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What strategies do you have to overcome feeling overwhelmed by your makeup stash?
What strategies do you have to overcome feeling overwhelmed by your makeup stash? Share!
I feel less overwhelmed by what I have if everything is well-organized and put away – when it is all over the place or things are spilling out of a container, it seems chaotic. I also think it’s good to regularly go through and get rid of products you never use (we all have them!) – this is great to do when you feel like you have too much, because the reality is you aren’t getting rid of something you desperately love yet you’re tightening your stash up.
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I agree. And rotate through your stash, so you’re always trying new looks, so you don’t get the urge to buy new stuff because you’re bored with the same old look.
I organize them! Having stackable containers really help (thank you, Muji and Daiso).
Organizing it is half the fun for for me honestly! I love taking stock of and sorting out my stash and do it far more often than I need to, so I never really have a problem.
I get overwhelmed from sampling and trying new things, so I limit myself to trying new products like foundation, powder, concealer, luminizer, and primer when I need a replacement and using samples one at a time. Mascara too.
For colour products, I add to my stash only if it is a really unique colour that I will use, or a formula I find myself needing in a certain colour.
Eyeshadow I only buy in palette form unless it is unique, and I mostly use neutrals, so no problem there!
I also regularly go through my stash and store away stuff I don’t use for later, or if I don’t see myself using it I give it away.
I like to make challenges out of it (usually to blog about), things like a sample-only look (to use up all those sample or deluxe mini’s I’ve accumulated) or a low-end/drug-store only look. I like to re-organise and swatch things from time to time too, to help me remember why I originally bought some things and why I love them!
By hiding the items i don’t use every day in under bed storage :-S
I try to keep everything well organized like you, and I also clean out my stash on a regular basis.
I try to reorganize everything better. But I haven’t had any success at the moment.
It sounds pretty lame but to help deal with the “overwhelm-ness” and also to streamline my mornings, I purchased a little basket and the evening before, or when I suddenly think “Oh, I want to use such-and-such products”, I will take out the products I plan to wear the next day and put them in (or under, if it’s something large like a Vice palette the basket. I put in the brushes I’m likely to need as well (so I’m not continually opening the bathroom cabinet where I keep them). It’s very low tech but it helps.
Ditto on the organization. I will occasionally go through my stash and throw away old products and give away products that I don’t use anymore. My sister-in-law usually reaps the benefits lol!
Great question.
Agree with the organisation!! Every few months it’s soo fun to just look thru my drawers and re discover products. Emily Noel has. A great video on using your stash
I like to cycle through my makeup to make sure everything is still useable — not yet expired, in a shade that matches me, and still something I enjoy wearing. I have about 70 lipsticks so about two times a year I do a lipstick-a-day cycle project where I don’t repeat a lipstick shade until I go through everything in my lipstick stash. I typically can’t find anything to use towards the end so maybe by day 64 I stop the cycle and toss the last 6 pieces that I can’t seem to make myself wear anymore. This works great for blushes and eyeshadow palettes too. I enjoy it because it forces me to be more creative with makeup looks and you avoid getting in a color rut.
I actually keep most products in their boxes so I can stack them up neatly. My stash is not very big (one shelf for face and eye and one shelf for lip products) but keeping larger products like palettes, blushes, and powders in their boxes with the names easily visible really helps me feel organized and it’s easier to find what I’m looking for. Otherwise I’m flipping over eight black Nars cases before I find the blush I want.
Ironically what calms me down the most is taking inventory of and organizing my makeup. When life bugs me, I disappear into the bathroom for an hour to clean and organize. It’s a self-soothing technique. As long as all my “beautiful pretties” are in order, all is right with the world!
Don’t laugh everyone, I’m an Engineer so I love organizing and I have a word document of all my products. But besides that I’m not a hoarder and I don’t like dupes and I don’t like the thought of my makeup spoiling and wasting money. So my stash is manageable.
Lauging only because I’m an accountant and I have an Excel spreasheet.
You gals are so cute!! I used to maintain an excel sheet till about a year back. but the makeup explosion in my stash kind of made me give up maintaining the excel!
I take items I’m not using and put them in a basket under my vanity, out of sight. If I miss something, it comes right back out, but most of the time I don’t even remember what is in my basket. When my sister comes over, I give everything in the basket to her 🙂 I would rather she gets use out of it than it just sit in my collection.
