No Buy July – Success or Fail

At the start of the month I annouced I was embarking on a no-buy for the month of July, now we’re at the end – I thought I would recap as to how well I did over the month!

Yes Please Colourpop Eyeshadow Palette & Ultra Blotted Liquid Lip

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. I think this is the one item you could say I failed on, but I’ll say that I’ve got a “cheat code” to get myself out of it. The eyeshadow palette was meant to restock at the end of June when Sophie and I were going to be placing a joint order, they ended up not restocking it until July. Sophie is also moving shortly so we needed to order it so we can exchange before she ditches me. I’d also had the Ultra Blotted Liquid lip in the cart from the first order – and it was pointless ordering separately so it all got rolled in to one, it’s not pictured as I have no idea what colour I asked Sophie to get (my money is on a rose toned pink) and I talk to her way too many times a day to scroll back through. I haven’t actually got these yet, but technically it was purchased in July… I’m being honest – I could have hauled this in August when I next see Sophie to get it off her and you’d all have been none the wiser!

Tiger Cherry Blossom Hand Soap 

I definitely didn’t need this but the packaging of it is so cute. In our upstairs bathroom, which basically only I use, I’ve been trying to use up some soap bars but really dislike using them, so when I spotted these I decided to get one. This smells lovely, looks pretty and was only £2. Win.

Ben purchased the bits from Tiger, so I didn’t spend any money myself! (That’s the point of husbands isn’t it?)

Magazines

Normally I’d be a bit lenient on myself and say a magazine wouldn’t count as a beauty purchase, but I really was only buying the magazines for the freebies inside it. I bought them the first week of the month and haven’t even opened the magazines yet. Red Magazine this month had a sample of a full size Rodial Mascara – Rodial makeup has great reviews so it was a no brainer to get this. I also picked up Harpers Bazaar as it had a mix of L’Occitane Products up for grabs – I opted for one of my faves, the Almande Shower.

I used Tesco Clubcard Vouchers to redeem these as no spends

Sugar Baby Body Scrubs

I bought these body scrubs in the discounted ‘goodbye forever’ area in Superdrug so I would never have been able to buy these again. I’ve had a lot of dry patches on my legs since getting back from holiday and have been scrubbing about 3 times more than I usually would, as a result I’m now down to the last one I had on my shelf so picking these up at a bargain price of £2.50 each seemed logical. I picked up two different ones – both feature coffee, one is Coffee & Sugar, and the other is Coffee and Coconut. Whilst these were already at a bargain price, I was good and used my Superdrug points to pay for them!

Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo

I thought I stocked up on my fave shampoo b before my no-buy began in June, but after about a week of me using my shampoo wondering why my hair was looking greasier and greasier with every wash, I realised I’d picked up the conditioner instead. So this was an essential repurchase that I can’t be without, whilst I do use other shampoos (I have a bunch of minis I’m using up alongside this) if I don’t use this as a second wash I find my hair feels, and looks really dry.

Deciem Foundations and Primer

totally forgot to take the picture of the primer and foundations for this post, so here’s the one from the upcoming review… the silicone primer isn’t counted – I already had that!

I really wanted to try the Ordinary Colours foundation and when we went to watch Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, walking through Covent Garden I noticed that the Deciem store had just opened (so much so it still had opening soon in the window). I got overly excited and went in to see if they had the foundations (as they’re always out of stock), and also colour match myself because they’re such an unknown for picking online. I decided to pick up both formulas of the foundation, one is in my winter colour as it’s all they had – and I also picked up the fluid primer. I have the silicone primer already, and plan on doing a roundup of the two makeup primers and two foundations in a post for you, so keep your eyes peeled.


Temptations

L’Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara (Named in the UK Paradise Extatic)

I actually did go and try to buy this on the day Boots said it launched but my local store didn’t have it – I found it on penultimate no buy in Superdrug, but only bought one for my friend Molly, not myself (didn’t have enough points)! I definitely don’t need another mascara, I have about 10 waiting to go – but this is rumoured to be a dupe for Too Faced Better than Sex mascara, which is one of my all time faves. I will get this this month to try.

Colourpop She Eyeshadow Palette

This launched just after we placed our order for Yes Please, had they have been bought at the same time I would have gone for it. I’ve been lusting over the Modern Renaissance palette for the deep cherry pink shades, but the rest of the palette I feel like is dupable to me. This one however is at a much better price and the colours give such a similar vibe.

