So I wanted to start taking a look at some trends of what I bring in each Month and what I declutter. I’m constantly trying to pair down my life. What’s interesting is that in March, I definitely brought in a lot more than I got rid of. I think that it will be good for me to watch this throughout the year to see overall trends. I kind of decided to put this by category – just for a little more structure.
What did I bring in?
Makeup: In terms of makeup, I brought in 4 items this Month. First, I bought dupes for the Anastasia Modern Renaissance and Subculture palettes. I can’t get Anastasia here and even if I could – I can’t afford these pallettes. Overall, I spent 16€ and find myself reaching a bit more for the Makeup Revolution Palette filled with warm tones. However, I’m glad to have both in my life at the moment. They are making me a little more experimental if I decide to use eyeshadow.
I also got two amazing lip colors from Sephora – 9€ each. My lips have been absolutely lizard like here. They are gross. Thanks desert. These are so creamy and lovely I can put them on my scaley lips without consequence. They last a long time as long as I’m not having coffee and I love these two colors. I don’t think any of the other ones suit me which is just fine with me. I’m not a super big lipstick person. But these two are relatively neutral and spring-y. I’m a big fan.
Clothes – I’m not going to bullshit and write fashion. That’s just silly. I’m the least fashionable person I know. So instead clothes/accessories. I bought two tops from Zara at 7€ each. I’ve been searching fr the perfect boat neck-ed top more or less since high school. I found one here – bought it in black and a star print. I like both but I only tried on the black one. It’s a better fit on me. If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t need both.
Accessories – I made two accessories purchases this month. Both from a store here called “I am.” I bought some cute rings in pink and green (colors I am very much gravitating towards right now) and a nice pair of sunglasses. Overall, I spent around 20€ on this little adventure.
Home – The only home purchases I made this month were two posters for above my bed. I’ve been admiring them for some time at a local store (Hörst) and have wanted another one (butterflies) but I decided I could settle for this color story. I’m happy with it overall. I’m going to keep my eye on Amazon to see if I can my missing poster.
Tech – This month, I bought myself a new camera. I really thought about this purchase since I moved to Spain for a number of reasons. First, somehow I lost my DSLR lens on my way to Zaragoza. Whether it was in Boston Logan or at the hostel I stayed at in Madrid – it’s over. So I have a useless DSLR. My choices were to buy a new lens or get a new camera. If I’m totally honest – carrying around the DSLR on vacation was a bitch. So I wanted something smaller. I went for the Canon SX730 after a lot of research. It was certainly pricey but I wanted something that I could take good travel pictures on but also possibly take short movies. This fit the bill. I’m going to be in Portugal in the first week of April so I’ll be excited to post the pictures from that later.
Gifts – this month was such a random month for me to get any gifts but I did get two wonderful gifts. The first was so surprising and wonderful. A coworker gifted me the most amazing coin pouch. I obviously love cats. I love this little purse. I actually took some inspiration from it for my next month’s bullet journal (there aren’t enough cat spreads IMO).
Secondly, I got a box from my sister in Germany. She sent me this amazing Oscar pillow that I can’t shut up about but also a Buffalo Bills Flag – which I’m nuts about. I can’t help it. I’m a Billeiver.
What did I get rid of:
Makeup – I did a pretty decent job during March getting rid of some things that just didn’t suit me. First off, I got rid of the Zoeva Caramel Melange eyeshadow palette and the Mac Prissy Princess palette. The Mac palette, with it’s soft pinks and cool tones, will suit my sister much better than me – so off to Germany it went. The Zoeva palette just had too many similar shades. And none of them look good on me. So I went ahead and gave it to a roommate. I also got rid of a really dry matte lip from Top Shop and a Wet’n’Wild highlighter. It’s cute and all being mermaid themed but I couldn’t remember the last time I used it. I also dumped one of the two highlighter brushes I have. You can kind of see – it’s handle is all weird. It was time.
Home – Sadly, I lost my beautiful orange tree at the end of March. I came home and it had dropped all of its leaves. I just wasn’t able to be the plant mom it needed. However, I did eat one of it’s tiny baby oranges and surprise! it was pretty good. A little more tart than a big orange but definitely worth eating. I harvested a couple more to make tiny orange juice. I’m not saying I’ll never try citrus again but I defintely am going to be more informed before I do.
What has this taught me?
I did a really shitty job in March. I spent far too much money and did not get rid of nearly enough things to justify it. I’m honestly really glad I wrote this all down though because now I can be a more mindful consumer in April. I also want to write down anything that I used up in terms of skin care, stationery etc. However, this taught me that there are no excuses for making big purchases in April. Especially with a relatively long vacation. It’s time to shape up a bit. What was your best purchase in March? What was your worst? Let me know in the comments below.
The Minimalist Abroad 