Resolution "LOW-BUY" 2015

[shellygrrl]

Today's makeup... * MUFE Step 1 - Mattifying Primer (across forehead) * MUFE Step 1 - Smoothing Primer (across nose) * MUFE Ultra HD Foundation - Y205 * OCC Skin Conceal - Y1 * MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer - NW15 * Anastasia Brow Powder Duo - Ash Brown * NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base * MAC Paint Pot - Nice Composure * MAC Blush - Next to Skin (contour) * MAC Mattene Lipstick - Personal Pick

 

[veronikawithak]

Love the idea of doing a yearly purchase inventory. I can probably do my total now as well.. I don't plan to purchase anything else until the beginning of next year.

2015 MAKEUP PURCHASES

Lipsticks: 2. One dusty rose shade and one wine shade. I had used up or tossed all of my other lipsticks so these are the only ones I have at the moment. Pretty happy with this area for now, but I'll probably pick up a couple more next year for Spring/Summer.

Lipgloss: A Bite set of 12 minis. I have 5 left. When those are gone I'll probably replace them with one or two shades in full sizes. Going to try and avoid the mini sets in the future.

Blush: 1. A matte rose shade. This is the extent of my blush stash.. I'm enjoying seeing progress on it since I use it every day, but next year I'll probably purchase one or two more in different shades for Spring/Summer.

Eyeshadow Primer: 1. Replacement. My only one and I'm happy with it.

Eyeshadow: 2. Kept one of these but gave the other away. Also purchased a palette in February but returned it. Enjoying making progress in my RAL 9 palette and the one loose shadow I kept. I'm excited about maybe hitting pan on things at some point now that I'm not drowning in stuff.

Mascara: 3. I try to only have one at a time so these were all replacements. I currently just have one and will probably need to replace it in January. I have a few that I like and prefer to just stick with those so I rarely get them through GWP or points, sadly.

Contour Powder: 3. Kept two and passed the other one on. I may downsize to just one but for now I'm enjoying playing with both. I don't expect to buy any next year.

I think that's it.. I can't remember buying anything else, aside from some samples which are all gone. Around 13 items and two of those I gave away. I'm pretty happy with that since it's close to 10 and that was my original Low Buy goal a couple of years ago.

As for next year, I plan to purchase a foundation, 1-3 lipsticks, 1-2 blushes, 1-2 lipglosses, an eyeshadow primer, and 2-4 mascaras. So 7-13 items total, which is consistent with this year and I felt comfortable with that. I'm at the point where I don't need to do any downsizing anymore, just using things up and replacing them.. which is where I've been wanting to be. A couple of years ago I felt so out of control and frustrated with myself but that has definitely changed. So grateful for this thread and everyone here. It really helps to share the journey with people who understand. So thanks everyone!

 

[Anaphora]

Well, I've been in and out of here bunches, but I've been doing better. I sorted through all my makeup and am going to list a lot on the CB and give some away to friends. I have more than I could ever use and finally accept that. I only bought 5 things from the VIBR sale, and nothing for the two months before that. I'm also promising myself not to buy another foundation until I use up at least 2 of my current ones (I have 4).

All of you ladies are so great with your self-control! It's inspiring to read this thread. I recently moved out from living with my husband, so money is tight and I need to low-buy more than ever. I also want to actually read the book I bought about de-cluttering now that I'm living in a tiny 250 square foot micro studio! I definitely have to downsize some of my stuff.

 

[kerry-jane88]

I think I'm on one of the longest no buy streaks I've had in a while - 11 days! Which is ridiculous really but for me it's pretty eye opening. I'm toying with a no buy for the rest of the year but then I don't want to set myself up for failure and then let myself get carried away if I break. Maybe an extreme low buy would be better for me at this tentative stage where my spending is genuinely slowing down? Like one beauty product per week / total 4 a month? Especially as I really don't want to see my stash grow after all the hard work I've done purging these past couple of years. Rules I'm thinking of are: if you have two of a similar product then you don't need a third - that kind of thing! Hmm maybe I can do a no buy for this month and let myself have my 4 items for dec?

 

[Buffy89]

Well, I've been in and out of here bunches, but I've been doing better. I sorted through all my makeup and am going to list a lot on the CB and give some away to friends. I have more than I could ever use and finally accept that. I only bought 5 things from the VIBR sale, and nothing for the two months before that. I'm also promising myself not to buy another foundation until I use up at least 2 of my current ones (I have 4).

