I had every intention to not spend a lot in June. I truly did. The plan was to avoid the Cult Beauty Goody Bag. I went several days without purchasing it. I was sure that the danger was over and yet, I started looking and saw that the products I wanted were finally in stock, at least some of them. In the end I actually purchasing just a few bits from what I wanted and got a beauty device I had not even heard of until I clicked on it. I love my tech, but never really got into beauty tech. It seems that this is the year for beauty tech as far as I am concerned. My collection is definitely growing to include “higher end” devices. Let’s hope that I will actually use them.
After that, things went haywire… Let’s have a look.
Beauty Purchases
- Dermapore Dermaflash in Light Pink – £89.00
- Drunk Elephant The Littles Head to Toe – £41.00
- The Inkeylist Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating hair Treatment – £9.99
- The InkeylistAmino Acid Anti Grey Scalp Treatment – £14.99
- Curaprox CandyLover Toothpaste + Toothbrush set – 2 x £12.95 so £25.90
- Ziaja Olive Oil Micellar Lotion – £2.89
- Ziaja BB Cream in Light for Oily and Combination Skin – £3.17
- Ziaja bi-phasic makeup remover with goat milk proteins – £2.33
- It’s Skin Green Tea Toner – £5.50
- It’s Skin Aloe Toner – £5.50
- It’s Skin Collagen Toner – £5.50
- Revox Vitamin C 20% Serum – £3.82
- Revox Just Peptides 10% Serum – £3.82
- Ziaja SPF 30 Lotion – £3.82
- Bioderma HydraBio Face Toner 100ml – £2.98
- Ziaja Orange Butter Shower Gel – £2.61
- Bioderma Sebium Face Toner 250ml – £6.71
- CeraVe HA Hydrating Face and Body Lotion 473ml – £9.33
- Ziaja Olive Leaf Toning Water – £2.52
- Bioderma Sensibio Face Toner 100ml – £2.98
- Ziaja Milky Makeup Remover with Goat Milk – £2.52
- Ziaja Orange Body Scrub – £3.08
- Haan 5 Pack Mix Fragrance Hand Sanitiser Spray – £26.65
- Haan Pack Mix Hand Sanitiser Spray – £15.99
- Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Mix Mask with Vitamin C – £2.67
- Garnier Skin Naturals Eye Moisture Mask – £1.63
- Garnier Skin Naturals Fresh Mix Mask with Hyaluronic Acid – £2.66
- Garnier Skin Naturals Eye Mask with Orange extract – £1.83
- Ziaja Goat Milk Hair Mask – £2.47
- Ziaja Sensitive Skin Wash for Face and Body Gel – £3.59
- Ziaja Goat Milk Eye Cream – £2.47
- Ziaja Tea and Cinnamon Liquid Soap – £2.17
- Ziaja Cupuacu Crystalline Shower and Bath Soap – £3.11
- Ziaja Hand Cleansing Wash Gel mini – £2.62
- Ziaja Hand Cleansing Wash Gel full size – 5 x £3.65 so £17.8
- Nivea Pumping Volume Mousse – £4.38
- Nivea Cellular Hyaluronic Acid Treatment Kit – 1 x £12 and 1 x £10
- Nivea Cellular Q10 Treatment Kit – £10
- Nivea Hyaluronate Cushion Foundation – £13.98
- L’Oreal Revitalift CicaCream – £7.45
- L’Oreal Revitalft Filler with Hyaluronic Acid – £13
- Nivea BB Cream – £4.10
- Balea Hyaluronic Acid Serum – £5
- Amika 3D Volume and Thickening Shampoo – £16
- Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Joia Shampoo – £22
- Huda Beauty Silk Hydra Plumping Lip Balm – £18
- Ziaja Orange Butter Lip Balm – £1.69
- Garnier Pure Active Hand Sanitiser Gel – £2.49
- Ziaja Sun Antioxidant Face Cream with Vitamin C SPF 50 + UVA and UVB protection – £4.44
- Nivea Volume Styling Primer – 3 x £3.94
- Parasoftin Feet Peeling Mask – 2 x £3.94
- Catrice Generation Plump and Shine Lip Gloss – £3.76
- Sanytol Hand Disinfectant Gel – £2
- Balea Feel Well (Sock) Feet Mask – £4.50
- Garnier Nutri Bomb Milky Tissue Mask – £1.99
Total beauty spend: £512.1
Allowance from Empties
Pixi Retinol Tonic worth worth £18 so I get an allowance of £9
Ziaja Hand Cleansing Gel mini worth £2.62 so I get an allowance of £1.31
Ziaja Tamarind and Orange Hand Soap worth £2.17 so I get an allowance of £1.08
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge worth £5.99 so I get an allowance of £2.98
Nivea Cellular Hyaluronic Acid Treatment vial – worth £6 so I get £3
Parasoftin Feet Peeling Mask – worth £3.94 so I get £1.97
Beauty Pie Dr Glycolic™ Soft Feet 7 Peel Socks – worth £3.92 so I get £1.96 (I chose to go with the member price since I never accounted for my subscription fees)
Total allowance from empties: £21.3
Allowance from Posts
Allowance from Reviews
Dior Lip Plumping Gloss – you can read the review here.
Drunk Elephant Cocomino Glossing Shampoo – you can read the review here.
Ziaja Goat’s Milk Hand and Nail Cream – you can read about the product here
Huda Beauty Silk Balm – you can find the review of the lip balm here
Allowance from Instagram
The allowance from Instagram is £7
Total allowance from posts: 20+7 so £27
Read the conclusions below.
