I’m fortunate that I’m testing new products routinely so I just move to the next thing I need to test, which means no time for ruts! That being said,
my tips for getting out of a makeup rut: choosing products at randomly (like a grab bag), using one palette in a week,
or trying to use unloved products.
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It’s weird, but when I get into eye shadow ruts (which is most likely to be the case) I go to pinterest and search for color palettes. What pops up are those photos of nature or other with color palettes on the side that pull colors out of these gorgeous pictures. I pick one I like and pull those shades out of my collection and try to use them all in an eye look. Typically they are color combos I had not considered and really end of loving working with. It just gets my artistic brain reeling! 😀
I too love those color palettes in Pinterest, very inspiring for use at home and wardrobe also.
That’s a good idea!
I’ll try to use products that I have that I don’t normally reach for. Or I will look on my social media accounts for images/videos that I’ve saved because I thought they were beautiful/different and I’ll try to recreate them.
I rotate my stash regularly and pick a palette for the week and set up my look and glam tray on Sunday nights. If I want to spice things up, I pick a lipstick or blush to revolve my look around instead of the palette dictating the rest of the look. The effect is the same – same products all week long so it’s just makeup zen in the morning instead of rushing – but it makes it seem fresh because I changed the process.
I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a rut! I mean, I know sometimes I wear the same old same old, but it’s because I genuinely like how it looks.
Lately I have been shopping my stash so I don’t spend money on new makeup and that has been a lot of fun! I think it has given me something to look forward to. I have some older palettes that I get to play with again and fall in love with and it keeps money in my pocket. So if you have a big stash of products and you feel bored, shop it! Fall in love with something you once loved.
Sarah, what you said is pretty much what I was trying to express….if I’m wearing the same look all the time, “it’s because I genuinely like how it looks”. And you are right about using our stashes. It is so easy to get caught up in the frenzy of “Oh, I have to get this new _____ even though I’ve got things that are similar but they’re not EXACTLY the same” (I think most of us know from experience that 3 cool dark brown shades from 3 different companies, with subtle variations in how they look in the pan probably look EXACTLY the same once applied on the eye). When I saw the new Smashbox Trio that Christine just reviewed, my immediate response was “I have to have this” but it turns out I’ve got about 5 dupes for the olive/bronze shades and certainly dupes for the other 2. So I am trying to convince myself that I really do not need it or even want it.
Buy something new LOL
I start by putting everything I have out on my dresser back into my vanity. A lot of times my ruts are the result of laziness or time crunches, so grabbing whats already out becomes too easy. Usually when I’m putting my makeup away a diffetent lip color or eyeshadow I forgot I had catches my eye, and I’ll pull that out to make sure I use it.
I’ve also found that combining several palettes or singles into a giant Z palette inspires new combinations, or at the very least having 20-40 shadows in front of me keeps me from using the same four over and over.
I’ll base a look around a fun lip color or add an interesting highlighter, to jazz things up.
I try to find out of the box and unique makeup on social media accounts to spark the creativity again.
Sometimes I’ll grab a palette I haven’t used much and play for hours until I find the flow again.
I’ll go through my collection and swatch to see how products play with each other and get inspiration from that.
And if all else fails, I’ll probably buy a new product to play with and incorporate.
I don’t really mind a rut. I’m not a makeup artist or “influencer” and don’t have a blog or youtube channel to promote. For me, therefore, wearing makeup is simply a matter of looking my best each day (rather than “creative” or “attention getting/outrageous”) so being in a “rut” just means I’ve found a combination of products to make me look good and ready to face the world so I can go out to do my actual job (where unusual makeup would just look odd). Right now, I’m in a total blush “rut” (and have been since September) because I’ve found what for me is the most perfect and easy blush to use. I will use others from time to time (I’ve switched today, for example) but still go back to my “perfect” blush 99% of the time. The other day, I used a Chanel quad I’d not used for a while but I didn’t really choose it because I felt “in a rut”. And reaching for a different grouping of eyeshadows or e/s palettes is usually enough for me.
I feel the same way! In my early 20’s I felt compelled to go with what the beauty gurus were doing and try out colorful eyeshadows or bold, opaque lipsticks. While I totally support people who love these styles, it always felt like these bolder looks were wearing me, not the other way around. I’ve done a pretty intense declutter over the past year and just have what I like and what make me feel like my best. I suppose my adventurous days are over at 27, and for the time being I’m very happy about that!
Rut? Not possible. I am lucky enough to have a great collection of products to choose from and every day is a “play” day. It’s like having your first big box of crayola crayons. I love it!! It’s a fun artistic outlet to indulge in. Temptalia makes it even more fun!
That’s how I feel. Every time I get new makeup, it’s like new toys or art tools. My bf doesn’t understand why I take the time to do makeup every day, since he think’s I’m beautiful without it, but I tell him it’s the most fun thing I do each day.
I rarely fall into a rut as I use only what I really like and so I’m usually happy with my choices everyday. What will prompt change is a creative itch, and that can be sparked by weather, mood, something I saw someone else wearing, a Temptalia story a/o readers’ postings, a new clothing item, a trip, etc etc. I probably suffer from reacting too much to such input, versus falling into too much habit. I do keep all of my makeup in storage in plain sight versus in drawers, which helps too.
Fortunately, I have a big enough stash that I rarely fall into a rut. I just grab something that I haven’t used in a while. If I am in a rut, it’s usually due to being ill, or anxious and/or depressed. At those times, I can’t think straight and don’t feel very creative. I just wear neutral eyeshadow, and try to force myself to wear a different lip color each day till I snap out of it. Pinterest, YouTube, and IG sometimes give me inspiration, too.
I pull out my entire collection, lay it all out, and reorganize it! I keep my most used products in my side table, with the rest in a train case, and it’s easy to forget about products that are out of sight. If I’m feeling bored, I’ll go through everything and rotate things through and I find that really sparks my creativity. I did it about a week or two ago and I’ve been using products and shades that I completely forgot I even had!
It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, I will either experiment with some shade combos I hadn’t used previously or pull out something I haven’t used in awhile. For those color combo experiments, it can either open up a new color story, or sometimes produce something unexpectedly unattractive on me! LOL
I haven’t really fallen into a makeup rut in recent years because I have always been puchasing something new and different. But certainly in the distant past I was.
I agree with Christine’s suggestion of rotating your palettes – bring out anything you haven’t used for awhile and makeup some different eye combinations with that. Rotate your lippies too and use up those that haven’t received some love for awhile.
I do a lot of makeup rotations so I don’t wear the same looks all the time and my stuff gets used more. I also have an inspiration board on Pinterest to give me new ideas. Maybe there is a tutorial or two on youtube but they are all the same that I feel they put you in a rut if you’re not in one already!
I’m not habitual in my makeup. Cheeks and brows are areas where I tend to use the least variety of product, but eyes and lips, I’m constantly rotating and digging up things I’ve ignored. I rediscovered naked 3 for a few weeks, then MJ frivoluxe (but that purple man..so beautiful, but such a pita) and now I have moved on.. it’s Huda Mauves of the moment 🙂
I don’t feel as in a rut ever having tons of goodies to choose from that I rotate daily pretty much. I’m also no make up guru or on media taking much big fish lips makeup selfies (Lol!) or wear to the moon highlighter which I do have and all that stuff but wear it minimal. Everything well blended especially blush/overall face i’m pale but like to play with new eyeshadows or lipstick. Pretty natural most days. A bit more for evenings!
Shop my stash, watch some you tube videos, get a makeup application, and or buy something new.