I might have a few days mapped out, like “I need to use XYZ tomorrow, and then ABC the netx day,” but I don’t necessarily plan out exactly how I’ll use the products or what else might get applied.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Only for special occasions and if I’m testing makeup. Since some retailers have 30 day return policy and others have 60 days, I always test all the 30 day products first. Otherwise, it depends on my mood and what condition my face is in. If I wake up with a lot of dark circles and sallow skin, I’ll stay away from dark purple eye shadow and focus on brightening the face up with blush and a cheery lipstick.
I usually have some general idea of what I want to create before I put my mirror in place and sit down to do my face. But if I have a new product or so, I go in with the idea of incorporating it or them into the look, usually. Sometimes, though, I just look at my stash or even a palette, and come up with something I hadn’t even planned on at all! It can be a fun surprise, or a fixer-upper! Haha! ?
Most of the time no. I just pick out a colour I want to wear with whatever I picked from my wardrobe and work with it sometimes.
The only time I plan a look is with my costumes and cosplays. Most of the time it’s just finding what would work for that character.
If I’m traveling, then I pick what think I would need as well and plan that way.
On a day-to-day basis, then no. For my everyday looks, I sort of wing it and gather inspiration as I go along. I only plan a makeup look for big events like attending a wedding or any other special gathering; also including Girls’ Night Out. Frankly, I’m more of a ‘plan your outfit in advance’ type of gal.
When I worked outside the home, I planned them out to save time getting ready in the morning. Now that work out of my home, I usually don’t. I will if I have to get up really early in the morning the next day. I’ll also plan out looks for special occasions or events, and may even do a run-through to make sure it all works. Occasionally, I have an outfit or a new makeup item and I automatically think, “I want to wear it with this, and this, and this, and this.”
I usually think about what I’m wearing for the day and the color family of makeup I want to use while I’m in the shower, if that counts as planning. I do think about whether I want to use coordinating or complimentary shades and whether I am going for a more neutral or a full-on look. I don’t know exactly which products I’m going to use until I actually pull out my stash and start applying.
Not really. I usually have a general idea of what I want to do though, especially for special occasions.
Only for special occasions, or when I want to try something new (product or technique). Otherwise, I just throw it together as I go!
Sometimes I’ll bookmark a tutorial and think, oh, I want to do this in the next few days or so. Another thing I do, is I have a ‘swatch sheet’ where I brainstorm colour combinations.
I love the idea of a swatch sheet, I’m going to try that!
If I have new things, I will usually have them sitting out to be used to see if I like them. So, I try to use them within a week or so. But, I still have a few things from the Holidays that I haven’t used which I am working through. If I have a special occasion, I may plan a more full face look a little ahead. I keep meaning to get some sort of box or something to help me rotate through my stash a bit better as I tend to forget about older things.
No, not at all. I do plan out how to best use skin care products, though, like “I must use up X before I open Y.”
not really but I do make a mental note of products that I love that I haven’t used lately…for example I’ve been wearing MAC I Love Winter lipstick all week since it finally feels like winter and it’s one of my holy grail lipsticks
Nah, I just roll with the punches and hope it looks good! I sometimes try to have a general idea for special occasions though, so I’m not trying to do weird experiments on a big night.
I usually have some kind of inspiration for a fancy or fantasy look- a color combination I’ve seen in a palette I have dupes for, an interesting flower, a skull mask – but even if I’m trying to recreate a look I usually change it at least a little bit.
For everyday makeup I just do base makeup and lipstick. I have certain lipsticks matched to most of my shirts haha.
I usually only plan my makeup for the next day. I lay my clothes out the night before so I usually decide what eyeshadow and blush i am wearing. As far as lipstick goes I decide that morning after I have finished my makeup to decide.
However, this week I decided to try and hit pan/use up on some products so I plan to use only certain products for the next few weeks and see how it goes. (It is going to be very hard for me as I like to change up my makeup looks everyday).
I daydream about next looks when I am putting my son to sleep. I rotate through shades and visualize techniques and combinations. It’s not always for the next day, but I find it helpful to have something fun to keep my mind working instead of worrying about other things.
I generally have a color scheme in mind since I change my hair color often. Right now it’s blue, so I’ve been using lots of purples and grays.
I only go as far as rotating palettes and blushes so they all get used on a fairly regular basis, but otherwise I wing it.
Nope, unless it’s for a special occasion like a holiday party or something where I’ve already planned out my outfit as well and I don’t want to wing in and come out looking ridiculous. If it’s really important I may do a practice run of the look to see how it works on me.
If I have things to review or a specific event where I’ve selected an outfit, then yes. Day to day, no!
Very rarely. I might have an idea of products I would like to use, but that’s it. I’ve tried this is the past and failed miserably during ‘special occasions’. I’m better off going with the flow rather than hammering down to the minute detail. I dunno why, but I end up somehow switching gears in my head, get far too anal and perfectionist, and that in itself seems to kill all creativity and freedom of application and then the look never ever seems to work out the way I want. I’m so much better at makeup if I just run with it.
I tend to plan out what I am wearing and where I am going and plan my makeup around that. OR I have a new palette that I am itching to get into and plan what I wear around that.
Sometimes if I have a certain outfit I know I’m wearing the next day I’ll think about it the night before, but otherwise it just kinda happens once I have picked out my clothes for the day (and how much time I have before I need to leave, lol.)
The only other reason to plan a makeup look is if I got some new products and I know I want to test them out in the next day or so.
Only for special occasions and if I want to try something new. If I wear makeup to work I just wear the first thing my hand touches.
I don’t plan out my specific look. But, I do have my eyeshadow palettes on a spreadsheet. I use one per week (weekdays) and make notes of any looks I especially like. I do something similar for all my blushes, which makes for a little challenge to pair up two randomly chosen color cosmetics.
I try to do this so I use everything I own & I can gauge if I really like it enough to keep in the collection.
Most definitely! Especially if it for an event, I’ve had my hair and makeup planned for nye for about a week now. But i’m meticulous like that, lol. On a daily basis I plan my morning the night before, I’m usually rushing, I don’t have time to not have it all together. I even put my lip color in my purse the night before, because I have forgotten to put it in many times before.
Nope. I do a basic eye shadow look every work day using four colors. The only thing that I change every day is the accent color in the middle of my lids which coordinates with my outfit. Yeeesss. I’ m matchy matchy like that.
Yes! I do them weekly and I have a tray (yay Christmas!) that I get everything put in on Sunday night and that is my makeup look for the week.
Only if it’s a special event where I have an outfit that I’ve planned out a few days ahead. Or if I’m going out of town and I’m not trying to take all of the makeup I own with me.
Oh yeah definitely! I pick my outfit according to my makeup look!
I really don’t plan clothing, handbags, shoes/boots or makeup ahead of time. The weather in Northern Ohio is so schizophrenic that it’s really not possible. We lead a generally casual lifestyle so planning is not needed.
If I have new colors or handbags to play with, I will plan to use within the week.