All of you ladies are so great with your self-control! It's inspiring to read this thread. I recently moved out from living with my husband, so money is tight and I need to low-buy more than ever. I also want to actually read the book I bought about de-cluttering now that I'm living in a tiny 250 square foot micro studio! I definitely have to downsize some of my stuff.

Quote: Originally Posted by kerry-jane88

I think I'm on one of the longest no buy streaks I've had in a while - 11 days! Which is ridiculous really but for me it's pretty eye opening. I'm toying with a no buy for the rest of the year but then I don't want to set myself up for failure and then let myself get carried away if I break. Maybe an extreme low buy would be better for me at this tentative stage where my spending is genuinely slowing down? Like one beauty product per week / total 4 a month? Especially as I really don't want to see my stash grow after all the hard work I've done purging these past couple of years. Rules I'm thinking of are: if you have two of a similar product then you don't need a third - that kind of thing! Hmm maybe I can do a no buy for this month and let myself have my 4 items for dec?

Wishing the best to both of you! I've noticed as well that I've got more than I could ever use, my no-buy is really eye opening to me. I do look at pages like the Mac Lovers/Junkies groups on Instagram for swatches, mostly to see pics of products I already own (all those lip colors which are popular at the moment, like Brave, Soar, Velvet Teddy, etc.) so that I can admire my own stuff all over again. There are lots of photos showing stashes of bigger or also smaller size, and nowadays, I'm mostly appaled by those huge collections of unused items. So I guess my no-buy cold turkey project is showing some success now. I also think it's harder to avoid shopping this time of the year with all those holiday specials and gift sets. Strangely, although I didn't spend money on makeup, I've spent more than usually this month, and I kinda cannot "see" what for, because I didn't purchase material stuff. I went to two concerts this month, plus beverages at the venue and records and money for transportation, and I did splurge on food (orders/takeaway coffee etc.) more, but it all had to do with social experiences/friends.
Concerning my project pan, Bare Again lipstick is almost finished and I think I'm tossing one of the fluidlines (Nightshade). It's horrible as a liner because it's so sheer and patchy, and it didn't work as a cream shadow. I wanted it so badly back then, but I didn't even swatch it myself before I bought it in store, so I've learned my lesson now.

 

[dodotheextinct]

Wow everyone's done such a great job this year so far. Keep up the good work we're almost to the end of the year!

I thought I would put in my thoughts as this time of year I always purchase more makeup and skincare than I should. For the Sephora VIB sale I picked up only things for myself (which is huge because I always purchase beauty items for others that always bumps me up into VIB Rouge status). I picked products that I was interested in trying out and I think I did good and am extremely excited for the new items to come in. Thankfully I didn't make it to VIB Rouge this year but just barely made it to VIB so this is pretty big in terms of saving money and not spending all of my paycheque at MAC or Sephora.

2015 Makeup Purchases

Face
- Etude House Cotton Fit BB Cream
- Canmake Powder Refills x2
- Hourglass Ambient Edit Palette
- Physician's Formula Argan Oil Blush in Natural
- Geek Chic Cosmetics Gossamer in Aurora Borealis, Bioluminescent Bloom, and Glacial Ice

Eyes
- K Palette Black Liquid Pen Eyeliner
- Covergirl Liquiline Pen Eyeliner
- Covergirl Mascara
- Etude House Curl Mascara Waterproof
- Nudestix 3 Pencil #bestbronzesmokeyeye Set
- Geek Chic Cosmetics Superneutrals Set
- Canmake Nose Shadow Powder

Lips
- Nudestix 3 pencil Lip & Cheek Set
- Canmake Lipgloss

Nails
- Formula X Nail Color in Obsessed

Overall this year has been a good one I feel like I have more control over my beauty spending and just really getting to know my usage of products and how long they actually last is eye-opening. Next year, I'll hopefully do the same as this year except only purchasing replacements and only when I need them. I really want to focus on just using my products and enjoying the process of putting on my makeup.

 

[VAL4M]

Wow some people made the nice list this year ... i'm definitely on the naughty list this year.

I just purchased 9 perfume bottles (5 Guerlain perfume argh! , Tonka Imperial, Cuir Beluga, Oriental Brulant, Gourmand Coquin, Shalimar Ode a la vanille) 2 Tom Ford (Jasmin Rouge, Tobacco Vanille) 1 Acqua Di Parma Iris Nobile Sublime and 1 Missoni .... yep not a good tally!

