7 Reasons to Try a No-Buy

Committing to not spending on beauty products can make a huge difference not just to your bank balance but also your mental wellbeing. Given what’s going on in the world right now, most of us have bigger priorities and financial concerns so I think this kind of content can help us to stay positive.

Pay off debts/save money

Okay, I’m not exactly in a lot of debt but it does happen. I’ve definately relied on my credit card or a site that allows Klarna payments as a way of buying stuff I don’t need and can’t afford. Taking a step back and giving up erratic purchasing habits gives you time to pay off any debts you do have or start saving money.

Get around to reviewing products

It can’t just be me who has a backlog of new in products that I haven’t even tried. Sometimes even with products I’m using I forget to actually write up my thoughts on it, or I end up with new products that I never open and then decide they’re not relevant when I do get around to trying them. Once I stop adding to that pile of new stuff, I’ll be forced to pick out the items I already have for reviews or other content.

Explore creativity

When you stop feeling like all your content has to be about the latest release, coming up with new ideas and getting creative is way easier. Plus there’s tons of content that can come from no buys and focusing on using products from posts like this one to shop my stash, project pan and a good old fashioned empties post.

Waste less

This is a big issue for many people. We’ve all picked up a concealer only to discover it’s completely separated and gone bad, or that barely-used serum has started to smell funny. And when we’re wasting products, we’re wasting money. Not to mention the amount of packaging waste!

Mindful consumption

Are you buying stuff because you need it? Or because it’s on sale or it’s the shiny latest release? Once consumer habits change, in my experience, so do mindsets. If you stop letting yourself spend money on items because they’re new or because everyone else is using it, you’ll learn what you really do like and what products you really need. For example, I realised that I don’t need to buy every shade of a new lipstick release if my collection is only missing a pink.

Get excited about makeup again

Brands churn out new release after new release and deploy clever marketing to make us feel like we need all the things. When we’re stuck in this cycle of constantly buying and trying new products, it becomes difficult to actually care about the makeup anymore. Sure, you feel excited by all the shiny newness of it all but do you really care about the new highlighter you just bought or will it be forgotten again in a few weeks when something new hits the shelves? When you’re not adding new things to your collection, it allows you to use and appreciate what you already have and get excited about using makeup rather than buying makeup.

Give yourself a break

You’ve earned it. If you’re a blogger, YouTuber, Instagrammer or other such content creator, a lot of your beauty purchases will likely be geared towards your content and not yourself. You stop buying things because you need them and instead buy it because it’ll make a good video or you think it’s what your followers want to see. For small creators in particular looking to grow their platform, those are important things but don’t forget to take some time for yourself too. You don’t have to completely separate yourself from your platform in this time, you can still post plenty of the content ideas mentioned earlier but I know a lot of creators find a break is great for their own wellbeing.

I hope this is helpful for some of you. Stay safe everyone and let me know your no buy advice or inspiration in the comments!