My Naughty Makeup Treat For A Quick Retail Therapy

Go on, ‘fess up. How many of you love a bit of retail therapy?

*hand shoots right up*

I had my first taste of what retail therapy was when I was still in secondary/high school. It wasn’t actually me who was doing the shopping, it was my mum. She was particularly stressed out that day and when we went out for a spot of shopping, I noticed her buying more expensive items than she usually would. When the day was over and time to go through her shopping, she actually looked happier. That was when she told me this.

Girl, what you witnessed just now was retail therapy.

Ah yes, I learned ’em young. 😉

For someone who’s obsessed with blush, you’d think that I would be buying loads of blushes whenever I’m stressed out or am in need of quick retail therapy. Surprising fact: I actually take a long time deciding on getting a blush or not and whenever possible, they’re usually not spur-of-the-moment purchases.

Lipbalm Stash Nov13

For a lot of women, it’s lipsticks. For me though, it’s lip balms.

I don’t know why but a quick dash to the shops whenever I feel like buying something almost always results in my getting a lipbalm. When I first moved to Melbourne, I lived a few doors away from a Priceline store. For two years, I collected so many tubes and jars of lipbalms that I needed a separate set of drawers just to keep them. I was devastated AND relieved the day that particular Priceline closed down. 😛

So here’s how I usually pick up a lipbalm. You know that marketing strategy where shops place lots of cute and small items near checkout counters so that customers can pick them up while waiting in line to pay? This is a clever strategy and goodness knows how much stuff are placed into shopping baskets while queuing up to pay. If there are any lipbalms in these areas, I’m screwed because I know I’ll be tempted to drop one into my shopping basket.

Target Checkout Counter

Lip balms are my naughty treats and there’s always that justification that “I need lipbalms! I have chapped lips!“. Tsk tsk. 😛

What’s your naughty makeup treat? Is there anything you’d pick up for a quick retail therapy at the shops?

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15 comments… add one
  1. MissCarole

    Waouh! I thought I was the only one buying lip balms like there is no tomorrow! Whenever I am in a shop and I spot a new one, it finds its way into my shopping basket 😉 I’m starting to have a nice little collection now 😉 But I DO have chapped lips (to the point that my husband bought me three from Bodyshop last year as a Christmas present!)
    MissCarole recently posted..The Picture of the Month – November 2013My Profile

    1. Tine

      Aww that’s so nice of your husband to get your 3 Body Shop lippies! When I tell Tim I wanna get one, he points me to that drawer of lip balms that I have. Hmph. 😛

  2. Allison

    What a cute story! You learned from your mum. 😉 I wish lip balm was my thing because it’s a lot cheaper usually than the stuff I buy. (I just have 3 lip balms at home: essence Kiss Care Love, Alba Natural Coconut, and Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment if that one counts.) Usually my retail therapy purchases are clothing or shoes. If it’s makeup, it’s most often a lipstick.
    Allison recently posted..Wine Time: NYC ‘Mahogany’ Ultra Moist LipWearMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Oooh shoes. Bags! Okay, don’t start. Or else it’ll be a very expensive habit 😛

  3. Paris B

    Haha I don’t buy lip balm ever. Actually, I had a good ol’ think about what I’d buy and then I realised that I don’t do retail therapy. Well, not for a long time now. What I do is have some splurges put on standby and when that shopping bug hits, I get one of them. This way, I don’t end up with too much stuff and I get something I really want. Win! 😀
    Paris B recently posted..New! Haute Couture Luxury French brand, By Terry returns to MalaysiaMy Profile

    1. Tine

      You are too disciplined! I obviously lack will power, hence the building amount of stuff in my house 😛

  4. Joyce (bronzerbunny)

    yes! lip balm for me too. i just bought a tube of that rosebud randomly at sephora on my lunch break o.O
    Joyce (bronzerbunny) recently posted..Foundation Sampling: RBR & YSLMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hehehe shopping during lunch breaks is like splurge hell 😛

  5. plue

    haha! i normally buy blush/ nail polish/ lipsticks/ glosses when I really need retail therapy, it’s always in that order.

    i almost ALWAYS have a wishlist of what I want, so when I am in need of a bit pick-me-up, it’s that list I look into first. And bloody hell it’s always a massive list of expensive items >.< *coughs* guerlain/ chanel/dior* coughs*

    blerghhhhhhh!!!
    plue recently posted..Guerlain Sakura Cherry Blossom G Blush & TheBalm Down Boy – Excellent Combo!My Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahahaha I don’t know why but I don’t have a wishlist. I tried it once but I realised that I get so OCD over uncrossed out lists so I end up getting the stuff in the list! And it’s like your list, it’s always expensive items :-/

  6. Hilary

    OMG – me tooooooo. My husband has put a lip-balm ban on me I buy so many! I have managed to wean myself off tins though – as lovely as they are – as I really wanted nice nails and I could never get into them without breaking a nail!

    I have found my HG lip balm though that I always go back to, but you really really have to hunt it out – which sort of helps with the ban as if I can’t find that specific one, I just think ‘oh well, I’m trying to find that one only, so no others will do!’. Its Blistex Lip Massage – in a turquoise tube with a funny rubbery patterned tip to it that gives your lips a really nice exfoliate and massage when putting it on. But like I say, its super hard to find!
    Hilary recently posted..Another teaching updateMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hmmm it’s difficult to find eh? As Barney from How I Met Your Mother would say “challenge accepted!” 😛 Because of course I need another lip balm, right? 😉

      1. Hilary

        LOL – when you do find one, can you note down the name of where – I’m stupid stupid of stupid town and the few times I’ve found it here, I forget where and have to start the hunt all over again….doh! 😀
        Hilary recently posted..Plastic notes and missing centsMy Profile

  7. Rebecca

    I have the same relationship with lip balms. Thing is, they’re easy to lose so it makes sense to have lots of backups, right?! Haha.
    Rebecca recently posted..3 Things That Don’t Suck: Roses, Roses, RosesMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Exactly! They ARE so easy to lose. Funny thing, I don’t lose lipsticks but I lose lip balms which are the same size as the lipsticks. Damn lipbalm pixies are at it again 😛

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