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How do you get the most out of your stash?
I think rotating through favorites/go-tos is a good way to use more products, rather than just all-time favorites. I also think that periodically taking stock of products you love (or hate) and making adjustments based on how you feel is a good way to use more of what you love. For me, I don’t personally practice that as much, since I am often testing a variety of products, so when I am not, I like to use my very favorites!
— Christine
I make a point to use different things in my stash each day. I plan out what I am wearing the night before. Just have to be more thoughtful about it. If you just plan what you wear the moment before going out the door, the more likely you’ll stick to the same ol favorites!
I break off one teeny nug at a time and don’t go back for more until the bowl is cashed (:
LMAO!
By participating in a LOTD challenge with a small group of friends. Which means that I get to use my creative thinking cap to come up with a new color combo from my stash that I may not have even thought of! Something different every day. So I get to incorporate much more of my stash this way, AND exercise my not-so-young brain (they say that staves off dementia or senility!) Very enjoyable, too! ☺
Before doing this, I often felt quite overwhelmed by my stash. Wondered if I’d actually even *get to* use it up! ?
What is a LOTD challenge??? That sounds fun!!
Probably Look of the Day.
I was thinking the same thing! Our little group is great!
I use what I have on a regular basis! Saturdays and Sundays are my makeup play days, and on Sundays I decide on a look for the week and set up my glam tray in my vanity area. I have my stash organized and displayed, so picking things to use that haven’t been in rotation for a while is really easy (and fun!).
Right now, I’m using a different eyeshadow palette (my weakness) every week or two so I can get some use out of all of them.
I am starting to develop a lipstick addiction as well, and I’ve been switching the lipsticks in my bag out every week. But now that I’ve located it, it’s going to be awfully hard not to use UD Ex-GF all the time. I’ve been looking all over for that shade and conserving the sample that came with my Gwen Stefani eye palette, then finally found not one but TWO tubes of it yesterday, in person, at the Sephora a few miles from work. I was so sure that no one had that shade in stock anymore, online or off, and I was beyond pleasantly surprised. The Sephora employee helping me probably thought I’d lost my mind because I could barely shut up about how amazed I was that it was there.
Sorry to go off on that tangent…my actual point is that switching palettes/products out every week or two is how I make sure everything is being put to good use.
The one palette a week is a really good idea. I really am gonna have to try that. I’ve been so stuck on Tarte’s tartlette palette its crazy!
Same here, I put my favorites on rotation.
I don’t really. My stash is pretty massive and I think in order to get the “best” from it, I’d really have to stop buying new products (not likely) and begin relying entirely on what I have, using things up and therefore having no option but to use what is in my stash. But I’m not going to be doing that! I will, on occasion, take out a product or two that I haven’t used in ages and put it near at hand, within easy reach, so that I will use it regularly. I did this just last week with a Nars shadow duo. Next week, it’ll be some of the Mac In Extra Dimension shadows.
This is exactly where I’m at, too! It’s hard to focus on using up older stuff when I keep acquiring new things, but I just can’t stop/ won’t stop ? I also try to move things that I am trying use closer to where I can reach for them- I am going to try to find a nice palette organizer this weekend to help the cause; my larger palettes are starting to get kind of lost in the shuffle.
My stash is not as huge as I wish it would be :), so the only thing I need to do is avoid getting into a habit of using the same product over and over again just cause I like it so much during a particular period of time. It’s a struggle when it comes to lipsticks sometimes though, cause if I like a particular color, I want it on my lips for days without a change.
1. Find different uses for products which are not working for you in the way intended when you purchased. Good examples for me: Nars creamy concealer (was it you, Mariella, who posted yesterday on the over hype post? I laughed so hard!!) . I so hates it!!! as an under eye concealer. But it is working well for me as an eye primer. GA Maestro glow foundation. I detest the feel of it worn alone as foundation. It works perfectly as a glow enhancer to other foundations or BB/CC creams. Instead of tossing these products, I’ve discovered a different use for them.
2. Make your stash more accessible. Man these Ikea Alex storage thingees are so the bomb! Reader Francine turned me onto them a couple of years ago. I finally got my stash properly organized so now it is much easier for me to grab products on the fly. I wheel over in my chair (LOL) and pull out a drawer.
