Happy March everyone! It's been almost two months since I started this 'no-buy' challenge, even through I didn't write about it until a few weeks later, and like last month, there's no better time to update my progress than when I do my empties. I've started to notice some interesting changes in my habits this month, and it honestly seems like the challenge is getting easier. I'll explain.
March Spend & April Replenishment Budget
So I've been doing this no-buy challenge for just under two months so far, and I thought at this time I'd be itching to buy things, hopping into Sephora or Shoppers Drug Mart on a moments notice to oogle new releases or play with samples, but that's not happening! I spent my $25 last month on hypoallergenic Olay make-up wipes and Bioderma Miceller Water, and while I have received some products for review (skincare to be exact) I've found myself spending time WORKING through my products instead.
My latest effort is to go through perfume samples, mini hand lotion bottles, and now I'm slowly working through my eyeliner. It's funny, when you use the same products and rebuy them over and over (Lancome eyeliner, Burt's Bees Hand Lotion), you forget the small mountain of similar products you also have at home waiting for you.
For April, I don't really have anything on my list to buy. I think what I'm going to test myself with NOT buying anything at all if I don't absolutely need to! The only thing I possibly might need is some eye primer but I may be able to get through to May, we'll see.
Now to the empties! I'm only featuring the highlights & lowlights, so if there's anything you see here that I didn't review, leave a comment below!
March Empties
Amie Skincare Morning Light Hydrating Daily Moisturizer - I've had this moisturizer in my bathroom FOREVER and I figured it was time I prioritized finishing it. When I reviewed this before, I commented that it wasn't great to wear under makeup. I take all that back now! If you use a good primer like Smashbox, it's not a problem. It has a gentle rose scent, nothing overwhelming, has a nice consistency and while it doesn't have SPF, can be easily layered over. Rebuy? Not personally, but it's a good drug-store buy.
Essence Gel Waterproof Eye Pencil in Cocoa Bean - I can't believe I actually finished this! But it just goes to show that Essence is a really easy brand to play around with. I have very weepy eyes and I find a lot of other pencil eyeliners tend to fall apart when my tear ducts start going, and bye-bye wing! It's not the most precise pencil so it's hard to get a good swoop, but it's decent for a stubby little thing. Rebuy? Honestly, yes. It's so cheap and durable!
Lancome Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover - This is definitely one of my favourite eye-makeup removers on the market. I used to purchae this stuff on a regular basis, but it is definitely an oilier consistency compared to miceller water or something more natural like coconut oil. But if you wear VERY heavy makeup on the regular, you cannot go wrong with this stuff. Rebuy? Not right now, but odds are I'll return to this again.
NYX First Base Primer Spray - I somehow fell under the spell of primer water when it was the rage a year or so ago and I found myself with THREE that I never use. I actually ended up only really using this to layer between moisturzer and CC cream, but it is NOT a good primer for anything heavier than that. I'd hesitate to even use it as the primer for a BB cream. Rebuy? No.
Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser - I love these new cleansing balms, I use oils to clean my face a few times a week, but this Ole Henriksen one is just TOO oily. It leaves a residue on my face even after scrubbing, a filmy residue I have to then remove with miceller water or toner! What is even the point? Rebuy? Nope.
The Ordinary Buffet Peptide Serum - I know this product is supposed to plump your skin, treat fine lines while also hydrating but honestly I didn't really see any difference between this and the Hyaluronic Acid which is half the price. Perhaps my skin doesn't need this yet, but until it does, I won't buy it again. Rebuy? No.
Pacifica Eyeliner- I've gone through a few Pacifica eyeliners in my time, and I can't even tell you what colour this was, just that I find their formulas last through my 'weepy eyes' and are generally very easy to work with! Look how small this one was! Rebuy? Why not.
Revlon Mega Multiplier Mascara - I can't believe I'm actually throwing out a mascara in the recommended time! But I definitely used this mascara which I reviewed here last summer, a surprisingly useful drug store mascara that clings to my thin lashes and adds some good depth and volume. Rebuy? Possibly! I don't need any mascara until I die though...
Perfume - I only finished two samples this month:
- March Jacobs Daisy which I LOVE, it's a fruity, fresh feminine scent that isn't sweet, but still has a floral musk that I adore (people who like it, also like Chloe and Vera Wang Princess which are two of my favourite perfumes!)
- Marc Jacobs Dot - A sweeter fragrance than Daisy, it has notes of orange blossom and vanilla without being cloying. I wouldn't buy a bottle but if I was gifted it, I'd wear it.
March Tosses
Assorted Sunscreens - I did a purge of our bathroom and my skincare drawer last week and found that we had THREE sunscreens that expired last fall! This is your annual reminder to check the expiration as it affects the efficacy of your SPF. And SPF is your friend, folks.
Baby Lips Dr Rescue - I'm a HUGE Baby Lips fan. It's one of the few lip balms I've ever finished before losing, and rebought again and again. But the Dr Rescue line is just NOT a good fit for me. It's supposed to be like the Blistex or other balms that soothe as well as protect, but with the tint it actually just slips and slides all over your lips. Not great for something you want to get BEYOND your lip line for extra protection. The clown look isn't really in.
Guerlain Abeille Royale Face Treatment Oil - Last but not least, this Guerlain face oil threw me for a loop a few weeks ago. This is an extremely heavily fragranced face oil that I stupidly put on my face without testing and it BASICALLY burned. The fragrance and alcohol on it make it completely bizarre 'face oil' and alcohol is actually a higher ingredient than any of the others. I'd avoid this at all costs. Super expensive and not effective.
And that's a wrap! Are you trying a no-buy right now? What do you have too much of in your collection? Let me know!
