Totaling up my spending from last year, while horrifying, seems to have been a big turning point for me. I came in under budget AGAIN this month, and have been at or under budget for all of 2016! In contrast, I only stayed at or under budget four times in 2015--so this is a pretty big change.
At the end of 2015, I told my therapist how horrified I was over my spending habits, and she suggested that I write or post the total in places where I would see it. So it's currently on the white board in my bedroom, and taped to my work computer and the inside of my wallet. And it's just so infuriating to look at all the time! This plan is working!
On top of that, I'm generally more aware of what I have, and don't have, in my closet. It's a lot easier to walk away from something when you realize you have ten similar things already.
With no further adieu, here's what I bought this month:
- May Coop Raw Sauce (Sephora): $14
- I'm Lip Crayon in "Mary Jane" (Memebox): $9
- Hera UV Mist Cushion (Memebox): $43 - $5 coupon = $38
- Stripe drapey tee (Gap): $35 on sale for $13
- Tatcha Pure One-Step Camellia Cleansing Oil (Sephora): $12
- Articles of Society Sarah Release Hem skinny jeans (Nordstrom Rack): $64 on sale for $20
Not pictured:
- Camisole (Nordstrom Rack): $10
- Ice Roller (Amazon): $14
TOTAL: $130
Boy, have I bought a lot of pants lately, haha! This is a new trend for me, as I hate buying pants (they're so boring!). But I think I've just come to the realization that I'm more apt to wear jeans all the time, even though skirts and dresses are way cuter and I love them. Although, ultimately, I want to wear leggings all the time, so finding jeans that are soft like leggings has been an ongoing quest, and this Articles of Society pair fit the bill. Speaking of leggings, the striped Gap tee is the perfect length to wear with leggings and is super comfy itself! I had ordered it along with a few things from Old Navy, but the Gap shirt was the only keeper.
As I mentioned last Friday, I'm loving the Tatcha and May Coop products, and my face seems to be at least a little less red since I started using them. I was super nervous about the Hera UV Mist Cushion, and actually waited a few weeks to order it, which is another sign of growth on the spending front! ("How can I spend $43 on something I haven't even tried before?! What color is supposed to match my practically translucent skin tone?!") I've only had the Hera Cushion for about a week, but I'm loving it! It's so easy to apply and melts into the skin like a dream, thanks to the little cushion. And the shade I got (N21) matches my skin pretty darn well. The Lip Crayon was pretty drying, though. I was excited to finally have a Memebox order that met the shipping minimum, so I wanted to try a lip product, but this one is pretty disappointing.
Wrapping up this month's Asian skin care purchases, the Ice Roller is super weird and definitely my biggest impulse buy, as I bought it shortly after my facial last month. It was a much cheaper alternative to those cold globe things the esthetician had used on me. The Ice Roller is supposed to help with redness (hello!) and puffyness, but I never remember to use it because you need to keep it in the fridge (doyeee, hence the "ice" in the name). I'm a "ten reminder alerts on my phone" kind of girl, someone who needs things right in front of her for there to be a prayer that she'll use them. So the deck is definitely stacked against me with this Ice Roller being in the fridge, but it seems really cool (buh dum ching!), and I'd be curious to see the impact regular use would have on my redness. I really need to get my act together and do an Asian skincare/beauty product post, because there are so many awesome things out there that I've tried over the past few months!
What did you buy this month? What Asian beauty products should I try next?!
Linking up with Fran's Budgeting Bloggers!