Sunday, January 20, 2019

2019 No Buy


As auxiliary beauty recently noted, it seems like everyone is doing a No Buy this year, or at least this month. I'm curious to see if this is the beginning of a trend toward less consumerism, as people are becoming more aware of and frustrated with the role of money in politics and the increasing threat of climate change, etc.--or if it's just temporary fatigue after a year or two of seemingly endless product releases and shiny new things. I guess it will take a while to see how things shake out once the New Year's resolution season is over.

For me, it's a combination of both. I am really at the point where I can't think of anything else I want, much less need. I probably have more makeup right now than I could use in a lifetime, even if none of it was going to go bad. For skincare I'm all set too. I'm sick of filling bins with empty plastic containers (even though I know that the waste I create as an individual is minuscule in the larger scheme, and making people feel personally responsible for environmental damage is a distraction from the industrial and corporate entities that are creating the vast majority of it). I also question how much of my money I want to give to Ronald Lauder, for example--even though, again, my occasional purchase or lack of a purchase won't ever register among the billions that people like him have in the bank.

Mostly, buying more and more shit just doesn't feel like me. I think there's a hereditary aspect to my hoarding, but I'm pretty good at avoiding it in other areas of my life. (Moving on a yearly basis--or even more often!--also helps.) I started collecting nail polish while I was in grad school, when I had limited (but sufficient) income and was pretty stressed out. Nail polish was something small and affordable and entirely unrelated to my work that I could enjoy. I moved on from there to makeup and skincare. It's similar to the broader economic phenomenon in which sales of lipstick or nail polish increase during a recession, when we still want little treats but can't afford much. And guess what? It's five years later and I still have a modest, unstable income and a lot of stress. It's enough already.

When I started this blog, it was to point out good deals and to investigate whether various products were "worth it" (a subjective concept, for sure!). I am the person who recommended using a light, shimmery eyeshadow as a face highlighter, instead of buying a separate product (remember when it was 2013 and we still had to explain what contouring was?). Now how many highlighters do I own? (Not that many, I suppose, but more than none.) I still haven't become someone who buys the latest trendy thing as soon as it appears, and I've never made Rouge at Sephora or Diamond at ULTA, but I have become someone who buys more beauty products than a single human with one face really needs.

So I'm going to stop buying, and we tend to call that a No Buy in the "beauty community." I don't usually commit to projects like this, just like I don't diet, because I find that it's easy to get obsessive and that following restrictive, dogmatic regimens can easily backfire. But since I don't want to buy anything anyway, I think I might as well do it consciously and mindfully (there's a word that's over-used).

Doing this deliberately requires some rules, or at least guidelines, besides "just don't buy shit." Again, I don't really like arbitrary rules, but I guess the alternative would be to end up buying something, decide I've violated the whole premise of the exercise, and just start shopping mindlessly again. This is where I'd love to hear about your experiences and advice.

I like the idea of "replacement only," which I know is how lots of people frame it. But what does that mean, exactly? For instance, I am currently using an eyebrow pencil that I really like. In general I prefer pencils to other eyebrow products. When it's empty, do I permit myself to replace it with another pencil? Or should I then try to use a couple of pomade/cream brow products I already have, which are perfectly functional, just not my favorite? You don't have to answer that question specifically, but it's the kind of thing I'm pondering. In general, I plan on only buying staples like concealer, mascara, or skincare products with specific ingredients that are important to me. I certainly won't find myself finishing an eyeshadow or a lipstick and not having anything already in my hoard that can replace it.

Also, do I need to set a timeframe? Currently I'm thinking this will continue indefinitely, but is that unrealistic? I don't like the idea of counting down to a date when I can buy something again.

Finally, no more buying things "for the blog." I've never bought things that I didn't think I would eventually use just to blog about them (at least, not that I remember), but I have definitely bought things that I don't need right now because I thought they would make interesting blog posts. I have enough shit at the moment that has never appeared on the blog, and I'm busy enough that my blogging schedule is sporadic, at best, so I'm not going to run out of content any time soon. (I will accept free products from brands if they are things I actually want to try. That has only happened  a few times in all the years I've been blogging.) I also want to start posting on my ancient beauty blog again, because I'm working on an article, and I think doing so will help me make my way through the research.

