little white truths: 2016 makeup inventory and goals for 2017

2016 makeup inventory and goals for 2017

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Admit it, you're as nosy as I am - and when you saw the title 'makeup inventory', you just couldn't help but have a little look ; )

Yep, I get it. I've been looking at makeup inventories on youtube for the last few months, in between all the panning videos I've been watching. Because who doesn't want to have a geezer at how much stuff others have managed to accrue? Even if you're not into makeup, it's compelling to see just how far some of us have travelled into addiction territory. It's one of those proverbial morbidly fascinating things, like looking at a car crash.

That's one of the reasons why I was super reluctant to do a makeup inventory of my own: who needs all that public embarrassment? The other reasons were generally that I couldn't be bothered going through everything and also that I just didn't want to know.

But this morning I finally decided to bite the bullet and I've gone upstairs and counted everything on my beauty shelves. Then I went through the pile on my desk and in the 'next to pan' box, and sifted through the abyss that's my handbag. Fingers crossed I haven't missed anything, because I don't want the numbers to fluctuate where they shouldn't.

While in many ways it would have made more sense to save this inventory post for the beginning of next year, since I'm panning quite a few items that should be done shortly, I wanted to do an introductory inventory now and then another one in January 2017. That way we'll see a little progress between now and then, and it may help keep me motivated.

A few things to note before we get started:

I'm making my Z-palettes a category of their own, so while it looks like I have no eg single eyeshadows, that's because the six I own have been depotted and put into Z-palettes, and I'll count them under that category. It makes sense for me to do this for a variety of reasons, including that I've pressed and mixed some of my own eyeshadow/blush shades in my Z-palettes, so you can't really say that I have x number of them because the number would be off - instead I'll just count the Z-palette pans separately.
If you're wondering why I have eg unopened eyeshadow palettes, that's because I sometimes buy things I've had my eye on when they're on sale, but I haven't opened them yet because I want to finish off a like product before I do. This extends the shelf-life of my makeup because there's an unopened shelf-life and an opened one, and I try not to have too many things open at one time if I can help it.
I realise that my stash isn't anywhere near as big as many other beauty lovers. This is irrelevant to me: what's relevant is how much I personally 'need' and think I can use. So while you won't see massive numbers below, there are still some areas that I need to work on and this is why I've decided to do an inventory.

So without further ado, here's my stash...

Base products

Primers

Of these I have seven. Yes that's a lot, but I only have one open full size (plus two unopened), two travel sizes and two minis.

I'm actually ok with where this category is at, but let's say I would like to have four in total by the end of 2017: two full-sizes and two travel/minis. Within that total I would like to have, say, one hydrating primer, an illuminating one and a pore-plugging one. That feels about right.

Setting sprays

I have one full size and one travel size. That's fine. There's even room for one extra of each, so let's say I would like to roughly maintain this number for 2017.

Liquid illuminators

I'm calling these base products because that's how I use them: mixed in with either my foundation or my primer.

I have four in total of these: two full size and one travel size (plus one unopened travel size). I would like to maintain this number in 2017, partly because I use pale and dark illuminators to slightly adjust the tone of any base product that's not quite the right shade.

I'm currently panning one of my travel-sized illuminators so I'd like to remove that one from my collection, plus I'd like to finish one of my larger illuminators next year to make room for another purchase. Achievable, if I'm committed.

Liquid foundation

I have five of these at these at the moment, four representing two formulas in two different shades. This is too many, but it's not disastrous - and I'm currently panning one so that number should be reduced to four reasonably soon.

Having said this, I prefer tinted moisturisers etc to foundations, so I'd like to see this category reduced to two or three during 2017, plus a bottle of shade adjusting drops so that I no longer need to buy foundations in summer and winter shades. Indeed, I'm planning to buy the white Australis shade adjusting drops next time that Priceline has them on sale. So let's see if I can pan three between now and 2017.

Powder foundation

I have two full size (same product, two colours) and one unopened travel size - so three in total. I'm currently panning the two full sizes so I'd like to move those out of circulation and eventually purchase one powder foundation in one colour.

My goal for this category is one full size and perhaps one travel size - I don't use powder foundation that much because I have dry skin - and I should be able to do this next year.

