Winter No-Buy Challenge

My sister is just as makeup and skincare-obsessed as I am, so when she texted me to tell me that she had a beauty related challenge for us I was intrigued. The idea is simple – she suggested that we both quit buying makeup until we graduate from our respective universities in May. The only loophole is that we can replace anything that we use up entirely, as in, we don’t have to go four months without a brow pencil if we use it up in February.

There are tons of pros to going low- or no-buy for a period of time:

Financial – obviously, buying new products all the time costs money! Some green beauty brands charge more for their higher quality ingredients, but even drugstore makeup adds up over time.

Reducing waste – More makeup means more (mainly plastic) packaging, which eventually ends up in the landfill. It also has to be manufactured, processed and shipped to a store or your home, which adds to an item’s carbon footprint.

Enjoying your own collection – I’m sure that my sister and I both have tons of makeup that we love, but fail to reach for on a regular basis simply because we have too much selection. I think I probably have enough eye shadow to last me a lifetime.

As far as cons go, the only one I can think of is that it’ll be a test of willpower. I will probably miss that momentary hit of endorphins I get when I buy something new, whether it be makeup or anything else, but that feeling wears off pretty quickly anyway, right? I’m looking forward to using things up entirely, and I think it’ll be a good way to decide what products are actually worth repurchasing. Challenges like this are fun when you have someone to keep you accountable. We’ve decided on a penalty – the first person who caves has to buy the “winner” a pack of Nibs, our favourite (sugar laden, mineral oil coated…) treat.