It's hard to believe that it's already October and that 2019 is finally entering Q4 or the home stretch! If your job doesn't revolve around financial quarters, Q4 (October to December) often has the most pressure attached to it, but often offers a LOT of rewards too. Over the years I've found that my life always seems to change DRAMATICALLY in the last few months of the year, (for better OR for worst), and I have an inkling that 2019 will not disappoint in that regard!

Now, to get to the meat of the post, I didn't INTEND to hold all my empties for eight months. AT ALL. I actually didn't even mean for my empties to be held for SIX MONTHS. It juuuust kinda happened that way. After finishing my 2018/2019 no-buy in February, I still found myself overwhelmed by the amount of products I had, and despite my best intentions, felt like I was buried under unused products. SO I spent the better part of the year continuing to reduce my purchasing, while also persevering to use up major chunks of my hoard. Everytime I felt the urge to chuck all my empties, something made me want to hold on to them just a LITTLE bit longer so I could learn something, and here's what I figured out.

1. There's not as much stuff as I thought

This was a VERY surprising learning for me. I'm so used to watching empties videos or reading posts where people are literally dumping BOXES of product every month. I tend to wear at least a little bit of makeup almost every day, while I generally do full face about 2-3 times per week. Am I really using that much less than other people? Does everyone go to work with a full face?

2. There's also not a lot I would rebuy.

This was not too much of a surprise, but I found myself using up a lot of PR samples or giveaway products that I PROBABLY won't be repurchasing. It wasn't necessarily "bad" stuff, just things that didn't really resonate strongly with me or already had alternatives at the ready. I have some ride or die products in my skincare and makeup collection and tend to buy the same thing when something works for me.

3. Some parts of my collection are still HUGE.

I basically have enough body wash to keep me and my partner clean for probably 2 years, I estimate there's about 4-5L of body wash in various containers scattered throughout my home! I also don't need to buy body lotion until the end of time, and I estimate still have enough hand lotion to get myself through to the end of this winter. And let's not get me started on mascara, I have almost a dozen unopened mascaras. A DOZEN!

And last but not least.

4. I'm having major thoughts about my consumption.

I feel absolutely no urge to shop or buy things because I have stuff at home, and even the idea of getting new things to review makes me feel slightly guilty about the amount of things I have that I'm not using. I've never been one to like "hoarding" products and after 5+ years of blogging, I managed to amass a lot of banker's boxes just full of STUFF I wasn't using and I definitely want to feel like I've used up more of that before I go into "shopping" mode again. This isn't to say that I'm judging anyone who DOES enjoy buying products or building up their own collection, just that I'm kinda ok with where mine is at right now.

So what does this mean?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not 100% stopping buying products anytime soon, but I am making changes in how I participate in this economy, and where my money and attention will be going. That doesn't mean there aren't a few things I'd like to pick up, I've destroyed a few brushes this year, I still want a bright eyeshadow palette for more colourful looks and I need to switch up my primer (my skin does NOT like Smashbox Photo Finish anymore!), but otherwise? Don't expect a lot of new stuff to enter my world.

Having eight months of empties HAS provided me with a lot of information and ammo and I've got a few projects in the works about skincare that you can look forward to, and I've been digging in my nail polish collection lately so look for some blasts from the past coming soon!

Are you cutting down on your makeup purchasing lately? Let me know in the comments.