I really appreciate all of the comments. I'm still pretty new to Reddit and whatnot, so I was like, "Whoa!" when I saw my inbox. Honestly, I didn't even expect that anyone would answer, so I didn't really share "my story" as in depth as some of you have. I can really relate to a lot of the stuff that you all have mentioned. I changed birth control methods (from the pill to the Mirena IUD) and had a massive cystic acne breakout. Before that, I didn't really wear makeup much. Mostly for special occasions and if I felt like it. I never felt like I "needed" makeup because I didn't care what anyone else thought. After that huge breakout, I started researching into skincare and somehow, I ended up bookmarking and reading a lot of beauty blogs. I feel like I'm a good judge of whether or not someone is BSing about something, so unless I had a lot of good evidence that something was worth it, I wouldn't buy the product. I got things under control after visiting my dermatologist but I was still interested in makeup as a hobby and learning about it and wanting to know how to be good at applying it. I love to learn new things and I found that makeup has a lot to teach! I did quit smoking and channeled my addiction into makeup instead of cigarettes. I feel like I have enough makeup but as /u/youfancy_huh mentioned on this thread, it is a never ending pursuit for HG items. I'm hoping that I will curb my makeup spending strictly because it's excessive and unnecessary. I am thankful that my spending hasn't negatively affected any other aspect of my finances. I want to shift my focus onto proper application techniques but that's another story because I feel dumb that I don't already know how to do it all and I should just automatically know how to do it because I'm a woman. I know that thinking like that is ridiculous. Thank you for all of your responses. I really hope things get better for you all! I'm grateful for your kindness and welcoming me into your community.