Be A Smart Makeup Addict – Top 10 Tips and Tricks

Budget Shopping
Budget Shopping

I have a confession. I am a makeup addict. There, I said it. Feels good to just admit that :). Ever since my childhood I have had a fascination towards makeup. I used to often sneak around my older sister’s makeup. I used to love wearing her Lakme Liquid eyeliner back in school. But all along I have had it under control. I am never an impulsive buyer. So while I used to indulge once in a while, I never spent too much money on makeup. And then, I moved to the US and got introduced to the world of beauty blogs and the rows and rows of makeup in every other drugstore! And I could just stand in sephora for hours, like a kid in a candy store! Honestly, when I read all these beauty bloggers rave about products and to say I get tempted SO much is an understatement. It just never seems to stop. I buy one product and I already have 10 new products on my wish list. Honestly, I get disgusted with myself at times for being so materialistic and for never having a satisfaction with the makeup I already (BTW , I only have a very limited collection and I like it that way). But, I am proud to say that I have it under control and I am sure you can too. Here’s how I deal with my makeup craziness.

1) Set a limited amount of budget.

It’s the easiest way to bring some sanity among this craziness. I know everybody knows about setting a budget. But what I do is this – I have a limited budget for my monthly expenses. I take out cash for the same amount and keep it with me. I make sure I do all my monthly expenses/makeup purchases out of that cash that I have. So, every month I know exactly how much I spend. When you actually dish out cash for your cosmetic expenses, you start to feel the actual value and worth for the product. It’s easy to get lost with your credit cards/debit cards. You do not actually feel the money leaving you. It’s all virtual. I feel a lot responsible ever since I started spending from my limited cash budget. Of course when I do go over my budget, I can always take out more money if I need it. But honestly I have never felt the need. Money saved in one month is additional money for the next month .:)

2) You don’t have to buy every product mentioned on beauty blogs

Whoever started this thing – makeup and beauty blogs? 🙂 I was so blissfully unaware of so many products before. But now, there are just too many products out there 🙂 ! But, I also have discovered SO many amazing products, thanks such wonderful blogs out there. So, the trick is to read these blogs purely for pleasure. Just because a blogger raves about a product, you do not have to go and buy it. Tempted? Take a deep breath 🙂 Evaluate what you like about the product? Why do you feel the need to have that product? If it is a lipstick that you are craving, find out how many lipsticks you have currently. How many of those do you find yourself using often? How many lipsticks have you bought in the recent six months? These kinds of questions will open up your mind and you will probably find yourself in position where you no longer crave lipsticks at all for a while.

3) Think, not twice but thrice.

Always, think thrice before buying a makeup item. Even it is not very expensive. Every small item will amount to good money in total. Case in point – I have so many lip balms/eye pencils lying around with me. But, I only use 2 or 3 of them on a regular basis. What is the point in buying these items and letting them sleep in your closet? You could have saved that money for something else. If I had probably saved all my silly little miscellaneous purchases, I could have easily bought so many expensive makeup items that I lust for quite often. Here is where my limited cash budget comes handy. Every little purchase makes me realize the value of purchase coz that purchase is decreasing my monthly cash availability. That way I keep a check on myself.

4) Do you want it or do you need it?

There are certain items that we NEED. And then there are items that we just “WANT”. For Example, you face wash is a need item. So is your shampoo, body wash, moisturizers and your regular eye liner/kajal etc. If you run out of any of these, go ahead and get it without guilt. But then there are these cosmetic items that tempt us every now and then. Just One lip stick, Just One eye shadow, Just One lip gloss, Just One mascara later you have already spent way too much. This is in addition to your monthly “need” items. So, without realizing it we buy so many such products. Often times I have noticed that the joy I had while purchasing the product almost becomes nil once I get it home and start using it. It then disappears into the dark corner of my dresser drawer. So categorize your purchases into “want” and “need”. Believe me it makes my life a whole lot easier.

Budget Shopping
Budget Shopping

5) How often do you see yourself using the product?

