I like to think of myself as the complete opposite of an impulse buyer. I make lists, I compare prices and I weigh in all of the pros and cons before making a purchase to make sure my hard earned money doesn't go to waste. It used to work out for me really well until a couple of months ago. Slowly, I started buying more out of impulse. Whenever a new drugstore release popped up all over Instagram and every blog I read, I felt the need to buy it, not only to see if it was worth the hype, but also to keep up with what my readers might want to hear about here on the blog.

I'm pretty sure this is something all of us bloggers go through, every now and again. We are constantly on social media, taking in all kinds of different ideas and we tend to get so wrapped up in the entire world of blogging that we can lose touch of our reality. As much as we see some people haul 100€ worth of makeup every week like it's no big deal, the harsh reality is that I don't have that kind of money to spend every month, let alone every week. I can't afford to try out every single drugstore release, especially when some of the items are things I have no actual use for in my daily life. Let's be honest, as much as the metallic lip trend was something I loved to admire from afar on Instagram and Youtube, it's not exactly something I can rock to the office, is it?

By the end of August, I had finally come back to my senses while I was doing a massive clear out of my makeup collection. After only keeping what I actually used enough to justify the purchase, I realised I needed to drastically cut back on my spendings, at least when it came to makeup. Not only that, but fall was also approaching, so I had to prioritise my spendings into updating my closet for the season rather than using it to buy yet another foundation when I still have 5 unfinished bottles glaring back at me from their drawer. That's when I decided I wouldn't purchase any more makeup until the end of 2016 (except whenever something ran out, then I was allowed to buy a back up). And I've got to say, so far I've been doing a great job, if I do say so myself!

I'm not going to lie and say it's been easy. It really hasn't, especially now that both Kat Von D and Huda Beauty are finally being sold at Sephora here in Portugal. I've been tempted plenty of times, but I always try to remind myself not to jump onto the hype train because, believe it or not, I can live on without Kat Von D's Bow and Arrow or Huda Beauty's Trendsetter. On the plus side, I've been able to invest in better clothes and expand my rather small closet. I've also fallen back in love with some of the items in my current makeup collection that used to be hidden in a sea of clutter.

Of course, this doesn't mean I'm never again going to hop onto that hype train. I know I am, eventually. Am I finally going to try out Bow and Arrow or Trendsetter in January? Probably! But I like to think I'll have a better perspective when it comes to my purchases and I'll be able to limit those impulse buys to what I actually want to use or might even need, rather than what everybody in the beauty community is gushing over at the moment.

So don't worry, I'm not going to stop writting about makeup because of this ban. Only two more months (and a half) for it to be over, anyways! Instead, I'm going to focus on what I already have on my collection until the year ends. And, of course, already start working on a Christmas wishlist filled with gorgeous eyeshadow palettes since I need one to replace my very old Makeup Revolution Flawless palette!

I hope you enjoyed this post and don't forget to let me know if you also struggle with keeping up with trends and leave some eyeshadow palette recommendations as well so I can start doing my researching to decide which would be a better investment!