Buy Less. Buy Better.

I know. You’re thinking, “who owns a store and says buy less?” Well, I guess I do. As I’ve gotten older I buy significantly less. It’s true. Maybe it was the countless times I took a truckload to Goodwill. Maybe it was the numerous garage sales where I got items at “a great price” that I never wore were sold for pennies on the dollar. Maybe it is the general sense of dread when I look in a closet or a drawer and I can’t even tell what is in it because it has so much stuff. It’s suffocating.Nowadays, I feel I need a personal sense of “Zen” for lack of a better word. I want the things that surround me to make me feel good. I like a pretty package, as I’ve said before. It may seem inane, but if it has to sit in my shower or countertop and be looked at ten times a day, I want it to be nice.I feel the same way about clothes. I have my day-to-day items that I own to face lipstick, foundation, and moisturizer spills in the store, but the clothes I buy for the rest of the time have to stand the test of time. I don’t get giddy anymore sorting through endless racks of clothing at TJ Maxx to find a name brand skirt for 50 percent off.I used to when I was younger. The irony is I "used to" all the time. I used to spend more money “saving money” than I ever would have if I just bought what I really needed. Those items that I bought because they filled a need, like a classic black blazer from Veronica Beard, are still in my closet. Eighty five percent of the items I got at a “steal” are items I didn’t need and never wore. They ended up on consignment...and some still had tags on them. It is shameful, if I think about it.

Photo Credit Ruth Crilly, A Model Recommends

The reality is I feel the exact same way about makeup and skincare. You really don’t need five foundations. You don’t need 15 eyeliners. You don’t need 50 lipsticks. You can’t possibly use them all before they go bad. What you need is one really good foundation, two really great eyeliners, and a few really great lipsticks. They should feel good on. They should perform really well and you should want to pull them out and use them.I liken it to an interior designer who will always tell you, "buy the best sofa you can afford, the rest we can figure out."  It’s because the sofa gets the most use. Your beauty regimen gets used every day. Buy less, just buy better. Your face will thank you. Your wallet will thank you and, I promise, your soul will thank you when you look in that clean and organized drawer.The summer is a great time to do some purging and cleaning out before the fall. Figure out what’s not really working, what you never pick up, and be honest with yourself. It’s okay to toss it. It really is. When it’s time to stock up, buy fewer items…but buy better ones. They’ll last longer, perform better, and ultimately be a better investment because it won’t get tossed, it will get used.