Well hello again! One year after my last entry, I’ve gotten the itch to write a few new blog posts about some projects I’ve been working on.

2019 has been called The Year of the No Buy, and I chose to take part in that as well after attempting a low buy last year. This year, I really worked to think of what rules are truly realistic to my needs and based on the items I bought in 2018. Last year, my rules were honestly more strict, but I have been significantly more successful in this second attempt.

Rules

1. No makeup, skin/hair/body care, or nail products purchased from January 1 through October 31 (or whenever the Fall Sephora VIB sale begins).

That’s it. I started 2019 hoping that I would make zero unapproved purchases. But what do you mean by “unapproved”? Well, while I call this a “low buy”, I only do so because I am actually allowing myself to buy some things.

Exceptions

1. Replacements of things I run out of in a category. (Note: Running out of something with a similar equivalent doesn’t mean I can get something in that specific category. Example: I can’t buy more sheet masks if I still have any other face masks left.)
2. Things bought with gift cards plus up to $10 to round out gift card purchases.
3. Skin health/protection products.
4. Gifts for others.

Doing a replacement-only low buy is the ideal outcome. However, I knew based on my 2018 purchases that there were some things I just wouldn’t be willing to turn down, so I came up with a few things that I would allow myself to get without technically breaking the rules.

Approved Purchases

1. Lorac PRO 4 palette on significant sale.
2. KathleenLights collabs that I really want.
3. Tati/Halo Beauty releases that I really want.
4. New KL Polish releases.

So how’s it going?

All purchases (except for gifts) are still logged and color-coded in my bullet journal to help me keep track of two things, (1) what and how much I purchased this year and (2) how my purchases break down week by week.

Halfway through the year, I am feeling really good about how I’ve done.

• 15/25 weeks I purchased nothing
• 7/25 weeks I made purchases that were only replacements and/or sunscreen
• 3 Gift Card purchases (I did go up to $11.10 over the gift card, but I’m okay with that considering taxes.)
• 2 Non-Approved purchases
• 1 Approved purchase

In my next post, I will share what I’ve bought so far this year, and some things I’ve refrained from buying, even if they were in my list of approved purchases.

Are you doing a low or no-buy this year? How is it going so far? Please share your progress in the comments here or on Instagram! (Follow me @natalieblends!)

– Natalie

P.S. Here’s some referral links to some of my favorite sites. Use if you’d like!

• Ebates – This is a great way to earn cash back from online shopping (that you’re already doing) at many of your favorite stores! (Including Sephora & Ulta!) If you join through this link and make a purchase of $25 or more, you’ll get an extra $10 cash back and your own referral code, and I’ll get $15 as well.
• thredUP – I love using thredUP to clean out my closet and shop for new pieces at a discounted price – sometimes they’re even brand new with tags! When you join thredUP through this link, you get $10 to spend and I get $10 to shop after you place your first order.
• StitchFix – This is a great way to try out some new items for your closet, without the hassle of going to the stores and the bonus of a personal stylist. If you sign up with this link, you’ll get a FREE styling fee (usually $20) on your first Fix, and I’ll get $25 credit once it ships.