Z palettes help a lot. I went from feeling like I had a bajillion eyeshadows to a reasonable amount. lol. Cleaning and tidying my vanity also help a lot. As a last resort I will also look through my stash for expired products or things that I have to admit to myself I really never use. If something is still good but I can’t say I use it, I give it to my mom.
Sometimes I still find it difficult to give away those rarely used products! I need to get real with myself & suck it up!
I keep products–with their appropriate brushes, etc.–organized by type in drawers. I regularly weed out the products that were “fails” for whatever reason, products that are past their prime, products that are no longer relevant to current looks, etc. It keeps my stash well under control and means there is always room for more beautiful goodies 🙂
I keep an eye on how many of every product I have and how much I enjoy using them. If I don’t like the way it applies, fades, or dries down I don’t buy anymore of that product formula. I give away what I don’t use, what doesn’t work for my skin tone, and I don’t mess around with expiration dates. Keeps my stash in great shape and not too big. It’s all about quality over quantity for me.
I just keep out on my vanity the products that are currently in my rotation. The rest of the stash is out of sight in drawers in another room. I routinely rotate products in and out though. I like rediscovering things that have been neglected for awhile.
I’ve just about reached the stage of having a stash and not just “some makeup” so I’m feeling totally overwhelmed by it right now. I’ve done some organizing but right now I’m trying to figure out what my system will be. My three Helmer units serve as my vanity and I’ve got some empty drawers, but I really don’t want to just toss all my lipsticks or whatever into a drawer and then have to paw through them all. So I’m looking at various storage options.
I bought a few lipstick organizers a few months ago from Amazon, stuck them in a drawer & haven’t looked back. Good luck with organizing your stash!
I use stackable containers from Muji and Daiso in drawers and train cases. So far, it’s doing wonders.
Agree… keeping things organized helps. I store all of my products in a dresser.
Top drawer: skin care testers or products I haven’t gotten to. These are separated by cleansers, serums, mask, lotions, other
Second drawer: Primers, foundation, concealers, face powder, blush
Third drawer: eyeshadow. I have stacks of palettes on one side. I use a bead organizer to store my loose powder and pigment singles. Pressed powder singles, duos, quad, and small palettes are stored in a cutlery drawer organizer. They are further sorted by brand.
Fourth drawer: Lipsticks and glosses in acrylic lipstick holders, arranged by brand. Also, eyeliners, mascara, and brow products. Pencil eyeliners are kept in a box pencil holder (of course).
Fifth drawer: Nail polish sorted by color.
I agree that organization is key (as is having enough space to actually keep everything – something I am lacking in my current apartment)! It also kind of keep a mental roladex of what I currently have. Remembering that I have dupes of a lot of things (and reminding myself that you only need so many red lippies) helps to keep my stash from exploding!
I keep all of my products on Snupps. This way I know what I have so I don’t double up on anything and I keep notes in the Snupps account where it is in my stash. Easy to find and out of sight. 🙂
This is my current situation. My skin has been doing its own thing lately so I have to adjust my makeup on a weekly or biweekly basis. So because of this, I’ve accumulated so much makeup and skin products over time that has been taking over my dresser. I’ve even outgrown my caboodle case smh. I need help with this.
In the past I’ve had skin issues like eczema or acne, and I always collected more makeup during flareups to try and conceal any imperfections! Even travelling/ changing climates has it’s own challenges with skincare & makeup. Hopefully your skin finds a balance soon! 🙂
I agree about being organized. I am doing an inventory of all of my stash and listing it all in Excel. When I am done, I will print it and keep it in my wallet which limits my need to buy. It also helps me focus on using what I have. ♥ Elle
About once a year I sell my high end makeup I no longer wear/want to Glambot. The drugstore stuff I give to my daughter. Sadly I am a sucker for new makeup, even though I have similar colors in three different brands. I need more self control!.
I organize and put away behind closed cabinet doors what’s not in the current rotation.
I avoid collecting lots of samples since I end up not using them, but I will use a sample I was curious enough to have made for me.
Organization, definitely! I put all my singles (that can be de-potted) in color-coded Zpalettes. I have labeled boxes and train cases. Cups for eyeliners, lipliners, brushes, etc. I keep all my scent samples in an old Christmas makeup set tin. That kind of thing. I have way too much fun with it, actually.
I try to rotate my through my stash, and use different products every day. I try to weed through things pretty regularly, as well. I get rid of things that have gone bad, or that I never use, or that I have a better version of.