I’m guilty of having spent years always sticking to a small handful of looks and it got so boring and uninspiring! I’ve upped my game and am now just loving my current collection. Now I try to be very careful not to purchase items that are too similar (Thank you Christine for your site, it’s an endless resource for helping to make wise decisions!).
I find that matching my make up looks to my wardrobe is a great way of shuffling through my collection. The changing seasons help too. For example, I tried to wear my MAC Craving lipstick in December and I thought I hated the colour. Then I tried it earlier this month and it’s now on regular rotation for spring.
Right now and for the past couple of weeks I’ve been cleaning out and organizing my stash. I’m going to try to do this twice a year. I started by pulling everything out and pitching bad or things that were not used in over 6 mos. or setting them aside if they I thought someone may want it. But, that was such an eye opener to the great products that were buried. My room is a maze though now as I have been only working on it here and there and weekends.
I’m planning to use my 9 drawer Alex for things for the current season and my larger chest for storing things that I don’t use that much. Then I’ll do this again at the start of Fall. I also am going to stick with my plan of a “weekly ” box so I use more of my stash.
I change my “weekly products” every Sunday by changing up blush, lip products or eye shadows, so I rotate through them, and I did a seasonal challenge for the first time this season where I picked products I barely used to really try and love this season, to see if they are a keeper or will be given away.
For me it was all about re-organizing my collection into clear acrylic storage on my vanity. Before, I kept them in little storage boxes and realised I was only going through my “usual” makeup bag. I got a bunch of clear acrylic makeup organizers on Amazon and now I can see everything I own with just a few glances. It also makes putting on makeup way more fun with all the possibilities!
I do rotate through my stash but the best way for me is simply having everything easily to hand. I also regularly go through my stash to see if there’s anything I’ve not been using and why. If I decide that I won’t be using it I try to donate it, usually to family, but if it’s old/broken/etc. then I bin it.
I’d like a more compact collection but there’s just too much that I love and want to keep a hold of!
I tend to rotate my stash, rediscovering products I’d forgotten I already had! Also, dependant upon which season we’re in, (say, Spring), I wear colours which look better on me at that particular time of year than at any other, so I give each season a good ‘go’. Also, every year, I take a ‘group photo’ of my entire stash to keep track of what I have without unwittingly buying any dupes.
I’ve been doing 2 things.
1) Pick a product I haven’t used yet and build around it. This helps me get into palette colors I might otherwise ignore and beauty box/gift with purchase items I haven’t opened yet. Although if it’s an item I know I will truely never use I donate it.
2) Base my makeup on the colors in my outfit. This gets me to try new color combos and forces me to pick up products I might not have used much. I’ve been doing a lot of mixing while trying to get the perfect match, so that also helps me to use products.
Both of your points are really great ideas. Sometimes I will wear an outfit so I can mix and match different makeup products.
I tend to pull a new palette each month, and a couple of complimentary singles. I’ll also swap out lip and cheek products every couple of months. A few times a year, I’ll do a major inventory and make sure that any old products are moved to my daily use (if they’re not expired) or tossed if they’ve gone bad. I’ll also give away any good products that didn’t work for me or that I just never reached for. I find it also helps me stay in control of purchasing too many dupes, when I regularly rotate through my stash and remind myself of what I have.
I try to switch it up and not run through my LE stuff too fast.
I’m guilty of hoarding my favorites and still buying everything I hear good things about. I’ll play with new products for several months (or longer) and have no problem rehoming them, but my favorites I always go back too. If I’m head over heels in love with a product, I buy a second one in case they discontinue like I’ve had happen in the past. Eyes and cheeks last forever.
Last year, I did a “eye palette of the week” challenge that I had a lot of fun doing (and stuck to it).
This year, I am doing a brand of the week challenge. The idea is not to buy a full face of makeup for ever brand, but just to make a point to use what I have of that brand & really assess what can be destashed.
Next year, I’m thinking about doing a color of the week challenge, but I haven’t quite figured out the details yet.
Simple…i have a “beauty corner” in my flat so i can see all my products when i sit down to my “desk” before to start my makeup!
