I’m just about to head over to my Mom’s for the day, but I have a few small items I’ve been wanting to write about all week but couldn’t seem to find a home for them in a post. I figured I’d just pile them all together in one shot so that you can reap the benefits of my infinite wisdom I can get them off my ‘To Post’ list and feel like I’m being productive 
1) Yesterday, I counted the amount of products I used on my FACE (not even my whole body), and the tally came to 22. WTF!?!? In my defense, I have to layer my moisturizers right now because of how hard the cold and wind has been on my face. And I use two different foundations, three different concealers, and three powders – mainly because I’m trying to use that s**t up, and also because my skin is bone dry in some spots and oily in others lately, so I have to pretty much address each area separately (fun!). Regardless, 22 items is ridiculous, especially considering yesterday I only wore one eyeliner, and lip balm, so I can’t even blame the fun color products. Yowza.
All that lead me into my next thought…
2) I saw this obviously wealthy woman get out of her Lexus yesterday, and as she passed I noticed (on top of her fabulous wardrobe) that while she wasn’t particularly attractive, she had fabulous skin and appeared to have next to no makeup on at all. Now, of course I know we can achieve great no-makeup makeup looks with a skilled hand and the right products – I’m not entirely naive. But regardless, she wasn’t wearing heavy color anything, and it made me stop to think about how I approach makeup. I tend to wear it so you can see it – not in a gaudy/overkill sense (I like to think it’s tasteful), but I generally don’t do this ‘bare face’ look very often, because I love playing and wearing fun pops of color. But looking at her, I thought that perhaps I’ve got it all wrong. Instead of spending every paycheque on the next new shade, maybe I should invest more in my wardrobe, and only pick out a few key products here and there to achieve that flawless “I’m naturally this gorgeous” look. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but it’s something to consider anyway.
Last but not least (get comfy, this is a long one):
3) Here in Hali, our Metro Transit bus/ferry drivers have gone on strike as of February 2nd. I walk to/from work unless it’s horrible weather, so this hasn’t affected me at all. However, I had another ~deep thought~ as I was about to head home on Thursday – after spending half the day ogling a slew of new beauty products on Sephora, I had this overwhelming urge to spend my hard-earned cash on some pretty things. I decided I was going to head over to the mall right after work and start crossing things off my lemmings list. I had this in my head all day, until I sudden realized upon leaving work that I had no way to get to the mall – it’s already 40 minutes to get home, and I had no intention of walking another 30 to get to the mall. I could ask my boyfriend of course, but I try to keep him in the dark shelter him from the extent of my beauty addiction (for his sake you see). So with no cheap transport, I was out of luck.
As I pondered my shopping dilemma, I went over my lemmings list once again, and had to acknowledging the fact that just wasn’t anything I needed (nor am technically allowed to buy as per my guidelines). I started to wonder why I so often felt the need to buy buy buy. I’m not sad, or seriously stressed. I don’t typically have a shopping/spending problem otherwise – in fact I’m quite frugal. And then I had a thought – it’s all about change!!
Its interesting – as I maintain this blog, which inevitably means I’m even more immersed in beauty than ever before – I find myself psychoanalysing my behavior and discovering things about myself that I would have never done with the blog. On Thursday, in that moment of realization I understood something that has never truly occurred to me before with respect to my beauty obsession. By nature, I thrive on change. I love moving (and have done so every year for the past 5), I love travel, I rearranging furniture, I love….well, just about any and all change. Truly. It’s somewhat of an anomally I realize, because most people prefer to stick to what they know. That is SO not my bag – and not judging at all, just stating the facts. In any case, I finally understood for me why I constantly feel the need to buy something new all the time; I get it now. Once a beauty item has been used, it’s suddenly ‘old news’ to me, and I’m out there hunting for the next product to catch my attention (which is oh-so-fleeting). It’s a terrible habit, and one I have to find a solution to pronto (they say the first step is awareness, right?). The beauty challenge is the next step, and one I’m dedicated to following through on – though it may seem that I might break at times! It helps knowing that I have a slew of other gals who will hold me accountable 
Those are my ramblings for today! I had to get them all out there, and it’s probably better I did it all at once so I don’t subject you to this within a product post. This way you can skip over this one entirely if you’d like, and you have missed anything (or have you? ). Have a lovely Saturday everyone! And tell me – have you discovered what lies behind your own shopping behaviors?? And what do you think about the less is more approach?
#1 by Barb on February 4, 2012 - 1:16 pm
have you tried Jose Moran’s Argan oil yet? you can get a sample at sephora or better yet there’s a small bottle in the beauty to go section… you’ll fall in love with it especially for those dry spots! it’s really amazing stuff!!
#2 by Latoya on February 6, 2012 - 10:23 am
Barb, you should be a spokesperson for Josie’s Argan Oil!! You sell it so well
I did pick up a small travel size bottle back in early Fall, and I have been using it fairly consistently lately with how dry my skin is. Unfortunately, I’m still requiring even MORE moisture, which is crazy because I’m normally oily! Thanks for the suggestion!
