Welp. I went into November with the best of intentions, and yet, I don’t feel great about my shopping behavior. I fell into the trap I am trying to avoid, which is obsessing over a specific purchase and thereby sabotaging my attempts at mindfulness. Let me unpack this a little bit before we get into the details.
I think Hannah Louise Poston created a good framework for thinking about consumer behavior. She splits the process into shopping behavior and purchasing decisions. In my case, I went chasing after a specific new release, these gorgeous leggings from Vuori, and ended up buying several items instead of the leggings. My shopping behavior (trying to find the leggings in store) led to purchasing decisions that drove up my spending total for the month. And while I do like all the items I purchased, if I’m honest with myself, I was spending around the item that I really wanted. Instead of just buying the leggings online and taking that chance, I bought new underwear and expensive shorts, which together cost more than the leggings cost.
To be honest, I’m disappointed in myself. During a month when I didn’t have a lot of time to work on the most important projects, I spent a bunch of my free time shopping. Why? Let’s get into it.
What did I buy?
I’m going to organize these purchases by category: clothing, skincare, makeup, and candles.
CLOTHING
I went out searching for the new Vuori leggings in store, hoping to feel the fabric and try them on. They’re $98 a pair, which is a price I’ve never paid for leggings. So I feel conflicted about buying them, even if they are amazing, even if I end up loving them. There’s just part of my formerly frugal brain that is whispering, “That’s too much for leggings.”
My first stop in search of the leggings was REI. Next door to REI in downtown Austin is Anthropologie. I stopped into Anthro just to look around and soak up the ambiance a little bit, and I found a set of Barbie-pink underwear, a soft bra and panties. The fabric feels lush and thick, and I was feeling sad that I didn’t find my leggings. I purchased the underwear as a consolation prize ($38.97).
My second stop in search of the leggings was Tyler’s in west Austin. I bundled this trip with grocery shopping, so it was a very practical outing. Again I did not find the leggings, but I did find my favorite Vuori shorts, this time in a purpley-grey color. Did I need another pair of shorts? No. Did I buy them anyway? Yes. And yet…I love them. It’s so hot here that even in November, I wore these shorts several times. It’s just Texas life, y’all. This impulse purchase cost me $69.28.
Finally, I bit the bullet and began trying to find a new pair of simple black leggings. I want them to be cotton or a cotton blend and NOT workout leggings! I intend to wear them underneath tunic-style tops for work or school events. I ordered a pair from J. Crew Factory. They’re decent, I suppose. I’m really missing my Cozy Flipside Leggings from LOFT, which I wore for years and years and they were just the best. I will probably visit LOFT in the next month or two to see what options they have available now. The J. Crew leggings came to a total of $34.10 with tax and shipping.
SKINCARE
I popped into Sephora this month in search of my birthday gift. I also decided to splurge on a container of Laneige moisturizer, which is one of my favorites. Sephora didn’t have the birthday gift I wanted, the Ilia duo set with a mascara and a cream blush. I want to write more about how crazy and obsessed “free” stuff and rewards programs make me. They’re not good for me! At any rate, the moisturizer is a replacement for my nighttime skincare, and while it’s pricy to me ($43.30), I know I will thoroughly enjoy having it.
MAKEUP
I bought two drugstore makeup items that I’ve really been enjoying. I picked up the NYX lip oil in the shade Scrollin’; I wrote about this product here. It’s great ($9.74).
In the middle of the month, I went to Target for boring things (garbage bags? allergy medicine?) and walked the makeup aisles, hoping to find something that might cheer me up. I admit it: I just wanted something fun and pretty to make me feel better about my very boring adult errands. I decided to buy an e.l.f. Halo Glow Beauty Wand Blush; I picked up the shade Candlelit. This was a totally unplanned and unexpected purchase. e.l.f. is not a brand I like—their products often fail me. The Halo Glow Beauty Wands are liquid cheek products; they are basically dupes for a similar product from Charlotte Tillbury. I had been curious about trying one, but I had also been trying not to buy more blush until 2024.
But I really like the Halo Glow Blush! This product, in the shade Candlelit, is a combination blush/highlighter on me. It’s very shiny, with a light wash of pink pigment. I don’t know if it’s the most flattering, as it definitely amplifies skin texture, but I’ve been enjoying it. I’m happy to have it in my collection ($9.26).
CANDLES
I meant to wait until December to buy a Christmas candle, but I kinda forgot what month it was. I was picking up soup and bread for dinner this week and grabbed a Luna Tigre Christmas Tree candle from Wheatsville. I bought it for our shared living space (open-concept kitchen/living room), but I did finalize my decision that all candles are paid via my beauty budget ($18.39).
TOTAL: $223.04
What did I want to buy?
Everything. I was feeling very obsessed with shopping for at least half the month.
Besides those Vuori leggings, I was tempted by lip products in Sephora. I would love to try the Summer Fridays lip balm (which a student of mine said was great) and the Laneige glowy balm. I was briefly tempted by the sale over at Phytosurgence, but I decided to just wait until 2024 to buy more blush (setting aside the e.l.f. blush I bought impulsively this month…).
How I’m feeling
I’m feeling like a storm has passed.
It was not a great idea for me to go out looking specifically for those new leggings. I think I would have been happier finding them more organically rather than seeking them out so voraciously. Every once in a while, we end up over near REI; I could have just waited until we had another reason to be in that shopping center. That would have at least saved me the time and energy I spent on that shopping trip. I don’t really mind that I bought underwear I don’t need, as it’s the sort of thing that gets worn and loved.
I feel okay about the money I spent this month. I’m still within my beauty budget for the year. My plan is to focus on organizing and buying Christmas presents, which will take my mind off of buying things for myself. The one item I would like to replace soon for myself is sports bras, as all of mine are ancient (>10 years old!) and I am getting outside most days to run.
Photo courtesy of Hannah Skelly via unsplash.