Notes From a Twenty-Something

She mentioned she was giving "No Spend February" a go, I hadn't heard of this before but from what I can tell it originated on the Simple Savings website, and while on my little Googling adventure I discovered quite a few others have written their accounts of attempting a spend free month, some of which are quite entertaining… 

Basically the general idea is that for the month of February you only spend money on the absolute essentials; food, petrol, mortgage etc. and say no to all those little purse-draining extras that quickly add up. It sounds a little scary but I figure if I'm going to give it a go, choosing the shortest month of the year is probably my best bet! I'm also really hoping to take myself on a holiday later this year, so saving for that is nice motivation...

Tomorrow I return to work after the most relaxing, beautiful five week break so I think this is good timing for me to commit to a month of no spending. Over the last few weeks I have enjoyed many meals out and just popped down to the shops on several occasions, a venture that always leaves me with lighter pockets than when I arrived… 

I have a few commitments this month that are going to mean I may struggle sticking to the plan; a 30th Birthday, a Hen's Night and a wedding on the 1st of March, but I figure the fact that I am thinking about these things and how much they will set me back in advance is actually already a step in the right direction of being more money aware. 

So, wish me luck! I will update you at the end of February on my successes and challenges.

Do you have any money saving tips to help me in my quest to be more money aware? Are you the kind of person who likes little challenges to keep you motivated to save? If you feel like you need a little challenge to kick start your savings feel free to join me on my February adventure, we can encourage each other! 

Jumpsuits! I love a good jumpsuit and there is lots of great options in the shops at the moment. Surprisingly, as a colour lover, I am also loving the white and black trends that are hitting the stores, but with bold coloured accessories. I am finding myself attracted classic, structured pieces this season.

I had so much fun collaborating with Megan on this post, head on over to her blog to see outfit posts, some lifestyle posts and more recently some posts on how she is decorating her new house which I am particularly enjoying.

Zoe xx

1. Know Your Skin:

This probably seems fairly obvious but if you are really familiar with your skin, choosing products that suit you will be so much easier. The most obvious example would be buying skincare, but it also helps if you know what kind of formulas that will work with your skin when buying makeup. Whether or not you need oil based or water based, if your skin prefers liquid, cream or powder products, how essential a primer or setting powder is for you, the list goes on... If you are unsure here is a quick quiz that will help you work it out. 

2. Keep an eye on ingredients:

Knowing which ingredients your skin likes/dislikes makes shopping so much easier. If you are unfamiliar with what all the ingredients mean, just start making a list, or easier still, taking photos of the ingredient list of products that your skin doesn't like so you can see if there is some common things in them that might be irritating you. I have managed to narrow mine down to a few key ingredients, and there are some products I will just now avoid, Eve Lom and MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation, I'm looking at you...

3. Do Your Research:

For me, this is the exciting part! Read blogs, Google swatches of makeup products you like, watch YouTube videos, ask the lady who gives you your facials, and do all this well before you hit the stores.  Having an idea of things that you think you would like to try makes navigating the sometimes overwhelming beauty departments a whole lot more enjoyable. I also find it makes me slightly (and I mean very slightly) more resistant to the friendly sales staff...

4. Talk to the people selling:

This may seem to contradict my last point a little, but once you are in whatever store you're headed to, if you find yourself unsure, ask for advice. I don't mean to say that once the sales lady tells you that you will look amazing in blue mascara and fuchsia lipstick that you should throw all good sense out the window, but having a conversation about products and colours can make you a little more open to trying new things, some of the best products I have ever tried have been at the recommendation of sales staff and I am very glad I listened. At a recent Hourglass event I ended up getting a lipstick colour unlike anything I own. It's a bright coral/orange (see my face chart from the event above) and without the advice of an experienced make up artist, it would have been a colour I never would have dreamed of putting on. And I love it!

5. Know where to spend vs. splurge:

This will be different for everyone as each person's priorities tend to differ a little, but deciding the things that you are willing to spend a little more money on and the products you want to save on can be really useful. I plan on doing a more in-depth post on this but, for me, the splurging generally happens with skincare and foundation, and the savings is generally with eye makeup, lip products and hair/body products, with the exception of my new lipstick which was a little treat to myself... And I definitely support treating yourself sometimes on something totally gorgeous that will make you feel amazing!

6. Ask for samples:

This is something I have only started doing lately and now I am wondering why it took me so long to do. If there is a product that you think you would like to try but are not quite willing to commit to, ask for a sample pot. If it is a liquid product, it can go in a sample pot, and I mean everything; cleaners, masks, moisturisers, foundations, eye creams, primers, the options are endless! This is also a nice way of getting out of committing to something expensive if you're not sure, a smile with an "oh that looks great, could I get a sample pot to try over the next few days?" is a great way of avoiding committing big $$ as we all know some beauty products are... And usually the sample pot is enough for you to decide whether or not it is something worth you going back for.

8. Return/Exchange:

Sometimes, even the best researched products can not work out the way we plan. If your skin has a reaction to a product and you can't use it, take it back. This was not something I had ever dreamed of doing but during a facial at a Mecca Cosmetica store one day I was mentioning to the girl that I had recently tried the Eve Lom cleanser and reacted badly. She was amazingly helpful, she gave me two full sample pots of another one she thought I might like and told me that if it worked I should bring the other one back and swap it over. Outstanding customer service! Obviously this is not the ideal situation and I do try to avoid it but sometimes the skin wants what it wants and it's nice to know that this option is there.

I feel so much better about my spending habits recently. I really like having less things taking up space and knowing that I use and appreciate the things that I do have.

What are your beauty/fashion/accessory shopping tips? I'm always trying to make better decisions with my money, I think I might be growing up...

Zoe xx