A beauty addict’s commitment to being more mindful, less wasteful, and buying nothing new in 2020.

I’m officially a month into my “no buy” and I’m starting to panic. When I committed to no new beauty products in 2020, it sounded like a great idea. Use what I have, shop my stash, and rediscover things I forgot I had. The problem is, I never defined the parameters of what a “beauty product” is. Makeup seems obvious, but lotion? Body wash? Shampoo? Perfume? Deodorant?

I’m going to give myself a pass and free reign to buy deodorant because I’m a sweaty person and I’d like to be able to go out in public. I’m also going to allow myself to buy body wash and shampoo, because again, I need to go out into the world and not offend people. I am, however, committed to less waste, and once I finish my current body wash I’ll switch to bar soap. I’m going to use all of the various lotions I have before I think about buying more—I may not need to (to be determined). Apparently I’m a lotion hoarder.

I have enough perfume to last until approximately 2022. I think I answered my own questions. It’s okay to buy general basic hygiene products (but only when completely out) and look for more eco-friendly alternatives when possible. Sounds like a plan to me!

Normally, this would be the time that I tell you what makeup I’ve been using this past week and what I’m loving in my stash. Unfortunately, I have nothing new to report about other than sunblock. I was in Hawaii this past week on vacation and at the last minute decided to bring a very tiny makeup bag that contained mostly samples. 

As noted above, I’m a very sweaty person and makeup just doesn’t do well in humid climates, so I decided to go sans makeup the majority of my trip. Sunscreen is a must, no matter what. I alternated between the Biore UV Watery Essence (a Japanese sunscreen that is my absolute favorite) and my Alastin Hydratint Pro Mineral Sunscreen. It has a slight tin, and gives skin an amazing glow. 

It was my first time to the Big Island and it was absolutely beautiful. I wasn’t really worried about what I looked like because I was too busy enjoying the sunsets. I’m looking forward to getting back into my routine post-vacation and wearing lots of makeup this week, which you’ll hear about in the near future. In the meantime, wherever you are, I hope you take some time to try and enjoy the view. 

PAST WEEKS:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Tara KP Troszak is an LA-based lawyer, self-proclaimed cat lady, writer and freelance makeup artist for MAC cosmetics. She lives in the San Fernando Valley with her husband Nick and her cat Chevy. Follow her on Instagram: @makeupbytkp.