For sure i have my favorites BUT i have lot of foundations so wich each foundation i change my bronzer,powder,blush,highligter and sometimes concealer too!Like that i can use most of my products 🙂
For the eyeshadows its different its more about my mood or the recent looks saw on internet,instagram&Temptalia for sure! 🙂
And for using all my lipsticks its more a love affair lol Yes!! i love textures and colors from my lipsticks so its about what my heart want to feel and also that some lipsticks remember me some memories so…(no iam not a crazy girl) 🙂
I use lipstick every day and really have too much of it. I have 2 boxes. I take a lipstick from the First Box use it one Time and then it comes into Box 2. It is hard When it comes to my favourite colours but I have to rotate, every lipstick should be used. The only exception is When I go to work, I have some colours I wear When I am working because they Last very long and Do not Need a touchup. These colours Are seperate from the others and I wear them more often.
Mascara: I usually only have 2 Mascaras in use because I Do not like them to be Open for more than 3 months. At the Moment I have more Open because I am looking for a new holy grail Mascara since Bare Minerals does sell their Flawless defintion volumizing Mascara only in the USA now and not in other countries anymore.
Foundation/powder: like Mascara I am still looking for the Perfect foundation and powder and therefore have a lot of open foundations and Different powders. I have 2 foundations I mix together for work because it is a good combination, not Perfect but at the Moment the best. When I Do not have to work I try the other foundations in Different combinations.
Mix and match. I mix colors from different palettes that will work together that’ll work on whatever look I’ve chosen for the day. I do this with shadows, blushes, mix and match foundations (especially), lipsticks, everything. I may have a color of lipstick that doesn’t work on me on its own, but when mixed with another color – POW! – it’s fantastic.
The mix & match method allows me to use products from across brands so I’m less inclined to get stuck in a rut.
I change what I wear every day, so I’m getting use out of more things. I work from home, so I can wear whatever I want. I keep everything organized and as visible as I can. I weed through my stash regularly and throw out anything that’s gone bad, and give away the rest. About a month ago I joined a makeup challenge group on Facebook that was started by a gal I met in Notoriously Morbid’s Vanishing Cabinet group. It’s been fun doing my version of whatever theme we get for the day, and I’ve found myself using some products I hadn’t used in a while.
Rotating my eye shadow palettes is the best way, I think, to get the most out of your stash – particularly when the seasons change and you are wearing different types of clothes and wanting different “looks”.
De cluttering old/unused products also helps to remind you of what you have and once loved.
I make the most of my stash by rotating products monthly. I don’t have the time in the morning fussing with products so I change out things like blush, eyeshadow, lipsticks etc and keep them in my daily makeup bag. If I’m going out for the night I’ll pull out other products when I have more time. I still don’t think I’d ever finish one blush though ?
I am probably overly OCD about using my stash. Mascara, lip stick, foundation, and cream products have open dates so I can throw out stuff in a timely manner. Eye shadows and bronzers I rotate weekly. Foundations and face primers tend to be seasonal for me. Eye primers and concealer are use until they are gone. If I use a product for a week and hate..then I pass or throw it away. Love too much to keep stuff that doesn’t make me happy.
When I buy a new product I log it into my notebook with the date of purchase. Items that are a month or less old go into one case. I also have a case full of items in which I have hit pan, or in the case of lipsticks those that are stumps. These two cases are usually the first up in the rotation. The rest of my stash is together with its like items. Some products are grouped together by season, or occasion when they are appropriate and I switch them out as needed.
I get the most out of my stash by giving away the products I never use.
I’m certain that I don’t rotate effectively through my stash. I use eye and lip colors impulsively and have a wonderful time doing so.. Skin care items are different since I have an adult daughter and granddaughter.Both have somewhat different skin types so passing samples along to them is great fun. My granddaughter borders on goth but not full goth. It’s fun to give her colors to play with. Having the three of us with different styles but still creative is very fun and little goes to waste.
I actually have a fairly small stash. Every few months, as I see new products I might like, I will “shop my stash” for a similar item first. This way, I use up what I have and keep from getting bored by using the same things over and over AND I occasionally save some moola!!