Replacement Only No-Buy: Reflections

Today was the last day of my No Buy and I'm happy to say I didn't break any of my rules (except once accidentally but I'll get into that later). I thought I'd share with you what my experience was like and what I've learned.

Pretty early on during my No Buy was that I found it really easy to not buy things. For example, I have the BeautyBay app on my phone and every so often I would get notifications about whatever sale or offer they were promoting. I also get quite a lot of promotional emails everyday from various different companies about new releases or offers. Occasionally, I would click on it just to see what I was "missing out" on and every time I did, I never wanted any of it. It really felt like these companies were doing their best to tempt me but I never cared enough.

In August there was one brand that restocked the some items I wanted to purchase from them but I hadn't managed to pick up when they had been available before. This was my first proper "test" as I have been thinking about these items for months already at that point. However, I didn't mind not buying them immediately as at that point I'd already waited so long to buy them anyway. Other than that I had no real urge to purchase things, I was content with planning my wish list.

Halfway through August I felt like I had cleared my head and didn't feel the urge or the guilt I had felt purchasing so much during the summer. At the point I had been on my RONB for about a month (officially only 2 weeks but I started early) and I felt really good about it. I still had new products to play with in my collection that I was saving for product reviews so I didn't feel any urge to purchase anything new.

In mid September I had a few days where I was feeling down and the thought of buying some makeup crossed my mind. However, I chose to do other things that make me happy instead as a form of self care. The impulse didn't last too long, as I recognised it for what it was and didn't struggle with talking myself down. I think at this point I realised that I don't actually think I have a problem with my makeup consumption habits per se, more so that I was afraid I may become someone who relied on the dopamine kick of purchasing, I'm still far more excited by the makeup itself.

My theory at this moment was that I might benefit more from trying other ways of keeping my consumption under control, things such as a budget or even a low-buy, wherein I'd only be allowing myself a couple of products a month. There are other projects out there that centre on using and enjoying what you already have in your collection and I like the idea of focusing on using products that I love. At the end of the day, makeup makes me really happy and there are so many exciting things I want to try but I know I can survive not owning everything immediately.

In October I accidentally broke my no buy. I bought a replacement setting spray thinking I had around a third left, when actually I had over two thirds left. I felt so stupid when I went to put the replacement in my drawer and picked up the almost full bottle that was already lying there. This was genuinely as mistake, as I hadn't been wearing setting spray a lot because I've been wearing less base makeup, I didn't reach for my setting spray and somehow got it into my head that I didn't had any left. So that was frustrating but because it wasn't something I bought on purpose.

I think in general it's been good for me to take a step back and really think about my purchasing habits. I do feel more clear headed about makeup purchases. I've always liked the idea of having a curated collection where I only own things I love and not buying anything for a while just reminded me of that. Even though I don't face the issues influencers feel when it comes to having to keep up with new releases in the makeup industry, I still feel some pressure to have content to post every week. I really like this hobby so I want to make sure I don't get swept away overextending myself or my budget.

Now that my RONB I feel proud that I completed it, although I didn't find it too difficult it was nice to be able to prove to myself that I could do it. I believe that I might benefit more from having something like a budget or a limit to the amount of products I could buy a month. I think I'll experiment and try to figure out what works best for me but I think I'll wait to implement those until 2021. I think it would be fun to let myself enjoy Black Friday (responsibly of course) and I have some many gifts to buy for other people anyway so there won't be much point in limiting myself as I already don't plan on spending too much on myself. If any of you have suggestions on budgeting my beauty habits let me know.

Thanks for reading and happy Halloween!