Makeup wise I didn't purchased any MAC this year, but then again It never was my weakness.

Eyeshadows: Too many 9 eyeshadow palette and 1 duo and 6 single
I went palette crazy this year and I really dont know what got into me
Edward Bess palette, UD Smoky Naked, Too Faced Sugar pop and romantic eyes, Laura Mercier artist palette and MUFE 15 Artiste eyeshadow.
3 burberry eyeshadows and 3 Rouge Bunny Rouge eye shadows and 2 Lorac small palette. 1 NARS Duo and Guerlain Holiday palette.

Meteorites : (yep it is a category of my own) 3 (perles, rainbow and holiday)

Lipsticks: 4 lipsticks 1 Guerlain (holiday 2015) 2 Rouge Bunny Rouge, 1 Bite. But I finished 5 lipsticks this year

Foundation: 2 Marcelle BB cream and Guerlain foundation

highlighter: 2 becca

Brushes: 4 2 MUFE brushes and 2 beauty blender.

Eyeliner: 1

Lipliner: 1

I do not count skin care because i finish them on a pretty regular basis and I do consider them as a necessities like soap, shampoo, toothpaste etc.

Next year I have to go on a No-buy (Lipgloss, eyeliner, lipliner and technically eyeshadows and Lipstick but I know that one will be hard!)
Perfume I really want two on my wish list (Armani Prive Myrrhe Imperial and Parfum D'empire Ambre Russe)

I really want to keep doing my ''project pan'' I finished so far, one blush, 2 eyeliner, 5 lipsticks, 1 lipliner, 2 BB cream and 1 bronzer, 3 perfume. I'm also trying to pan 4 palettes in February it will be a year that i'm working on those palettes, i'm sure they won't be done so I do not know if I will be just purging them are keep them and working on it. Will see.

 

[shellygrrl]

FOTD...
* MUFE Step 1 - Mattifying Primer
* MUFE Step 1 - Smoothing Primer
* MUFE Ultra HD Foundation - Y205
* MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer - NW15
* OCC Skin Conceal - Y1
* Anastasia Brow Powder Duo - Ash Brown
* Benefit Gimme Brow - Medium Deep
* NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base
* Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Pistol (from Naked 2)
* Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara - Black
* The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder - 02
* NYX Round Lipstick - Thalia

 

[shellygrrl]

Last week's EOTD...
* MAC Eyeshadow - Omega
* Makeup Geek Eyeshadow - Barcelona Beach
* Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Suspect (from Naked 2)
* BareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara - Black

This week's FOTD...
* mix of MUFE Step 1 - Mattifying and Smoothing
* MAC Paint Pot - Painterly (used as undereye corrector)
* OCC Skin Conceal - Y1 (as undereye concealer; mixed with Y0 for pinpoint concealing)
* NARS Sheer Glow - Siberia
* Benefit Gimme Brow - Medium Deep
* NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base
* MAC Eyeshadow - Satin Taupe
* MAC Eyeshadow - Typographic
* Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara - Black
* MAC Blush - Next to Skin
* mix of NARS Blush - Sex Fantasy & MAC Blush - Pink Cult
* NARS Satin Lip Pencil - Rikugien

 

[shellygrrl]

A minimalish FOTD...

* MUFE Step 1 - Mattifying Primer
* MUFE Step 1 - Smoothing Primer
* MUFE Ultra HD - Y205 + 117/Y225
* MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer - NW15
* Anastasia Brow Powder Duo - Ash Brown
* Benefit Gimme Brow - Medium/Deep
* Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara - Black
* OCC Creme Colour Concentrate - John Doe (as contour)
* MAC Mattene Lipstick - Personal Pick
* NARS Satin Lip Pencil - Rikugien (used in an attempt to tone down the mattene a little bit)

 

[Buffy89]

Hey everybody! How are you? I've almost finished already 8 weeks of my no-buy and it's working well. I made the (planned) exception with the UD Gwen palette which I ordered when it was released here about two weeks ago. I was too afraid it might be sold out in January (UD hasn't been around here for more than a year or so, so I have no experience how long their stocks last). I also purchased an eye pencil as a gift, but that's all. At the same time, I'm trying to declutter my eyeshadows. Right now, I think depotting might not be the right method for me, so I really need to play "keep or toss" with my pre-made palettes. It feels weird sometimes, but I hope I'll finish this till the end of the month. Since most of my stuff is Mac, at least I'll have some free lipstick when times are rough.
Looking at new collections, things are either perm (=skip atm) or don't really catch my eye. Faerie Whispers looks really pretty, but I hope swatches will show that these are just the plain old same colors as always, but with nice embossing and poetic names. So I hope I'll manage to purchase maybe one item, the one I like most.

