How do you keep track of the makeup you own? Do you use the majority of it?
Mentally for me. It’d be fantastic to have a better system, but it would take me time I don’t have to go back and catalog, LOL!
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I keep my collection small, and make sure I don’t own something that I don’t use at least a few times a month. I also make sure that I only own as much as I can remember off of the top of my head.
I have written lists for most of my makeup stash. I have lists for all my NARS products and all my MAC eyeshadows.
But I haul only one or two things every once in a while, so I’m usually plenty introduced to my new products to remember them in my mind. LOL.
I have ridiculously large Photoshop files that are visual catalogs of all my indie brand eyeshadows (1 just for Orglamix as I have a ton of those) … I update them religiously!
I use an excel spreadsheet
So do I.
I use Excel as well (tee hee that rhymes) but I’m thinking of upgrading to Access so I can do queries.
I have a Word document where I have the cosmetic company’s name (Clinique, Nars, PX, etc) typed and underlined in bold and then underneath I list the lipglosses, eyeshadows, blushes. Since I own a lot of Stila shadows and other products I have a seperate list for that. I also have a seperate list for all of my brushes. I like lists!
Excel spreadsheets, but unfortunately I don’t always have it with me. I’ve bought dupes! Lol
I don’t know exactly how large my makeup collection is, but it’s not overwhelming. I put the makeup I don’t want to use and/or special occasion makeup in my makeup bags. I put my everyday makeup on my dresser in Ikea plastic Godmorgon trays (they don’t stack). I find my system reliable in that it forces me to use my makeup before it expires.
I don’t wear makeup everyday due to the fact that I would rather get more sleep than have a made-up face.
To directly answer the second question, I don’t use the majority of it since I don’t wear makeup daily.
My new makeup system (all my makeup was in makeup bags before) helps me to use up my makeup and makes it easier to find everything since they are sorted in trays.
I also keep my makeup in Ikeas’ trays…it’s easier to keep track of everything I have..since it’s not a huge collection, it seems to be enough. My lipsticks are kept in a makeup bag as well. 🙂
I have a lot of makeup and I have written 15 pages so far. It makes me a little more aware of what I already have (makes me think twice about buying another of the same product) and not buying MAC eyeshadows that I already have, but have forgotten about.
I have an excel file of all the stuff that I own on my computer and Ipod touch. It’s sorted by brand. If you want to find something you only have to know the brand. Everything is on there colour,finish collection…I even have a list of my brushes… I think I’m a bit freaky, but I’m also happy to organize everything so I have double pleasure from my stuff 😉
This.
Excel spreadsheets….not because my collection is huge, but because I love to catalog things…I also have my books listed on an Excel spreadsheet.
🙂
I keep my collection simple and small ,
By setting a maximum number of items in each category,
for example: I don’t allow my self to own more than 20 lipsticks ,
I order to buy a new lipstick,I have to finish at least one lipstick
I find I avoid dupes & avoid overdoing “collecting” quite as much by sorting by type (ie foundation, mascara, lipsticks, glosses, blush) and as needed sorted by shade etc.
much easier to resist a fab highlighter when you remember how many you have & how much they get used. also easier to get ready if I can see all my foundation options together etc.
I also keep a bag or drawer with everything to put together a fairly neutral look and/or any current obsession to stop me from getting distracted by options when rushed.
otherwise I’d forget what I own and continuously purchase almost identical teal shadows, blue liners, mascaras, et lol
I want as few makeup/skincare products as possible and only splurge on a small handful of “now in style” products. I have a word document where I keep track of what I have and what I want – and what role it fills (e.g Need: Neutral Palette – Urban Decay Naked Palette, Need: Illuminizer/concealer – Yves Saint Laurent Touch Eclat in Luminous Radiance or Want: Body shimmer powder & puff – not yet found). I am very particular about what I want to buy and only buy a few times a year. I am a neutral lover though – and I want the colours to be spot on so it takes time to find no matter what. I am the same way with skincare and clothes 🙂
I keep track in my mind, as well. It helps that a lot of what I own is MAC l/e stuff, so the other products I own aren’t too hard to remember.
I remember everything I own, so I don’t need a list. I do however write down how much a particular items cost, so I can keep track of my expenses.
I have a list with all my makeup items, with their expiry dates, to make sure nothing goes off
I once went through all my make up and wrote down what I own (by brand) and where I keep them, and I just keep adding to them when I buy new things (or cross out if I get rid of something). Some brands I don’t have written down because I keep them all in one place, like Mac and Chantecaille. I also don’t catalogue my lip products, because they’re all in the same place(s) as well (but I did count them and keep adding or taking away to the number as I go along).
Most people would probably laugh but I have an excel file of my makeup.