BB/CC cream and tinted moisturiser

These products are one of my weaknesses so I'm pleased to report that I've managed to pan myself down to not unreasonable levels over the last couple of years.

At the moment I have six: three full size (plus two unopened) and one travel size. I think three total is a good number so I'll aim to finish what I have and get stuck into the unopened ones for next year. After that I'll replace things as I finish them.

Corrector

I have one full size. This is a good number. I'm currently panning the one I have to make room for a new one I'd like to try. That is all.

Concealer

I have five full sizes and I'm currently panning one. My goal for 2017 is to have three or four, because I think it pays to have concealers in a few different shades and formulas for use in different areas. So let's reduce this by two in 2017.

Face (miscellaneous)

Setting powder

I have two of these: one open and one unopened backup. That's fine. No change for 2017.

Finishing powder

I have one full size and one palette (which only has two of three pans left), so let's call that two. I'm currently panning the palette and I think one or two finishing powders is fine for me, so I may or not make a purchase later on - keeping in mind that I have a finishing powder in the below palette.

Face palettes

I have one (plus one unopened backup), which contains a finishing powder, a bronzer, two blushes and one highlight. I'm fine with those two, although I don't need any more - so best I keep the purse strings closed in this category until I've finished at least one.

Creams

Cream blushes

I have two, one that I'm currently panning. I just don't use cream blush so I'd like to see this category reduced to zero next year, which leaves me open to buy the Hourglass Illume Sheer Colour Trio in the future if I want to ; )

Cream eyeshadow/bases and primers

I have four total, three cream eyeshadows and one dedicated eye primer. I would like to reduce this category down during 2017 because I don't wear a lot of cream eyeshadow and prefer dedicated eye primers. So let's see if I can pan two of my cream eyeshadows next year and leave room to buy one more dedicated primer - I'd like to try another formula but can't justify buying one at the moment.

Contours

I have one cream contour duo and one creamy highlighter pencil. Two items is fine, but I would like to pan both next year because I've had them for a while. Then I can purchase said Hourglass Illume product once I've done that ; )

Powder products

Bronzer

If you're still with me, well done - here's where things start getting embarrassing ; )

My numbers here have gone up recently (too many sales!) and I have five full sizes (plus two unopened), one powder mini and one liquid mini. That's leaving aside my Z-palettes (I'll discuss those below). So that's nine in total.

I think four to six is a good number: two matte and two glowy, in summer and winter shades, with room for a mini and perhaps a cooler one I can contour with.

What I'm planning to do is pan the two I have in my Z-palettes, replace those with two from this lot and open the unopened ones. That leaves me with the mini and one full-size to pan during 2017. We'll see - it might be 2018 when I manage to get this category down. Wish me luck.

Blush

Now this is where things get really bad. Blush is another weak spot for me, so we've hit ridiculous levels here. I have nine full size, one half size and one three-pan palette. That's not counting the few in my Z-palettes. So you could say I have eleven or thirteen, depending on how you count the palette.

Argh. Ok so let's be reasonable. Blush takes forever to pan and I'm currently panning two, so let's aim to have nine total items by the end of 2017 (I'll count palettes as one for now). After that, we'll see. I'm giving myself room here to buy one more blush palette, since I use the one I have to death and there's space for another one. Otherwise, no more blush until I've finished some!

Powder highlighter

This is the category that surprised me the most, and it's easily my worst category. I knew I had a few, but I didn't realise just how many I'd managed to stack up.

So in total I have sixteen (WTF?!): thirteen full sizes, one half size and two unopened. That's not including the couple in my Z-palettes. Ridiculous.

And here we have the blush problem: highlighters take forever to pan, so I can't see that number shifting much any time soon. What I need to do here is keep panning the one I'm working on and then pan at least one more during 2017. Thankfully you can double-purpose these as eye and body products, so that's what I'll have to do.

Let's be reasonable here: can I get it down to ten within the next couple of years? Fingers crossed.

Eyes

Thankfully this is a much better area for me than the face powders category above! Indeed, I don't need to do much here, other than keep the numbers manageable.

Eyeshadow palettes (small and large)

I have two quads, two quints and three larger palettes (plus two unopened larger palettes). That's nine palettes total: four small and five large. I'm good with that, and there's even room for another couple - but first I'd like to reduce what's in my Z-palettes.