 

[shellygrrl]

A+ no/low buying.

 

[HppyLittleNinja]

Well, I'm starting my first full time job after years of university and now that I can actually afford it, I don't feel like going on a frivolous spending binge.. Quite the contrary. The first thing I did after signing my employment contract was to draw up a budget for paying back my student loans.. I feel like I'm finally getting on track with my spending and on the road to fiscal responsibility!

This is fantastic. Congratulations on all the changes you have made, especially with your mindset with respect to money. Brava!

 

[HppyLittleNinja]

I'm back! Bear with me... I'm trying to catch up on the posts...

2015 Makeup Purchases

Complexion enhancers/Foundations: 3 (2 unexpected gifts)
Eyeshadows: 4 3 Rouge Bunny Rouge, 1 Urban Decay
Eyes: 7 1 primer, 6 mascaras (2 gifted gwp, 1 requested gift)
Brows: 7 (1 gift)
Lips: 2 (1 gifted gwp)
Face: 4 1 gel blush, 1 powder blush (requested gift), 1 highlighter, 1 bronzer (replacement), 1 Guerlain Meteorites
Subtotal - Gifted: 27 - 8
Total: 19

2015 Skin Care Purchases:

Treatments (serums, exfoliants, etc.): 10 (1 gwp, 1 gift)
Moisturizers/Sunscreen: 16
- not including body/hair stuff I share with the Man
Subtotal: 26 - 2 gift/gwp
Total: 24

My biggest vulnerability is with Skin Care. I did well this year (until Dec) as generally I used products I owned. I've pretty much figured out what works for me, and most aquisitions were repurchases. I did have a slip-up on Black Friday and gave in to a 60% off sale. I had been curious about the products, but probably wouldn't have gotten them had they not been on sale and/or included in a set. Damage: 2 skin care kits (6 items, included in 2015 count).

Err.. I wasn't going to admit this... because I am still reeling.
I lost all sense and got the Caroline Hirons Cult Beauty Box. I havent added the numbers to my 2015 purchase history because I am still in denial. As in: I can't look at my credit card bill. As in: These items don't count because they'll arrive next year. As in: I'm telling myself the British pounds-to-Canadian dollar exchange is 1 to 1 (And even then the cost is astronomical). As in: If online shopping were bad, why did they make it be so easy? All I did was click a few buttons and type some stuff.
AAAAAAHHHHH

 

[HppyLittleNinja]

@charlotte366 Great job downsizing! I'm the same way with those mini lip sets.. I usually get sucked into the Bite lipgloss sets and then by the time I get through them I'm sick of the scent. I do like having the variety of colors though.

October has been going pretty well for me:

I haven't made any makeup purchases this month.
I finished all of the lipsticks I wanted to use up.
I tossed the rest of the items that I wasn't wearing on a weekly basis.
I started wearing eyeshadow more often.
I finished my inventory and now have only 35 products total, which I never thought I'd be able to do again!
I think everything could actually fit in one makeup bag now, which was my hope over the past two years.

Inventory

Face (7):
1 foundation
1 primer
1 finishing powder
1 concealer
2 contour powders
1 blush

Lips (14):
2 lipsticks
1 lip exfoliate
1 lip balm
10 lip gloss minis

Eyes (14):
1 eyeshadow primer
1 eyeliner
1 mascara
11 eyeshadows

Going forward I might purchase one or two more things in the blush/lipstick/lipgloss categories.

Blush - I have 1 rose blush (it's the same color I turn when I'm really blushing) that I now wear everyday and I'm actually seeing progress on it already. I would love to just wear 2-3 blushes and use them up regularly. I'm planning on purchasing a peach one and maybe a nude one.

Lipstick - I used up the rest of my lipsticks and purchased 1 dusty rose and 1 wine colored purple, both of which I'm really loving for Fall. I'm thinking about getting a nude, pink, and coral for Spring/Summer.. but I might just wear my lipglosses in those shades. Not really sure yet.

