How do you resist a "collect them all" mentality?
For me, it’s been a lot of trial and error to gain self-awareness of that type of mentality, where I suffer most from it, and then just reminding myself why it’s not a healthy mindset for me. I often review all shades in a makeup formula, so I can get away with it there, but I’ve noticed it in other spaces, like if I love a shirt, shoe, or bag style, I might buy it in several colors.
The more expensive the item, the less healthy it is to do, especially as I like variety so it’s better to save room in the budget for variety over having all the colors of a particular product!
— Christine
I realize that not every shade in every collection will work for me. Why buy something that I will not be able to use. I just buy what will be used and loved by me, rather than buying things that will do nothing but collect cobwebs and eventually end up in the trash.
It’s not an issue for me as I rarely feel the need to collect or buy everything from a collection. It’d have to be a spectacular collection with a reasonable cost to get me to buy like that!
For the most part, I don’t think I have a “collect ’em all” mentality, which is probably why I’ve never purchased a “vault” release, nor have I ever bought an entire collection. There are always products/shades that don’t appeal to me or that I don’t need so I get much more enjoyment (and practical use) picking and choosing what I like from any release.
I guess I’m fortunate to be too picky to have a “collect them all” mentality. Though I do suffer from a “collect a lot” mentality, which extends outside of beauty. Right now I’m contemplating buying the exact boots I already own in the other color they come in because I like them so much.
I used to have that mindset, but I have a pretty well rounded collection now. I’m content picking up one or two shades from any release knowing what looks good on me or if it’s completely unique to my collection.
I don’t have that urge. I will however, like others, if I find a pair of cute and comfortable shoes, I will buy other colors. Same with tops. I shy away from pastels as they wash me out and it kills me that colors are more “on trend”. I’ve passed on multiple purchases of practical pieces because they don’t have more colors.
I think if I were younger with my current resources, I would be more susceptible to having a collection. I’m trying to downsize these days. I’m not trying to be morbid and consider myself young, but I would hate to go and be mortified of my “stuff”. I’m starting to hate clutter and that definitely overrides any desire to have a “complete collection”
I definitely have the collector’s mentality but I’ve become aware of it. I just realized the other day that I had been taking it a step further and not using the pretty things I’ve bought because collector’s keep collectibles in original packaging and pristine condition. WTF? Makeup is not a collectible so I’ve been pulling things out, ditching package when necessary, and making use of the stuff! I remember reading a comment on some blog that went something like “makeup is the paint, not the painting”.
I used to have a tendency to collect if I liked a particular formula, usually lipsticks or blushes. I realized over time that something better would inevitably surface down the road and there was no way I could possibly use up what I had on hand before that happened. That tendency is over for me and that’s a good thing.
I also used to collect and not use compacts with beautiful embossing. It’s a waste of space and I know I cannot be the person to use it and destroy it, so I pass. I donated all my collection 2 years ago. Right now my fingers are itchy for that skull embossed Melt h/l. I’m going to have a very VERY difficult time not purchasing. If I buy it, I doubt I would be able to bring myself to use it.. sigh. I’m not perfect.
I don’t think I’ve ever had that problem, even though I’m a dyed in the wool makeup addict. I was buying the ABH palettes regularly from MR up until Sultry, but it’s because I liked them and not out of “duty.” Now even that’s worn off and I really only buy one if it catches my eye, like Jackie’s. No other ABH palette since Sultry excited me but hers did.
I did go a little wild on the holiday Hourglass palettes from fear of missing out, but I’ve never collected them in the past and they’re already coming in very handy.
Agreed!
First of all, the collection has to speak to me on a personal level to make me jump in on the bandwagon. For example, MAC’s recent collab with Pony Park got me hooked because 1.) the aesthetic appealed to me as I am more into subtler looks versus bright colors, and 2.) I am a sucker for anything celestial-themed. In comparison to previous collections/releases that I could pass up, this got me hooked as it ticked all of my boxes.
Second, I just pick and choose which items I really wanted or suited me, and which ones I’d be okay with not purchasing. Not all highlighter, blush, or lipstick shades in a collection will look great on my skin tone, so I buy only what I know will work well, and then not bother with those that I’m sure I would regret buying ‘just to collect’ even if it will absolutely look unflattering on me.
