, I stopped wanting things as much. I started to feel overwhelmed with the amount of clothes in m closet. I had been holding on to clothes for because I thought I would wear them, but I finally accepted that I need to let go of them. I’m now planning on getting my clothes posted to sell this weekend. I have also accepted that I will lose some money selling these items, but it’s better I sell them than have them sitting in my closet unused.

I have also been more into doing things that don’t involve looking at my phone. I found that looking at Instagram started to bore me. I was more keen to read a book than just scroll through social media apps this past weekend. I was actually able to finish a book! I do hope this change in mindset sticks. I love how I’m feeling. I still have a bit to work on, but I feel like I’m on the right path.

[teresasbigo]

How can I be expected to stick to a low buy when @colourpopcosmetics releases a #villains collection?! @disneystudios #disneycollab #disneyvillains #ursulaismybitch #littlemermaid #seawitch #poorunfortunatesouls #justyourvoice #lowbuy #outthewindow https://www.instagram.com/teresasbigo/p/BvR1mgXp-cd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7vyculworpfk

[sugarbites21]

Happy Monday!! My recent @ultabeauty #haul 💖 I had to get the @anastasiabeverlyhills Sultry #palette because it was on sale 🙊 how could I not? lol 🥰🥰 #ulta #ultahaul #ultabeauty #abh #abhsultry #makeuprevolution #makeup #makeuphaul #makeupjunkie #lowbuy (at Sunset North, Phoenix, Arizona) https://www.instagram.com/p/BumEMzElRrp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=oe3ks6rkobph

[chicgeekblog]

Interested in hearing about the palettes I have not yet used this year at all? Check out my youtube channel!