‘Tis the season for a new year and new habits, right!
For me, I think of how can I change some of my old habits, and/or establish new habits to meet my goals. In this case, it also includes my make up stash! I personally like to watch videos on YouTube as well as shorts, mainly to help me get inspired in planning my make up strategies for the new year.
Declutter!
We are now seeing several videos on YouTube on how to declutter and ever growing make up stash. It is a good time to throw out expired make up, donate gently used make up if possible. Also, make a mental note on what you are getting rid of. For instance, are the products you are throwing out have expired because you have not used them? And if that is the case why? By answering such questions allows you to be more mindful of what to purchase and not to purchase in the future which saves you some money as well as not wasting space in your current make up stash. This is an opportunity to take an inventory of your habits, then cater them to make better choices regarding your makeup buying habits going forward.
Re-organize!
I find that re-organizing my stash based on my schedule and accessibility helps me to visualize what I’m planning on what and how to use in my make up stash. You may have to change up the way you’re re-organizing your stash throughout the year, but that’s OK! The goal here is to get your products in rotation as much as possible by knowing what you already have.
Just Say No!
Determine at least one make up product that you definitely do not need to buy for the next year. This may be better determine after you have completed the first few steps above. Maybe you can determine that you have so many blushes that unless you are interested in a particular formulation that purchasing more just of them may be redundant at this point. Or, you just may have 12 too many lip glosses, and we all know the very limited shelflife of these. Therefore, you may have to ask yourself, should you purchase more of these during the next year. Or you may want to purchase products next year, however you want to drastically decrease the bottles of foundation and a press powder until you hit pan on what you currently have. Whatever it is, set a goal that would be more realistic for yourself and stick to it.
Coordinate!!
Start taking a holistic view of your make up so that is inclusive with your wardrobe, including accessories and fragrance. I find that I become very inspired with the ways that I can utilize the products in my makeup stash when I start to coordinate my wardrobe. Sometimes, I may identify certain eyeshadow pallets that I will use by season or I may have a dress that I think it is ok, however, the look is amplified when I combine that dress with an amazing eyeshadow, palette, and paired up with a nice lippie. This mindset, helps me to extend my make up stash well into what I am wearing down to my fragrances and accessories. Do not be afraid, starts watching some shades with some of your wardrobes to see what pairs up. Check out images for inspiration and remember that the goal is to use your individual style to maximize what you already have.
Rotate, Rotate!
Plan on rotating your make up stash so that you could get some use in at least some of these products that you have during the next year. For me, I like to plan out what I’m wearing for the week and pull out my make up stash that will complement my wardrobe. I pull out a couple of eyeshadow palettes along with maybe one or two bottles of the foundation, a statement blush, and a subtle blush for my weekly rotation.
Track your progress!
Tracking your progress is extremely helpful and will keep you motivated to use the product that you already have. Also, it helps you to identify some of your habits when selecting and using your products in your make up stash. You’re able to ask the question as to why you’re using a particular eyeshadow palette? Is it because it’s just easier to grab or there’s an easy color story for you to work with or something else? I find that by posing such questions, I’m able to hone in on my own shopping versus usage habits.
Overall, these are just some suggestions above that I wanted to share in hopes that it will help you to start thinking about how to at least start thinking about using your make up stash for the next year. Remember, there is no one way to achieve maximizing your make up stash, but it is very important to at least start setting some goals. Your goal should at least be realistic enough to track and measure your progress during the year. Hopefully, this process can help you think twice before buying that new pallet release that you may already have so many dupes or the 50th golden bronze highlighter that you more than likely do not need. Instead, you are put back into the creative mindset where you can be inspired by the combined different looks rather than focusing on only the products that you have.
Happy Stashing!
Misaglow