Okay, so this month definitely did not go as planned. As mentioned in the very long intro, I tried hard not to do the same thing as I have done in May which is shop at the beginning go the month. That plan went out the window once I purchased the Cult Beauty Goody Bag. After I got that parcel (read here more about how the international delivery went), I discovered that I could order from Selfridges without going through intermediaries (more about this soon)… So there is another £50+ purchase. I did however get some products I wanted for a very long time.
This was a second step in my downfall.
June was weird. I had no idea where I stood. I did not know whether I had to go back to the office (an office that is across the country from where I am at) so when I went out to get a few things I wanted, I went to town.
Living in a big city without a car is hard, as some of you probably know. Seriously. I never realised how hard it was when I lived in London for 6 years. There, I could have everything delivered and someone to hold my parcels for me. I was living on campus so the security would receive all the parcels and hold them until I could pick them up after class. Where I live now, you can have a lot of stuff delivered, more after this whole ordeal, but I am less likely to trust anyone else with my shopping plus the situation is not quite the same. That difference makes things incredibly difficult. Not knowing my new neighbours also plays a role, but it all comes down to the fact that I do not drive. Taking a cab is not the same, I cannot go out and purchase ten bags of groceries and household items at once as I cannot carry them all and do not have where to leave them when I go in another store and going back and forth is not cheap. Plus, it is not like I have much free time on my hands either. As such, I got quite a few of the products that I knew I would find difficult to procure for myself and that I would need/want. I did this especially because when the time comes (not too soon I hope) I will have to get someone to drive me across country anyway. I am definitely not going to get on a plane now so… The drive there will make up for all the cab rides I won’t need.
As you can probably guess from my entirely too long of a rant, I was under a lot of stress and when I am under stress, I shop. That is why I wanted to embark on this journey and try to limit my spending or at least be aware of how much I actually spend. The things is, I am a higher risk individual so I am beyond uncomfortable with going to an office. I work just fine remotely as I have done for many years prior to joining my current company. The uncertainty is getting to me. I just turned 27 a few days ago so I want to get to live another 27. To actually live them. I try to do everything I can to protect myself and my loved ones, but I cannot do that when there are other people involved who might not care as much, you know? I am getting super sentimental now. I promised myself I would not cry, this is a happy space. But that is the truth, as I am sure you have experienced it yourself. It is hard, but we have to do our part.
Which brings me to the last bit, it was my birthday month and I could not even go to my favourite restaurant despite being home. Restaurants are closed here and for good reason. I probably (certainly) took advantage of this situation a bit more than I should have.
Yes, I did go a bit ( a huge lot) overboard. This whole spiel might sound like a bunch of excuses and they could be. However, I think we are allowed a bit of overindulgence at this difficult time. We shouldn’t make such events a habit especially given the economic uncertainty, but if it makes us feel better and we can do it, then… Regardless of the current situation, I expected to fail at one point. I knew that I would shop to make up for previous months at one point. The idea is to not make it a habit and I definitely do not intent to do that. Not sure where you stand this month (hopefully you will share some stories in the comments below and hopefully you had a better month), but things happen. This month I found it difficult to stick to a reasonably spending amount, the idea is that moving forward I try harder and not lament my failure
I am being a bit more dramatic this time around, I can see that, but we only live once dammit. So let’s make that life and enjoyable one. If it calms you down or brings you joy to try out new products, then go for it. Ideal it would be to have a careful look at your finances (especially these days) and to not spend too much on stuff you won’t ever use or need, but we are all allowed to make mistakes once or twice (*wink). The idea is to move on and learn from our experiences.
Okay, I am nearly done. Hopefully you are still there. I am being super weird this month.
Let’s get to the sad part now, the math.
I finished last month on a deficit of £73.65. That might have been a hint of what was to come. Okay, that was a tad too weird even for me. I am going to stop that now.
-£73.65 (from May) – £512.1 (June’s spending) + £21.3 (June’s allowance from empties) + £27 ( allowance from posts) = -£537.45
Bad, very very bad. I will have to try a lot harder next month so that this does not happen again and to recoup some of the loses. However, there is something I have not mentioned in case you did not figure it out already, all of these are actually considered birthday gifts from my close and extended family and friends and okay, from myself as well. Other than my mother and sometimes godmother, most people no longer get me actual gifts. It is easier. This way, no-one gets me something I already have. Hard to shop for a shopaholic. No seriously, I love surprise gifts. I love the fact that someone put a lot of thought into a gift and picked something they though I might like even if they do not like it for themselves. It just does not happen much anymore.
And before you think I am a spoiled brat, the rest of the gifts that are not featured here went towards donations to various charities. I try to make at least a small donation every month. Recently, my monthly donations went to local charities that organised fundraisers to help support hospitals and doctors (such as Fundatia Mereu Aproape from Romania), but I also donate to international causes. I am not going to tell you to do the same, I am not pushing a political or whatever agenda here. However, if you can and want to, you might consider helping :). I definitely do not do this to soothe my guilt in any way shape or form.
Okay, this post is definitely way longer than I intended for it to be. It was never in my plan to cover some of the things mentioned here. I think this is the most personal I have ever gotten. For those of you who enjoyed getting to know more about the person behind the screen, I have some good news. I am currently working on launching a new website about my life and about adulting. Do stay tuned for that.
In the meantime though, I want to get back to what this post is about and say that I am not proud of my results during June. However, I decided to not focus too much on them either. Like previously mentioned, the idea is to keep moving forward and improving as you keep on this path. That is what I plan on doing.
How was June for you?
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Looks like a really great haul tbh! I need to ban myself from all sorts of beauty products, it’s an addiction!
🌿 Marissa Belle × marsybun.com 🌿
I know what you mean! I started about three years ago. Life was way simpler before that. Of course at that time I could not even imagine doing something like this since I was a student but still… what did you get this month? 🙂