Breaking Up With Colourpop | Buying Less

I have a problem. And I blame Colourpop.

Ok, ok, so it’s not Colourpop’s fault. But I have come to the recent conclusion that I have a spending problem. And it’s not a general spending problem. It’s specific to the beauty industry. My eye twitches a little bit about spending money on furniture or new boots for winter. But impulse buying a Natasha Denona palette? No problem.

It doesn’t help that brands are releasing new products every single week and offering more sales than seemingly ever. Coloupop is a main offender of constant releases, but other big brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills and Morphe are beginning to show new collections more and more frequently. And you guys, I’m tempted, but I have got to start buying less. So today I’m going to talk you through how I came to this conclusion, how I’m going to deal with future beauty purchases, buying less, and why I’m breaking up with Colourpop (in a way).

How Did We Get Here?

A couple of years ago, I was really happy with my beauty consumption. I was really only making purchases I felt I needed or found myself exceedingly excited about. But that went to hell a little bit, for a few reasons

I fell into a pretty bad bout of depression, and unfortunately, one of my depressive bad habits is shopping. It’s that teeny tiny bit of Serotonin that gets me, and at the moment, I needed all I could get. Gathering every bit of new, shiny, exciting makeup made me happy, or a kind of happy, until it didn’t.

Emotional spending is real, and I do it. Maybe it’s because I’m a Gemini, or maybe it’s because I just have a problem, but I’ve noticed a tendency of spending when I’m particularly sad/upset/stressed or bored.

I also felt like I needed to continue to purchase new beauty products because that’s what beauty ~influencers~ do, they keep up. But, guys, it’s expensive. And I’m only one person. I only have one face, one set of eyes, one mouth. How much do I really need? When I started buying every new Colourpop palette, I knew I had a problem.

And brands are getting scary good at marketing. They’ve always been good, but with the rise in social media, social media influencers and pressures, as well as the sheer number of new brands, new products, and new ways to market to consumers, it’s hard not to get a little overwhelmed. And truthfully, their tactics are working. I could do a whole post on marketing tactics brands use to get you to buy things.

Knowing What I’ll Never Be & Being Realistic With Myself.

There has definitely been a shift in the beauty community. For the past few years, it’s been all about the new. But there seems to have been a flip, where more and more bloggers and vloggers have been advocating for slowing down consumption. There’s been an increase in big members of the beauty community refusing PR. I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole of Project Panners, influencers taking part in no-buys or low-buys, and Anti-Haulers.

And while these channels and blogs are inspiring. I have to be realistic with myself.

I have participated in my own low-buy and no-buys, and I took part in a panning project in 2019. And, truthfully, there’s a lot of pressure that comes with it. But I have learned a few things about myself in the process:

• I am not a “panner.” I’m just not. I don’t get excited about picking X amount of products and hitting pan on them. However, I do find enjoyment in finishing up products. So while I’ll never consider myself someone who “pans” their products, it does feel good knowing I’m using them in their entirety and getting my money’s worth.
• No-buys work, for a bit. I’ve noticed that when I go on self-declared no-buys, it works; I definitely don’t make any unnecessary purchases. However, as soon my time limit is up, I tend to go a little wild, getting all of the newness I missed out on. And that’s counterproductive and defeats the whole purpose of the no-buy in the first place.
• I don’t like color, so why am I buying color palettes? I went through a phase in 2019 where I was into adding a pop of color into my makeup routines. And I still am really enjoying that. But I am a neutrals girl at heart. I bought 4 of the bright, monochromatic palettes, 6 cream pot liners in bright colors, and 5 bright Super Shock Shadows from Colourpop this year. And sure, I like them, and they’re beautiful. But I don’t use them. I have to force myself to use them. And I don’t want to have to force myself to use my makeup. I want to want to use it. So why’d I do it? Because they’re inexpensive, I wanted to post the review, and I wanted the blog views. That’s the honest answer.

What I’m Doing In The Future.

In 2020, I want to be real with myself in a lot of different ways, in a lot of different areas of my life.

I’m not here to tell you I’m going dark, making a switch to a lifestyle blogger, and telling you not to buy makeup. But I’m going to continue to buy makeup. It’s one of those hobbies that makes me happy and excited and creative.I’m not here to say I’ll never post a beauty review again, that I’ll never make an unnecessary purchase, or buy something I don’t need.

I’m just not going to buy everything. In the future. Sorry, Colourpop, I won’t be buying every collection anymore.

A few other things I’m going to try to do in the new year:

• Unsubscribe from store email lists: I frequent the ‘Just Arrived’ sections of my favorite stores enough on my own to not rely on brand emails to suck me into a purchase. I did this a few years ago, and it actually helped tremendously. I think it’ll be a good habit to pick back up.
• Try to find similar products in my collection: When I want the newest and shiniest release, I want to peek at my collection first. Do I have something similar or something that will give me a similar look?
• “Don’t buy an eye shadow palette because it’s the color story you want in your house, buy it because you’re actually going to wear it.” Ok, that one was mainly just for me.

This was a rambling post, and I’m not 100% any of you got any value from it. But I needed to get some thoughts out onto paper, or the virtual lines of a page online.

Are you happy with your buying habits? Or do you feel you need to reevaluate your spending? Let’s chat about it in the comments.