Here is what I mean. I am not an eye shadow person at all. On a daily basis, I just can’t get myself to wear eye shadows. But thanks to these beauty blogs & YouTube I gave into my eye shadow temptation and got a couple of MAC eye shadows, an urban decay palette and other miscellaneous drug store ones. They are all just lying around without being used much at all. Once in a blue moon, I get the mood to wear eye shadow. I have no clue why I bought a palette!

So evaluate your beauty regimen, and find out products that you use more and ones that you don’t. That’ll give you an idea when you are tempted to make an impulsive purchase.

6) Do you have a similar product in your makeup arsenal?

Take a second and think about the products that you already own. Is the new item that you are lusting after similar to anything you already have? For example, all my lipsticks are pink/red toned. I do not have a single brown lipstick. The next time I see a brown lipstick I will go ahead and get it as it has been brewing in my head a lot over the past couple months. If it is a completely new/unique product nothing like anything in your collection, go ahead and indulge.

Budget SHopping
Budget SHopping

7) Do not fall into the BOGO trap in the drugstores

This is for people in the US. CVS, Walgreens, Rite aid etc – all these stores keeping throwing buy one get 50% off or very rarely buy one get one free. Do not fall for those unless you actually want to get 2 or more items. I have actually done the math. All cosmetic items are priced higher in the drug stores when you compare it to Walmart or Target (Walmart being the cheapest of all, mostly). So essentially what these offers do is that 1) They tempt you, 2) They force you to buy more than you need, 3) Make you spend more money. Most people happily think that they got a good deal. But if they had walked into the nearest Walmart and bought just that one item they need, it would work cheaper because you buy only one item and also it works out to be the same if you had got it on a buy one get free offer. So, my point is that do not fall into every buy one get one offer. Do your math and if you are convinced, then buy it.

8) Be an informed customer

Just because somebody on the internet raves about a product, it does not necessarily mean that it will work for you. This is wear beauty blogs turn to be a real blessing. Just a couple of years back, we would just go the stores and get cosmetics based on our own judgment. But now, we have so many experienced makeup junkies who tear upon a product and talk about every possible aspect of the product. Not only that we are just a click away from finding a swatch of almost any makeup product. Take advantage of this and do your research. These days I almost never get any makeup product without reading a couple of reviews and I gotta it is working amazingly well. I have been quite happy with almost all of my recent purchases.

9) Perform Makeup Detox once in a while

Just like detoxing your body by flushing out toxins, every once in while it’s good to detoxify your makeup collection. Raid out your makeup vanity and check for all the expiry dates. Are there some products that you have never used in the recent past? Consider giving them away to friends or others who might find some use out of it. Have a blog? Do a blog sale for products that don’t work for you, but may work for others. Doing this detox routine every six months or so, not only will give you a chance to save yourself from putting expired products on your face ,it will also give you an idea of what you need when you do your next makeup shopping.

10) Know your limitation

Makeup craziness comes to women of all ages. Thank god, I was not aware of these “makeup” blogs when I was in college or in school. I would have gone bonkers with the sheer amount of products that these blogs review. When you are studying, you are on a limited budget with limited pocket money. Don’t beat yourself up just because you cannot afford high end products. Believe me; it’s good to get decently priced brands and experiment and play with them rather than going high end. Save the Chanel, MAC, Lancôme etc for when you can actually afford them. Understand your monetary limitation and shop according to that.

I would like to conclude by mentioning a couple of my favorite beauty blogs.

IMBB: It goes without saying that IMBB is one of my favourites..I stalk this blog every few hours to see if there are any new articles…Need I say more? I am just proud to say I am a part of it and should thank Rati for giving this great opportunity . 🙂

Beauty Addict: Besides the fact that the blog dates back to 2005 , a time when I didn’t even know people blogged about beauty & makeup , this is one blog that gives a lot of confidence that the author knows what she is talking about. Kristen talks about high-end to drugstore brands and her reviews are nothing short of perfect. They are Concise & effective and drive the point right through you.

