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In the UK at least, a long winter is underway. It’s getting colder, darker, and more evenings are spent huddled up indoors. With online shopping at our fingertips, it’s all too tempting to treat ourselves to something shiny as a pick me up. But with the cost-of-living crisis skyrocketing the price of true essentials, our money might be better spent or saved elsewhere.

 

Enter Black Friday – the most overhyped sale period of the year. With an array of beauty deals available, there’s a lot for makeup and skincare addicts to choose from. So, how best to navigate the sale if you’ve got lots of products already and/or want to limit your spending?

 

Here are six questions to ask yourself for success:

 

1. What am I running low on that would be good to replace when on offer? It might be your daily moisturiser, a makeup item you run through quickly like mascara, or your favourite lip balm. If it’s something you have a track record of finishing up, it’s a safe bet to restock in the sale if the price is right.

 

2. Do you have something else that works instead? You know that lip balm I just referenced? Do you have another one stashed away that does the job just fine? If so, think twice about whether you can use an existing item you own rather than replacing your favourite right away. Which brings me to…

 

3. Do you need it now? Yes, your favourite product might be on sale, but are you anywhere near finishing the one you have? While a mascara might be a safe bet, no matter how much you love that blusher or eyeshadow palette, will you ever get onto a second one? Don’t let a scarcity mindset get you – there’s much more product in those pans than we think!

 

4. Is this really the best deal? With so much competition in the beauty industry and an oversaturation of products, 20% off mid/high-end makeup and skincare sales now happen fairly frequently throughout the year. And sometimes there’s even better deals on individual brand sites. While there are undoubtably some good deals on Black Friday, they’ll definitely come back around…or be even bigger.

 

5. Why am I buying this? How am I feeling? Am I sad? Bored? Lonely? There are lots of emotional reasons that may affect our shopping habits. The phrase ‘retail therapy’ exists for a reason! Yes, it’s harder initially, but can you sit with your feelings and examine them, replace shopping with healthier habits, or distract yourself with other tasks? Keep working this muscle and you’ll reap the rewards!

 

To finish, if you have the means, there’s nothing wrong with a little treat here and there, but if you’re already well stocked and need to save, I hope these prompts help towards healthier and happier shopping.

 

Are you shopping the sales? Let me know over on Instagram!