Project No Buy - Week Nine and Ten

On Friday June 7, I had a small little eye operation - called corneal cross linking - on my right eye. I hope that this will strengthen my cornea enough to stop the rogression of kerataconus in that eye. I will hopefully have the same procedure performed on my left eye in three months.

Reco very is going well, but vision is still blah. My right eye's vision is still cloudy and more blurry than usual, and vision won't be restored to pre-operation conditions for the next month or so. The problem is that my glasses alone don't correct my vision and I can't wear contacts for at least the next 4 months and the frustration is just KILLING ME. So so much.

I'm temporarily absolving myself from penalties and sticking to a much looser schedule. I haven't even been able to accomplish any of my blogging goals because turning on my laptop is just not top priority these days. It's too hard and makes me want to cry every time I have to zoom in everything to like 500% only to still struggle to read it and squint like mad, causing my right eye to start hurting. Oh and all this while the laptop is being held up by my hands to be like 4 inches from my face. STILL CAN'T FUCKIN SEE.



-$0 - I would pride myself on self-control but I just haven't left the house much these days
---------
-$0

Money in Spending Bank after purchases: $150.44




Weekly Goals -
+$0 Finish swatching & posting at least one VDC eyeshadow collection
       - NOPE
+$0 Finish swatching & posting all Pumpkin & Poppy eyeshadows
       - NOPE
+$0 Catch up with Blog Everyday posts on Controlled Derangement
        - I haven't blogged much because it's so disheartening not to be able to see properly
+$5 Finish sending out ALL pending packages
       - Done!
+$0 Sell at least $150 profit in makeup/nail polish
       - Now that I've taken stock of what I sent out and what's left, I can re-focus on this in the coming weeks though
+$5 Try to help mom around the house more aka suck up to her for future favors
        - Done. Worked like a charm.
---------
+$10

Empties - 

+$2 John Freida conditioner - travel size 
+$2 Mini-sized Dove Deo, it also sucked
+$2 Razer, replaced with a new one
---------

+$6

Reviews -
+$8 May IPSY bag review - here
+$5 Essence nail polishes & GlitterDaze, Love & Affection - here
---------
+$13

Reading -
+$2.74 Taking Flight
+$2.00 I Bring The Fire, Part 1: Wolves (A Loki Story)
+$1.98 I Bring The Fire 2: Monsters (A Loki Story)
+$3.08 Me And My Ghoulfriends (Terrible trash don't bother looking it up)
+$3.04 Revenge Gifts
---------
+$11.84

1. Finish swatching & posting at least one VDC eyeshadow collection
2. Finish swatching & posting all Pumpkin & Poppy eyeshadows
3. Catch up with Blog Everyday posts on Controlled Derangement
4. Sell at least $150 profit in makeup/nail polish
5. Send out all international packages & catch up on with my monthly swap group
6. Do at least one review each for eyes, lips, & face products

($150.44) + ($40.84) = $191.28

Project No Buy - Week Seven and Eight

Wooo talk about a hiatus. I was on two back to back vacations, one with friends and the next with family, and promptly fell sick after that. Haven't had the energy to update either this blog or Controlled Derangement and am now falling WAY BEHIND schedule. So sorry about that, so let's go ahead and play catchup!



-$9 - Essence Nail Polishes x4 (I was in Canada and bought a few colors I hadn't seen around locally here)
---------
-$9

Money in Spending Bank after purchases: $116.88 - $9= $107.88




Weekly Goals -
+$0 Finish swatching & posting at least one VDC eyeshadow collection
       - NOPE
+$0 Finish swatching & posting all Pumpkin & Poppy eyeshadows
       - NOPE
+$5 Follow up with FAFSA & TAP to make sure I'm getting a full financial aid package
       -Done, yay for loans? Financial aid for grad school sucks
---------
+$5

Empties - 

+$2 Nail Polish Remover, mini bottle courtesy of Twee&Honey 
+$2 Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil by Jordana
+$2 Ole Henrikson Facewash, travel size
+$2 Tresemme Shampoo, travel size
+$2 Tresemme Conditioner, travel size
+$2 Sunscreen, travel size
+$2 Body Lotion, travel size taken from hotel room LOL
+$2 Nivea Smooth Sensation Body Lotion (Full-sized)
+$2 False eyelashes (I was having fun with a pair in Canada)
---------