Lipgloss - I have 10 minis left from the Bite set I got in the Spring and I'm enjoying wearing those. Once they're used up, I'm going to try and resist getting another set and just buy a few of my favorite colors in full sizes.

As for eyeshadows, I think I'm okay for now. I'm considering a second palette of 9 but I want to at least hit pan on a few in my current one first. As long as I stay under 20 I think that's reasonable for me.

I'm impressed with your numbers. I've been striving for a small makeup collection as well.My progress has stalled probably because I haven't set specific numbers for myself. Currently I have 57 items, of which I am on the fence about 10-12.

I also want to set purchasing goals. I like the idea of a 10 or 12 item limit for makeup purchases, but I need to figure out a number that will work for me. I think goal setting will make the biggest change in my skin care buying habits.

How do you guys count repurchased items (replacements)?

Thank you to everyone on this thread. I'm glad other people think like me.

 

[ramarose]

So my grand total thus far is just about $700 on makeup this year (from my own money, not counting gifts).. And faerie whispers may bump that up significantly. I know this isn't as crazy as a lot of spenders out there, but it's crazy to see it all together when you think you did okay.. I know I spent significantly less at Sephora this year though, so that's an accomplishment IMO. I also broke a rule and ended up with more reds ?????? But now I'm skipping the Dita Von Teese red so that has to count for something... Right??

 

[veronikawithak]

It's almost the end of the year! Time to reflect!

It's been 10 weeks since my last makeup purchase and 3 weeks since I purchased clothing.

I spent about $300 on cosmetics this year, which is an 85-90% decrease from last year! I was Rouge at Sephora last year and this year I didn't even make VIB. Last year I spent a fortune at MAC (at least $1000) and this year I spent $0.

Next year I'm going to try and stick with the same habits for cosmetics. I'm aiming for $250 for the year, mostly planned purchases with a little room for trying new things. Now that I've accomplished what I wanted to with makeup, I'm also moving on to work on other areas.

Clothing - One of my areas of overspending this year while transitioning from a student to working wardrobe and also through some weight gain. I've already purged a lot and also purchased a lot so I'm at a good place right now with the work/casual balance and capsule wardrobe. My goal is to lose the weight I put on and buy one or two smaller pieces a month as the weight comes off.

Fragrances - I got more into collecting this year.. although I'm not collecting for the sake of it, just buying things I really love wearing. I know I have more than I can use up, but it's my one indulgence area that's left. I usually purchase more between November-February (when the bigger collections come out) and then back off for the rest of the year so I'm expecting this to drop off in a couple months. I've also sold or swapped the majority of things that didn't work for me and I've learned that I don't really use the scented hair oils, bath oils, or room sprays so I can now resist those easily. I set up a shopping budget for myself with fragrances included but it's been hard to stick to it. I'm getting a lot closer though.

Food - I've been working on getting down to our grocery and eating out budget and we're pretty close now. Really significant changes here. Treats are now actually a treat instead of a habit, as they should be.

Entertainment - We're doing okay here. Some months we don't spend anything and others are over budget.. it just depends on when tickets for things come out. We're taking advantage of some low cost activities and making sure we really appreciate the events we go to. Much more memorable than buying things.

In general budgeting more actively has been a success. I use Mint and check it often to make sure we're on track. Aside from working on clothing and fragrances next year I'm pretty optimistic. I have some credit card debt from our move that I still have to finish paying off, and then I'm going to put more towards student loan debt. The path to financial well-being is getting closer every day!

Just wanted to say that anything is possible! I felt so lost for a couple of years there and now it's like I'm finally getting back on track. So stick with it and you might surprise yourself!

 

[shellygrrl]

I did buy a couple of makeup things -- one brush (Chikuhodo T4, which I absolutely love, and a new blush brush had been in the plan) and one black eyeliner pencil (Sephora Black Lace; I wanted something better for the waterline; the one I have doesn't hold up in there). The pencil hasn't arrived yet. Hasn't even shipped yet, according to tracking. I'll do a longer overview for my year after Christmas or thereabouts.

