I think it’s good to deliberately rotate through different products or by taking a moment every few weeks to pull out something that you know you haven’t used in awhile. My other tip is to keep things accessible and organized–the easier it is to find and use, the more likely you’ll be to use it. It should be organized in a way that makes sense for how you pick or look for your products!
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I think a big part of it, at least for me, is to make sure I’m regularly cycling out products. I like to go through once or twice a year and make sure my products aren’t expired and ask myself how long it’s been since I’ve used a product and if I love it enough to use it again. If I’m not sure, I’ll use it for a week or two and get reacquainted, and if it just isn’t doing it for me, I cycle it out. It keeps my collection small enough that I’m not overwhelmed with products and therefore more likely to use the products I have.
I do a weekly makeup box and pick out a few different palettes to use each week along with blushes and lippies. My base usually stays the same as well as my mascara. i don’t know why but I haven’t even been bothering with highlight so it hasn’t been making it into the weekly makeup box.
Like many here, I have a lot of cosmetics and tend to get in the “rushing-ready-rut” so I fall back on the same products most of the time. I find it helpful to get out things I’ve not used in some time but to do this the night before so that another e/s palette or duo, blush or lipstick is ready at hand on my bathroom counter so I can remember to use something I’ve not used in a while. (just did this with the TooFaced Chocolate BonBons palette).
Using a randomizer app is the only way I end up using a lot of my collection. I use it for face primer, eyeshadow palette, setting powder and finishing powder. It helps me use everything and also helps me try different combinations so I can figure out what works and what doesn’t. I gave myself one “freebie” palette – Tarte Clay Play Face Shaping I – so that I can always have neutrals available if the day’s palette selection needs them.
What randomizer app do you use? I’ve never thought of this idea but I love it! I feel like it would actually force me to use all the palettes I have.
I use Decide Now. It’s great! You can deactivate selections as you use them so it forces you to use everything.
My system is about the same: try to circulate products in/out of my routine periodically; and, I do keep everything on countertops because out of sight, out of mind.
Also, unless I have something going on, I use weekends to experiment so it keeps makeup more fun than task, and this brings various products into my daily routine.
Since I know that I do a lousey job of utilizing my entire collection, I will actually be reading other’s comments for some ways in which I can achieve this better than currently. I do believe that half of the problem is that my collection got too large and unwieldy and as a direct result, disorganized.
For me, organization is key, and to make sure I’m rotating my products. With a large stash like mine, it’s easy to lose track of things and rarely or never use them. Regular destashes helps with this, too.
Shopping my stash. I love to get new things, of course, but for me there’s no point in buying something just to use it for a fun trend that I’ll be bored of in a few months. Odds are, I have something that will work.
Reading blogs, watching YouTube, and checking out Instagram and Pinterest are helpful for giving me new ideas for using what I have.
On days I don’t wear makeup, or wear very little, just before I wash my face at bedtime, I pull out a palette, some pencils, etc and try some combinations I never tried before. The fact it is going to get washed off right away loosens the restraints and I can be pretty wild with it.
I switch out my lipsticks that go on my vanity twice a year. I have corals/pinks/nudes/reds when spring starts and throughout the summer then when fall hits I bring out the browns/deep reds/darker colours. I still keep the ‘out of season’ shades in a drawer but it gives me more inspiration to not be seeing the same lip shades all the time. Once every couple of months I’ll pop a bunch of colours in a larger sized palette and get inspiration from that. I’ll also ‘retire’ products that don’t perform well or that I have better dupes of.
Since I keep my make-up collection minimal (for most things I own just one product, that I use it up until moving to a new one) I don’t have this issue. 😆
Except with eyeshadows and face powders (blushes, contour, bronzer)… there I need some color variety. With those I just throw them away after 3 years from manufacturing date (I use checkcosmetics.com ) and most times I barely hit pan… so my trick for getting most use of them is to use blushes and contour shades as eyeshadow, or using eyeshadows as highlighters.
The trick that works for me with eyeshadow and lipstick colors I don’t use that often (but I need in my collection just in case) is to make a point of using each eyeshadow or lipstick I own at least one in a 2-3 weeks span. Gotta find a reason to wear those dark-vampy lipstick colors and colorful eyeshadows… you’ll just see me wearing a blue eyeshadow randomly.
I just recently completed my first cycle through my stash and I’m very pleased. Couple of months back I started devoting a week or two (depending on how many shadows of that brand I own) to one particular brand eyeshadows. It required me to get creative and use my collection which is amazing. I also incorporated that weeks brands blush, highlighter, bronzer when I could. I just started over and now I’m forcing myself to use shades I didn’t the first time.
As you and other readers above have suggested – rotate through your eyeshadow palettes to ensure that they get used and loved, which is what I regularly do.
Another tip is to buy only one blush, mascara and brow pencil and use it up. I only have two foundations on the go at one time – a HE one and an everyday one.
I always get lost in my collection especially eye shadow palettes and lippies. I just use new palettes for a few days then move on and barely use again. Due to limited space, I cannot see all my lippies in sight and I always reach for same lipsticks. I need to organize/downsize my collection so that I can see and rotate to use them.
Every day I decide what look I want to do for the next day. Then I go through my stash and bring everything out and have it set out for the next day. I love doing different looks and setting everything out the day before in the order I use it ensures that it’s streamlined and I’m out the door on time. In this way I’m using different palettes and products all the time, so rotating isn’t a problem for me and I declutter as I go as well. I love reading how everyone else manages their makeup, it’s nice to compare.
I rotate my makeup items all of them everyday and like to go through my shelves often to organize, move things/colors forward according to season and keep them clean. Often this way I’ll get rid of something I don’t enjoy anymore or an item that doesn’t do its job well anymore ir never did is out. Right now I’m shopping through my own stash don’t want to increase the amount although it is so tempting always. Huh! Lol!
Hi!
I love this suggestion! I’m a huge believer in doing routine sweeps through our every growing makeup collections and seeing what is old, maybe what I’m not using, rotating in new products or formulas that are better suited for the season, & also making sure that I can see/ have things displayed in a way that make sense to ME! I think we all can easily default to using the same products over and over again that are within reach of happen to be in our makeup bag. Meanwhile, we have all this other exciting makeup that isn’t getting any of our love. When you routinely go through makeup, whether to tidy up a bit or just go through inventory and play it’s a nice way to get re-Inspired and feel like you have all new makeup! We so often forget what we actually have because it’s been stashed away out of site!! Dig in, put things in your bag or on your vanity that you haven’t worn in a while! Pull out some “new” favorites and challenge yourself to mix it up!!
Lastly, just because one way of organizing makeup works for One person doesn’t always mean it is going to work for you. Before investing in a vanity system or Organization concept that you’ve seen floating around on the internet or Pinterest, take a moment to really think about what YOU need, what you feel is functional for you, and create your ideal vision. Once you have a vision in mind it’s easy to work backwards and go find the things ie: vanity, drawer systems, containers that suit YOU best!! It will save you so much time and money in the long run when you’re vision is clear and you do what you know you can stick with!
Xo,
Jules