I keep photos of everything I own sorted by type like Blush, Lips, etc…
I have them all separated and organized by use then by type, so like all my lip products are together then further broken down into lipstick, gloss, liner etc. It took a while to get everything like that in the first place, but its super easy to maintain, whenever I get something new I know just where to put it!
Until recently I wore little makeup and almost everything from drugstore. Once the MAC Counter has opened, I started collecting. I admit that I exaggerated to compensate for any lost time. Though I can remember off of the top of my head, I have list for most of the products, with their finishes and descriptions just for fun.
My lists are in Excel spreadsheets as many other people…
For me it’s also mental. I have a photographic memory and I know every shade of make-up that I have in my stash. I do also keep a list of all the make-up that I buy, but that’s more to keep track of what I spend each month.
I put it into my already bustling makeup train case LOL. And for a lot of my lipsticks now I have three little cheap makeup cases as I can barely keep up. Maybe there’s a therapy for this…or just maybe I need to swap and giveaway to people but who? LOL
I have given away makeup I barely touched once in a great while in the past.
I bought plastic drawer sets and I have each eyeshadow and eyeliner separted by color. I used to do it by brand, but I got too overwhelmed when say I just wanted something green.
At last count I had over 350 eyeshadows and 200 eyeliners, so I have to keep them separated by color.
I do catalog my “looks” on my iPad with pictures.
OMG how embarrasing! I don’t have a huge collection, but I have an excel spreadsheet. One for makeup, one for nail polish.
excel sheet
i have a spreadsheet. LOL. I have the product name and when i bought it (so i know when to throw it out). I have more than 200 makeup items so i really need to keep track 😛 I’m trying to buy less now.
I actually made a list.
I don’t write the name of everything, it would take me forever, but it’s like this:
Eyeshadows:
-Mufe:9
-Too Faced:3
etc…
All mentally too for me. Even though I have a pretty large collection this seems to work pretty well
I have a lot of my makeup written down with a color description and then i have them stored by brand to make it easier to find.
I have stored in sections by type of makeup, and new items stay out until they get their proper use. Occasionally one or two items I will lose track of, but that’s always like finding a gem.
I have an Excel spreadsheet with everything I’ve purchased since 2007.
I have a spreadsheet and if I dont refer to it before I go to the store then hello double city
I started tracking them down to make me realize how much I have already. I’m not a collector, but I usually buy myself 1 or 2 items a month, I started really wearing make up like in 09, I realized how much stuff I have! So, I do have a list to help me realize how much I have. It hasn’t really helped though. I think the reason why I make myself feel bad about the amount I have is because I don’t want any of the products to go to waste.
I have a cheat sheat, organised by brand, then product category, then alphabetically. Complete with color description, collection info, amount, and price. I try to stay on top of that by adding new things the same day I buy them.
I keep a MS Word file with a list of eyeshadows I have (marked with a *) and those I want by manufacturer. I keep a separate list of blushes, lipsticks, skincare, etc.in the same way, but I separate by type of product. When I read something in a blog I want I add it to the list. Periodically, I print it out and stick it in my purse.
I have a pretty large collection. Who am I kidding? It’s insane! I can remember what I have in every brand except MAC and the Bare Escentuals eye shadows. I have Excel spreadsheets for those.
If I no longer have space in/on my vanity: it means I no longer buy more makeup. I also trade with my daughter and sisters. I remember the shades I have, so I know not to get more of that particular shade. I don`t like to feel like i`m hoarding stuff, I like minimalist look and feel.
I keep it in my mind too… I should do lists.
I am so happy to read that so many others have excel spreadsheets of their stashes. I’m not the only one!!!
I have a folder on my PC which contains Notepad documents – one for each brand of makeup I own. I list everything I have alphabetically under the headings of Lipstick, Lipgloss, Eyeshadow, Blush etc. As I get new things, I add to the list.
I haven’t finished listing all my nail polishes yet
I use an excel spreadsheet to inventory all my make-up. It’s great!
I don’t really keep track. My makeup is stored where the things I’m not wanting to use right now are in makeup bags & the things I am using a lot are in a plastic shelving unit.
I’m thinking of making a ‘Repurchase’ list for things I want to buy again if I run out, but otherwise I just toss things that are too old. I have a fairly small collection, but it’s still more than I need.
Google docs. Accessible anywhere i have net access! =)
I have a TON of makeup. I’m definitely a MAC collector. I love the idea of cataloguing my makeup. But. . . whenever I start to make lists I feel silly. Like, what’s the point? I would love to think of a reason to do it! Thoughts?
I have a awesome app for my iphone called makeup inventory and whenever I get something new i add it to my inventory. It has different categories like eye liner lip stick etc. I think it cost .99 cents or it was free.
Mentally but it helps to have them organized by category in my makeup storage containers. But I’m also a much more visually person as well.