I just don’t have that mentality. 😆
I don’t have to have it all, just one item that works. I like to have the choice, but I’ll just pick one. 20+ foundation releases? Great! Why bother if one doesn’t have a color range or finish for me? I have plenty to choose from.
Only because I’m so picky am I able to resist that mindset! For instance; I love Pat McGrath Mothership and her smaller e/s palettes a lot, but not *all* of them are my taste. So, I only buy ones I believe that I’m going to love and get tons of use out of. That said, I did just buy her most “out there” Mothership, Subversive!
Also, I don’t want to wind up getting any more buried in “things” than I already am. As it stands, I already have far more stuff than I truly need, and I find that overwhelming. My large storage closet is in desperate need of a major culling!
The best thing for me has been ~actually~ collecting “them all” of something, and then really paying attention to how dissatisfying it was!
I appreciate having only 1, maybe 2 items in identical packaging. If I want to reach for Ruby Woo I don’t want to sort through 20 MAC bullets to find it. I want it to be the one MAC bullet I have, so I can get right to it.
My “collect them all” mentality manifests in a specific way. I thankfully don’t feel like I HAVE to have, for instance, every single one of the 100 new colors in a lipstick formula relaunch. For me, instead, it’s about wanting to have every green eyeshadow palette, or green lipstick, or try every metallic or glittery lip formula. (it manifests in non-makeup ways, too… I love insects and so I “have” to have every cool piece of jewelry, book, or whatever else I see with a neat bug on it. As I’m typing this I’m even drinking tea out of a bug mug, although in my defense it was a gift from my MIL, lol)
I try to fight the mentality by asking myself if the item in question really fulfills a unique niche in my collection. Does that new green palette have enough colors that are distinct from other colors I already have, or is it a better formula, or is it much more travel-friendly? Does that new metallic lip formula come in a color I don’t already have? And of course, Temptalia reviews help, too. It doesn’t matter how cool a green lipstick looks in the tube if it ends up going on in a sheer swampwateresque wash of bleh.
Looking at my collection of berry lipsticks one would be forgiven in thinking that this is a major problem for me, however, technically, they aren’t from the same collection. I honestly don’t think I have ever purchased all the iterations of one product. I am guilty of finding the perfect pair of jeans and then buying 2 or 3 since brands change the style, fit, etc so often. The only area where I have purchased everything, or as close as you can get, is in a particular glass pattern that I have collected since leaving college. Whenever I find a piece of that pattern I automatically buy it as you never know when you will break a piece and then not be able to find it again. In 45 years of collecting this particular pattern, I have never seen a soup bowl. Surprisingly enough, my daughter doesn’t like anything that I collect except that particular set of dishes so while I have been getting things together to downsize, she doesn’t want me to get rid of those dishes. In general, I tend to be a “flower” kind of girl so I love hand painted china/porcelain. That is definitely not her and since she doesn’t want to have to deal with it all when something happens to me, I have begun the process of deciding what to keep and what to get rid of and who should get what. It is weird to be thinking of getting rid of things that you have spent your entire life collecting!!
So with you about the jeans!
Beauty is, to some extent the vice that I give myself a pass on, but I do have to resist a tendency to want to buy all the colors and all the finishes. For me it is the thought that no matter what I buy, I will never “kill” the desire to buy more. I just acknowledge that the desire will always be there, but I can control my actions. I try to pause and take into account my long term goals (reasons to save) and moral dilemmas (thinking about mica mining practices, plastic use (oil industry, extraction, emissions) and methane emissions from landfill waste, plastic particles and other makeup solvents entering waste waters/the ocean, the overall affect of beauty commerce on the environment).
I do have the “collect them all” mentality about Pokemon though, lol. Still play Pokemon Go when I walk to work ?
I never had any in the first place, thankfully!
I collected Deborah Lippmann nail polish for a few years. DL started releasing so many collections that I accepted that I could never catch up. I also collected MAC, but then EL acquired them and the same thing happened. Those experiences have demolished my urge to collect.
I don’t have a ‘collect them all’ mentality as most collections just don’t work for me. I only pick the items that suit my colouring and fit in with the stash I already have.
Not too well when it comes to Pat McGraft, Juvia’s Place, Natasha Denona and Coloured Raine I feel the urgent need to collect all of their palettes. Since I know their shades will be pigmented enough for my skin tone and I want to support them.
