Last year, I made a feeble “attempt” to rein in my beauty spending, but ultimately failed at holding myself accountable. After trying a budget-based Low Buy and attempting a No Buy, I decided I would try something new in 2020. If you’re curious about my 2019 Low Buy – check out the intro: 2019 Yearlong Beauty Low-Buy. In today’s post, I will be discussing my 2020 Beauty Low Buy Introduction.
Why am I trying an Item-Based Beauty Low Buy?
As evident from my 2019 Beauty Low Buy, I failed at holding myself accountable with a budget. Moreover, every time I told myself I would start a No Buy, I binge-purchased even more products than I would have otherwise.
I LOVE beauty. I LOVE trying out new products and formulas. I LOVE the feeling of attempting a new makeup look or discovering a new brand. Makeup is my hobby. If others are allowed to spend a lot of money on their hobbies, why should I feel guilty for my hobby?
In 2020, I am shaking off the makeup shame that plagued me all of 2019. Instead of creating a budget or fasting from purchasing, my 2020 Beauty Low Buy will be numbers-driven. Instead of setting a dollar-based budget, I am setting an item-based budget.
My 2020 Beauty Low Buy was inspired by one of my favorite YouTubers, Angelica Nyqvist. She successfully navigated a year-long, item-based beauty low buy in 2019. Please keep reading for my 2020 Beauty Low Buy Rules.
2020 Beauty Low Buy Introduction – Rules Recap
Unlike my 2019 Beauty Low Buy rules, my 2020 Beauty Low Buy rules are much more well-defined. Not only will these rules keep me accountable, but I think they’ll prevent me from exploiting any loopholes.
1 | I cannot purchase more than 4 beauty items a month.
Unlike last year’s Low Buy, this year’s will include skincare, haircare, and beauty repurchases.
2 | I can roll products forward.
If I purchase less than four products in a given month, I am allowed to roll a product forward. However, I am not able to pull a purchase forward ahead of a month.
3 | Bundles will count as one product.
If I am purchasing a bundle, this will only count as a single product. For example, I am not going to count individual single eyeshadows as individual products or a PR bundle as 3 individual products. Huge collections of pre-existing products (think: ColourPop) will be excluded.
4 | PR and gifts are excluded.
I am now at the point in my blogging journey where I am starting to receive a very small trickle of products to review. These do not count towards my purchase.
Gifts do not count towards my 2020 beauty low buy product roundups each month. However, I will be allowed to ask for products as gifts around my birthday and during the holidays.
5 | Makeup Tools are excluded.
I do not anticipate buying a ton of makeup tools or brushes. If I do pick up an application tool, this item won’t count towards my purchase.
6 | Gift cards are irrelevant.
Given that this is a number-based Low Buy, whether or not I use a gift card to make a purchase is irrelevant. Any items purchased through a gift card still count towards my monthly total. The only exception to this rule, are the $100 Sephora Rouge Reward or store credit.
7 | I must finish some products, before I buy new a new one in the same category.
To put it lightly, certain categories within my 2020 beauty exploded beyond control in 2020. To combat this, some categories will follow a “one in, one out” rule.
Simply put, I must finish or declutter an item before I purchase a similar item from the same category. These categories include: cream bronzer, cream highlighter, face palettes, face primer, foundation.
8 | Total No Buy certain makeup categories.
I am not allowed to purchase anything from specific makeup and skincare categories.
Excluded categories: false eyelashes, loose glitter, glitter gel, lip balms, lip liners, liquid eyeshadow, loose setting powder, mascara, pencil eyeliner, nail polish, and Super Shock Shadows.
9 | Certain brands are off-limit.
When I initially wrote up my rules, I was not considering excluding brands within my my 2020 Beauty Low Buy rules. However, after watching Karen Harris’s 2020 Low Buy Introduction, I felt inspired to incorporate a similar rule for my yearlong Low Buy.
Excluded brands: Anastasia Beverly Hills, ColourPop, Kylie Cosmetics (lip products only), KKW Beauty, Natasha Denona (palettes only), Stila, Urban Decay
Please know that I do not hate these brands. In fact, I actually love them! So it goes without saying that my buying ban will not be forever.
Final Thoughts on my 2020 Beauty Low Buy Introduction Rules
Although I want to spend less money on makeup in 2020, my ultimate goal is to reduce the size of my collection. These goals influenced my Beauty Low Buy rules. Based on last year’s failures, I learned that I needed to create stricter rules to hold myself accountable.
This year I am limiting the number of items I purchase (without punishing myself). Also, I am actively working to finish more makeup products in 2020. Therefore, I feel confident in reducing the size of my beauty collection by the end of the year.
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Are you participating in a 2020 Beauty Low Buy or a 2020 Project Pan? Check out my 20 in 2020 Project Pan Introduction.
Did you enjoy reading about my 2020 Beauty Low Buy Introduction? Read my response to the Beauty Consumer Tag, check out this post on why online shopping is addictive, or determine whether you have a makeup buying addiction.
Are you doing a 2020 Beauty Low Buy or a 2020 No Buy? What advice would you share to anyone embarking on this type of challenge?