November was a TOUGH month when it came to staying on budget. All of the sales were hard to resist, and sadly, I didn't make it. Don't judge me! :) I started off ok, despite purchasing a gorgeous Tom Ford Lipstick Set and the Aphrodisiac lipstick from the current collection. I managed to fit these in by readjusting some of my other (less important) budgets for the month! And then came the Sephora VIB sale. UH OH! Fortunately, I had a ton of store credit from earlier returns, but I still purchased a bit more than I originally planned. Here's what I grabbed: Becca Beach Tint Duo, Origins Make a Difference Plus+ Rejuvenating Moisturizer, Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning, Benefit Watts Up 100 point perk, Caudalie Divine Oil mini, Bobbi Brown Long Wear Even Finish Foundation (which I ended up returning a few days ago), Guerlain Rouge G Lipstick in Gemma, a $1 glass nail file, and my all time favorite, Dior Diorshow Maximizer. At the drugstore one day, I grabbed some nail polish thinner for the first time, and a pretty pink shade of CoverGirl Lip Perfection in Verve.
At this point, I was doing moderately ok. If I didn't spend ANY more, I would have stayed around the budgets I had allocated, by a few dollars... And then came Burberry!! I heard about a GWP at Nordstrom San Francisco, and I jumped on it! I purchased Burberry's new Complete Eye Palette in Pink Taupe, and the Sheer Eyeshadows in Almond, Pale Barley, and Midnight Brown. Here's the GWP. There was also a very large makeup bag! :)
The other day, I went to Sephora to make a return, and I left with a whole pile of goodies. For my boyfriend, I grabbed First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Concentrate and Anthony Logistics Grooming to Go. Tempted by all the pretty bloggers wearing Guerlain Rouge G in Gigolo, I picked that up as well. I also wanted a nude liner, so I grabbed Tarte Emphaseyes Inner Rim Brightener. I also grabbed a few things on Cyber Monday - and look at all the samples I got from Kiehl's with my little tube of Ultimate Strength Hand Salve!
My Nars Pure Radiant Tined Moisturizer in Alaska (for winter!) is scheduled to arrive today, (wohoo!) and my two Sephora orders are estimated to arrive Monday or Tuesday. In those lovely Sephora boxes will be the Fresh Umbrian Clay Foundation that Claire and Taylor rave about, Clinique All About Eyes Concealer, a $3 sale Sephora eyeshadow brush, Becca Bronzing Skin Perfector, and Becca Radiant Skin Foundation. I'm so excited to try out everything, as my local Sephora stores didn't have any of these available to test.
So, how did I do? I clearly blew any attempt at a budget this month. :( BUT in the end, I seem to have ended up with close to $300 of gift cards and store credit from Sephora, so that definitely helped.
Grand Total Spent: $488 (of my own $$ AHHHH!)
I calculated what I had set out with when I rearranged budgets, etc, and I could have spent about $228... So... I totally went over. Don't hate me! I love my pretty things. :) And who knows, maybe I'll end up not liking one of the products I ordered and save a few bucks. :)
What fun pretty things did you purchase this month? What tips do you have for staying on budget when it comes to beauty? Please share - I'm a girl who could use some help! :)