Low-Buy Progress Report #7: July
After my little spending spree in the UK last month, I decided to go on a replacement-only makeup/polish no-buy for the month of July. I'm happy to report that I didn't need any makeup or polish replacements and had no trouble avoiding new purchases. I don't know why, but it's much easier for me to stick to a no-buy than to a low-buy. If I restrict myself to two new items per month, I'll inevitably end up with three or four. But if I restrict myself to zero items per month, I'll buy zero. Granted, I don't have a huge breadth of experience here—I've never tried to maintain a no-buy longer than two months—but in general, moderation is not my (black-and-white-striped) bag. Anyway, here's the damage for July:
New Makeup/Polish: none, bitches!
Gifts:
My mom picked up an e.l.f. lip stain in Nude Nectar at some point in the last several months. She can't remember when or why she bought it, but she has never used it and conjectures that "I probably bought it for you," so it's mine now. It's one of those old-school marker-style lip stains with a felt-tip applicator and a watery formula:
The color is nowhere near nude on my skintone: it's a deep, ruddy terracotta brown, a slightly redder version of Revlon Matte Balm in Fierce. From left to right, here's one coat of Nude Nectar, two coats of Nude Nectar, and one swipe of Fierce:
These arm swatches look smooth and even, but it's much harder to apply the product evenly to my lips, because the formula is so liquidy and it dries so quickly. The firm, pointy applicator is good for outlining the lips, but much less good for filling them in (I sort of smush the sides of the felt tip against my lips instead). The end result (below) looks a bit patchy, but I plan to play around with Nude Nectar a bit more, because I do think it has potential. It would make a nice long-lasting base for Fierce or another brown lipstick.
Makeup/Polish Replacements: none.
Haircare Replacements:
Lush Honey, I Washed My Hair shampoo bar and Big conditioner: £14.90 ($19.71) total
New Skincare:
Tony Moly I'm Real Moisturizing (Aloe) and Pore Care (Red Wine) sheet masks: $3 each.
It's Skin Firm & Glow (Honey) sheet mask: $3.
The pores around my nose and cheeks have become more prominent recently (or so my crazybrain tells me), so I also bought and returned a tube of The Face Shop's new Jeju Volcanic Clay Nose Mask, which cost $8 at Urban Outfitters. I wish I'd taken a photo of the tube before returning it, but it's an unremarkable gray plastic squeeze tube, so whatever. The mask itself is a pink floral-scented goo with the consistency of very thick marshmallow fluff. I was looking forward to feeling the product suck the grossness out of my pores, but that never happened. When I applied a thinner coat, the clay dried around my pores, leaving little holes all over the mask. When I applied a thicker coat, the mask never dried fully and pulled almost nothing out of my pores. And when I returned the mask, the saleswoman said she'd tried it and disliked it, too. Don't bother, guys.
Total for July: $29 (rounding up because I know I paid tax on those sheet masks)
Wishlist for August:
1. Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Crème in Rei of Light ($30)
I've found it! My perfect Danish Girl burnt-orange lipstick (named after Rei Kawakubo, no less) from a cruelty-free brand. Having tried So Sofia earlier this year, I knew I liked the Le Marc Lip Crème formula, but I tried on Rei of Light at Sephora this week to make sure the color suited me. I think it does! It also looks good with cobalt, one of my favorite colors for clothes:
And now I can stop mentioning my search for the platonic rusty orange in every post I write, so you win, too.
2. NYX Liquid Suedes in Brooklyn Thorn and Foul Mouth ($7 each)
I've worn Topshop Boardroom a few times this year, but the formula is always so disappointing: thin, patchy, and slippery. Brooklyn Thorn is a very similar greige color in a formula I trust. And since I've been wanting a navy lip color as well, I might as well pick up Foul Mouth, a suitable lipstick name for me if there ever was one. (One day I'll tell you about the time I got chewed out by a fellow grad student for saying "for fuck's sake" under my breath. It was weird. Grad school is weird.)