So what do you think? Do I need more rules? Are you conscientiously limiting your beauty purchases, or restricting your budget in another area more this year than you have in the past? Is it purely for financial reasons, or do you have other motivations? I'm curious to hear how many other people are riding this train right now, and how you conceive of what you're doing!

I'll be updating with my thoughts on all this as time goes by both here and on Instagram.

11 comments:

  1. I actually haven't bought anything in a long time now. But it's also in part due to receiving quite a fair bit of free swag from my work. I think I'm just seriously fatigued, yes. Being busy helps me not to buy shit, I find. And being focused on larger financial goals. I don't see it changing any time soon unless I suddenly use up a ton or make up, haha. Good luck on your no buy, I think if you don't think too much about it, the fatigue will naturally keep you away from new shiny things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Yes, being busy is definitely helpful. I mean, I wish I had more time to write, but I do like not having time to shop!

      Delete
  2. thanks for shearing this post.. nice information

    ReplyDelete
  3. Definitely on a low buy. I stopped buying make up a year or so back, sold some palettes that I wasn't using and threw out some old stuff. My poison of choice the past couple of years has been K-Beauty, but I seem to have settled into the products I know works for me, so it's replacement only there. We've got some financial goals I want to meet and my beauty spending was getting in the way of that. I think for me I've also got a handle on most of my anxiety, so I'm not using beauty spending as a form of self-soothing any more. I'm definitely not deprived, just not having the thrill of new products, which is a pretty short lived high.

    I don't think you need more rules at all, you've obviously thought about it carefully, and then you can be as strict or as loose with it as you like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your feedback! I have some credit card debt from the last year of moving back and forth across the country that I'd love to stamp out, so that's a definite motivator as well!

      Delete
  4. Can't help with the no-buy, but your plan sounds good. I wouldn't beat myself up too much if you end up buying something you really want and will use. I really am trying not to buy more makeup for my stash (the stuff I use, the non-collectibles) but if it's limited edition I have a much harder time saying no. Anyway, I'm super excited for your ancient beauty blog to make a comeback - how I didn't know about it before is beyond me! I'm sure you've read it but I still wanted to say how much I enjoyed Susan Stewart's Cosmetics and Perfume in the Roman World. I'm also eyeing Sacred Luxuries by Lise Manniche - if you've read it let me know! I'd love for you to review both of these books. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Book reviews are a great idea for that blog! I hadn't thought of that. I'm going to buy myself Stewart's book, because it's fantastic, but weirdly difficult to find in libraries (even college libraries). I actually have Sacred Luxuries on my shelf right now! I haven't read the whole thing, but it looks great--maybe slightly out of dat already. (1999 was HOW MANY years ago??)

      Delete
  5. I would struggle without an end goal. Timeframes help people stay on task so it might help if you find temptation in a new release or find yourself growing bored with the project/lack of progress. (This is coming from someone who bookmarks the next chapter just to see some progress even reading a novel.)

    I’ve always wondered how so many vloggers/bloggers can continue to have content while on a no-buy (and assuming without PR as well). I guess that’s where creativity comes in: using what you have, inspiration posts, empties, declutters and innocuous wish lists.

    ...I just answered my own question.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good point! I guess I could set a short timeframe and then renew it if needed. I'll have to give that some thought. I was never really a "review all the new things" sort of blogger, so I hope I'll be able to keep it up somehow. And that list your provided will be super helpful, actually! Thanks!

      Delete
  6. Love this. I've really dialed back my beauty spending over the last three or four years, and I don't really miss it. I've ended up selling and giving away a ton of stuff because I just can't imagine going through it all any time in the next decade.
    (Also, love your ancient beauty blog!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel like even the people I would normally give things away to are a bit fatigued! And thank you--I really have to work out a way to fit new posts there into my schedule. It's such a fun topic.

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...