+$18

Reviews -
+$2 Essie, Orange It's Obvious + Cult Nails, Captivated - here
+$2 Essie, DJ Play That Song + Cult Nails, Seduction - here
---------
+$4

Reading -
+$4.36 The Widow of Larkspur Inn
+$2.16 The Tea-Olive Bird-Watching Society
+$3.84 Wander Dust
+$4.57 Breaking Twig
+$0.63 Cake Pop Creations
---------
+$15.56

1. Finish swatching & posting at least one VDC eyeshadow collection
2. Finish swatching & posting all Pumpkin & Poppy eyeshadows
3. Catch up with Blog Everyday posts on Controlled Derangement
4. Finish sending out ALL pending packages
5. Sell at least $150 profit in makeup/nail polish
6. Try to help mom around the house more aka suck up to her for future favors

($107.88) + ($42.56) = $150.44

Project No Buy - Week Six

This week, I was burnt out from posting daily last week haha. I didn't post as much as I would like. ALSO I haven't had any time to purchase anything this week either. Just so busy. So tired. So sleepy :(



-$0
---------
-$0

Money in Spending Bank after purchases: $84.94 - $0 = $84.94




Weekly Goals -
+$5 Write a story and make a piece of digital art to post on Controlled Derangement - REPOST
       - I did this. Didn't post the digital art but I def. made things in Photoshop this week
+$5 DIY the Sigma Brush Cleaner Glove + Deep clean all brushes
       - I had a "brush laundry" day and didn't make the brush cleaner b/c didn't have a glue gun. I wasn't going to go out and buy one and am happy with my current brush cleaning technique instead!
+$5 Finish all planning for Memorial Day Weekend trip to Virginia Beach
       - ALL DONE & I am so excited for it too :)
---------
+15

Empties - 

+$0 None this week

---------
+$0

Reviews -
+$5 April 2013 IPSY Review (Yay, Issela earned me spending money!) - here
+$1 Butter London Scallywag - here
+$1 Zoya Blu - here
---------
+$7

Reading -
+$3.36 Sweet Shadows, by Tera Lynn Childs
+$3.92 Huntress, by Nicole Hamlett
+$2.66 Notes From Self, by Avery Sawyer
---------
+$9.94

1. Finish swatching & posting at least one VDC eyeshadow collection
2. Finish swatching & posting all Pumpkin & Poppy eyeshadows
3. Follow up with FAFSA & TAP to make sure I'm getting a full financial aid package

($84.94) + ($31.94) = $116.88

Project No Buy - Week Five

This week, I was burnt out from posting daily last week haha. I didn't post as much as I would like, so one of the goals I've set for next week should remedy that!

Sugarpill had a 20% off sale May 8, and Shiro Cosmetics is offering 15% off to everybody on the MakeupAddiction reddit for the month. How's a girl supposed to maintain her no-buy with things like that going on!? Thankfully, the Sugarpill shadows I'd have wanted were already sold out, and I have a few Shiro Cosmetics eyeshadows I haven't swatched yet, so I'm restraining myself.

This week also saw my computer crash and I lost all of my files, so that was tough. Back to blogging now towards the end of the week, but probably not enough to make up for it.



-$3.83 -Alba Botanica Makeup Remover Wipes - I purchased 2 packs when only 1 was "essential"
-$32.00 - ELF Haul - I am returning some things or else the total would have been $43 :)
---------
-$

Money in Spending Bank after purchases: $75.77-$34.83 = $40.94



Weekly Goals -
+$5 Post at least 1 makeup, 1 nail polish, 1 nail art, and 1 eyeshadow specific post.
       - Makeup, nail polish, nail art, and eyeshadow !
+$0 Write a story and make a piece of digital art to post on Controlled Derangement
       - I didn't get a chance to make any digital art because I lost Photoshop for a while
+$5 Stick to proper skincare routine for the whole week. No skips allowed
       - I did this and grumbled about it like a grouchy old man every night to boot
---------
+$10

Empties - An "Empties" post with my opinion is coming up soon!

