10 Ways To Be More Mindful When Shopping for Makeup This Holiday Season (Part 2)
In anticipation for the holiday sales, I'm sharing some mindful shopping tips that can help you save your money, (and your sanity!) This is Part 2. See Part 1 here.
6. Declutter & reorganize your beauty closet before making more makeup purchases
Even if you only do it once a year, it’s a good idea to take some time to take a look at what you currently have in your beauty collection. When I did this just recently, I found that it was quite the eyeopening experience.
If you’re a beauty enthusiast and makeup junkie like me, it’s quite possible you have a large collection- and unless you’re into this whole beauty thing, you’re not really going to understand why there’s a need for me to have 10 champagne highlighters, 30 beige lipsticks, and 20 neutral eyeshadow palettes (and no, they’re not the same). So it’s not about decluttering everything to just one of each, because buying, trying and wearing new makeup is one of the things that bring us joy.
But it is about having a well-curated collection with pieces that speak to you, that inspire you to reach out for them, and where you can create and rotate little capsule collections for the day or week. Maybe today you want to try a neutral eye palette and beige lipstick from Brand A, and tomorrow you want to try a neutral eye palette and beige lipstick from Brand B. It’s a whole different experience.
When we declutter and see our whole entire makeup collection in front of us, you’ll find:
Some pieces you love and had forgotten about, and now you can use them again,
Some pieces that get you thinking “what was I thinking buying this?”, which you can take a mental note to not buy similar things like it in the future,
Some pieces that are expired- yes, makeup does expire,
Some pieces that you don’t find yourself using anymore, and perhaps someone else will find better use out of them
Some pieces that are brand new and never opened- and it’s like the same high you get when you just shopped for something new!
And after all that you’ll find yourself making better shopping decisions naturally, over time. Instead of impulse buying the new trending highlighter, you can take a look first at your existing highlighters and see whether this new one will fill a gap in your collection. Perhaps it’s a brand you haven’t tried yet? A higher quality formula and finish? Whatever the case may be, it gets you thinking before you buy.
A new eyeshadow palette with a color story that intrigues you? Check your current collection first and see if there’s any similar shades! And then ask yourself, is this an eye look that I’ll be creating a lot? Why do you want the new eyeshadow- is it the beautiful packaging? The formula? The layout of the pans that inspire you? You want it to be on your vanity? Again- if after looking at your collection and swatching- you still want the palette- you’ll know you’d have thought it through.
Sometimes though, after realizing you can create similar looks with shades you already have in your collection- your “want” for the new things dissipate and you can save that money for something you really want in the future.
7. Cultivate and get to know your own style
In the beginning of all our journeys when diving into makeup, exploring fashion, even decorating our homes- we all go through an experimentation and getting to know stage. A sort of taster menu, so to say. This is where we like to try a little bit of everything and see how it makes us feel. After a while, you’ll more likely get to know what it is you like, don’t like, what fits well with you, and what suits you. This is the evolution of your getting to know your style.
Style changes every now and then through the years- but looking back you’ll find a certain consistent lining. For example, I’ve loved the color pink & all the glitter since I was teeny tiny. As a little girl it would be in the form of bows and Barbies, as a teen, school stationary. Not long ago you would find this sense of style apparent in all the cakes I made.
Now as a 30+ somewhat adult, I still love pink and glitter- but I incorporate it in different, more subdued ways. A dash of pink on my lower lash line, hot pinks shifting to dusty roses, fine shimmers over chunky glitters. You get the idea. If I was to describe what my style is currently- it would be modern, sophisticated, monochromatic classics with a pop of color and bold statement pieces. I would apply the same principles towards my makeup and it helps in my makeup purchasing decisions immensely.
It’s worth finding and knowing your style, because once you’re confident in what that is- you’ll make purchases that are consistent to it and find it easier to say no to everything else that doesn’t work for you. You’ll become a very diligent editor. If not, you’ll find yourself wanting to buy everything and anything that catches your eye, even if doesn’t suit you. And nowadays everything can look shiny, shimmering, splendid.
There comes a time where we have to learn to be honest to ourselves and say, “that lipstick is beautiful, but it won’t work for me.”
8. Quality over quantity
Whether it is your makeup, skincare, the clothes you buy, and even the people you surround yourself with, quality will always add more value to your life over quantity. Being faced with too many choices and having too much stuff can make us feel overwhelmed and stressed.
So, train yourself to look for quality in the items that you purchase. This doesn’t mean it has to have a high price tag or be from a luxury brand. There are plenty of makeup nowadays whether it be from local, mid-end and drugstore brands that are of impeccable quality. We just need to be better at identifying it.
Let’s get real for a moment, many of us, including myself have absolutely bought many items that are actually very low in quality or at best- just very, very OK and ordinary. It could be a t-shirt that shrinks after one wash, eyeshadow that is super dry and loses power on the lids after 2.5 minutes, lipstick that settles in the lines and so forth.
Why do we buy it? Creative eye catching visuals, packaging distractions and over-hyped marketing, overly descriptive and too good to be true claims and descriptions that make our mind intrigued and go gaga - just to name a few. I’m sure we all had times where we buy something online or in a shop, but when it arrives we feel that dip of disappointment. An expectation vs reality situation.
