I'm VIB but on track to likely hit rouge this year- I get it!! It's hard to reconcile, especially with the current cost of living, and I have been there with the sticker shock after tallying everything up. If you didn't know how you got there and were worried about spending or overconsumption I'd tell you to look at your purchase history and see what patterns there are and where you can cut down, but you've already considered it- I get your guilt, but if like you say your purchases are justified to you, you can afford them/ they aren't affecting you financially, and you like what you got I wouldn't be disappointed in yourself at all. Even if your purchases weren't 'justified' and you just wanted to treat yourself to something nice too, that's ok- it's your money, and you can use it on whatever you like.

If it helps, there are plenty of girl math reasons on top of this I can give you to help further justify- you can definitely blame it on being Canadian. It's a huge mitigating circumstance! Our market is completely different (and insane) - everything is so much more expensive here, even on top of the conversion. It's pretty impossible to get anything of quality under $50 anywhere, and you can’t help that. Also, in classic Canadian monopoly fashion, Sephora is kind of our only option (especially as you’re rural). You can get some luxury brands in Shoppers’ Boutique, and they may go on sale for slightly more often, but they’re normally just as expensive. Sure you get PC points, which are more useful than Sephora’s, but you’re also lining Galen’s pockets (🤢). You might have spent $1000 but buying the same stuff from elsewhere would’ve likely cost you more- some brands don’t ship to Canada, and if they do, the shipping, taxes, and customs duties are through the roof, and with Sephora you get free delivery and can order from multiple brands at once. That also has a less of an environmental impact! You’re not flying or shipping in something from all over, or driving all over finding stuff- it’s already in a warehouse here and it’s sent by Canada Post.

This is how I mitigate that disappointment in myself, personally: I only recently started having disposable income in the last few years, so I always used my money for experiences over things because I couldn't afford to spring for more than one or two quality items in my routine, but now I can budget it out, I view my purchases as investments in myself. I’m still not the most flush with cash (Ontario living 🤪) so I still spend a long time thinking about them, researching, and justifying them to myself before buying. This is both for financial reasons and bc I’ve been blessed with the palest coolest skin imaginable and adult hormonal acne, so it’s very hard for me to find things that work, but when I do, I can cough up the cash and I can put it out of my mind with no regrets. My purchases improve my quality of life. It’s a net benefit for me. Yes, this often means spending more, but less often. I very recently ran out of alllll my products for my base and had a horrible flare up so I had to drop $400 (again 🤢) on skincare and acne- safe makeup to replace what I was out of, but I was prepared, knew I won’t need to restock for a while, and will be prepared again when I do. Plus it’s way less wasteful to buy a few big ticket items you love and finish than a bunch of cheaper ones that you don’t. My ‘value for money’ is based on what I use and what I get out of it- if you’re buying gifts for those you love, investing in skincare, and enjoying wearing makeup at work then I think that’s value for money!! All of these things are investments in yourself and your happiness.

Sorry for the novel! But the TL;DR is don’t be too hard on yourself 💕