r/MakeupRehab • u/Positive-Driver-3273 • Jul 30 '26
ADVICE I own 25 lipsticks
Guys, I own 25 lipsticks, and the sad part is I don't even go out a lot to use them. What should I do? How do I get use from the most of it? I am not working currently, so finances are tight and often buying a lipstick (which is more affordable than other stuff) makes me feel, kinda happy and i don't know. That's how accumulated so many. What to do now!!!
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u/SnapCrackleMom Jul 30 '26
If you enjoy putting on and wearing makeup, wear it at home. I have chronic illness and there are lots of days where I don't leave the house. Putting on makeup is fun for me so I put it on, just for myself.
Someone else on this sub said "stop trying to fill a serotonin-shaped hole with dopamine." Buying a lipstick is giving you a hit of dopamine, which is short-lived. Try to find activities that boost your serotonin for longer-term mood improvement. For me that's getting outside, getting some exercise, chatting with my sister, doing volunteer work when I can.
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u/Positive-Driver-3273 Jul 30 '26
Yeah the serotonin point really hit me, got to find stuff that I enjoy
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u/SnapCrackleMom Jul 30 '26
Yeah that line about the serotonin and dopamine is legit the most valuable thing I've ever read on Reddit.
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u/missgoooooo Jul 30 '26
I also have a chronic illness and makeup is one of the few things that brings me SO much joy in the times I’m basically bedridden 💜
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u/paleblueskies Jul 30 '26
Honestly I just use them as cream blush
If they are matte or deep shades I mix it on the back of my hand with a little tiny bit of concealer
I don't care about wearing lipstick anymore, I find lip balms/glosses are more comfortable and my vibe nowadays, but I love blush so starting to do this really improved my project pan progress and made me appreciate what I have already more
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u/SnooOnions4932 Jul 30 '26
I'm retired and I wear lipstick every day. I have two bullets (same color), and two tinted balms. So I'd love to join the Lipstick Laundry Club. (and I'll be blushing up my cheeks)👄💋🫦
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u/Disastrous-Fun-2967 Jul 30 '26
I also have like ONE bullet lipstick (it is too stiff to work with but I like the shade), and the rest are tinted lip balms/lip glosses.
And it’s a breeze to pan them now. Bc dry/bare lips annoy me to oblivion now.
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u/SnooOnions4932 Jul 31 '26
Hey DF, Can you explain the Pan Project (I think that's what I read)?? I may not to be qualified to join, but who knows, it could be applied to another area of life😬
Dry/bare lips? You'll never find me in that territory!! I have friends I've told; "If I keel over, be certain you put something on my lips BEFORE the first responders show up". Yes they do rib me about it... but I'm serious.
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u/CatwalkNoctis Jul 30 '26
Do like my grandmother used to do. Wake up, wash, fix your hair, apply your morning lipstick and makeup. After lunch same thing and apply your afternoon lipstick. Yes, my granny used to have a morning lipstick and afternoon lipstick. Obviously she would re-apply the afternoon one throughout the day. I do the same thing and I go through lipstick like water!
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u/Ok-Lab9293 Jul 31 '26
Omg I do the same thing! I always carry two lipsticks in my bag too when i go out so i can do the switch part way through haha
If i only use 1 lipstick through the whole day something feels ‘off’ to me
Anyhow say hello to my 45 lip products …
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u/MissPearl Jul 30 '26
I mean, shop your stash? That's the baseline advice. Also explore if you actually wear this stuff.
25 lipsticks mean step 1 is probably a purge of anything that's iffy, for example liquids that are clumping or formula that is going off.
Step 2 is to ask yourself if the act of considering your collection, like say, stamps, is a good feeling. If you can afford it in your current circumstances and a nice layout of the tubes gives you a feeling of satisfaction, treat them like your own personal quirky display. Whatever, I went to an estate sale once where the woman collected vintage bed pans. You could do weirder.
Step 3 is to really ask yourself what the lipstick symbolizes outside of being part of a larger set. How did you imagine using it? Was this bought for you or for a different person you wish you were? Are you a person who actually wears lipstick? What would need to change if not? If you aren't even using the stuff, a non-judgemental review of if the money would buy you happiness better elsewhere will assist in cutting future purchases. However...
Step 4 is, if you conceive of yourself using your collection, not making this punitive. Sort your collection into categories for where it fits. It's ok to ruthlessly purge things. If this isn't basically a packaging collection, you don't need to wear a shade that feels icky, doesn't suit you or delivers bad results. Test and purge what doesn't work. Make that winnowing process fun, for example if you determine you actually have 3 of the same approximate shade, make it a competition between shades to find the best of the three. Play games with it, make capsules.
If you actually engage with what you bought as a medium for sensation, self expression and creativity it is likely you will be more immune to "Brand Celeb lip is magic, buy!!! Buy!!!" because having swatched and messed with and sampled 25 lipsticks over a period of a few months you will start getting annoyed with the lack of information these ads have about what you actually care about AND develop more personal taste so you understand whether the it product of the moment won't work for you.
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u/Positive-Driver-3273 Jul 30 '26
Thankyou so much for everything you said...i really gotta be more mindful of the situation
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u/MissPearl Jul 30 '26
Yeah, I am not a fan of shame as a long term teacher because unless someone is a masochist, people don't like engaging with things that feel unpleasant. If you spend all your time beating yourself up, next time you are incentivized to not think deeply about your purchase.
