OCC Lip Tars in Action and No Buy July

Anyone who knows me personally is aware that I'm a pretty saavy shopper - coupons, sales, special promotions - I almost never pay full price for anything, because, well, why should you if you don't have to? Unfortunately, though, buying something at a bargain is still buying something, and sometimes  buying anything that isn't a necessity just isn't an option.

The freedom of adulthood is a beautiful thing, and I would never for a minute take back my decision to officially "leave the nest". But such freedom does come with a price.

A large price.

Now, I'm no stranger to living on a budget. Even when I was living with dear old mom and dad and actually had disposable income I tried to be as thrifty and money cautious as possible. But now with a mortgage and bills I've found myself needing to be extra diligent about keeping my wallet on lockdown. And as much as I love some good retail therapy (especially with work making me mildly insane), I've come to realize as of late that what little funds I have are needed for much more important things than shoes or lipgloss.

And so, I've decided to institute a No Buy July! For the rest of the month I am cutting myself off from frivolous spending. In addition to trying to save money, I'm also hoping that not buying anything new will give me time and encouragement to explore what I've already got hiding in my closet and drawers. Sometimes the best place to go shopping for something is in your own house!

I'm letting myself stay subscribed to Birchbox and Ipsy for a few reasons - they are relatively inexpensive, they will help me keep the temptation for bigger shopping purchases at bay, and with the waitlists, I'm afraid to cancel and then not be able to get back on for a while. Also, since my birthday was at the beginning of the month I decided to cut myself a little slack and treat myself to a few small presents. But no more!

I'm done (whether I like it or not).

My last purchase for the forseeable future I ordered from Sephora and just received in the mail this Tuesday. I had a gift card and a 10% off coupon...so I guess I feel less guilty than if I had gone crazy and blown all of my birthday money at once. My investment? Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Pro Picks Lip Tar Set Vol. 3. The set comes with 5 Lip Tars (2 creme colors, 2 metallic and a clear primer) and a full sized lip brush.

 Lip Tars are awesome. I had bought the first set OCC released way back when and really loved it (especially when doing my makeup for ballroom competitions). I will say up front, Lip Tars are not for the impatient or the inexperienced. They are ultra pigmented liquid lipcolors and they require time and precision to apply with a lip brush. They also really require some kind of lip primer, as I've noticed they have a tendency to feather otherwise.

My Lip Tar Collection! From left to right: Clear, Femme, Pretty Boy, Stalker, Radiate, Grandma, Electric Grandma, Melange, Authentic, Vintage

The appeal of Lip Tars for me is that they are a makeup artist type's best friend. The liquid formula leaves endless mixing possibilities to create your own custom shade with ease. Also, since they are super pigmented, you literally need the tiniest drop to cover your entire lip. One of these tubes could easily last years. Also, from a practical standpoint, Lip Tars tend to stay much more sanitary, as you aren't ever applying them directly to your lips from the tube or using your fingers (sidenote...trust, NOT a good idea, unless you like your hands to be pink and your face to look like a hot mess).

Ultimately, I really love the look of a super precise and bold lip, especially for going out or more upscale events. I think it's ultra classy and chic. For demonstrative purposes (and for funsies) I decided to take silly pictures of myself wearing all 9 Lip Tars in my current collection so that you can get an idea of what they look like on a real person.

From left to right, top to bottom: Femme, Electric Grandma, Radiate, Authentic, Pretty Boy, Melange, Grandma, Stalker, Vintage

Note to self: changing your lipstick 9 times in a row is very messy.

On an aside, I'm also wearing a mix of Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm and Boscia's BB cream (I'm trying to finish up deluxe samples of both) and Instain blush in Swiss Dot from theBalm, which I got in my July Birchbox (woo!).

I can't wait to share with you all the goodies from my Birchbox this month, so I will definitely be posting again soon! I also got a confirmation email that my Ipsy glambag has shipped too. So, lots of things to look forward to. Maybe no-buy won't be so difficult after all.

All right, worktimes are waiting. Stay gorgeous all!
Lauren

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