Juvia’s Palace Palettes

Beauty Bay

Just launched on to Beauty Bay, these have been incredibly tempting to buy – I’ve heard these shadows are incredible – I’ve kind of purposefully kept myself away from them as they weren’t that easy to get hold of in the UK. Now they are the temptation is in the forefront of my mind.

Stila Magnificent Metals

After about a month of not wearing my Rose Gold Retro Magnificent Metals from Stila, from it slipping to the back of the drawer a reorganisation bought it back to the forefront and I’ve not been able to stop using it. I definitely want a more golden and a more brown version of this.

Urban Decay Velvetizer

As soon as I saw Tati (from Glam Life Guru) review this, I wanted it – and since I’ve not seen anyone mention it negatively. This is a two in one product which can be used to mix into foundations to change the texture of them, and make them more full coverage and matte (great for me with oily skin), and it can also be used as a setting powder – I’ve heard it’s great for dabbing onto concealer with a beauty blended to .

3INA Cream Shadows and Highlight

I went into the 3INA store in Covent Garden whilst we were in London for the Harry Potter play, it’s a brand that I’ve heard a lot about over the past year since launching on ASOS, but haven’t tried myself. They had some of their best selling cream shadows at the front of the store and they were gorgeous – they actually really reminded me of the Magificent Metals with their foily and sparkly texture. I was so close to getting a foily bronze and a sparkly pale pink (which was kind of translucent and would layer so well), but eventually put down the boxes and left the store empty handed.

Their Golden highlight was also so stunning – it reminded me of Mary Lou in tone, but where Mary Lou is more of a sparkle highlight, the 3INA one was a bit more intense and metallic foil looking without being unwearable. It looks really dark in this picture, but it’s much more golden in person.


So I’m at the end of my no-buy, I think that was moderately successful, I definitely cheated on the Deciem bits, but it seemed silly to pay for postage when the items were in front of me (and trying to get the foundations in stock and then have a 20 day wait like I did last time) and also picking the right shades of foundation in person, I said at the start of the month I was running out of foundations that were the right match and I’ve been wearing my too pale KVD Lock It for about two weeks, and it was much cheaper buying these than a replacement for that.

I’m sure however you could say I cheated on the Colourpop order, but like I said I had my reasons for doing so! Other than that I kept to the essentials I needed, and where I could I spent points to redeem what I needed, and didn’t. I don’t have any immediate plans to go out and buy anything and I’m actually enjoying wading my way through my collection. I’m planning on doing another no-buy month in September, and whilst I have no plans of rushing out and getting spendy in August, I’m going to try and keep things going in the right track and not restock on anything unless it’s an essential. I’ve used up so much this month (empties coming), and it feels good getting rid of things that have been causing clutter – my empties is going to be a big one this month, so prepare yourself for at least a two-parter.

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Helpless Whilst Drying

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44 Comments

  1. August 1, 2017 / 6:18 am

    Yeah I so need to do a no buy month and go through some stuff! What a great Idea!

    • August 1, 2017 / 9:12 am

      It’s been really helpful this month to help me organise myself and prioritise what I want get rid of. My empties are out of control this month and I feel so much less cluttered!!

  2. August 1, 2017 / 10:00 am

    I need to do a no-buy month for the next few months, but not just for beauty products! I am so guilty of impulse spending and I really should be saving instead. I think you did remarkably well, all things considered.

    • August 1, 2017 / 11:54 am

      I’m going to try and not buy any clothes this month – we’re in the midst of reorganising our bedroom and haven’t been doing our ironing as we’ve got no where to put it until our new furniture arrives and i’ve just been buying new clothes instead. Whoops. £30 total (as everything else was points spends) is a lot less than I normally spend, and that’s not bad for a lip product, an eyeshadow palette, 2 foundations and a primer. If anything I was incredibly frugal haha

  3. August 1, 2017 / 11:45 am

    Thank you for buying me the mascara! You’re the best! I did not know Deciem had a store in London!! I will totally be making a trip for the foundations! You are such an enabler!! xxx

  4. Sophie in Wonderland xo
    August 1, 2017 / 12:00 pm

    you did good and the colourpop palette is definitely a June purchase for an August review so it doesn’t count its fine! 😉 xxx

  5. August 1, 2017 / 12:14 pm

    I really need one of these months but for me it is near on impossible. Still lovely products you brought – I like the sound of the hand soap sooooo much.
    Colourpop is a brand I want to try but so scared of custom charges – one day I will make the plunge. Loved the palette you picked up.
    Great post xo

    • August 1, 2017 / 12:28 pm

      It’s worth doing a large colour pop haul at once and if you can find someone to split it with you rather than doing smaller orders. Anything over $15 gets custom charges and there’s a default base fee of £8 – so doing small orders becomes really expensive, unless you manage to keep them under $15, but then you have to pay postage instead!

