What I'm Not Gonna Buy: Sephora Sale 2017

Inspired by the Queen of Anti-Hauls, Kimberly Clark (Clark...Clark), and the awesome and very-conscientious Renee over at Bad Outfit Great Lipstick, I put up an instagram post on the revelations I had about the blush haul I had planned for Sephora's upcoming (semi-annual) sale. Once I did, it got my Makeup Rehab juices flowing, and I felt like writing an extended cut of that post, including all the other shit I was contemplating adding to my collection, but ultimately decided against.

Bite Beauty Whiskey Lipstick

via Sephora.com

Why I Want It:

• It's very similar to a DIY shade I made on my own that is beautiful but wears horribly and fades immediately.

• It's part of my favorite lipstick formula line (the Amuse Bouche line.)

• It looks really nice on the brunette ladies I've seen wearing it.

Why I Don't Need It:

• I don't wear vampy lips in warmer months- even though my inner goth wants to, I stay in the nude-to-jewel toned shades until October. If I really want this shade, I can just as well buy it in the fall Sephora sale and enjoy using it immediately. 

• I have several dark lipsticks already, which are going to expire in the next few years, and every new lipstick I bring in is incremental "loss" of days I could be wearing all of those.

• I already own Bite Portobello, a true brown which looks ghastly on me alone, that I can easily mix with a red lipstick I own to get close to this shade.

Clinique Pansy Pop Blush

via Sephora.com

Why I Want It:

• I don't own a lavender blush and I think it looks so cute on others.

• The Cheek Pops are without a doubt my favorite blush formula- and I want more of them.

• It would look nice with the grayer eye looks I've been enjoying lately.

Why I Don't Need It:

• I do like cool-toned looks but I don't wear them that much. It's warm tones for 75% of all days.

• When I actually look at people's face pictures wearing Pansy Pop, I realize that it's more of a soft pastel pink, not a true lavender.

• I already own a gorgeous pastel pink  blush I wear plenty, Tarte Dollface, which is nowhere close to being used up.

• I'm deeper in skintone than the majority of people who love this blush, which means I may not end up enjoying it as much as they do.

Hourglass Dim Infusion Blush

via Sephora.com

Why I Want It:

• It's the only other color in the Hourglass blush range that's remotely interesting to me (I own and love Mood Exposure.)

• It might work as a more sheer substitute for Urban Decay Video, which I destashed last year for being slightly hard to work with (and then bought Surratt Chaleur to dupe...)

Why I Don't Need It:

• Buying a shade simply because I want more of the formula but don't like the color options is silly. I'm clearly settling on the color because I'm blinded by the finish. I'll wait until they release a shade extension or just never get an Hourglass blush again. I don't need another just because the one I have is awesome.

• Looking at multiple online swatches, nah, it's not really close in effect to my late great Urban Decay Video. If you squint, it fits in the same nude blush category, but I have multiple nude blushes I bought in pursuit of duping Video.

• I can mix bronzer and the aforementioned similar blushes to create a suitable dupe. If I went the last 6 months without Video I can go the next 6 months, and I don't need this not-close-enough version.

Becca Songbird Blush

via Sephora.com

Why I Want It:

• It looks quite similar to a blush I own and don't use enough- NARS Luster. The reason I've hesitated to use Luster despite the flattering tone is that I am not a fan of the texture of shimmer in NARS blushes. It emphasizes my pores and oily skin in an unflattering way.

• I have and enjoy another blush from the same line, Wild Honey, which, despite being very-pigmented, is blendable and does not emphasize skin texture issues.

• I've had this yearning feeling like I need a flattering version of NARS Orgasm in my life- that all-purpose blush I can throw on without a care. And shimmery orange-coral just seems like it would be that for me.

Why I Don't Need It:

• I feel like I'll be unwilling to sell NARS Luster, even once I get Songbird. I like it just enough that I'm fearful I'll keep both...and use neither. Knowing me it's a distinct possibility.

• I haven't worn Luster in about 3 months, and my skin has improved significantly since the last time I did. I should try it out again to see- maybe it looks fine on me now.

• I already have that blush I can throw on and look amazing in. It's called Clinique Fig Pop and it's the only blush I've made a significant dent in for the last year. Sure, it's not shimmery, but that's good. I don't like shimmer s much as I think I do. Plus with various gold and peach highlighters I own, I can incorporate more shimmer into Fig Pop if I want!

CoverFX Custom Enhancer Drops in Celestial

via Sephora.com

Why I Want It:

• I only own powder highlighters.