Makeupandbeautyblog: LOVE this blog. Again, Karen reviews products from all walks of life. Love her humor and her “Tabs” related posts. The sheer amount of effort and work she puts into her blog shows how seriously she takes her blog. She gained my trust, when she raves about something; I trust that there must be something great about the product. She conducts giveaways like no other and can I also a take a moment to appreciate her promptness when it comes to giveaway. I had a left a random comment on one of here giveaway and she promptly emailed me to get my details. Within a week, the prize arrived at my doorstep. How awesome is that?

Finally!! I hope I made sense with this article. Makeup addiction doesn’t have to drill a deep hole in your wallet if you plan accordingly . :)If you guys have any other tips that you follow with respect to managing your makeup addiction, please share it in the comments section. Would love to hear from you guys . 🙂

IMBB RECOMMENDS

131 thoughts on “Be A Smart Makeup Addict – Top 10 Tips and Tricks”

  1. JANE!!!!!!!!!!! :worship: :worship:
    my mom and sis help me with the same tips
    but i am a compulsive shopper
    i cant sleep if i love a product and dont buy it!
    what do morons like me do !!!! :doh:
    but what a FANTASTIC WRITE UP!
    i think i am gonna take a print out of this and memorize the points so that next time i go mad…i will recall the points before the colossal damage ..:pray:
    thanks a tonnnnnnn!!! :worship:

    Reply

    1. Neha – Thank so much !! I am sure this one rings a bell with all of us , no ? Thanks for lovely compliment , glad you liked the article 🙂

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  2. Wow I like your article, you have no idea how guilty I feel when I cross my budget limit for the month. And about being materialistic dont worry we all are 😛

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    1. Thanks Vinitha..Materialistic , yes all of us are..but I want to keep it under control…its easy to forget more important things in life 🙂

      Reply

  4. “Often times I have noticed that the joy I had while purchasing the product almost becomes nil once I get it home and start using it.”

    same with me :-((

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  5. wow! i never thought so much before buyin sum make up,always craved for new make up items whatever hits the market, but now after reading this i realised so many of mymake up items are just lying around unused. such a waste of money i had done. :pissedoff:
    now onwards im going to give a big thought before buyin sumthin !
    Probably den i can lay my hands on sum luxury brands :heh:

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  7. Jane….you have put to words my thoughts!!!!!!!!!

    I completely, totally and whole-heartedly agree with you!!! Specially point no. 5 hit me bang on….I loovve the shades of MAC e/s but like you i dont use e/s on a daily basis and hence dont feel like spending behind the expensive high-end brands….on the other hand I use lipsticks daily and hence wouldnt mind spending on that since I knw the product would also get used up and who doesnt like pampering oneself once in a while and this is wht lead me to buying my first MAC lipstick few days back…tht spend doesnt pinch me coz I have already used it so much even in less than a week…

    TOTALLY LOVED THIS POST!! and I am soooo glad I have so much control over my spending habbit 😀

    Reply

    1. HD 🙂 Exactly ! I can confidently say too, that while I read a lot about makeup products and keep myself informed (a sort of passion) , I certainly have it under control. I clearly know what I use and what I don’t. It really helps me take clever decisions 🙂 SO glad it struck a cord with so many of you 🙂

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  9. Hi Neha…U’r latest profile pic is nice…but i liked the earlier one a lot….u look better in that..i dont say the latest one is not gud…hope u dont take me the wrong way :pray: …bcoz i kind of like u’r earlier pic more… 🙂

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            1. Hi neha….i m here only ..btw nice profile pic…again u look different but lovely pic….. 🙂
              and thanx for not taking me wrong :hugright: …soon i m gonna put my pic also… :dance:

              Reply

    1. Rati – Its good that you are guilty. It means that you are infact aware of what you are doing. Some people don’t even realize and just keep hoarding on every collection released , ya know..

