Today is the day! I finished my makeup no buy and did extremely well with not a single purchase between November 2nd and December 29th. My birthday, Black Friday, Christmas sales, and Boxing Day were hard to resist but resist I did! Now I'm here to share what I've learned from my first no buy.

1. Dates don't matter! So many people are waiting for the new year or for a new month. I started mine suddenly on November 2nd and am ending on the 29th. Theres no nice round number or fresh month. But these are the dates that worked for me. I encourage you to just start whenever you're ready, not when the calendar says you are!

2. Buying skincare instead of makeup is a problem. I've recently gotten into skincare and I've spent a lot on it during my no buy as I experiment. To be fair I did need a lot of it (my skin gets very dehydrated in winter) and everything I bought was on sale. Next time I do a makeup no buy I will also refrain from buying skincare.

3. Makeup occupies a lot of my time. I spend countless hours on youtube, instagram, and reddit. This was especially true during finals and when I was stressed and over winter break. I need to find more productive ways to enjoy my hobby. Lately I've been liking reorganizing my makeup and skincare and I'm starting to read a book on skincare science!

4. Browsing helps. Some people might not agree but I liked going to Winners and scanning the makeup section. Or going to Sephora just to get a sample. I had the experience of shopping but didn't spend any money! A note on the samples though: go during non busy hours so you don't annoy the staff and always be gracious.

I probably have a few more ideas but that's all I've got right now. I'm sitting in an airport about to go on a 12 hour journey. I hope that my tips helped someone, and feel free to ask questions!