I was doing very well with not shopping but recently I've lost a little control and it all started when my friend said she was going to go to LUSH and the closest LUSH is an hour away from home...
I really wanted my own tub of Ultrabland because I loved the sample so much. It was really awesome being able to see how much gunk was still left on my face even after using a makeup removing wipe. I had my friend get me the 1.5 oz version of Ultrabland instead of the 3.5 oz, only because I wasn't sure I would want to have that much Ultrabland yet.
I have been using these dual-tip watercolor brush markers that I got from Michael's. It comes in a pack of 24 for $29.99, but I had a coupon and got it for almost half off. The color variety isn't that great but the way the markers are designed makes me feel like I'm painting! When I need a different color, I just reach for one of my Crayola markers because there's 50 to choose from! As you can see, the coloring pages contain lots of detail, so a fine point is necessary. I really enjoy this book because the pages are thick and aren't printing back to back, and therefore I don't have to worry about the markers bleeding through and ruining the other pages.
I was doing very well just coloring and going about my daily routine (which hasn't been too much these days besides working) when I started feeling down in the dumps. I'm in that awkward phase of post-graduate life where I don't know what to do with my life. I've been trying to find hobbies that I enjoy, but sometimes it gets old. After procrastinating for so long, I was finally able to take some initiative and have a more positive outlook on life. I took care of lots of business yesterday and came home 12 hours later feeling physically and mentally drained, but I was really proud of myself. I felt like I deserved to treat myself.
This. This is what I wanted. I had received a $10 Ulta coupon in the mail that was good on ANY purchase. That usually never happens because Ulta is very restrictive on what brand coupons can be used for. I have heard glowing reviews on the Anastasia Brow Wiz so of course I was going to get it if it meant paying only $11 for it. A sales associate asked me if I needed any help and I said no and decided to look around before making my purchase.
But of course, it's always difficult to walk into and out of Ulta with only the one thing you were looking for. And Ulta sales associates are very convincing... let me tell you what happened...
I've never really made it into the skin care section at Ulta before (I always get stuck towards the front swatching all the makeup on my hands and arms) so when I saw that they had the Drying Lotion from Mario Badescu in stores, I knew I had to buy it. I also saw that they had a large variety of skin care products and wanted to pick up a few more things but quickly became overwhelmed. I went back to to get the woman who offered to help me and she asked me to tell her about my skin. I told her that, besides hormonal breakouts, I get blemishes here and there on my combination skin, but that's about it. She recommended the Brightening Kit to help with my acne scars and said it was a good way to sample a bunch of different products.
Just as I thought it was going to end there, she asked me if I had a facial cleansing brush. I said no because I heard brushes can irritate your skin and didn't want to spend $100+ on a brush for washing my face. She told me that using a brush can really help remove the dry skin from your face while opening up the pores. Her exact words were "You will wonder why you didn't use one sooner!" As I stood there hesitantly, she said they carried $25 cleansing brushes, to which I responded in surprise. "There are 25 dollar ones? Really?"
Of course, it's not a brand name brush like the well-loved Clarisonic, but $25 for a brush is a great deal. Ulta was also having a Buy 2 Get 2 Free sale, and the sales associate convinced me to get the Dual Action Cleansing System and three 2-pack boxes of replacement heads, which only cost me $8 for one box. $33 for a brush handle and 7 brushes heads? I think that's a great deal! We'll see how well it works...
I knew my Ulta trip had to end there. If I stayed any longer, that woman was going to convince me to buy the entire store!
My next stop was Victoria's Secret to redeem my coupon for free underwear. Free things are great!
So Victoria's Secret didn't end up being my next stop. I got sidetracked and found myself inside H&M where I got two zip-up sweaters. I almost got three but I knew I would feel absolutely guilty. Even more than I already had been feeling. Eventually I did make it to Victoria's Secret where I used a $10 off coupon on one item but was able to not give into the sales people trying to convince me that spending $120+ just to get a $25 gift card was a good idea. No thanks Victoria's Secret, but I do have some restraint!
Oh I also got two athletic shirts because they're more comfortable to wear at the gym. They were also on sale for $10 each, so I was able to limit myself to two. That's gotta count for something, right?
I also used coupons to get two cans of shaving cream so that was a good deal. When I came home, I had a package/ It was this set of 16 cartridges and a razor that I had ordered for $25, because buying in bulk from eBay always seems to be a better deal than buying single packs in stores. I think a pack of 4 cartridges is almost $10 at Walmart, so this was definitely a steal.
All in all, it was a good day. I mean, when I came home, I felt a little guilty as I laid all my things out. I think I disappointed some people who were supporters and motivators of my retail fast, but I don't want to think of this as a terrible thing that I did. I know I shouldn't have spent as much as I did, but I promise you that I will not hoard any of this like I do with a lot of my products. I promise to put these to good use-- I have already broken down all of the packaging, taken off the tags, and used some of the products!
I think moving forward, I will have to watch my spending and not shop until it is time to buy people Christmas presents. I will not start Christmas shopping in October like I usually do to ease my stress, but instead, I will start after Thanksgiving. This will probably cause a lot of anxiety, but after almost making it to three months, I know I do have the strength in me to resist shopping. With my ability to spend so much money in a short amount of time, I also know I will have no problem finding perfect gifts for everyone in less than a month!
Here's to holding back!
