I’ve loved makeup since my teens: Rimmel, Maybelline, and all of the affordable staples. As YouTube beauty gurus took off, so did my income post-uni, and my taste shifted to mid-range, then the occasional high-end splurge.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and prescribed Prednisolone, which brought on a side effect called moonface, sudden facial swelling that changed how I saw myself. I started buying more makeup to cover the insecurity, most of it high-end. Eventually, it tipped into overconsumption, far more than I could ever use.
© @abidauntonWhen the pandemic hit, I was classed as 'Clinically Extremely Vulnerable'. Lockdown was stricter for me, and online shopping became my outlet. I once had nine beauty parcels arrive in a single day, Pat McGrath foundations, Natasha Denona palettes, blushes I didn’t need. The shopping didn’t stop after lockdown ended either, and eventually, the guilt set in. I’d hide new purchases, promise myself I’d stop, and repeat the cycle.
In 2023, I discovered the 'No Buy' movement, ironically on the same platforms that had encouraged my shopping habits. I failed a few attempts before finally committing to it in January 2024. I created a TikTok to document it, and people really connected. For me, the all-or-nothing approach worked. Reducing didn’t stick, but cutting myself off did.
Alongside the 'No Buy', I started decluttering. At my peak, I had 250 eyeshadow palettes, 400 blushes, and 75 concealers. The numbers shocked me, and exposing them on my page generated the same shock from my TikTok community, which motivated me even more. Over time, I’ve decluttered more than 750 products. Everything gets donated or responsibly recycled, no landfill guilt, though I’m still mindful of how much has likely gone to waste.
I’ve also been doing Project Pan for a year, focusing on using up a set group of products. Watching a pan appear or a bottle empty is surprisingly satisfying, a complete contrast to endlessly buying new. Project Pan, combined with decluttering, has helped me realise just how long makeup takes to use up, and how much money I’ve wasted. That alone deters me from buying more.
Temptation’s still there, beauty marketing is relentless. I’ve created tools to cope: a “dopamine menu” of non-shopping mood-boosters and a weekly TikTok series called Makeup You Don’t Need, where I ‘deinfluence’ hyped-up launches. Talking about the makeup that’s tempting me gives me accountability, and my online community keeps me in check.
My top advice for other who want to do the same? Look at what you own, and ask why it’s not enough. Is it really the product or something else? Makeup should be fun, not a burden. I’ll always love it, but now the goal is to use what I love, not chase what’s next.
