Beauty Budget #5: 4th Month Progress – Yes, I Admit that I have Failed the Challenge!

I have just no words to describe this month. It’s…. scary. BeautyBay had a 20% sale in April, which I pounced on as I’ve been eyeing a few items. This was followed by a 60% closing down sale at Bella Box – my biggest regret was that I’m too slow and only got 7 items! Then there was the holiday in Thailand – I couldn’t leave without some beauty souvenirs! Are you curious about the total damage for April?

Items bought in April 2015:
1. Rimmel Nail Polish = S$7.90
2. Facial Cotton Pads x 3 packets = S$9.55
3. Beauty Shopping in Thailand = S$127.50
4. LookFantastic Beauty Box – GBP12.50 = S$31.50
5. Bella Box = S$19.90
6. Bella Box closing down sale haul = S$81.58
7. BeautyBay haul of First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, Balance and Brighten Baked Color Correcting Foundation Ultra Foundation in Wheat – GBP53.06 = S$133.71
Total = $411.64
Running total from Budget Start Date = S$986.58

I have 2 more months to go to till the end of the S$1000 for 6 months challenge, but less than S$15 left. I’m throwing in the towel for this budget challenge because…. there is just no way that I could keep within the budget! I don’t really want to make excuses – I failed, that’s all! I just couldn’t hold myself back when all the sales came, and with all the new pretty products. I embarked on this challenge to reduce my stash, and I think despite my slightly out of control spending, it has made a teeny impact – not as much as I had hoped, but it’s at least something.

I will be taking a break from beauty budgeting, as I always tend to not be able to deal with budgeting when my mind is full of other things, like right now with my wedding and dieting plans, helping out with the family business, coping with a full time job, dealing with some personal issues, etc. I might just embark on another budget challenge at a later date, maybe with a shorter period because 6 months is painful! Meanwhile, I have to find some other way to whittle down my stash…

Beauty Budget #4: 3rd Month Progress

Right at the start of the month – in fact the very first day of March, Cult Beauty sabotaged my whole beauty budget by unleashing a huge goody bag with any purchase over GBP90. I just couldn’t say no to such an amazing deal… so I busted my whole budget on the very first day of the month!

Items bought in March 2015:
1. Cult Beauty Purchase consisting of a Foreo Luna mini and a RMS Raw Coconut Cream, with a free Goody Bag – GBP92.92 = S$195.14
2. Bella Box – S$19.90
3. Look Fantastic Beauty Box March 2015 – GBP12.50 = S$31.50
Total: S$246.54
Running Total from Budget Start Date: S$574.94

There were so many more things that I wanted to get from Cult Beauty, but I’m holding back for now… not entirely for my budget but because they have give these amazing Goody bags every few months and I’m waiting for the next one! 😛 I hope it won’t be too soon though because I really need to cut back in order to stay within the 6-month budget goal.

What about you? Are you keeping to a beauty budget too?

Beauty Budget #3: 2nd Month Progress

It’s time to tally up my purchases for the month and see if I’ve managed to stick within the beauty budget again! The goal is to spend only S$1000 on beauty products in the next 6 months, starting from 1st January and now it’s the 2nd month into the plan. S$1000 sounds like a lot – but beauty products in Singapore are overpriced, and also, my main goal is to curtail the number of products I buy rather than saving money, and for me the easiest way is to have a budget because that’s how my brain works.

Beauty Budget #2: 1st Month Progress

The first month of being on a beauty budget has finally come to an end… now 5 more months to go! For most of the month I was actually pretty well behaved – until my birthday and I thought I really needed to treat myself to something, hence the Beauty Boxes from Beauty Bar. The one bad thing about shopping online is that I have to wait so long for my items! The time of purchasing is so far from getting the actual products, so I always end up buying more than I really want!

Beauty Budget #1: 6mths/S$1000

I did a round of this budgeting sometime towards the end of 2013 and I have to say I thought I did quite a good job then, not just saving money but also dwindling down my insane stash. Recently with my obsession with beauty boxes, and mindless shopping in a terrible year at work, I have accumulated a big collection of skincare and makeup products – way too much and way too fast. I’ve always had a large collection, but the recent surge from beauty boxes is just a *little* unmanageable!