But if we can train our eyes and senses better to look for quality- we’ll be more mindful of our purchases. It’ll be easier to look at an item for what it is beyond the hype, the visuals, and the marketing- and assess it for what it is.
It’s not easy finding good quality items these days, but if you take that little bit of effort to sift through your choices and find the best quality ones for you- you’ll find you’ll have more satisfaction and happiness, and you’ll care more for that purchase. Choosing quality pieces is a form of honouring your hard earned money and looking out for yourself, too.
9. Do the research
This relates to the previous where we want to train ourselves to look for quality. One of the ways to that, is to do some research for the items on your wishlist before making that purchase. Read reviews, see swatches, look at the ingredients, think about what kind of looks you’d like to create.
Do so from various sources: blogs, big and small content creators, youtube. If you’re able to, go to the offline shop and get a sample, or see how the product is in real life. Hold it, feel it, imagine where it would fit in, in your current collection. Find out as much as you can about that product and what you’d like to do with it before going in for the buy.
Information is everywhere now, literally at the tip of our fingers. After doing all the research, see how it makes you feel. Is it a big yes? Is it lukewarm, or is it something you can pass on for, for now. When you’re armed with proper research and knowledge about a product, you’ll know when it’s the right decision to buy, or say goodbye.
10. Understand your impulse shopping triggers
OK. This one goes a little deeper.
Ask yourself, “Why do I want to buy this?”
It’s not a rhetorical question, it’s something we really need to ask ourselves and have the answer to.
Am I buying it because I’m are bored?
Am I buying it because it’s trending/limited edition/on sale and I must have it now?
Is it because someone else wants it and we want it too?
Is it because I want others to think of me a certain way if I have the item?
Is it because I feel I deserve have to have something new because I just went through a bad day?
Is it because I’m feeling sad and the way to cheer myself up is to buy something new?
Is it because everybody else has it and I don’t want to feel left out?
Is it because person A just bought it, and now I have to buy it too?
I’ve gone through each and every one of these emotions. And I realize that impulse buying and shopping was more a symptom of some underlying emotions I was currently feeling at the time. It doesn’t happen overnight but slowly, by asking the hard questions and recognizing what the trigger is, and why is it really that I’m shopping for this item - has helped immensely with my shopping habits.
Buying something because of the above reasons may not be the best reasons to shop for something, and I find when I do- it often ends up with regret. The purchase of the item did not fix my bad day, it did not make people like me better, it did not make that brand notice me, and it didn’t cure my sadness. It was a temporary high, that ended with a crash, and a suffering bank account.
So I learned to have better answers to why I want to buy something.
Perhaps I am inspired by an item and have many ideas of creating looks to share on social media, or wear when I’m out and about, or just to let my creative juices flow.
Perhaps I’m not sure about an item, but it is in line with my style, and I currently have the means and want to get it to do some swatches and a review to share with others.
Perhaps I want that face palette because I love their formula and I can find a real use with it to speeden up my application on the days I only have a few minutes to do my makeup.
Whatever it is, I try to set my focus on the shopping of that item only- and tie a real purpose to it. And not have it as a band-aid for something that shopping can’t fix and I need to address separately.
Learn to sit with yourself and recognize your triggers whenever the urge to buy impulsively comes. It will help you be more present in the moment, and decide whether that purchase is necessary, or whether there is a better solution to address the emotion you are going through. A good gym session, a hot shower, and warm home cooked meal, and a movie marathon can sometimes be more effective that an impulse buy.
Bonus Tip: Enjoy your purchases!
So you’ve done it. You’ve shopped that item you’ve thought through, done the research, and ticked off your wishlist. Now that it’s here- enjoy your new purchase! Savor the moment. Breathe, take it in, appreciate it, look at it, try it on, wear it. Find a place for it in your collection so you can see it
Often a times once we receive an item, we immediately begin to think what else to buy or “oh my gosh it’s so great I have to get another one”, or “I want one in all the colours”! Making the moment with what just arrived and what’s in front of us fleeting.
Take the time to enjoy your purchase and let it inspire you. Try to not to always look for the next best thing, because it diminished the appreciation of what is right in from of you. Remember back to how much you wanted to have it and now that it’s here- make the most out of it.
And that’s my 10 tips!
Thank you for reading my 10 tips on how to be more mindful when shopping this holiday seasons, friends!
In no way are these tips a judgement towards anyone who loves to haul and shop the sales. I love shopping and moreso shopping for makeup too! And I’m sure I’ll be picking up a thing or two from the sales this year. But like I said, it’s not about refraining from shopping completely. It’s about being more mindful about it and having a clear intention and purpose for the purchase.
Having these tips as a guide has helped me garner more positive shopping habits along the way and a much more concise, high quality, makeup collection with pieces that I truly love.
If we are able to approach shopping and sales in a more mindful manner, we can reduce a lot of the stress, overwhelm and unnecessary comparisons we put ourselves through.
I believe that a successful shopping experience isn’t just about buying the latest and spending extensive amounts of money. It’s about finding those pieces for ourselves or others that we know will be treasured, inspire, be of good use, and make an impact even in the tiniest of ways. And you won’t need to break the bank or your spirit in the process of doing so.
Thank you so much again for reading! I hope you enjoyed both Part I and Part II of these series, and have found it to be of value and/or helpful in some way. See you in the next post!