The Great Summer Purge (Second Time's The Charm?)
It's been three years since I first got into makeup big time, two since I discovered the black hole of indies, and one year since I realized that maybe (just maybe) my collection was starting to get overwhelming.
And it still is overwhelming-- despite joining Reddit's /r/MakeupRehab community, as well as reading about the immensely popular KonMari method of tidying. Last semester, I went a little bit crazy, stress-buying all over the place. This semester, I turned things around completely, going on a successful total no-buy for over four months. As it turned out though, this didn't help me deal with my collection at all, because although I wasn't actively adding to my makeup hoard... I also wasn't using any of it. My makeup and perfume usage dropped drastically this past semester, to the point where all the indie scents I'd been buying before Christmas were just lying around my desk, totally untouched.
I want to improve on both fronts. I do want to lower my mindless, anxiety-driven purchasing, but I also want to get the fullest possible use out of my makeup and beauty products. I don't think quitting cold turkey and for an indefinite period of time suits my goals, and so instead I'll be aiming to cultivate a curated collection of products I love and genuinely get use out of. I will continue to be critical of my purchasing habits with regards to certain items, specifically eyeshadow, since I have far too much of it in weird colours that I rarely have a chance to use. However, my priority will be more aggressively culling the stuff I own.
As you can probably see, my previous attempt at major decluttering didn't go so well. I've always clung to products with reasoning such as "well, I might use this for x occasion or y special event" or "it's such a shame to waste it, I'm sure there's some magical beauty blogger trick to make it work".
Nope. No more of this. The Great Summer Purge™ is back, and this time I'm going to come down hard on each and every product I own. If it doesn't "spark joy", as Marie Kondo would say, or fulfill a staple role in my routine? It's gone. And whatever's left over, I'm going to make it a point to use.
And it still is overwhelming-- despite joining Reddit's /r/MakeupRehab community, as well as reading about the immensely popular KonMari method of tidying. Last semester, I went a little bit crazy, stress-buying all over the place. This semester, I turned things around completely, going on a successful total no-buy for over four months. As it turned out though, this didn't help me deal with my collection at all, because although I wasn't actively adding to my makeup hoard... I also wasn't using any of it. My makeup and perfume usage dropped drastically this past semester, to the point where all the indie scents I'd been buying before Christmas were just lying around my desk, totally untouched.
I want to improve on both fronts. I do want to lower my mindless, anxiety-driven purchasing, but I also want to get the fullest possible use out of my makeup and beauty products. I don't think quitting cold turkey and for an indefinite period of time suits my goals, and so instead I'll be aiming to cultivate a curated collection of products I love and genuinely get use out of. I will continue to be critical of my purchasing habits with regards to certain items, specifically eyeshadow, since I have far too much of it in weird colours that I rarely have a chance to use. However, my priority will be more aggressively culling the stuff I own.
As you can probably see, my previous attempt at major decluttering didn't go so well. I've always clung to products with reasoning such as "well, I might use this for x occasion or y special event" or "it's such a shame to waste it, I'm sure there's some magical beauty blogger trick to make it work".
Nope. No more of this. The Great Summer Purge™ is back, and this time I'm going to come down hard on each and every product I own. If it doesn't "spark joy", as Marie Kondo would say, or fulfill a staple role in my routine? It's gone. And whatever's left over, I'm going to make it a point to use.
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