• I have a mini of this that I almost used up and I quite enjoyed using it in December.

Why I Don't Need It:

• Now that my moisture barrier issues are solved I don't require so much emollience and creaminess in my face makeup. 

• I prefer powder highlights for a good reason- I have relatively oily skin and don't need allover shine most of the time.

• I own 2 beautiful champagne-toned highlighters (powder form) that I enjoy wearing, but adding a third champagne one would overwhelm me and make it hard to choose amongst them.

• Liquid products have a shorter shelf life. I can hang onto my powdered highlighters for a long time, but I'll feel under the gun to finish this up and I don't need that in my life.

Benefit Ready, Set, Brow! 24-Hour Setting Gel

via Sephora.com

Why I Want It:

• It's my HG brow gel and holds my unruly hairs in place all day long without crunchiness.

• I feel crazy buying it full-price ($24.00) so I like to get it on sale.

Why I Don't Need It:

• I bought a backup in the November Sephora sale and have not even cracked it. My tube from last summer is still going very strong with no signs of changing consistency or running out.

• I could probably buy a second backup but I have a habit of losing extra backups when it comes to storage and remembering where things are. Not taking that chance.

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

Why I Want It:

• The bottle is so beautiful- if I had that on my vanity I would feel like an 80s soap opera star.

• Sometimes I do feel like I need a refresher step between skincare layers, and I also enjoy the occasional spritz on-the-go. Also right now I don't have a skin finishing spray similar to MAC Fix+ which I used and loved throughout high school and college.

Why I Don't Need It:

• Nobody will see the packaging except for me and my boyfriend, who will only interact with it in any way if he accidentally knocks it over.

• I'm oily-skinned and prone to dehydration which means I have a robust wardrobe of daytime-occlusives which prevent moisture loss and negate the need for continuous misting.

• The bottle is too big to tote around in my small daily purse, which means I'd likely only use it at home.

New Goals

All these potential purchases came from some source, so I'm going to focus on satisfying whatever small grumbles I have with my current beauty routine, using items I have in my stash already.

• The NARS Luster Issue: I'm going to start layering my favorite gold highlighter with Clinique Ginger Pop to approximate what I'm looking for. Will also pledge to wear NARS Luster 3 times in the next 2 weeks to get an idea of whether I should destash it or keep it.

• Skin Mist: I own a couple mists, one which is great, one which is too sticky, and I'm going to pan the good one and decide if I want another bottle. I'll keep the sticky one in my desk at work just to use it up.

• Urban Decay Video: I still have not found a really good dupe for the way Video looked on me, but I just don't have any interested in repurchasing it when the formula gave me issues last year. I have to figure out how best to create that effect- I think Hourglass Mood Exposure + Surratt Chaleur may work, but I may have to incorporate a dab of bronzer to pull it together. I already own all those!

• Vampy Lips: Wear my vampiest shade, Besame Blood Red, at least once before the end of March. I can tell by how cringey I feel at the prospect of this that I made the right decision saying no to Bite Whiskey. Wearing dark lips is a bit of a chore for me when it's hot out. Good thing I'm not buying a new lipstick.

Thoughts on Sales in General

I think blanket-discount sales like Sephora's 15%/20% off one can be a very good thing. They allow you to pick from a store's whole selection to get what you actually want, however in my case, they also prompt me to consider items I don't want all that much. Because I feel like this sale is so rare (it happens every 6 months, which is not that long to go between sales) I tend to hoard ideas for my planned purchases. I have this idea that if I lump all my expensive purchases into a massive sale order, I'll be making off like a bandit.

In reality, the way retailers craft their sales strategy gets at my most vulnerable ideas about purchasing and finances. They make me feel guilty for ordering items full-price, and they create an air of urgency that causes me to pull the trigger on orders without fully considering the impact on my collection. 

I think when it comes to blanket-discount sales, I have a tendency to build my cart up further to get the satisfaction of seeing a larger total discount. Which is silly because the discount percentage is static. It just feels like you're saving more money because the dollar amount of your discount grows. But the cart total grows too- most of you are probably like, "Yes, we know this, no shit Sherlock," but it's something I have to always remind myself of.

20% off is 80% on, which is to say that I'm still spending 80% of the retail price when I buy something on sale, so I'm still splashing out on purchases that I might not have otherwise made. My original sale cart was about $250 total. 20% off $250 yields a total expenditure of $200. Sure, "saving" $50 sounds like a great proposition. But that's $200 more than I'd spend if I just sat the sale out. Or it's $170 more than I'd spend if I just got one item I really wanted.