Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The state of my makeup +

I've been in the daunting process of cutting down on what I own right now. It's at a point where it's becoming overwhelming to select what I want to use for an everyday basis. Blogging is something I do as a hobby and enjoy, but I think everyone has a personal threshold as to what they can handle in terms of organization and usage. 

Not to mention that items go rancid after a while...Will I ever go through and use all of my makeup before it goes bad? That's a question that I've been asking myself for some time. Eyeshadows are powder and will last, but think of all the cream/liquid products, they go bad after a while. 

So anyway, I figured I wanted to show you how much I've purged in the past couple of weeks alone: 

now to be fair, some of the MAC pigments will come back in my stash, since there's like 10 or so that I want to keep. But first, I need to start depotting some of my eyeshadows to make some room for them.

I know it's hard to part ways with what we own since it's hard to find, limited edition, sentimental value, or just simply ... money thrown out the window. It took me a long time to even think of the idea of purging, but now that i've started...

it seriously has gotten a lot easier.  

It started with items that I never really wear, or shades that look similar...it was a quick bulk of items, like about 95% of the purge pile. Then the second round consisted of physically testing items to see if I find it flattering or not -- there were only a few items that I found unflattering. 

I'll be working on face (like foundation, primers, etc) and blushes on another weekend. That will be easy since I don't own many items from those categories. We'll see if I even get rid of any blushes...maybe a couple of backup items, but maybe 5 blushes that aren't backups.

onto the photos:




There's also a small box of older MAC and Rock and Republic eyeshadows (not pictured)

I hope someone finds this somewhat inspirational to purge items that you really don't use or need. It's really a liberating experience. I feel so much better.

I don't know if I'll do a blog sale because going to the post office gives me more anxiety than going to the dentist. Some of it will go to friends, as for the rest...that is yet to be seen.

Please feel free to share your stories of organization, purging, or any questions in general... :) 



18 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your purge! The initial steps are hard but I love the liberated feeling afterwards. I give my excess to family and friends so I don't feel so bad about dumping barely used stuff or wasting money.

    My purging is ongoing, taking out unused items as I purchase new ones that I like better. I try to keep my makeup in one large drawer so that helps me contain and use what I have. It's a continual struggle, though, as there are so many enticing new makeup products introduced each season. Sigh!

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    1. i totally understand how you feel. in terms of helping to pick out what you want to purchase --

      lip products are always changing formulas and textures, so you may not feel the need to buy a lipstick at that moment, since probably a year from now there may be a better formula. eyeshadows on the other hand, most companies don't really reformulate the textures...

      i may do another round of major purging in about 4 months or so. i'm glad i had the courage to start doing it :)

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  2. I totally get your reasons for purging. Ive got to that point at the moment and have put a ban on buying anything new unless vital! I think we all get swayed by the latest blush/lipstick/foundation. I'm doing good at the moment though :) x

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    1. yes ! totally know what it's like to feel the 'need' to buy something on the spot. good for you for halting your purchases (for the moment at least). keep us updated how your ban is going :)

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  3. You are so right about what a liberating experience it is. I just did this not too long ago and I feel soooo good! I'm so proud to have finally narrow down to five eye shadows that I use in regular rotation now that I have found Burberry Beauty to be my favorite, haha. Yes, they are pricey, but totally worth it for me considering I've had them for little over a year and have hit the pan on three of them now! I've never done that with any other eyeshadow I have owned in my life!
    Most of my stuff I gave away to friends. I just wanted it out of my hands since I couldn't stand to think about how much money I had blown on cosmetics! Unfortunately for me, this wasn't my first time purging of stuff, I've been through the cycle quite a few times because it was so hard for me to depart with so many items or because I let it grow again, but now I think I have it under control considering how much I gave away all at once instead of a few items at a time....at least I pray I do! Lol
    Great post and good luck with going through your collection!
    x Naomi

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    1. i wish i can cut down my eyeshadows to less than 10 shades. all of us go through purging more than once...but this was the first time i did the serious elimination of items.

      thank you for your support :)

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  4. i should really do something like that!! good for you for doing it!

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  5. Wow, that drawer of pigments is droolworthy... but if you don't use it, kudos on your purge!

    (Feel free to send them my way :D)

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    1. lol i think the pigments will be sold on ebay...not sure yet. some of them are worth quite a bit more than what they originally sold for.

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  6. Good for you! There is no better way to feel free than to get rid of the excess.

    I don't have too many makeup things. I am (or try to be) minimalist, because excess weighs me down. I think my whole stash fits in medium size makeup bag, but still sometimes I feel, that I have too much... Ok, maybe not too much ;) But I really like to have only things I love. So my sister is on a winning position - what doesn't have my love, goes to her.

    BTW, when I see all those LMdB beauties (and other beauties as well), my hands start to shake ;)

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    1. i'm so jealous that all you own makeup wise fits in a makeup bag. my stuff is in drawers. sigh.

      i'm glad you like my pretties :D

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  7. Funny, I'm doing the exact same thing right now. And you're right...once you get started, it is so much easier than it seems. Getting started is the hard part.

    And like yours, my collection had grown to the point where it became a chore to choose my makeup every day. But I'm not quite as brave as you are! I just can't bear to part with some of my goodies!

    If you have a blog sale, just schedule a carrier pickup. I haven't actually set foot inside a post office in ages...

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    1. what has helped me is purging quite a bit and having it sit in a box in a closet. if in a month you havent reached for it, then just get rid of it.

      thank you for the recommendation xoxo

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  8. Congratulations on your purge-- this makes me feel cleansed just looking at it!! Fantastic post!!

    I was just nominated for a Liebster Award, and have thus nominated you and your fantastic blog! xx Lola

    http://lolassecretbeautyblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/liebster-award-2.html

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    1. thank you for liking the post and nominating me too xoxox it means a lot that people really do read my blog :) <3



      and everyone thank you for the support. i seriously felt odd posting about this, since i didn't want to be labeled as a hoarder.

      -p

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    2. I loved this post!! You are so welcome for the Liebster-- your blog is one of my favorites, and you are infinitely deserving of many awards!

      I don't think that you should feel in the least bit odd in posting this-- it gives us pause to think about how much we have that we don't use--uhem, especially for those of us who are also bloggers (since we seem to have a tendency to collect more than our saner non-blogging counterparts! I wouldn't label you a hoarder-- this is one of the side effects of beauty blogging! :-)

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  9. Way to go on your purge! It is very freeing to go through & do that. I usually set things aside for a month. If I don't miss them in that length of time, then I often pass along to friends/family. In the past I've also put up a swap/sell list on a forum that I participate in regularly. That pile of lip products has me drooling on my keyboard!

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