There came a point in my beauty-shopping when I realized that I just needed to slow down. I’d reflect on my hauls and, while I was happy about the majority of my purchases, there were a few that I wound up being confused about. Furthermore, I found myself not being able to truly enjoy the products I acquired, because I was always getting something shiny and new.

A few days after my birthday, I saw a post by The Peach declaring that she and another blogger were going to stick to a 30 day detox. I figured if they can do it, why can’t I? So I said to myself, “self, let’s do this.”

And I did it.

And I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t particularly easy. I still followed my favourite beauty blogs, so I knew about all the hot new things I wanted to buy (oh, Candy Yum Yum), plus all the great drugstore sales (a few new nail polishes never hurt anybody, right?). Then there was the horrible temptation of things going on 50% off clearance at work. There were a few times when I was so tempted that I had items in-hand, but a mix of guilt and determination forced me to put it all back.  I did make one purchase at work for my parents (I might as well pick up their stuff for them, because goodness only knows when they’ll be able to drive up here), and claimed a freebie from that purchase for myself, but other than that, I didn’t break my promise to myself.

I can say I learned a thing or two from the experience. The first and most important thing, I think, was that everything goes on sale again eventually.  X% OFF sounds fantastic, incredible, hard to resist and altogether awesome, but it isn’t something you have to jump on immediately.  Give it a few weeks, and another store or website will have a comparable sale. If you miss it, you’ll survive.

Also, just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean you should buy it. Think of what you already have in your collection first.  Does the item fill a need? There were a good handful of lip products to go on clearance at work, including some very nice lip balms, and I must say I had a hard time passing up on those. I am a balm fiend — it is the only beauty product that I consider a “daily essential”.  But I managed to talk myself out of stocking up on the sale balms after I realized how much I already have. Now, will I buy more balms in the future? Sure, I love trying new ones. But I don’t need to feel pressured into buying them because of some tempting percentages-off.

Finally, I have some awesome things in my collection already. There are some gaps to fill, sure, but it really pays to take stock of what you already have, and love your acquisitions for what they are… and what they could be, if you gave it a chance. If you’re missing a colour, mix ones you already have. If you’re bored of what you have, pair it with something different. If you’re looking for something to address a particular hair or skin problem, research home remedies – a lemon is cheap, tasty, and multi-purpose. Beauty is creative, adaptive, and not limited by “suggested use”.

At the start of my “detox” adventure, I also told myself that I was putting myself on a monthly budget. This time of not purchasing anything gave me a chance to get used to the idea, and be perfectly okay with it.  Which is very fortunate, considering my car decided to play “make-believe” and declare itself a giant, shiny, car-shaped brick.  I should have it back on the road before the end of the week, but paying the bill back to my parents is going to eat in to any disposable income I would have had otherwise.  My poor, poor Baby…

Before my car decided to get all levels of broken, I did make a small celebratory purchase with Antoinette’s Revolution Cosmetics, as I’ve seen some positively lustworthy swatches popping up around the Internets. Even if that winds up being my only new purchase for the month (and it probably will, eek!), I’m very, very excited to try them out!