For now, yesterday's FOTD...
* MUFE Step 1 - Mattifying Primer (across nose and forehead)
* MUFE Step 1 - Smoothing Primer (across nose)
* Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (chin area)
* MUFE Ultra HD Foundation - mix of Y205 and 117/Y225
* MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer - NW15
* Benefit Gimme Brow - Medium/Deep
* NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base
* MAC Eyeshadows - Copperplate (lid) and Typographic (outer corner)
* Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara - Black
* MAC Blush - Next to Skin (contour)
* NARS Blush - Sex Appeal
* MAC Lipstick - Up the Amp

 

[jennyap]

My last makeup purchases were from the MAC holiday collections so end of October/very early November. I've felt no particular desire to buy anything since, nor will I again this year.

My year ended up being slightly above target - my aim was a limit of 32 items, and I actually picked up 34. Technically a few more, as 2 of those were sets, but I'm counting them as single items lol. I'm ok with that. It's half what I purchased last year. What is slightly scary is that fully half of this year's purchases were lipsticks, which were already a danger area for me! It just so ended up that this year was a fabulous year for me in MAC lipstick terms, they released a whole bunch of products I really love.

My full breakdown -
17 lipsticks
1 lip liner - included in lip bag
1 lip gloss - included in lip bag
4 highlighters
3 single eyeshadow
2 small eyeshadow palette
1 large eyeshadow palette
3 eyeliner
2 powders (Guerlain meteorites)
1 blush
1 pigment/glitter set

Aside from the lipsticks, I clearly went a bit overboard on the highlighters, but only one of those is not in regular rotation.

Overall I feel like I am definitely much more in control of my makeup spending. I still have a huge stash by most people's standards, but I have donated most of what I don't love, and have a few items to list in the CB, so even if I don't get round to using it all as often as I'd like, there is very little that I would want to be without.

That said, I am absolutely feeling like I am at saturation point. I'm almost at the stage where I could contemplate a no-buy for 2016 rather than a low-buy. Making that an absolute commitment doesn't feel like it would work too well - I'm always worried about losing control and splurging in reaction to holding back too tightly - but at this point I can't see any reason to buy anything unless it is completely outstanding, LE (so not deferrable) and fills a hole in my collection. I still have time to think about it, but at the moment I'm leaning towards no-buy except for
- replacement of essentials (which should be minimal, I'm pretty sure I have enough of everything to last a full year if I'm honest, maybe a foundation at most)
- trying out those darned Nars Audacious lipsticks that I have managed to resist since they launched. I clearly don't need any lippies at all, but I think one or at most two of these will be the one exception. And even then I need to finish a couple first. Just hope I don't fall in love with the formula!
- filling the odd empty spot in my shadow and blush palettes.
- something that I truly believe will be HG and not available later
Overall I can easily see me sticking to no more than 10 items, even allowing for treating myself.

Well done to everyone else for a great year (gah, I miss the Like button)!

 

[Buffy89]

First of all, I miss that thanks button, too! So everybody please imagine me clicking that thanks button for them!!! This group has been such an inspiration for me this year, I really hope we'll continue this thread in 2016.
I still need to post my lipstick inventory in comparison to the 2014 one. Lipsticks are by biggest problem area and I tried to transform my "collection" of so-called must-have shades and other people's HGs into a kit of more useable, versatile colors instead of collecting fun shades I never really dare to wear except for on parties or for selfies and similar unimportant stuff. I also purchased only one gloss and decided to try to minimize the number of glosses because I dislike using them (hair + wind = sticky mess). I still own too many and I'm planning to destash some more. I also need to work on my eyeshadow stash because actually, I mostly use the 5 UD palettes I own (just neutral ones, I don't own bright ones like Vice or Electric) or my Mac Burgundy x9 and the Macnificent Me x9. Surpizingly, I've become a real palette lover and appreciate the suggested color combos in them, instead of picking a bunch of single e/s to combine. So in a nutshell, I'm planning to leave some "luggage" back in 2015 and start over new with a smaller stash.

I've done a lot (a lot!) of gift shopping and I picked up an arcrylic storage thingy for my mom. It's not one of those bigger Muji ones, but it might be able to contain an average kit of makeup. During this year, I often gifted my destashed makeup to my mom (most of it barely used) but I still own way more than her. Anyway, I started worrying whether that acrylic container was big enough for her collection - a stash of "unwanted" items I had decluttered. So the decluttered stuff was enough to form a collection of its own! How appallingly huge must my own stash still be! I won't ever like a minimal kit that fits into one makeup bag for myself, although I admire those who can stay this strong, but that was really eye-opening again. I'm really looking forward to see how many items will fit in there.