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    2. where where wher…who said I am lazy? I am working so hard roaming in malls, having coffee at the coffee house, picking up some fresh food. you know how tough it gets when you have to walk so much in your cute pair of bata shoes and you get shoe bites. :((

      Got bhkarwadi and chiwda today. 😀

      Reply

            1. i am not liking this! you should all give me pretty things because i lost so much data!:(( Rati, you can give me the purple shoes. 🙂

              Reply

                1. Long story…apparently she lost data on her comp..cos she formatted something something instead of formatting something something…very informative I am…I know 😀

                  Reply

                  1. i said dont ask for a reason! now everyone will laugh at me!:((:((
                    i’ll eat your head every day now! and talk about you know whaaatttt :ghost: :ghost::ghost:
                    oh bdw, i had to tell you a true story.. 🙂 will MAIL YOU TONIGHT! :devil:

                    Reply

                    1. You dont talk about you-know-whats and true stories all in one sentence…and don’t you mail me…I am going to set your mail id to spam :devil: :devil:

  17. Jane wonderful post, and for a self confessed makeup addicted you sound very mature on keeping your addiction within limits, i loved it and even if i am careful while spending on skin care, my current addiction after reading your article i felt motivated too, as there is always room for improvement 🙂
    .-= deb´s last blog ..Aint they looking great =-.

    Reply

    1. I am happy that I could motivate you at some level. We all need others to tell us so many things..even though we know many of these things , we just need it to come from somebody else..Atleast thats how I am 🙂

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    1. Oh hey, thats good one too..”going without makeup” . Bit for me when I am at home..I just have kajal..nothing else..so in way I am doing that already 🙂

      Reply

  19. What do you mean “it had to happen” you lazy evil Rati….grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :bomb: :bomb: :bomb: :bomb: it happened right after she mailed you… :bomb: :bomb: :bomb: :knife: :knife: :knife: :knife:

    Reply

  21. Great post Jane :yes: :yes: , the article is so useful to me, i tend to go bugg eyed 😮 when some new cosmetics are on display and end up spending money on something which i dont use on a daily basis.The point on keeping a budget at hand is what i will follow next time :-))

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  24. hi jane……….
    a very very sane article….much needed big time….i do keep a beauty budget every month and yes my husband keeps me grounded every time i m tempted to buy a beauty product that i dont need at all……….
    but all in all a very nice post……….

    Reply

    1. Thanks Shilpa…even for my controlled spending , my husband doesn’t get why I need so many items !! They just dont get it , do they ? ?:-)

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    1. not bata…bata didnt hv the ones I liked in a more neutral color..only had in yellow and I wanted something in black, brown, grey etc…the ones I bght are in black with a cute buckle in the front and cut work type design on the sides…u getting the hang??

      the ones u were wearing tht day is wht u bght?

      Reply

        1. oh we do have all the colors….the outlet I went to didnt hv in my size :-(( I just entered the shop while doing street shpng at bandra 😀

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  29. See I was so polite and good O:-) O:-) O:-) I very very quietly told it to you and suggested you delete it O:-) O:-) O:-) Any more angelic I would float away…sigggghhhhhhhh

    Reply

    1. :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* Tx HD..I have some proof. Last time she changed the pics on everyone when nobody was there, and people thought I was mad cos nobody knew what I was talking about!!!

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  34. Definitely, leaving out the credit cards helps! My credit card was cancelled back in May (I’d been a customer for 10 years, always paid fully and on time, so they weren’t making any money from me!), and it’s been so much easier to avoid impulse purchases now that it’s gone.

    People who especially appreciate makeup: dancers, actors, anybody who has to appear on stage in a lot of makeup. Most of the performing artists I know don’t make a lot of money and sometimes can’t afford the nice brands, so they’re usually happy to receive anything that you want to get rid of!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Leila ! That is such a great point about the artists. I am sure they can make good use of products that don’t work for us.

