January, a month of reflection. 

Last year I learned a lot about myself, some good, some bad and some definitely ugly.
Let's take the bad and the ugly, I like to shop. I use shopping as a vice, stress shopping, self-soothing, treat yo-self, and the many other excuses we use. While I don't think I'll ever be a true minimalist and non consumerist, I am trying to take steps forwards into the new year about what I buy and more importantly why I buy it.

The beauty industry is hugely consumerist, constantly chasing the new colour, formula or "completing" our collections. It preys on marketing ploys such as limited edition, scarce quantities, weekly releases, supporting your favourite creators and the new 'it' brand. There's no wonder that with the constant influx of product, and a pandemic fuelled by anxiety, isolation and BOREDOM, that I and many others partook in a little overspending.

Whilst I love makeup and playing with it, I really do not need to own it all. I want to work on using what I own and fully enjoying my collection. I want my purchases to be replacement based and should they be something that I don't need, I want to make sure that I truly want them. I have so much that I don't need "the same but different", I don't need affordable dupes and I don't need to try whether this brand has the better X. 

What I do want though is inspiration, beauty.


At this point in my make-up collection, I own almost every colour and formula I could ever possibly need to create a look. I own powders, creams, sheers, mattes, shimmers, glitters,  glosses, satins, brights, deeps, neutrals, warm, cool, the entire rainbow. So I don't need anymore "things" to provide a function for me. 

So what does that leave me with? Well, it leaves me with not needing to buy anything and not wanting things I already have the equivalent of. Unless it is something extraordinary, something I don't own, something that can provide a feeling, an experience or that can inspire me.


So what am I talking about here?

Really, I am talking about decadent products. Products that aren't simply, just a lipstick, or just an eyeshadow. But that provide something that is unique to that brand, whether it is formula (Pat Mcgrath MTHRSHIP eyeshadow palettes for example) or whether it is a beautifully packaged lipstick that feels ritualistic and adds beauty into the process. Where re-application is an artful moment for just yourself.



Now don't get me wrong. I can look at a product and still be inspired by it without owning it. You do not need to own four luxurious lipsticks. This isn't the new excess. Decadence is expensive.

I think that my point is, to be more thoughtful with what I am acquiring. If I simply need a product for utilitarian purposes, then I don't need to spend a lot of money on it. However, instead of owning four similar coloured lipsticks that you've bought over the months from Boots on 3 for 2 offers, why not acquire that one beautiful product instead? Why not own the thing you truly want instead of getting lost in the sea of excess.



As we all know, 2020 was a hard year, to put it kindly. 

We do deserve to treat ourselves, and that means looking after your finances. It also means listening to what you truly want or need when you are purchasing an item. Do you want that something special that you have saved up for? Then get it. Because owning something of beauty is always better than owning a lot of nothing.

So please, don't think I am TELLING you that these lipsticks are worth it or that you should own them. You don't need anything new. These lipsticks are simply just lipsticks but in a nice case. However, if like me you end up purchasing multiple cheaper items to own more, try adjusting your spending to own less but better quality, or less but it provides more than just function. It is an item that brings you joy. This can be applied to anything, home decor, clothes, gaming, whatever it is you spend your "left over" cash on. Let's buy more mindfully and allow more beauty to enter our lives.



My edit of decadent lipsticks where packaging reigns supreme

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