3. Floss Gloss Donatella and Con Limon ($8 each)
For some reason, I often find myself buying makeup and nail polish in pairs. Donatella would be the perfect companion for Rei of Light (another odd habit of mine: buying lipstick to match polish and vice versa), and I've been eyeing Con Limon for years. But I know perfectly well I shouldn't hoard polish, so we'll see.
And that's it! The less I buy, the less I want to buy. It's enough to make me contemplate going on a no-buy for the foreseeable future, but...nah, I'm good.
New Makeup/Polish: none, bitches!
Gifts:
My mom picked up an e.l.f. lip stain in Nude Nectar at some point in the last several months. She can't remember when or why she bought it, but she has never used it and conjectures that "I probably bought it for you," so it's mine now. It's one of those old-school marker-style lip stains with a felt-tip applicator and a watery formula:
The color is nowhere near nude on my skintone: it's a deep, ruddy terracotta brown, a slightly redder version of Revlon Matte Balm in Fierce. From left to right, here's one coat of Nude Nectar, two coats of Nude Nectar, and one swipe of Fierce:
These arm swatches look smooth and even, but it's much harder to apply the product evenly to my lips, because the formula is so liquidy and it dries so quickly. The firm, pointy applicator is good for outlining the lips, but much less good for filling them in (I sort of smush the sides of the felt tip against my lips instead). The end result (below) looks a bit patchy, but I plan to play around with Nude Nectar a bit more, because I do think it has potential. It would make a nice long-lasting base for Fierce or another brown lipstick.
Makeup/Polish Replacements: none.
Haircare Replacements:
Lush Honey, I Washed My Hair shampoo bar and Big conditioner: £14.90 ($19.71) total
New Skincare:
Tony Moly I'm Real Moisturizing (Aloe) and Pore Care (Red Wine) sheet masks: $3 each.
It's Skin Firm & Glow (Honey) sheet mask: $3.
The pores around my nose and cheeks have become more prominent recently (or so my crazybrain tells me), so I also bought and returned a tube of The Face Shop's new Jeju Volcanic Clay Nose Mask, which cost $8 at Urban Outfitters. I wish I'd taken a photo of the tube before returning it, but it's an unremarkable gray plastic squeeze tube, so whatever. The mask itself is a pink floral-scented goo with the consistency of very thick marshmallow fluff. I was looking forward to feeling the product suck the grossness out of my pores, but that never happened. When I applied a thinner coat, the clay dried around my pores, leaving little holes all over the mask. When I applied a thicker coat, the mask never dried fully and pulled almost nothing out of my pores. And when I returned the mask, the saleswoman said she'd tried it and disliked it, too. Don't bother, guys.
Total for July: $29 (rounding up because I know I paid tax on those sheet masks)
Wishlist for August:
1. Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Crème in Rei of Light ($30)
I've found it! My perfect Danish Girl burnt-orange lipstick (named after Rei Kawakubo, no less) from a cruelty-free brand. Having tried So Sofia earlier this year, I knew I liked the Le Marc Lip Crème formula, but I tried on Rei of Light at Sephora this week to make sure the color suited me. I think it does! It also looks good with cobalt, one of my favorite colors for clothes:
And now I can stop mentioning my search for the platonic rusty orange in every post I write, so you win, too.
2. NYX Liquid Suedes in Brooklyn Thorn and Foul Mouth ($7 each)
I've worn Topshop Boardroom a few times this year, but the formula is always so disappointing: thin, patchy, and slippery. Brooklyn Thorn is a very similar greige color in a formula I trust. And since I've been wanting a navy lip color as well, I might as well pick up Foul Mouth, a suitable lipstick name for me if there ever was one. (One day I'll tell you about the time I got chewed out by a fellow grad student for saying "for fuck's sake" under my breath. It was weird. Grad school is weird.)
3. Floss Gloss Donatella and Con Limon ($8 each)
For some reason, I often find myself buying makeup and nail polish in pairs. Donatella would be the perfect companion for Rei of Light (another odd habit of mine: buying lipstick to match polish and vice versa), and I've been eyeing Con Limon for years. But I know perfectly well I shouldn't hoard polish, so we'll see.
And that's it! The less I buy, the less I want to buy. It's enough to make me contemplate going on a no-buy for the foreseeable future, but...nah, I'm good.
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