#3 by Eugenia on February 4, 2012 - 11:03 pm
Ok…..time for you to stop thinking! Lol! Seriously though, I do admire your ability to dig deep and admit to things that many people would rather just sweep under the carpet. Remember that you’re young — don’t argue with me: you are young (!) and change is all part of the learning process, so what you’re going through is actually quite normal. I don’t know what your long-range plans are, but if it involves the pitter-patter of little feet sometime in the near future, you’ll find a lot of your priorities shifting and that feeling of “change” will recede in the background — for a while. I have been a beauty freak for as long as I can remember, but when I had my daughter, at least for the first few years of her life, all my energies went completely towards her and I didn’t have time to think about beauty products, certainly not as much as I do now, lol! All this to say, don’t worry about your inability to stay loyal to some items, and put it into perspective. Sure hope I just didn’t add to the confusion!!
#4 by Latoya on February 6, 2012 - 10:35 am
Heheheh…you know me and my ever-thinking brain, Eugenia! It’s hard to stop! I completely agree that my priorities will continue to shift over time, and that part of this need for change is my youth. I also agree that I have to refrain from feeling guilty that I don’t have loyalty to some products – that’s just how I roll, and after all, it’s just cosmetics!! I think more than anything, I feel more and more enlightened on where my behaviors stem from, which make me feel empowered rather than worried or stressed. I’m merely thinking aloud
Thank you for taking the time to make sure I’m not being too hard on myself, you look after us well my dear! xo!
#5 by makeupmorsels on February 5, 2012 - 5:35 pm
I like the title hahaha. Hey, it’s great that you acknowledge the reason behind wanting to always buy the new thing. Now you just have to think of ways to channel that through outlets other than your wallet
Could be as simple as re-arranging your makeup collection, organizing your vanity, doing one of those new-lip-color-every-day projects, or something else. I’m sure you can come up with a lot of ideas. As for the whole ‘less is more’ approach, I do go out completely bare-faced most of the week (um, partly due to the fact that I just don’t want to leave my bed until the last minute). I think the reason I feel comfortable going out with no makeup, or with very little makeup, is that I do spend a lot of time figuring out what works for my skin and taking good care of it. I also like to do crazy colors too, but mostly on the weekends…around my house. My reasoning (which might be totally off) is that I present a more subdued/clean/natural look to the world, and the crazy OTT makeup is just for ME wahaha. Ok, I’ve lost sight of where this is going. Hope you’re having a lovely weekend!
#6 by Latoya on February 6, 2012 - 10:32 am
You’ve obviously gained some insight as well, MM! Very wise words. It’s funny, I find that I feel prettier actually with less makeup, but I just like to experiment too darn much to stop with all the colors! I keep it to one feature at a time so its not crazy, but like I said, I just feel like sometimes I should cool it. I don’t know if I can though LOL.
As for the persistent need for change, I really have to find a way to overcome that, that works. I re-arrange my collection habitually, mainly because I’m a bit of an organizational freak, but its not quite effective enough to get me to fully curb the buying impulse. I think I just need to steer clear of situations which allow me to indulge – it’s for the best I can’t access the mall easily
#7 by Liz (Beauty Reductionista) on February 6, 2012 - 12:42 am
I think about this all the time, and I figured out the reasons for my own compulsive behaviours a long time ago. But to write it all down will result in an epic length post that I’m not sure I have the energy to write! And knowing the cause still doesn’t treat the issue. It’s all sort of tangled up with the healthy AND unhealthy, at least for me.
I hope that it’s different for you and that recognizing the source will result in a healthier pattern! I think the worst thing about the makeup addiction is not the makeup but the addiction. It’s incredibly difficult to maintain self-control when it comes to this arena and I think I’ll die fighting this! LOL
#8 by Latoya on February 6, 2012 - 10:40 am
Oh frig Liz, honestly, I have been fighting the good fight in this arena for my whole life it seems – I have no illusions about it ever getting better LOL! The trick is for us to find ways to manage it so it doesn’t overtake us, which I think we’re doing! I definitely find that recognizing the source helps immensely in creating better habits; being aware makes me stop and think, as I’m noticing typical behaviors and patterns instead of just continuing on blindly. Now the challenge is figuring out how I can use this knowledge to my benefit and devise a plan to keep me in check! All we can do is try, right?
#9 by Larie on February 9, 2012 - 7:32 pm
I have been thinking about the whole “bare-faced/natural” look a lot lately, too. Sometimes I think I need to go back to that! Just foundation, a bit of eyeliner, and balm, I think, no? Maybe I’ll give it a go. But I have so many products that I want to play with, it sometimes seems like a waste not to wear them. Sigh.
#10 by Latoya on February 10, 2012 - 9:25 pm
You hit the nail on the head Larie, that is EXACTLY why I keep wearing as much as I do!! I have so much stuff, if I don’t wear it, then what? It’s such a ridiculous thing. I’m glad I’m not alone in this thought process though, sometimes I feel a bit crazy – continuing to love and buy new products but then feeling like I want to wear less. DOUBLE sigh!!