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  35. Gr8 article Jane, i’v just started to become a little make up minded, thnx to IMBB.
    hv started growing nails n applying nail polish. now hv a decent collection of lipstick n lip glosses.
    Ur article will surely help me stay in control. ? Thnx a lot.

    Reply

  36. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
    The picture in this article-The girl’s
    face so LOOKS like Rati’s picture on Youtube -her dp there :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

    hahahahaha!!!
    Atleast i think so!
    😉 and even the article is PERFECT for her :silly:
    .-= giasaysthat´s last blog ..Headband collection =-.

    Reply

  40. nice article..i am not an impulsive buyer but sometime i buy wrong products that never suits me.
    anyway, i am planning to buy a new sunscreen soon. my current lotus safe sun jel is not working well for me,i get horribly tanned & oily every time i step out in sun.. i am confused among lotus spray wt SPF 50, neutrogena ultra sheer SPF 55 and lotus SPF 30..i am from kolkata & i have a horribly oily skin. i want something non-greasy, non-oily and doesnt need frequent application. somebody help me as i dont want to spend too much money( following the article solely :-)) )

    p.s. i dont know whether this neutrogena brand is available in kolkata or not.

    Reply

    1. Bulbul – Until about a year ago..I used to get all kinds of wrong products and waste my money on them. But thanks to these blogs , I keep myself abreast of the latest products reviews and I think a lot before I buy anything. And touchwood , researching stuff is working really well for me.

      I am not in India , so I cannot tell you about sun block available there..maybe others can help you 🙂

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  41. Jane….how this article of yours has helped me, I cannot describe it. I am a compulsive shopper and a total make up addict, and if I see something new, I cannot resist. Also, if I see something I THINK I like and if I don’t buy it, I have this obsession to buy it the next time round. I recently gave away over 30 lipsticks to a friend, and I gave away packets and packets of new make up to friends for their birthdays (before the expiry date of course). But I still have loads. Can you send me this article by email if I give you my email address…I want to print it and read it everyday.

    Reply

    2. @ sabrina, hey i think u r from kolkata. could u plz plz tell me where can i buy Neutrogena sunblock from? i really dont know whether this brand is available in kolkata. i want to buy a good sunblock for my super oily skin. plz plz plz help me 😥 😥 😥

      Reply

      1. Bulbul, Neutrogena should be available easily in any store that sells face wash, cream, body lotion, etc. Its very very common..at least here in Bangalore it is 😀 😀 Pharmacy shops also might have it…they stock Pantene, Nivea..so should have Neutrogena too though I have never checked in one so I don’t know 🙂

        Reply

      2. Hi Bulbul, yes I’m from Kolkata. You can try for Neutrogena products at Spencers, they usually keep them, and they used to be available at Food Bazaar too. I have seen these at Spencers South City Mall, you can try there.

        Reply

        1. thanku thanku thankuuuuuuuuu :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* i will definitely check out my nearest spencers store tomorrow. :-)) :-)) :-))

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    3. hehehe thanks a lot sabrina !! You can ask rati for the article , coz I am not sure if I can send it you..worse come you can always , copy paste and keep it for your references 🙂

      Reply

      1. Yes, Rati, I am subscribed to IMBB. I will try & save the article from there. Actually, once before I tried to save something from here and it didn’t get saved, that’s why I asked. I will definitely try this again. Thank you so much.

        Reply

  42. For me, cosmetics shopping is my treat at the end of a gruelling project. I let the image of a stereo rose dangle in my head while I’m doing the project. It’s my motivator… so the sooner I finish my project the sooner I can get my PRIZE. Since my projects take me anything between 6 months to 9 months to finish — the wait is long and the purchase sweet. And I don’t splurge monthly.

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  45. I really loved this article so much. It made so much sense…………….It made me think for a while …………………..
    Thx so much for this Post.

    Reply

  46. Great Post.. I just discovered the world of beauty blogs (a little late, I know..) and was just beginning to go crazy… This one just about made me remember the keyword “budget”. Thanks… 🙂

    Reply

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