Eyeliners

I have four: three open and one unopened. That's fine, although I'd like to keep the number at one or two open (plus one unopened backup), so I'll try to pan a couple during 2017.

Mascara

Two only for this category: one open and one unopened. That's totally fine and I only need to maintain this number - if anything I'd be happy to have a couple more unopened ones so I don't find myself without one when there's nothing on sale. This means I can buy a backup or two next time there's a half-price sale at one of the big pharmacies.

Lips

This category isn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be, which is largely because I've had a good panning year for lip products and haven't gone nuts with purchases.

Lip liner

I have two: one open and one unopened. That's fine, although I don't really use lip liner so in many ways I could do with zero. But let's say one is a good number for me, just in case. This means I should pan one next year.

Lipstick

I have seventeen plus two unopened ones, so nineteen in total. That's not too bad, but it's too many for me. I think ten to twelve is a good number, so let's see what I can do in 2017. I go through lipsticks pretty quickly so it's not ridiculous for me to have a dozen open at any one time because I know I'll finish them before they go off.

Lip crayon

I have one, that's it! I'm fine with that, although I'd like to pan it next year because I've had it for a while, and when I do this I would like to search for a dupe because I love the shade but can't easily come by the product in Australia (it came in a sub box).

Lip balm

I have two open and one unopened eight-pack that was a GWP so I don't know if I'll keep them all yet because I haven't tested the formula to know whether it works for me.

If I do keep them, ten is too many so let's reduce that next year. I think four is a good number here (two open, two backups).

Lip gloss

I have four open and five unopened, so nine in total. Considering I'm a lip gloss junkie, I'm surprised by this amount! I think six total is a good number for me (four open, two backups), meaning I need to get through a few next year. Easy done : )

Z-palettes

Now for the sting in the tail. While eg my eyeshadow category above looks pretty ok at the moment, it mightn't after we go through my Z-palettes.

I have four in total: two larger Z-palettes and two smaller palettes, one of the Z variety and one a Makeup Geek Travel Vault. My aim in getting these was to condense my collection and get rid of unwanted packaging (which I've done) and also to put all my single and duo eyeshadows into palettes so I would start using them more often (which I've also done).

I also wanted to have the ability to grab a Z-palette when I travel and know that I'm covered in the face department, which is why I've got some blushes, bronzers and highlighters in there too. Also also, I have a couple of Nars blushes that I don't use as blush but that make ok eyeshadows, so it made sense to throw them in the Z-palettes so I'd start using those too.

In my Z-palettes I have:

two bronzers
one contour powder
three full sized blushes and three mini blushes (six)
two highlighters
forty-nine eyeshadow pans.

Yikes!

Now my Z-palettes are my 'workman's palettes', meaning that I reach for those every day to fill any gaps in a look and I also use them for my Pan that Palette challenge. They contain my oldest products and also some that I've mixed myself, so the forty-nine eyeshadow pans, for example, represents two palettes that I've depotted, half a dozen eyeshadows I've mixed myself and a few blushes I've mixed myself.

I don't really want the numbers in my Z-palettes to change since I use them daily and travel with them, so eg there will always be a couple of bronzers and highlighters in these. What I do want to do, however, is finish many of the items from these palettes and then feed in some of my products above to replace them. Perhaps the only wiggle room here is in the eyeshadow category: I don't need forty-nine eyeshadows to work with on a daily basis. How about forty by Christmas 2017, with a view to eventually having twenty or thirty?

In sum

That's a lot of makeup.

Including the individual pans in my Z-palettes (but counting pre-made palettes as one item), I have a total of 199 products. Argh! Too many.

If I count the Z-palettes as only four items and don't count the individual pans, I have 137 products. Which admittedly sounds a lot better ; )

So during 2017 let's see if I can't get the numbers down a bit: perhaps 100 products total and 50 pans in my Z-palettes. Wish me luck!

Do let me know if you've ever done a makeup inventory and how you found it if so. Eye opening? Indeed it is. Even if you don't want to go public with yours, it's useful for your own purposes so you know where your weaknesses are. It's true that we often already know our weak spots, but I didn't know I had sixteen highlighters. Ridiculous.

Ach, for the love of makeup ; )

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Little White Truths

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little white truths

2016 makeup inventory and goals for 2017

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Little White Truths

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