+$2 Nail Polish Remover, CVS Brand
+$2 Pack of cotton rounds
+$2 Bubble Gum Lip Smackers Chapstick
+$2 Boost Tangelo Woods Body Lotion
+$2 Seche Clear Basecoat 

---------
+$10

Reviews -
+$11 April 2013 Empties - here
+$2 Windestine Secret Garden + A England Galahad - here
+$1 Victorian Disco Cosmetics, Zombie Flesh - here
---------
+$14

Reading -
+$3.74 - I Heart Ed Small, by Shirley Johnson - Decent first half, and then it got bad
+$2.29 - Perfect, by Autumn Jordan - So bad. So, so bad.
+$3.57 - Sweet Venom, by Tera Lynn Childs
---------
+$9.60, rounded to $10

1. Write a story and make a piece of digital art to post on Controlled Derangement - REPOST
2. DIY the Sigma Brush Cleaner Glove + Deep clean all brushes
3. Finish all planning for Memorial Day Weekend trip to Virginia Beach

($40.94) + ($44) = $84.94

Project No Buy - Week Four

This week has had more than its share of ups and downs. I'm still struggling with the blurry distorted vision that's going to be "the norm" for me until I qualify for and complete the cross-linking treatment and quality of life is, needless to say, quite low. I haven't felt like being on the computer much and most of my typing, browsing, and clicking is just from memory alone - it's funny how that can take over and compensate for the loss of vision. I know where to click and a lot of things are just by rote memory alone. Not the best week to have challenged myself to post every day, that's for sure.

Please keep your fingers crossed that things get better for me soon! I'm trying my best not to fall into depression or wallow in my bed over how I can't see properly because that won't really accomplish anything. But this really, really sucks. Blogging is helping with that.

The biggest purchase this week that I'm really sad I missed out on is the MAC LE Riri Woo lipstick, which has a lipstick bullet with Rihanna's signature engraved in. I really really wanted it too! I'll have to wait until June and the next Rihanna/MAC collection.



-$26.23 - Victorian Disco Cosmetics Sirocco Collection + some Reformulated Sailor Scout minis - THERE WAS A SALE!! 35% off my order, free shipping, & a free FS jar with my order too 
---------
-$26.23

Money in Spending Bank after purchases: $53-$26.23 = $26.77



Weekly Goals -
+$5 Clean up my room + basement. And I mean REALLY clean.
       - DONE. Cleaned, organized, sanitized, disinfected, vacuumed. EVERYTHING
+$5 Sell off at least $60 worth of nail polish and makeup to fund spending bank
       - It was tough, but...Paypal Balance: $370.97 at the end of the week
+$5 Blog every single day on both Controlled Derangement and here
       - This was toughest to stick to but I did it with some minor editing of dates haha
---------
+$15

Empties - An "Empties" post with my opinion is coming up soon!

+$2 Dove Deodorant - Never repurchasing, it was bad, I actually threw it out
+$2 Shaveworks, The Cool Fix, Full-sized - HG status for preventing ingrowns
+$2 Alba Botanica 3-in-1 Clean Towelettes - Favorite makeup removing wipes ever

---------
+$6

Reviews -
+$6 BFTE eyeshadows in Sweet Dreams, Riveted, Insomnia, Denim, Belle of the Ball, Navy - here
+$7 BFTE eyeshadows in 4 Leaf Clover, Celeste, Treason, Coal, Shy, Arizona, Paranoid - here
+$3 Maybelline Color Tattoos in Tough As Taupe, Pomegranate Punk, Tenacious Teal - here
+$4 Victorian Disco Cosmetics Still A Better Love Story Collection - here
---------
+$20

Reading -
+$2 - Carrots (A Shelby Nichols Adventure)
+$2 - Fluke
+$4 - Lighter Side of Large
---------
+$8

1. Post at least 1 makeup, 1 nail polish, 1 nail art, and 1 eyeshadow specific post
2. Write a story and make a piece of digital art to post on Controlled Derangement 
3. Stick to proper skincare routine for the whole week. No skips allowed

($26.77) + ($49) = $75.77

Project No Buy - Week Three

Just to stay on top of things - I confess that I begin drafting the next week's No Buy purchase early in the week. That way I can add in the purchases, rewards, reviews, empties, etc as the week goes by rather than rack my brains and Paypal payment history at the end to figure everything out. It saves a ton of time, trust me!! This week was VERY tempting! I discovered Darling Girl Cosmetics has $1.00 review packs but told myself not to purchase anything until I catch up on some pending makeup reviews!

