little white truths

Hello and welcome to another essential purchase update!

My last one was on the 10th of February, when I bought a brow pencil because mine had run out. (That update is here if you're interested.)

As you may know, I've been on no buys for both skincare and makeup for a few months now, and I've done well so far: I've only had to make two essential skincare purchases and yesterday I replaced my second makeup empty.

Funnily enough, I wrote my updated makeup inventory post yesterday (see here), and that post inspired me to run off to Mecca and finally replace an item I've been needing for a while.

Of course, the point of an inventory post is not to encourage yourself to buy more stuff (!), but in this case I realised that it was finally time to stop struggling with alternative ways to do one simple thing: that is, tame my bloody brows.

Let me explain. I need a brow gel because my brows are long and curly, and they grow in all directions across my facial real estate like never-ending weeds. Back in the old days I could trim them to avoid buying gels, but these days I can't trim them as much because I have gaps that appear or get wider if I hack them down like I used to. 

Damn ageing. Everyone talks about wrinkles and pores, but you do start losing eyebrow too as the years pass - and mine are thinning out with age.

And ever since I finished my last brow gel, I've been mucking around with soap, a dodgy wax on the end of a GWP budget brow pencil, hair wax, you name it. Anything to avoid buying something when I'm on a no buy.

But I don't like the feel of such things on my brows (or the look of them on me personally), and yes I know you can use hairspray - but I don't use hairspray on my head, so why would I go out and buy one just for that?

I'm rambling. I needed a brow gel. I bought one.

* Image courtesy of mecca.com.au

Yep, it's the new Hourglass Arch Brow Volumising Fibre Gel.

Never in my life have I bought anything but a budget clear gel from the chemist, just as I'd never bought a high-end brow pencil until I bought the Urban Decay product mentioned in my first 'essential purchase' update.

My view on brow products is the same as my view on lipsticks, mascaras and eyeliners: I personally think you can find fantastic options at the chemist that cost bugger-all, so you're better off saving your pennies on such things. But for my dry, 37yo skin, high-end is almost always better than drugstore when it comes to foundations and powders: that's just my personal experience.

So why did I throw money at this brow gel? Because I had it applied in-store and it's AMAZING. It does exactly what I need it to do and more - and since I have a saturated makeup collection so I don't need to buy most things for years decades (I'll be passing on my blush stash to my grandchildren), why not buy myself a nice brow gel for once?

And as mentioned above, my brows need a little more help than they used to, so it's high time I try a fancy brow gel - even if I never buy one again.

I'm excited.

Anyhoo. Just checking in to let you know that I've replaced a makeup product (which I'm allowed to do under my no buy 'rules'), but the no buy is still going strong and I'm sticking to my guns until the beginning of June.

That's all from me.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x

* All images courtesy of unsplash.com unless otherwise indicated