No Buy 2018 : Buying Zero Makeup

If you follow this blog regularly and have been for years, you just might have read the title of this post and said "wtf?" to yourself. Or you saw this coming. You have seen my makeup reviews dwindle since becoming a mother over a year and a half ago anyway. My priorities have simply changed. In 2017, I believe I spent the least amount of money on makeup that I have since before 2012 when I first started to really build my collection.

I moved my makeup collection/YouTube studio into my bedroom in May 2017. Ever since then, I've been slowly decluttering and purging makeup I don't use. I've been reducing my stash and realizing it's all just stuff. A couple years ago, it broke my heart to throw something out, but I have come to see that there are way too many things in my collection that I literally don't use. Reading and watching stuff on minimalism has had an effect. Not that I plan to be a real minimalist one day, I just find the lifestyle very inspiring and useful for everyday life. Just the whole world view that minimalists have makes me start to see the error in our super-consumerism society.

So how did I get here?

Step 1:
I had been watching Project Pan-ing videos and came across a "makeup no buy year" video that got my interest. The concept seemed impossible when I first opened that video up.
Lauren Mae's 18 in 2018 Project Pan Video
Too Much Tash's Not Buying Makeup for 1 Year Completed Video

(sorry for the sloppy handwriting)

Step 2:
After watching it, I sat down and did some makeup basics inventory. I counted how many concealers, mascaras, powders, etc. I have and I realized, if I ever wanted to completely use these things up, I would need to avoid new makeup at all costs for at least a year. I saw that I had enough of the basics to go an entire year without buying anything new. Even if I wore a full face of makeup every single day, I probably still wouldn't get through all of these items.

Step 3:
Then I wondered how much money I spent in the last year on makeup. My husband and I have been sticking to a very good budget since May 2017. We use an app to track our purchases in different categories, so I had at least eight months of makeup purchases recorded. I added all that up, used it to calculate what I probably spent Jan.-April and discovered that I probably only spent about $200 last year anyway. And I told myself I could totally save that money and use up the stuff I already have in 2018. That $200 both sounded like a big and very small number at the same time. I know there are people who spend that every month and I know there are people who've probably only spent that in their lifetime on makeup. But for me, it's a serious reduction from what I had spent in years prior.

Step 4:
So I figured I would talk about it. I'd put it out there on social media to motivate myself and hold myself accountable.

The whole thing that got me started on this blog was makeup, so it's a little strange to be saying I'm not buying any for a whole year. This blog now covers a variety of topics. It has changed and grown like I have. This is a weird challenge that I'm setting myself up for, but I think it's necessary to challenge ourselves sometimes. I hope you understand.

Thank you for reading!
Love,
Alaina