I see that this week is making me into a better blogger. I've been much more diligent with uploading and watermarking pictures and also just posting content to this blog in general! Honestly seeing that people are reading and commenting on my posts is also such an achievement. Love you guys for helping me become a consistent blogger! The support really helps



-$ No purchases this week but damn, that was hard. So many temptations. Thankfully, between attending Senior Week events (Boat Cruise and Formal!) to spending time with my boyfriend, my time to shop was limited. That really helped :)
---------
-$0

Money in Spending Bank after purchases: $14.00



Weekly Goals -
+$5 Organize my nail polish closet + separate polishes for sale/swap
       - Done, this will come in handy for one of next week's goals!
+$5 Organize all of my makeup into the Muji + separate makeup for sale/swap

       - I did not purchase the Muji containers (yay self control) but did organize and separate!

+$5 Post 2 nail related posts + 2 makeup related posts this week
       - Nail posts are here and here. Makeup related posts are here and here! Great success xP
---------
+$15

Empties - An "Empties" post with my opinion is coming up soon!

+$2 Murad Spot Treatment

+$2 Clear Care RGP Lens Cleaning Solution
---------
+$4

Reviews -
+$1 Nerd Lacquer, Exterminate - here
+$5 BFTE eyeshadows in Hangover, Sweet Nibblets, Wanted, Marigold, Whimsey - here
+$1 NerdLacquer, Quantum Bluniverse - here
+$1 OCC Super NSFW Lip Tar - here
---------
+$8

Reading - Still on that mindless romance flow. I blame you, pixelofink
+$2 Smart Mouth Waitress
+$3 The Do Over
+$4The Seven Steps to Closure
+$3 What I Didn't Say
---------
+$12

1. Clean up my room + basement. And I mean REALLY clean. 
2. Sell off at least $60 worth of nail polish and makeup to fund spending bank
3. Blog every single day on both Controlled Derangement and here

($14.00) - ($0) + ($39) = $53 

Project No Buy - Week Two

This will feel more like a 'real' No Buy update as I've actually been using the rewards system this week and have more things to update you on! I have also made some purchases (The words "limited edition" and "pryanka" just don't mix too well. My trigger finger, it itches!)

I know that this first time around, I sort of cheated the system by making purchases and then subtracting the amount from my reward money. I was just sort of messy getting it started but from next week on, the money thing will sort itself out. I just posted Week One too early from excitement and should have waited until Sunday so I had goals and such to earn reward money from for the first week. Since I didn't, I reversed the calculations (So as not to be $62 in debt my first week haha) but will do things normal after this.



-$03.00 - Nail Pattern Boldness Peel-Off Basecoat (x2) (One will be for a giveaway so $$ doesn't count)
-$16.00 - Victorian Disco Cosmetics - Still A Better Love Story (4 Mini jars) and VDC LE Nail Polish - Zombie Flesh (.5ml mini for $4 with free FS bottle after review & feedback)
-$12.00 - Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner - Freak
---------
-$31.00




Weekly Goals -
+$5 Follow up on law school applications + status on LSAC reports for all schools
       - Sent e-mail reminders to all LOR writers + made sure LSAC has everything else
       - OMG THIS WEEK, I GOT MY FIRST LAW SCHOOL ADMITTANCE LETTER!!!!!!
+$5 Post about/swatch my Pumpkin & Poppy giveaway prizes PLUS post at least twice more this week
      - Pumpkin & Poppy giveaway post is here and I also posted this and this
+$5 SPRING CLEANING! Do the laundry, take out the winter stuff, take out donate-able clothes, etc
      - I did this! My basement no longer looks like a pigsty where a rocket full of clothing exploded
---------
+$15.00

Empties - An "Empties" post with my opinion is coming up soon!