I’ve tried keeping a “swatch log”, but I find it difficult to maintain, even for lipsticks, so right now, I work from memory. I do find that looking through the collection helps, because it reminds me of things I haven’t tried out in a while. Every now and then, I find something I’d forgotten I had and I have to say, it’s kind of cool. Like getting a new product for free.
I had to start keeping a list of my MAC products because they repromote shades so often, I was afraid I’d end up buying the same thing more than once. I use Excel speadsheets to keep track of my MAC eyeshadow palettes. I also started a list of all my Urban Decay eyeshadows because of the way they recycle shades in their palettes.
It’s all in my head. And I have a ridiculously large stash too but it makes for good mental exercise!
I have only once bought a duplicate product (same blush, different packaging) by mistake…
I have a list of my MAC collection on my iPod and a list of all my high end makeup in a notebook
I use Springpadit to keep track of what I own and my wishlist so I can acces my list on my iPhone wherever and whenever I need to. I also keep pictures of swatches in iPhoto and on my phone. It’s very handy….
I put it on my phone by category, e.g. eyeshadow, lipstick, lipgloss etc. I add to the list every time I purchase something new. Mostly I list brand and name but sometimes I add comments to remind myself about items I want to get or to not buy a particular brand/item that did not work out.
I put it on my phone by category, e.g. lipstick, gloss, eyeshadow. I add to the list when I get something new. Mostly I list brand and name but sometimes I add comments to remind myself of makeup I want to purchase or stuff that did not work out. It’s very handy when I go shopping.
Excel spreadsheet! also, I print worksheets where I keep swatches by color (the greens, the pinks, etc) including lipsticks, liners, paint pots, eyeshadows, pigments and store them in a file binder; In that way I can keep track of all the shades that I own.
Whenever I shop for makeup, my file binder is next to me. It might sound a little crazy but It works. I don’t like to duplicate shades! makeup is very expensive!!! 😀
Very easily,actually.I I have a large makeup bag for my most often used products,a medium one for less often used products and a small bag for essential product backups.
Umm… I should be embarrassed to admit this but I have an excel spreadsheet detailing when I purchased the MU, when I began using it, when it is “suppose” to expire and my thoughts of the products, as well as, listing of products, I used and didn’t like, my MU Wants list, and listing of items I want to review on MUA.
But it gets worse, however, I can not bring myself to admit in a public forum the details of need to be super organized to a whole new level of crazy. LOL.
I’m very visual. I keep my makeup organized by brand then in subcategories such as eyeshadow, blush and lipstick/gloss in makeup bags and then store what I don’t use often in two medium sized usps boxes lol. I swatch everything in a watercolor pad so I can quickly look through when I’m interested in purchasing something to make sure I don’t own anything similar or the same thing.
My collection is tiny compared to some so I can remember what I have by memory. But I use Excel to make a spreadsheet of the colors/shades and undertones that each item has so I don’t have to swatch too much and I can make sure that it all pulls together. (lol Don’t judge me.)
I keep the makeup that i use everyday or the makeup im trying to use up on my vanity. the rest is stored in plastic drawers, organised into catagories, eyes, face, lipstick & lipgloss (i am a lip product junkie!). I’m currently not purchasing makeup or any beauty products because if i keep buying more i’ll need more storage. it just makes more sense to me to use up quite a few products so i have room to store new products. this keeps my collection small enough for me to remember the makeup i already have.
i have lists on my blackberry’s MemoPad of different product categories (like MAC eyeshadows, MAC lipglasses, NYX Jumbo Pencils, MAC brushes, etc.) on my cellphone so the info is always on me! I’m always whipping out my phone when i find myself at a MAC store/counter or at ULTA and it works like a charm!
I have a huge collection, but I’d say upwards 90% to about 98% of it is actually MAC, so I use the spreadsheet Christine created a while back to track it all! And it works wonderfully. Everything else I’m able to do mentally, but MAC is just too much for me to handle.
Since my collection isn’t extensive, I’m able to keep like items in wicker baskets
I don’t…I have more makeup than a small drugstore! I’m truly addicted! There NO WAY I’ll ever use it up…I plan to be entombed(sp?) in it.
I don’t, actually…
My collection is pretty big but most of the time I have a good memory for the things I have and the things haven’t. I wouldn’t say it’s photographic but it’s pretty good 😉 Sometimes I buy dupes but in that case I just give it away to my best friend, who thinks I’m a total idiot for buying so many products LOL. I think half of her stash once belonged to me hahaha!
Mine is all mental, I don’t have to whip out an excel sheet like all of these other people with huge collections, since mine is still growing haha. I just try to make sure not to buy something if I have a similar shade back home. Having duplicates of something is unnecessary to me unless its a backup of a holy grail product!