This is a hard one for me, as I love to collect. However, I never feel compelled to collect everything in a release, or collect everything put out by a brand. I’m more “I want every fuchsia lipstick, or bright eyeshadow palette, or coral blush, or duochrome anything, or…”
Lack of funds for everything is always a deterrent that works. I hate wasting money, because I spent so much of my life being poor. Low quality items are easy for me to resist. It’s also easy when there are shades I know won’t work for me. Otherwise, if I have dupes, I remind myself of that. I remind myself that duping too much is a waste of money and space. I think about how much I’ll really wear the product. I think of what else I could buy with the money, or save towards a vacation.
I think for me it’s just a deeper understanding of what really looks good on me , what works with my skin tone / eye color and trusting that.
mega palettes or lipstick sets or blushes may only contain a few colors that really work for me so it’s an easy pass.
I didn’t resist very well until last Spring when we moved from our house of 40 years and into a condo. Although they are about the same size, the process of sorting and packing really opened my eyes. I’m not even close to perfect but so much better than I was.
I was also able to donate unopened products and samples to women’s shelters.
It’s very challenging for me…I love full collections and eyeshadow palettes especially when there is a theme. I have to ask myself always two things: #1) How much of the products are usable for me in terms of right shade and/or color as well as #2)Is this something I really need and will get much usability or do I just like the theme or the colors and it turn into more of a “decoration”? Also it takes so much self control not to get caught up in the hype and to purchase something because I will use it and not just because I like the person/company that produces it!!!
I had a really difficult time resisting temptation last year. It was the result of being sick and housebound, with a realisation I had aged a bit (and I needed to find makeup looks that suited an older me) and the receipt of a really rubbish beautylish lucky bag in 2017. Man, that just tipped me over the edge. I reacted by buying every potentially flattering eye palette I could find. And while on any cosmetics house site, I would stumble across the brand’s lip products. Ugh. I bought 10+ palettes or lipsticks of so many ranges, I am shaking my head at how badly I allowed myself to be sucked into a vortex of beauty FOMO. I have learned my lesson (and found my new flattering makeup look too, due in no small part to your site, thank you Christine, so not all bad lol!).
Luckily my “collect them all” stage happened when I was into drugstore makeup more than higher end. I bought all the Revlon lip crayons and butter lipsticks (?), Nyx eyeshadow quints, Milani single eyeshadows, ELF and WnW blushes, Milani lip liners, NYX eyeliners, Rimmel eye crayons, Maybelline Eye Tattoos, Loreal Infallible singles, and the list goes on.
What broke me of the habit was my first declutter. Seeing how little I used once I had my favorites was a wake up call and I’ve never even been tempted to repeat that buying style. As a tiny defense, all these purchases were in the first year or two after I rediscovered cosmetics in my late 40s and i had no idea what i was doing.
I realize now that, for me, buying an entire collection makes as much sense as buying all the shades of a foundation.
I have gotten really good at waiting at least 24 hours before placing an order. Usually that will let me have a cool off period where impulse buys I won’t ACTUALLY use can be talked down. Also, I’ve structured my eyeshadows to be more about singles than palettes, so I can choose shades that fill gaps and not get stuck with palettes where I only use half the shades.
1. Trial and error. Then move on.
2. Pay cash only.
3. At the risk of sounding cliche, cultivate happiness and contentment in multiple areas.
4. Do nice things for others (like quietly paying off a Christmas lay-away when you know kids are involved or adopting a family for the holidays through a local food pantry).
Temptalia reviews. That really helps. Nothing lower than B+, EVER. But mostly in the A range because when there is so much variety available why settle? (That is good dating advise too isnt it? LOL) Also shades that dont work for my skintone (too dark/orange bronzer, copper/brown blush, brown or frosty lipstick) or colors that are dupable or that are a dime a dozen (looking at you frosty white anything). I also try to scale back on colors I rarely wear (crazy color lipstick, red lipsticks, light colored eyeliner, and brow products cuz I have micro bladed ones, etc). I also prioritize limited edition. Also cost is a factor in getting a one off special item vs collecting them all. I also don’t like sheer or patchy anything really. Or products/shadows I have to use water or mixing medium with because I know I wont and they will sit unused. I also avoid kits with stuff I wont use or have already or duds cuz I used to buy every holiday lip kit and pigment kit. But really temptalia is the key- it really helps to the point I wont buy something cuz I cant find a good review and temptalia has not posted it yet. I salute you!