Hello there! I know the title SCREAMS irony and you’d probably say does she even know the meaning of “no-buy”!
To give you a little background, I started a beauty no-buy in September that was supposed to last for 3 months.
Yep! Not buying anything till the end of November. I had have a lot of products just lying in the drawers and seeing them all at once would give me anxiety (No, I’m not exaggerating.) Hence, I wanted to concentrate on what I have and try to finish them up.

But during the course of these 3 months, I ended up buying a few stuff due to various reasons. Read on to know what I bought and why.
1. Himalaya Herbals Age Defying Hand Cream
Price: ₹150 for 100ml (Got it for ₹130)

This is the first product I bought during no-buy in October. I wash my hands all the time and that combined with the blasting AC of my office made my hands really, really dry. I needed something portable that I could carry with me to the office.
Since I didn’t want to end up spending a lot of money on those fancy but very small hand creams so bought this one by Himalaya. It’s very lightweight with a mild smell (reminds me of baby powders?) and gets absorbed in seconds. The tube is not super-tiny but I love using it! It keeps my hands well-moisturized.
2. Stereo Crafts Lip Scrub
Price: ₹70 for 20g
I’d never used a lip scrub before but lately, my lips weren’t behaving properly. They felt quite dry and I knew what was missing.

So I bought this handmade lip scrub from an Instagram seller. I just ordered one (Cocoa flavoured) but she popped out a small complimentary (Flavour is Cotton Candy) because she delayed the shipping for a few days. (Isn’t that sweet?)
I love how these scrubs work and they have become an important part of my routine. They’re also the cheapest (in terms of price and quantity) amongst all the lip scrubs available in the market. And yes cruelty-free!
3. Sebamed Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
Price: ₹580 for 200ml (Got it for ₹522)
I bought this shampoo in the 2nd week of November because I needed something for my dandruff. After having a good experience with the Sebamed cleanser I had high hopes from this. Let’s just say it didn’t work well. And it was a bit expensive too. Not impressed! And I’m not sure whether they’re cruelty-free or not.

4. TRESemme Smooth & Shine Conditioner
Price: ₹90 for 80ml
I bought this with the Sebamed Shampoo in November because I ran out of my conditioner and needed a replacement. It’s a good conditioner and helps in keeping my hair soft and frizz-free. It’s NOT cruelty-free. Need some good cruelty-free hair products in my life!
5. Miniso Sunscreen and Aloe Vera Cream
Sunscreen– ₹490 for 50ml (Got for ~₹300)
Moisturizer– ₹350 for 50g (Got it for ~₹200)
This happened on November 26. I remember the date because I was very close to finishing off the no-buy. I went to the Miniso store to buy some cute and affordable handbags as I had my birthday coming in the next week.

I did get the bags but tested these skincare products and instantly fell in love with the packaging and texture. (That texture, that damn texture is where it all started!) What’s worse (or best?) is that they were on 40% off. Their skincare is NOT cruelty-free and I’m guilty of buying these.
No-Buy: CONCLUSION
Except for my Miniso purchases, I don’t think I BROKE the no-buy because I needed (some of)those products. The total comes out to be ~₹1300 ($20) over a period of 3 months which is great if you’re having a low-buy, not a no-buy! LOL
Reflecting on those 3 months, I can say I did save a lot of money and got decent uses out of a lot of products. November was the most difficult because there was a crazy sale season. I didn’t buy anything in September and November was when I made the most purchases, which is still pretty less considering the great sales that were on.
However, I do believe that I could’ve done better or at least refrained myself from buying Non-cruelty-free products. Hopefully, the next no-buy (Secret: It’s coming soon!) would be a lot more successful.
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What do you think of my no-buy? Did I pass or fail? Please let me know in the comment section below 🙂
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Becca (Kisses of Confidence) says
This is such an interesting post, I love the idea behind it! I think most of the products were essential so I would have been pretty pleased with myself. Looking forward to reading another post like this, thank you! Xx
Rifat Yaseen says
Thanks so much love! xx I agree that these were essentials so it’s fine. I’ll be doing a makeup no-buy for 6 months, uploading a post regarding it today. Let’s see how that one goes. 🙂
Bay Area Beauty Blogger says
I’d say you did a fantastic job! Well done!
Rifat Yaseen says
Thank you so much!
[email protected] says
Too bad about the dandruff shampoo. I’m also on the lookout for a good one. I get mild dandruff, but my daughter gets it pretty bad. The stuff we’re using now smells terrible. Good for you for reducing your spending on beauty products!
Rifat Yaseen says
My dandruff situatiom goes really bad during winters. This DIY works for me incase you wanna try 1/2 cup curd/yogurt + 1tbsp honey + 1/2 tbsp lemon juice. And some drops of rose water. Thanks for stopping by 🙂