Too Much Stuff

In 3 months time this pokey little blog will be two years old. I know, I’m as shocked as you that I have found enough to ramble about for that long! The side effect of being hopelessly addicted to makeup and feeling justified in buying things because of the online makeup junkie community is that I now have enough slap to make up the rest of Glasgow as TOWIE cast members. I did go through a period a while back where I felt overwhelmed and guilty about my collection and posts describing similar sentiments crop up on other blogs too. I thought it might be interesting to have a quick ramble on the methods I have found to combat this and to keep my collection manageable.

1. Use everything you have. I go through phases where instead on picking what I wear on a whim I go through my entire blush/ eyeshadow/ liner collection and wear a different colour everyday with no repeats until I have worn everything. If you get to a product and think “oh bum fudge I’m not actually exited about wearing this product at all” put it to one side and reserve it for point 2.

2. Deep cleanse. If you don’t use it/ love it or can’t find a use for it then get rid. This could be via a blog sale (mine is here and gets updated periodically), throwing it if it’s getting on a bit or just giving it away. When I have my sister or my mum to stay they always go home with more makeup than they had when they arrived. There is something immensely satisfying about knowing that whilst the product wasn’t for you it at least wasn’t a total waste of money if someone else is getting some use out of it.

3. Budget. My husband and I get a set amount each month that we can spend on whatever crap we like without the other moaning. His typically goes on horrendously violent computer games (ok I do moan about that a little). Mine goes on makeup. Some months I don’t ever spend the entire budget meaning I can have a splurge the next month. Having limited funds means you don’t feel guilty about being broke by payday because of impulse buys and it makes you think harder before purchasing too. I only have £50 a month to play with so I try to spend it wisely.

4. Mix and match. Finding ways of using what you have helps dampen the urge to go out and buy something else. Got foundations that are too light/ dark/ pink/ yellow? Sample pots are your friends. Mix them up until you get something that works. You might even be pleasantly surprised, I’ve found combinations that work infinitely better together than they do on their own.

5. Clever storage. I need everything within arms reach, tidy and easy to find. Otherwise I just get lazy and grab for whatever I left out yesterday. I’ve rearranged my storage since my last video but if you check out the collection post tab at the top you’ll get a rough idea of what I have. Plus if you can see everything you have you are more likely to be reminded that you don’t actually need anything else.

6. Keep inventory. I have a spreadsheet with every single item of makeup I own listed my categories. Why yes, I am a sad bastard. What can I say, I have a psychology degree which is basically just statistics and biology. I love me a good spreadsheet. But it helps avoid the tendency to say “well I don’t think I have that many lipsticks” when I can clearly see on the spreadsheet that I have 49.

7. If all else fail a Project ten Pan or no buy can work wonders as long as you don’t go nuts after it. It helps to realise that you don’t need to buy makeup every few days to survive.

Do you have any tips for stemming the makeup tide? Or are you a self confessed hoarder with no desire to develop any self restraint. Let me know in the comments! x