The 2016 Makeup Spending-Freeze Challenge
Everybody should know by now that I have a minor obsession with makeup. Some people might be disgusted by the sheer amount that I own (and let’s be real, sometimes I am, too). Here’s the thing about my relationship with makeup: it brings me joy.
It brings me joy to experiment with it and to create looks with it. Some people find their creativity with paints, others with poetry, and I have found mine through makeup! I love trying out new products and help others know what ones to avoid and what ones to buy and bringing out that information to my blog. I LOVE seeing what a good foundation can do for someone’s confidence or how a bold lipstick can bring out a sassy side of someone’s personality. And at the top of the list of why makeup is important to me is this: the time I take to put my makeup on is my way of saying “self, you are worth this time and care.” By routinely making sure I put myself first every morning, I’ve found more peace with my body and its flaws. Plus, I always feel more kick-a when I’ve got some killer lipstick and lashes on, and that does wonders for my productivity.
Anyway. I’ll get off my soap box about why I love makeup so much and get to the point of all this:
I have too much makeup right now as a result of all my love for it and I’ve been spending too much on it recently (see here). Then, I read this post from my fellow beauty addict, Jaelan from Making Mrs. M. At first, I though she was a bit crazy for committing to no makeup purchases for an entire year. But I just couldn’t shake her idea or words from my head, because I knew I was in a similar boat as her. I own a bunch of awesome makeup and 3/4s of it barely gets used because I keep buying more!
I have some big fat goals for my blog and biz this year, and none of them are going to get off the ground if I can’t put my money towards investing in some equipment and programs other than makeup! So, I decided that one of my personal resolutions for this year is to have my own makeup spending-freeze experiment. I took Jaelan’s plan and made the following adjustments to make it more “Chelsie friendly” because let’s be real: I can’t not buy makeup for an entire year.
Three-month spans.
I knew I would be setting myself up for failure if I gave myself the goal of no new makeup for a whole year. I decided to break up my spending freeze in three-month increments, this first one being January until my birthday on March 25th. Let’s be real, I AM going to spoil myself on my birthday and buy myself some new makeup. But, beginning in April, I will once again go for another three-month span and wait until the end of June to buy more makeup.
This works for me on several levels; it gives me something to look forward to and it allows me to really do my research before buying makeup at my allotted times, so hopefully I’ll be getting the best of the best!
Gift Cards, Basics & Sponsored content don’t count
Obviously, if I get a gift card, I’m not going to wait to spend it! The whole point of this experiment it to help me put my money towards equipment/programs that I haven’t been able to afford because of my makeup spending habits.
I also am going to allow myself the grace of repurchasing any holy grail products that I might run out of in the middle of my three-month spans, such as concealer or an eyebrow pencil.
I also have the opportunity to work with some awesome makeup brands from time to time, which comes with picking out some new products to work with (and get reimbursed for). Those purchases won’t count, either.
Tackle Capsule Makeup after the first 3 months.
I sometimes wake up in the morning knowing exactly what eyeshadow look I want to create that involves 4 distinct shades from 4 separate palettes. I don’t think I’m ready to capsule my makeup down just yet, but I do eventually want to give it a try during one of my three-month stints. I just need to ease myself into it at first, and then take it from there!
What does this mean for the blog?
Don’t you worry, makeup lovers! I went on my last makeup shopping trip on Friday (okay, technically the first day of the year, but there were sales!) and bought a handful of products to try out throughout the next couple of months, so I’ll still have some new things to recommend. And I’m excited to rediscover some old favorites and recommend those to you, too! I also have some fun ideas on tutorials using the things I already have (like 5 different looks from one palette).
Most of all, I’m excited to have this in place so I can focus on chasing my blog dreams and putting my money towards some much-needed equipment to get there!
So, there it is: my big, hairy, audacious goal. Yeah, I said it. It’s a BHAG.
What do you think? Can I do it? Could you do it? Or could you apply this to something you have a spending weakeness for?