I keep samples together and use them for camping and weekend trips. The skin care samples and all those little cards with Too Faced bronzer, Tarte blush, MUFE eyshadow, etc. powder samples on them come in handy and take up almost no room.
I keep samples together for travel too! I think it’s a great way to use them up. One of my fave finds from samples is the MUFE HD blush in 410. I have a few shades already, but the sample 410 is gorgeous & it’s lasting forever since it’s a cream blush!
I got that same sample, and loved it so much I bought the full-size for home use. I don’t think I’ve ever used a cream blush so often, but it stands up to my oily skin. I put the sample in a little tub and put it in my travel kit. It’s so long-lasting, it doesn’t need reapplying, so a little bit really does last a long time.
I agree with you Christine. I am a great fan of cleaning out your old stash – whether it be makeup, clothes or shoes. Secondly organise your remaining stash in a meaningful way to you – whether it’s by brand, colour or most favoured.
Resist the temptation to buy more products of the same kind. Rotate your products so that you are giving love to all of them equally.
Organization is key for me. I have two trays on my vanity that hold my daily use items as well as whatever color products I’m using (on rotation out of my stash at least twice a month, preferably weekly) plus anything new. I never put anything new away before it gets a chance to be used and either approved, returned, or disposed of (in the case of samples, Ipsy items, etc) unless it’s a backup for an HG item. I keep the bag and receipt until new products are tested. My brushes are kept in cup storage so they are visible, ditto with lipstick (I have a traditional lipstick holder for short ones), liners, eye crayons, etc. I limit myself on most products to a favorite few.. but collect eyeshadow. I find allowing one “indulgence” helps keep things in control. My shadows, backups, and blushes are kept in drawer organizers but nothing is stacked.. that is a big issue as to whether I can find what I want.. and will ever use it again. Out of sight out of mind.. so I keep it in sight. Depotting helped a lot with that, I was able to condense considerably and keep those products in CD cases with labels both on the side and front for easy identification. Potted cream shadows, pigments, etc are kept in bead organizer boxes, one per section so again.. nothing is stacked. I try to do a check at least every three to four months to clean out things that have accumulated, expired, etc. and either rehome or dispose of.
I buy pretty much everything new that strikes my fancy, but I don’t keep anything unless I love it. After a while it takes a lot to really catch your eye, so much of what is released is the same old thing. I seldom buy anything because it’s on sale.. unless it’s HG and I’m buying a backup, or it’s a holiday/seasonal clearance.
Depotting has made things so much easier. Though right after I organized my stash, I discovered Colourpop. Now have 15 of them. No depotting allowed with these.
I was feeling a bit overwhelmed over the weekend! I just think I have so much makeup, and it was kind of stressing me out because I haven’t really been rotating anything, but it is all organized. It’s probably time for a good purge! Especially because I did end up placing two Sephora orders during the sale 😉 …
I’m with you, Christine. I just recently did a major overhaul on all my makeup products, and didn’t realize that…..well….there’s not a THING I need. I have tons of foundations, high-end and drugstore, lipsticks, lip glosses, lip glasses, blushes, eyeshadow palettes, a million mascaras, brow pencils, primers, cleansers, facial wipes….the list goes on and on. I also noticed that I had several duplicates of makeup that I hadn’t even opened and unused, so I packaged them up and dispensed them to friends who love makeup as much as I do. And even left some aside in a box for gift-giving. I also sorted everything, just as you did, so as to reduce clutter and make it easier for me to find what I’m looking for. I’m officially a makeup hoarder. Not so mention, my husband was a bit, uhm, well let’s just say, he thinks it’s a bit ridiculous. Oops…..
I regularly do purging and seeing if my products work the same. I also try to keep them organized.
I just recently got new storage for my makeup and was able to go through and get rid of so much that i was just hoarding. I couldn’t believe what i had acquired and hadn’t even used. That has all gone to good homes and now I have a well-edited stash that I love and use. Also, my new storage is clear so that i can see everything easily so that i know what i have right off hand. Also, i have found with clear storage that since I can easily see everything, i like to keep things neat and tidy so that it looks nice also 🙂
Organization and I pass on things I don’t really use to my sisters or my mom. I would rather give it to someone who may get more use out of the product, than let it sit in my drawer.
By keeping it all organized, having designated containers to keep lipstick with lipstick, etc., and putting everything back in its place. Although, I do know that I have GOT to get better at purging the stuff that never gets used, some are eyeshadows from *perhaps* 10+ years ago? I know it’s pretty doubtful that I will ever use those ones again!