I was thinking about this the other night as I went through my traincase. I have several lipsticks from the mid-late 90s in the old cylindrical packaging that have gone off (moisture beads, oxidized color, weird smell). Of course they can be B2Med, but with the wisdom of hindsight and memories of my frugal upbringing, it occurred to me that if I'd been a little more thoughtful about my purchases the past 10-15 years, I wouldn't have acquired a passel of very similar bright pink/plum lip products, all of which I loved desperately for a six-month period of time but ended up setting aside after using about half of them. And this is without having purchased any backups!
When you're new to makeup or a particular line of makeup, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement when new things are released. There's a sense of fun in collecting, that little high you get from the hunt and then the capture. But years later, when you've got a ton of stuff, the excitement does wears off and you're faced with a traincase of little-used products that have gone off and have to be recycled. I thought as I went through all these things and set them aside, "Wow...I really should have just focused not only on what I WOULD wear, but what I COULD wear." I'm not a makeup artist; I buy for only one face. And I had enough for...well, a lot more faces.
I know not every product goes off (and I know some people use beloved products every day and actually make it through their backups), but for things like liquids, creams and lipsticks, I've resolved to resist the LE hype and maintain my no-backup stance. If I don't get something when it's out or at the CCO, I've decided that I'll live without it. I don't have the desire to be a "speculator" and buy or sell on eBay, and I've got enough competition for my money; I don't want any more of it going to makeup that won't ever get used.
The only time I was mad about a discontinued MAC product was when Shh left. But I found another sheer red (VL Americana) that I like just as well and I soon forgot about Shh. That's what MAC is about anyway....always something new!
Interestingly, I have also found that my tastes changed over time. All those bright pinks of years ago that I thought would always suit me....well, most really don't anymore! As I head into my mid-40s, I know I don't want to be one of those women whose hair and makeup is frozen in a particular time period. I loved the bright, bold looks of the 80s and 90s, and looked good in them then. But they're too much for me in 2007, even with the care I've invested in my skin. I put on my half-loved Miss Dish and it drew out the shadows around my mouth, something it didn't do when I bought it back in August 2000!
If someone was asking me for suggestions, I'd say this: If you don't go through products quickly and you've got an eye on your bank balance, try to think whether or not you'll love it enough to use it most or all of it before it goes bad. Don't worry about using it all...that's what makeup is for! Revel in it! Or do you want it to be staring at you in the face in 2014 when it is rancid and unappealing and you have moved on to something else?
Just some random thoughts since this was on my mind recently!
merleskaya, rich in B2M this week