      • August 1, 2017 / 12:30 pm

        Thank you for the information. I don’t think I could keep it under $15 I want too much of what is on the website. 🙈😂 xo

        • August 1, 2017 / 12:44 pm

          Yeah and if that’s the case you may as well go for a big blowout and save the repeat customs! The palettes are annoyingly priced just over the threshold so can’t even order one palette without an extra 10 quid being added on in customs 🙁

          • August 1, 2017 / 12:44 pm

            That’s annoying. They clearly knew what they were doing when they priced them!xo

  6. annaandmylunadog
    August 1, 2017 / 12:51 pm

    I really wanna try the urban decay velvetizer , I love Tati!

  7. Samantha Kresz
    August 1, 2017 / 2:14 pm

    I love the no buy month idea. Great post!

  8. August 1, 2017 / 4:28 pm

    Great post. I really want to try the Stilla glitters and also the Velvetizer….would love to know what you think of it xx

    • August 1, 2017 / 4:44 pm

      You’ll love the Stila Glitters! So easy to work with an apply.
      Undecided whether to get the velvetizer yet or wait it out bit longer. My foundation/powder/primer drawer is already incredibly full at the moment and I don’t think I’d squeeze it in! May wait for UD to do an offer as no where else seems to have it online other than them at the moment.

      • August 1, 2017 / 6:12 pm

        Haha, sounds like me…..my draw is full of foundations and powders….really don’t need anymore…..but I can’t seem to convince myself of that!! haha!

  9. August 1, 2017 / 6:56 pm

    I snagged both of those ColourPop palettes, too! (Finally!) Haven’t received them yet. SO PRETTY. 😍

    Quite a successful no-buy, I think! 😀

  10. August 1, 2017 / 9:49 pm

    I was naughty the other month and bought three of those Stila eye glitters🙈 Juvias Place always tempt me! And I need to go that Deciem store! I want to try the foundations z

    • August 1, 2017 / 11:07 pm

      Oh whoops! I don’t blame you though I need some more shades! I did buy an urban decay moon dust today though to compare and see which I like better, so will hold off til that arrives!
      Juvias place always look so gorgeous in swatches and eye looks, I struggle when I look at the palettes though to see one I think I’ll get a lot of use from!

  11. August 2, 2017 / 1:02 am

    Wow thats so cool that Juvias Place is now on BeautyBay!! Also, the Urban Decay Velvetizer is AMAZING!!! I am trying to go on a no buy for this month! Wish me luck LOL

  12. August 2, 2017 / 8:46 am

    I am desperate to buy the Stila eyeshadows as well, they just look amazing!! I’ve done a no buy month the last two/three months because I’ve had. I extra cash, can’t wait to go wild at the end of this month haha! X

    • August 2, 2017 / 8:47 am

      *no extra cash* oops haha

    • August 2, 2017 / 9:07 am

      The one I have is my favourite makeup purchase of the year so far, they’re so easy to use!
      Is there anything you’ve already got on your shopping list to buy? x

      • August 2, 2017 / 9:48 am

        I want to try the Khiel face oils, the Bum Bum cream that everyone is talking about, By Terry’s Baume De Rose and Dior Forever foundation haha! I also want to try find a good BB cream, can you recommend any that you’ve heard are good? X

        • August 2, 2017 / 11:00 am

          I tried Midnight Recovery Oil and just didn’t notice any difference to my skin, so I ended up passing it over to my Mum – I haven’t tried any of the others that you’ve mentioned.

  13. August 2, 2017 / 11:29 am

    Things always seem more tempting when you tell yourself you can’t have them! The Colourpop palettes look stunning, I can’t wait to see your reviews on them 🙂 I’ll have to keep an eye out for that L’Oréal mascara, I’ve heard so much good about Better Than Sex but we don’t get Too Faced in NZ (I don’t think).

    • August 2, 2017 / 1:28 pm

      Haha they are! we’re not used to saying no to ourselves (at least I’m not!) – I’m resisting the pink palette until I’ve got my other one from Sophie and tried the quality of the pressed shadows before I cave for it!

  14. August 3, 2017 / 10:57 am

    Omg the Colourpop eyeshadow palette😍. I am in loveee✔️✔️✔️

  15. August 6, 2017 / 8:17 am

    This selection is absolutely fantastic! Very pleasant readxxx

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