This past weekend, my roommate and I went to the mall to blow off some steam before midterms. Our mall has not one but TWO Sephora stores, so naturally I found myself exploring both. Without fail, I tend to have the same thought process on every shopping trip.

1. "Do I really need any more makeup?"

Short answer: no, but you can bet we'll be going in anyway! For me, the stage of the shopping process where I try to talk myself out of it (at least a little bit) is essential to any Sephora trip.

2. "Ooh, perfume!"

Whenever I walk into Sephora, I zero in on the perfumes first, probably because they're by the door and I get easily distracted. After smelling every single sample on the rollerball display, I'm just lightheaded enough to wander around the rest of the store looking at all the shiny stuff in a perfumed daze.

3. "Ooh, skin care!"

Distracted.

4. "Ooh, mini-size stuff!"

Distracted again.

5. "The Too Faced display is so cute...now I want chocolate..."

Too Faced's baby pink display and cute heart-shaped products always draw me in. Then, the chocolatey smell of their products gets to me, and I find myself running for a milkshake after my makeup shopping.

6. "Another nude lipstick never hurt anyone!"

Yeah, I might already own 12 nude lipsticks, but this one has a different undertone.

7. "Where's the makeup remover?"

One pass around the store and I have swatches of liquid lipsticks, eyeliner, and shadows all the way to my elbow. Alcohol wipe, please.

8. "Do I need this $50 palette, or do I need it?"

*mentally strategizes all the different looks I would create with whatever palette I'm holding*

9. "Shiny..."

Every time I go to Sephora, I have to swatch the Becca highlights just for fun.

10. "It's okay, I didn't need groceries this week anyway."

Makeup is expensive, but at least I'm spending money on something that makes me happy, right?