5 Signs You Have an Impulsive Beauty Purchasing Problem
In light of the ongoing pandemic, you’ve probably already heard of doomscrolling, or the tendency to thumb through more and more bad news.
What you probably haven’t already heard of, however, is doomshopping, an increasingly common, albeit rarely discussed, response to pandemic-related stress, anxiety, and boredom.
This week, I collabed once again with fellow beauty blogger Sarah Sarsby from A Woman’s Confidence, to address the dark side of makeup shopping.
Read on for an overview on my relationship with makeup and what to look for if you suspect a doomshopping problem; and don’t forget to read Sarah’s companion post on how to overcome impulsive purchasing habits.
What are impulse purchases?
Like its name suggests, impulse purchases are items you buy in the moment, often without prior financial planning. They’re more likely to occur at the tail end of your visit to a store, usually after you’ve placed the items you arrived for in your cart.
Describe your history with makeup. How long have you been a beauty lover? Have you ever struggled with impulse purchases?
Though I had brief encounters with makeup when I (secretly) explored my mom’s bathroom vanity as a child, I didn’t acquire my first beauty items until I was a preteen. I played piano at that time, and an even complexion helped me feel confident enough to perform at recitals.
My first items were a powder compact and a frosted lavender eyeshadow from Clinique; I remembered finding solace in the ritual of beautification, and I loved how the end result looked beneath recessed lighting, creamy and soft like studio portraits from the 30s. These feelings persist to this day.
In sum, I’ve loved makeup for nearly 20 years. And though my spending habits never turned into a full-blown addiction, I’ve definitely gone through periods where I spent more than I could afford on makeup. Looking back, these periods occurred during times of great stress, such as after a brutal friendship breakup in college and in response to a toxic situation with a previous employer.
What internal forces drive impulse purchases?
At their core, impulse purchases are driven by emotions, both conscious and unconscious.
On the conscious side, you might make impulse purchases out of desire to self-soothe after a bad day. And on the unconscious side, makeup itself is engineered to appeal to our primordial instincts, such as the need to belong to groups and obtain the approval of sexual interests.
To further understand the unconscious side, consider your response to dewy, shimmery, or glittery products. Upon seeing light refracting particles in cosmetic items, do you instantly and inexplicably feel drawn to them? That’s because glitter and glow mimic the shimmer of rivers, oceans, and lakes, bodies of water our brains are instinctively wired to seek out and notice.
Love glitter? It’s because it mimics the shimmer of our most important resource, water.
What are your favorite aspirational beauty fantasies?
The beauty industry is smart; it knows that overt appeals to your primal side won’t work, so it disguises them in idyllic, aspirational packages.
Two fantasies are particularly tantalizing for me: one being the effortless cool girl with flawless skin and a downtown apartment in a European city. The other is summery and romantic, like a carefree traveler on a mid-century Mediterranean sailing voyage.
What kinds of beauty products trigger your impulsive purchase makeup gremlin?
The beauty items I gravitate to are definitely influenced by my favorite fantasies. Sheer, glowy, water-based skin tints, bronzy cream shadows, and pops of warm lip and cheek color are my kryptonite. The same can be said of vintage-style compact mirrors and scented loose powders.
What are some signs you have an impulse beauty purchasing problem?
As an eating disorder survivor who has to always be mindful of my emotions and my relationship with the world’s material pleasures, I’ve learned a thing or two about the mechanics of addiction.
Below are five tell-tale signs that you have an impulsive makeup spending problem:
1. You Constantly Browse Online Storefronts
Like with other vices, browsing online storefronts is one of those things that sneaks up on you, especially since pandemic restrictions have increased the amount of time we spend behind screens.
Without meaning to, what starts out as idle scrolling on the Sephora app during your lunch break can spiral into compulsive browsing during all hours of the day. The fact that it doesn’t physically harm you makes this habit all the more insidious.
And since you can’t rely on your body for warning signs, emotions, time, and perpetual browsing’s effect on your relationships are the top indicators to look for if you suspect you have a problem. In short, if separation from your preferred shopping portal invokes anxiety and irritation, you have the beginnings of a dependency on your hands. The same can be said if you’re forgoing relationships in favor of scrolling.
Impulsive purchases are the shopping equivalent of burning money.
2. You Struggle to Make Financial Ends Meet
Like with compulsive browsing, impulsive beauty purchases sneak up on you. Because while admittedly not cheap, beauty items often feature mid-range prices that, individually, are a drop in your financial bucket. Collectively, however, is where the trouble starts.
For some perspective, imagine the cost of a common impulsive beauty item, lipstick. Hovering at an average USD 22 per bullet, one last-minute lippie doesn’t do much damage. But when the same purchase is made five or six times a month, you’re looking at USD 110 to 132 down the tube (pun intended). And when spread out to other common beauty splurges like eyeshadows and blushes, the total accumulated monthly damages can equal car or student loan payments!
The above math is also why the numbers, or lack thereof, in your bank account are the clearest warning sign of an impulse spending problem, a warning sign that can quickly escalate to mountains of debt, overdraft fees, and a decimated credit score if left unchecked.
Hide ‘n Seek
Hiding bags and delivered packages from your loved ones might make for a humorous Instagram caption, but in reality, it’s indicative of a shopping problem. It’s also a sign that you feel ashamed of your habit’s effect on your relationships.
3. Your Beauty Collection has Taken Over Your Home
The beauty industry is home to infinite options and possibilities, qualities at odds with the finite space in your abode. And since impulsive beauty purchases always result in physical products, said physical products occupy more and more space over time. This effect is also compounded when you factor in how long it takes to completely finish an item.
Always be mindful of the space your beauty collection occupies in your home; products that spill out from your vanity and into your closet, drawers, and tabletops are a sign that your purchase habits have gone too far.
Tag, You’re It
Impulsive purchasing is rarely about acquiring the hottest beauty items, a truth that reveals itself when unopened and still-tagged products collect dust in your home. If unused makeup becomes the norm and not the exception for you, consider it as an indication of troubled shopping waters.
When left unchecked, impulsive purchases literally and figuratively take over your life.
4. You Constantly Think About Makeup and Shopping
Our actions often begin as thoughts, and impulse beauty purchases are often fueled by a mental preoccupation with makeup items.
If, instead of varied reflections, thoughts, and daydreams, your mind fixates on the latest releases, wish lists, and how you’ll spend your next paycheck, take it as an indication that your relationship with cosmetics has overstepped its boundaries.
5. Your Emotional Wellbeing Revolves Around Shopping
Though they involve different substances, all addictions have the same mechanics.
Born during and in the aftermath of trauma and stress, addictions are maladaptive coping mechanisms, a way for the sufferer to avoid or cope with negative emotions. High sensitivity and shame, loneliness, and overwhelm are a particularly dangerous mix in this case, especially if hitting the “buy” button provides temporary respite from them.
As the final warning sign that your impulse buying habits have morphed into a monster, pay close attention to the emotions you feel before and after making a purchase. While it’s normal to happily await and open packages, fleeting highs padded by remorseful, lingering, debilitating lows indicate emotional dependency, a cycle that can thankfully be broken with support from mental health professionals and therapy groups.
Have you ever struggled with impulse beauty purchases?