So it’s time for another round of Beauty Budgeting! I’m not in debt; I just really need to use up what I have. My cupboards are overflowing with things that I might not be able to finish by the expiry date and I barely have space to walk. I have boxes of products stacked all the way to the roof! Plus I will be moving house at the end of 2015 and I don’t want to lug boxes of beauty products to the new house – I need to bring down my crazy collection to an amount that I can actually move easily.

The goal is to spend only S$1000 on beauty products in the next 6 months. That sounds like a lot, but I can easily spend about S$500 in a single month on makeup and skincare, and even more ridiculous amounts during festive months or on holidays. Plus makeup is very overpriced in Singapore. So to me, there’s no point putting a number so low that I know I will definitely fail even before I try. I think S$1000 over 6 months is a reasonable budget – that will allow me to buy what I need and some cheer-me-ups, but not enough to go crazy with.

What it will include:

• Make up of any kind
• Skin care of any kind
• Shower gel, body wash, bubble bath, etc
• Hair products of any kind
• Deodorant, Perfume
• Any nail related products
• Tools such as brushes, sponges, face cloths, etc
• Shaving products

What it won’t include:

• Any of the “included items” that I receive as gifts
• Any medication
• Oral hygiene products
• Sanitary products
• Sun protection
• Haircuts, facials and brow threading sessions

Now, I want to make clear that the purpose is not to deprive myself. My goal is to use up what I have and stop hoarding – therefore this budgeting will only include products and not services that I get. My obsession has gotten so out of hand – it’s just not normal to have an inventory of more than 10 eye creams, more than a year’s worth of face wash and 30 face creams. Makeup and beauty related items makes me happy and I don’t intend on ever stop buying them; but there’s a limit and I think I’m there.

Wish me luck! I will be updating every month for the next 6 months, starting on 1st January to end of June 2014, on my progress – how much of my budget I have spent and what I’ve spent it on. If you’re on a similar challenge, or want to join in this challenge as well, do leave a message so we can encourage each other!

The Budget Talk #7: The 6th and Final Month Progress Update

Finally, we’ve come to the 6th and final month of my 6-months budget challenge – something that I set myself to achieve because I had way too much products in my house to humanly finish in my lifetime.

Things I bought in March 2014:
1) 2x rolls of Cotton Pads, S$3.50 for 2
2) 2x Watsons Nail Polish Remover, S$2.80 for 2 after offsetting S$3 with points in my Watsons card
Total: S$6.30

Grand Total for 6 months: S$498.11

So it was a success! I did manage to stay within my budget of spending within S$500 in 6 months, although just barely. After 6 months of living on a budget, and focusing on using what I already have, I think it has been a good experience and one that I might do again as my mountain of stash, though slightly smaller now, is still quite too much for one person.

I must say that my bank account has been thanking me a lot the past 6 months for the budget; for once I saw some savings. No more $500 a month bills that goes into things that are just chucked aside after a few swatches, and the number of half used bottles just lying around have gone down a lot so I actually got back a lot of my room space!

I think I’m quite proud of how much I have done; it hasn’t been easy because I love beauty products way too much but sometimes I think we need to think about what we already have and why we are buying so much. Plus all the other things that we could do with the money – for me, I’ll be spending them on a holiday trip or two this year! 🙂

The Budget Talk #6: 5th Month Progress Update

I’m near the end of my 6 months budget and… I am also out of money from my budget! I have all of S$8.19 left to spend for the entire month of March. Plus, Mr Money Bags aka the boyfriend will be out of town for work the next couple of months so I cannot even charm my way to free makeup! It’s really depressing – no boyfriend to keep me company for awhile and no new makeup to cheer me up when he’s not around!