+$2 Murad Clarifying Lotion

+$2 Murad Clarifying Cleanser
+$2 St. Ives Apricot Scrub [Use on my body & feet, not my face!]
+$2 Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel (3.5ml mini)
+$2 CVS Rigid Gas Permeable Conditioning Solution
+$2 Nailtiques Formula 2 Nail Protein Basecoat
---------
+$12.00

Reviews -
+$1 Nerd Lacquer, Cyance Friction - here
+$1 Nerd Lacquer, Exterminate - here
+$3 Pumpkin & Poppy "One Ring" eyeshadows - here
+$1 Muji Acrylic Makeup Storage System - here
^ Content for those posts is ready but I didn't post them. GOSH DARN IT
---------
+$1.00

Reading - I am on a stupid romance kick this week. Must start reading more intellectual things soon
+$3 Bunny Love
+$3 Free Gift With Purchase
+$3 Always the Baker, Never the Bride
+$3 Always the Designer, Never the Bride
+$3 Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride
+$2 Double Trouble (The Coxwells)
---------
+$17.00

1. Organize my nail polish closet + separate polishes for sale/swap
2. Organize all of my makeup into the Muji + separate makeup for sale/swap
3. Post 2 nail related posts + 2 makeup related posts this week

($0) + ($45.00) - ($31.00) = $14.00 

Project No Buy - Week One

Welcome to my first ever Project No Buy update!!
This one will be fairly easypeasy because I've got $0 in my beauty bank to start out with so I better not have purchased anything since I put up my last post haha. This will kick off my no buy.




As I said earlier, no purchases this week. None that count at least xP
My Sephora Chic Week Haul was before the No Buy began.




Weekly Goals - Haven't set any goals yet SO self-explanatory
Empties - None this week
Reviews - None this week
Reading - None this week

1. Follow up on law school applications + status on LSAC reports for all schools
2. Post about/swatch my Pumpkin & Poppy giveaway prizes PLUS post at least twice more this week
3. SPRING CLEANING! Do the laundry, take out the winter stuff, take out donate-able clothes, etc

$0 :( 

Project No Buy

PROJECT NO BUY! 

I've adapted The Dark Side of Beauty's modified concept of a "No Buy" and hope to implement it until I have pared my stash down to just the essentials I will actually use.

A "no buy" is simply a set period of time during which you cut down your spending and stop buying things. People can implement a complete no buy and stop spending ALL OF THEIR MONEY except for the bare essentials needed to survive, but in the beauty world, a no buy usually means you will not spend any money on makeup for a while.

The Goal -

• Use up makeup samples and already owned makeup before buying new things and neglecting what I already own
• Motivate myself by earning spending money by completing goals. Subconsciously bribe myself to get shit done
• Save money, duh

Rewards -

• Weekly Goals - Completing a weekly goal puts $5 in my "spending bank." Failure to complete a weekly goal 2 weeks running results in a subtraction of $10 from my spending bank.
• Empties - Every time I finish up a makeup or skincare product, I get $2 in the bank
• Reviews - Every time I review a product, I get $1 in the bank
• Reading - Every 100 pages of reading per week, I get $1 in the bank

Exceptions

• Essentials (ie. Deodorant, Shampoo/Conditioner, etc)
• Skincare (ie. If I run out of any product in my skincare routine and replace it, it will not count)
• Giveaway prizes and gifts
• Limited Edition (ie. Cinderella compact mirror cult status type items)

How This All Works

1. Every Sunday, I will post an update that tallies how much money was in the Spending Bank before and after the week's purchases and detail what I spent my money on
2. I will tally up what reward money I have earned in that particular week and update the Spending Bank total after adding up the rewards earned for the week
3. If I go over my budget, I'll subtract 2x the difference. (ie. If I go over $10, $20 will be subtracted from my Spending Bank)

Thank you so much, Nancy, for steadfastly updating us on how your No Buy is going and motivating me to curb my spending. I spend little amounts here and there but honestly, this shit does add up!