The Beauty Diet

The end of the year is here again, and this beauty writer takes a long hard look at kicking her worst beauty babit, once and for all

- AMANDA LEO

It's the end of the year again. And in a season filled with joy, laughter, and all things super-sparkly, the energy in my bedroom is anything but on this rainy December morning - it's decluttering season, and my bestie is perched on the edge of my bed, sifting through piles and stacks of barely-touched makeup and skincare products.

Thing is, it's not even stuff that I get from The Job - these were all bought from my recent trips to Korea and Japan, just this year. Trending strawberry milk blush? Check, and in two different shades just in case. That Japanese hair oil that's said to make your hair smell like vanilla pods soaked in honey? I'll take three. The last set of three souffle-soft moisturisers on the rack at K-beauty retailer Olive Young? Here's my card, and my passport for tax refund.

I'll be the first to put up my hand and say, "Yes, I have a problem with impulse-buying." Thing is, I've told myself that every single year, when I come back to this same realisation that I simply have next-to-zero self control when it comes to spending on beauty stuff. And I know I'm not alone, either - earlier this year, it was reported that we're spending much more on beauty products due to social media, with the outlook for beauty expenditure (especially on wellnessrelated spending) looking rosy even as luxury demand for fashion slows.

Nipping impulse-buying in the bud isn't easy - it's much easier to girl-math your way into a shiny new Chanel lippie and justify the cost-per-spritz of a new Gucci Beauty fragrance. But this year, I'm finally putting my foot down. Enter the beauty diet - my four step, tried-and-true method for a buy-less approach to beauty.

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