Things I bought in February 2014:
1) Korean Haul of Facial Cloth Masks, Missha First Treatment Essence and IOPE CC Cream, total of S$85.05 on a discount website
2) Powder Foundation with Casing from Estee Lauder, S$62.00 after offsetting $26 with points in my Tangs Card
Total: S$147.05

So there we have it… can I go through an entire month of barely buying makeup? I think it’s really getting very tough, but I am still determined to stick to the budget! I’m pretty sure I still have some vouchers lying around somewhere that I might be able to exchange for things… otherwise… maybe it’s time to remind my parents of their favourite daughter…

The Budget Talk #5: 4th Month Progress Update

I got a little carried away this month, what with being in Japan in the first week, and then it was my birthday month. I kinda gave myself too many presents, and almost wiped out the rest of my budget!! Luckily, I held back on a few items even though there were quite a few irresistible sales online!

Things I bought in January 2014:
1. Japan Haul, shown here, S$96.59
2. Eyecandy Hair Diffuser, S$28.90
3. Tarte Lipsurgence in Fiery, S$36.00
4. Biore Cleansing Oil Wipes, S$3.50
5. ELF Small Stippling Brush, S$8.40
6. Bella Box Jan 14, S$19.90
7. The Body Shop Vitamin E Cleansing Wipes, S$7.90
Total: S$201.19

S$201.19??! There was once I would be totally unfazed by that amount, as I used to spend way more than that on an average month. But now with the budget, it seems like a lot! I was in a bad mood when I went and bought the Tarte lip tint – a total impulse buy. The ELF Small Stippling Brush is way overpriced in Singapore, but I desperately wanted it after Emily from Beauty Broadcast talked about it a million times. I picked up a couple of cleansing wipes as I forgot to bring them to the gym. Then there was the truly regrettable purchase of Bella Box – a mistake I will not make again.

There are 2 more months to go for my S$500/6 months budget goal, and I have $155.24 left to spend – which is not too bad, I think. Here’s hoping that I will be able to keep a tighter rein on my budget next month!

The Budget Talk #4: 3rd Month Progress Update

Finally, we’re at the halfway mark of my Budget Talk! And so far I am still keeping well within the budget for this month to stay within my target of spending only S$500 on beauty items for 6 months!

Things I bought in December 2013:
1. Bioderma Micellaire Solution, S$18.90 from an online sale
2. Facial Cottons, S$7.50 for 2 large packs
3. Body Brushes x 3, S$8.50 each but buy 2 get 1 free
4. 2 Essence Nail Polish and a Polish Remover, S$0.69 after using points
Total: S$44.09

Again, I bought lots of weird things that I didn’t really need or even possibly use up; like 3 body brushes? And another Bioderma, just because it was so cheap. I’m really seeing the benefits of keeping a blog – to keep track of where I am throwing my money away!

Now that I know my weaknesses, the next time I go shopping, I will try to think through of what I already have in stock, or whether I really need to buy 2 of the same thing to get 1 free!

The Budget Talk #3: 2nd Month Progress Update

Another quick follow up on The Budget Talk #1 – where I attempt to spend only S$500 on all things beauty for the next six months. The second month was a lot more painful than the first, as I really felt the itch to just buy anything after such a long period (to me) of not splurging. A colleague even noticed it and mentioned that I have not splurged on makeup for a very long time and asked what was going on!

Things I bought in November 2013:
1. Facial Cottons, 2 for S$7.50 but sold 1 to Mum for S$3.50
2. Bioderma Micellaire Solution, S$25.70
3. Vanity Trove Beauty Box, S$25.00
4. Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer, S$7.98
5. Essence Nail Polish, S$2.90
Total: S$65.58

There were a couple of things that I didn’t need but still bought anyway just because I wanted to – such as the Vanity Trove beauty box and Rimmel concealer. But as I mentioned in the first budget talk, this challenge is not about depriving myself; it’s more to use up what I have while still having fun with makeup within a reasonable range, which I think I still did this month. I actually managed to hold back from all the new Christmas collections so far!

I feel like every month has a new challenge – in November it was the Christmas collections, and in December I will be going to Japan for holiday which is a beauty junkie’s heaven so I really hope that I don’t go crazy there!