We're having back-to-back Moderate Stash posts, thanks to the season: I worked from home this summer and therefore stared at my makeup for a good 8+ hours a day. It's also the middle of the year, which makes it a great time to review my collection and figure out where I want to be. Because several readers have expressed interest in the Beauty Roulette and Moderate Stash series, I thought this might be an interesting addition!
Also, pardon the towel. No matter how much you vacuum, you're going to want a drop cloth of sorts if you're dealing with a cute little asshole who shakes litter off of her feet and on to your dark carpet. See this specimen for reference:
What a jerk. She's lucky she's cute.
ANYWAY.
I really do recommend spreading all of your products out on a clean towel or blanket as you organize, clean, purge, whatever. It really gives you a perspective on your collection. Spreading all of this stuff out made me realize...holy crap, I don't actually have as much as I thought I did. Here I am, beating myself up, and I've reduced so much over the years!
But I'm still a hair off from my "ideal" stash size. Hence, I decided to do an inventory. :) Here is how much stuff I currently own in each category, plus my projected goals for 2017. I'm actually transcribing this from my notebook, since I generally prefer to keep my panning and purging goals on paper.
To be clear, my goal is not to become a "minimalist" or to continuously hit narrower goals as the months go by. It's to get good use out of the products I love, to think carefully about what I spend on beauty products, and to make sure I don't take up too much room when I eventually move in with my partner. Also, the pile of seemingly unorganized "junk" in the top right corner is separate because I keep that stuff handy, but I don't consider it part of the inventory. It's mostly skincare staples, like hand cream and sunscreen, that I want to be able to grab quickly.
BASE PRODUCTS
| PRODUCT | CURRENT | GOAL |
|---|---|---|
| Concealer | 2 | 2 |
| Foundation | 5 | 3 |
| Powder | 2 | 1 |
| Spray/Mist | 2 | 1 |
I'm fine with having two concealers, especially since I really love the ones I have right now (NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and Maybelline Dream Lumi Pen). Five foundations is a bit much, though, so I'm hoping I can finish at least one (preferably two!) up within the next year. While I like both of my powders (Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light and Dolce & Gabbana Powder Foundation in 50 Ivory) and sprays (Cinema Secrets Moisture Spray and Glossier Soothing Face Mist), I think one of each will more than suit my needs in the long run. Don't be fooled by that mini bottle of MAC Fix+, by the way; I just depotted some of the Cinema Secrets product in to it because it gives such a nice, fine mist.
CHEEK PRODUCTS
| PRODUCT | CURRENT | GOAL |
|---|---|---|
| Blushes | 10 | 8 |
| Highlighters | 5 | 3 |
This was one of the categories that stunned me--I could've sworn I had far more blushes! I really have done a good job of purging over the years. :) Still, ten cream blushes is a lot, especially since I have an entire palette full of cream blushes as well (but that was put in another category). I've also gathered a few too many highlighters and would like to get the number down to three.
EYE PRODUCTS
| PRODUCT | CURRENT | GOAL |
|---|---|---|
| Brow Pencil | 3 | 2 |
| Brow Gel | 2 | 1 |
| Mascara | 4 | 2 |
| Single Eyeshadows | 8 | 5 |
| Liquid Eyeshadow | 6 | 5 |
| Liner | 3 | 2 |
| Primer | 2 | 2 |
I don't think I'll have too many issues reducing my products in this section, but as we all know, I'm not majorly in to eye makeup. The primers section is staying as-is because...well, it's just two basic products: my regular eyeshadow primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance) and a sticky base for glitter (LIT's glitter adhesive). I figure I'll use up my Colourpop or Milk brow pencil by the end of the year, as well as either the Milani Liquid Eyes liner or the Marc Jacobs Highliner. Several of my eyeshadow singles will most likely be purged and given to my cousin, who is waaaaay more in to them.
The mascaras are the one section where I see a potential problem. All of my current mascaras are sample sized, and I've admitted that I'm addicted to collecting and trying new mascara samples. I dislike one of my currently open tubes, however, and another tube is actually a lash primer that's half empty, so it shouldn't be too difficult to finish what I have now. The issue will be keeping that number down.
LIP PRODUCTS
| PRODUCT | CURRENT | GOAL |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Lipsticks | 19 | 15 |
| Liquid Lipsticks | 8 | 8 |
| Lip Pencils | 10 | 8 |
| Gloss | 3 | 1 |
Ahhh, my weakness! Honestly, I'd be happy just to see this category stay the same, slash, keep in balance. That being said, I do think I'll be able to finish up a few lipsticks this year if I put my mind to it. I'd really like to move at least one sample lip product out of my collection, as well as make a dent in my Bite lip pencils; as a few people have recently pointed out, Bite's ingredients are all food grade, which often translates to a lower shelf life.
MISCELLANEOUS
| PRODUCT | CURRENT | GOAL |
|---|---|---|
| Palettes | 2 | 2 |
| Pigments/Glitters | 2 | 1 |
| Brushes | 18 | 10 |
The one portion that appalled me here was the brushes: for somebody who generally applies her make up with her fingers, I have a freaking lot of them. This is the one category I'd like to drastically reduce, and in fact, after I finished this inventory, I went through my stash and dropped at least three of said brushes in to my purge box. As for the other categories: I've fine with having my one eyeshadow palette (Urban Decay Book of Shadows II) and my one blush palette (Stila Field of Florals). And while I like having a single "going out" glitter, I do want to break my emotional attachment to the MAC pigment my father bought me years ago and send it off to a more loving home.
When I finished my inventory, I rearranged my products and was stunned when I realized...95% of them fit in to my organizer and my makeup tray (my version of a "weekly makeup basket," aka, products I want to use frequently). I still keep samples and back-ups in a jewelry organizer that hangs on my closet door, but except for a few brushes and a palette, all of my stuff now fits on my desk. Every day, I get closer and closer to my goals! :D
Your stash is lovely! My numbers are quite similar to yours in a lot of categories with the exception of eye make-up, which I have a lot more of, even despite constant purging. That's okay though because I like using eyeshadow; I am however worried that I own too many cream eyeshadows/ eyeshadow sticks and would like to use up a few more before they go bad. I'm also always working on reducing my lip stash, especially traditional lipsticks and glosses. Oh well - any progress is progress :)
ReplyDeleteThis is what I've tried to accept. Maybe I'm not finish up 10 whole products every few months like some project panners, but I'm still using my products and working through them. And that counts! :)
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