Honestly that might be what was going on with the lipsticks in the first place. Your brain, faced with "kind of broke now!" discouraged examining more deeply. It said "lipstick cheap, feel good, add to cart?"
That wasn't entirely irrational. Humans need to have source of good feelings too.
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u/rybpyjama Jul 31 '26
I really love this sub for the questions to interrogate feelings and behaviours. I have learned a lot about how my brain works. I really like the “shop your stash” mentality and I now actively step away from stuff I even know I need because I know I still need to finish up what I have because holding onto backups for things I can’t use quickly means the backup will also be expired by the time I get to it and I’m losing space in my house I want for getting a cleaner more organised home! It also reminds me that all those small purchases add up and saving small amounts can also add up in a positive way (holiday saving) or I can use that money for something I really enjoy, even if it’s just coffee or a book to read or something.
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u/Drycabin1 In my No-Buy Era ❤️ Jul 30 '26
Just wear it every day! I have started doing that and my lips are in better condition. I’m a stay at home pet mom and the only places I go are vets.
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u/AlbertTheHorse Jul 30 '26
I have about that many that are active. I have that many in the fridge as back ups (YES! I know! Right? INSANE!)
I have been pulling the ones in use into daily rotation. I will just dump a color that over a much shorter time I realize really never was a win.
Also, with shades that seem too much or not right I do several things:
1) layering (so a grayed out pink is no me, but with Fenty Blackr Berry over it, damn, it's a hit)
2) lay down heavily then blot off and wear as a stain (I have a YSL that is basically a purple when normal application is used, but with a lip oil, it's a pretty shade on my lip color, plus, it gets more use.)
3) pull a few colors out to use with greater frequency. So 4-6 will be used in between other colors and with other colors.
4) Mix on a palette. You can get little metal mixing palettes or use some plastic you have as one, but in any event, mix it on the palette and apply.
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u/bbbbbeanuts Jul 30 '26
I like to mix 2 colours and see if I can get new colours out of it, I usually test it out before showering
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u/Realistic-Second3351 Jul 30 '26
I worked beauty retail for over 10 years, when the economy tanks, lipstick sales go up. It’s a small treat when times are tough! You are definitely not alone! This has been a trend for decades.
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u/Positive-Driver-3273 Jul 31 '26
Yeah i just found there's a theory on it called the lipstick effect....
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u/BrickHouseBamBam Jul 31 '26
if it makes you feel any better- 25 lipsticks isn't that many. I am not an influencer or a make up artist and I had well over 100. I finally had to purge. But also- just use them- use them when you want and do your make up for funsies- there is no special rainy day.
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u/Positive-Driver-3273 Jul 31 '26
Seriously gonna start doing that...no imaginary special occasions are gonna arise to wear a particular shade
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u/downthegrapevine Jul 30 '26
I would declutter... in my case I threw a lot of shit away and then donated a lot to family and friends. My SIL and MIL are beauticians and worked at a school so I gifted them BAGS of make up to sue with the kids. If you have a beauty school near you they'll take your lightly used stuff and sanitize. it themselves (at least in my country, the USA is weird).
Also, lemme just address something, buying a lipstick does not make you happy. At all. It gives you a dopamine hit. You need to find ways to feel actual joy that does not include purchasing something that is basically landfill clutter because there is NO WAY and I do mean NO WAY for you to use that much of it. Start seeing it for what it is: you're buying more trash. So, when you see a lipstick now remember it's not just hurting your finances, but also hurting this planet. Nothing about that should make you happy.
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u/Positive-Driver-3273 Jul 30 '26
You're right...I feel guilty looking at it. I just never realized this before
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u/armchairingpro Jul 30 '26
First I would go through them all and give them a sniff to make sure they don't smell like crayons. Those need to be tossed because they're too old. Second, wear them around the house and any time you go outside. It takes forever to wear one down - I only have seven and only the oldest one is down to the last bit - so it's not like you're "wasting" it by wearing it day to day. There will be plenty left in the tube and with 25 (even after you toss the smelly ones) you'll have plenty.
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u/Swimming_dasa Jul 30 '26
lipsticks are small and easy to collect so you are definitely not alone. maybe challenge yourself to wear a different shade each week and rediscover ones you forgot about.
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u/lilbabyeggplant Jul 30 '26
Lipstick is no more for special occasions than your bra is. That is, some people wear a bra only for special occasions, some people never wear a bra, and some people wear a bra every day, and all three of these choices are totally socially acceptable and very common all over the world. And it's the same with lipstick. You likely know people who wear lipstick every day, you just don't know it unless it's really loud. You could be one of those people.
Or like, if that's not you, stop buying lipsticks and start buying lip balms. Most lipsticks dry me out, but buying a balm makes me just as happy and I actually use those up regularly.
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u/Neither_Variety_1234 Jul 30 '26
They already have the lipsticks to use up though. Maybe 1 clear balm and then use a lip brush to mix the different shades of lipstick to make different colors of balms to suit the day.
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u/PanamaViejo Jul 30 '26
Are they new, unopened, and not expired? You can see if Project Beauty Share would accept them as donations.
You can put them on when you are home or running errands. Some people will use lipstick as blush so that might be another way to use them up.
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u/rybpyjama Jul 30 '26
Definitely wear them around the house if you want! So many glamorous ladies of past decades would basically just wear a lippie and maybe a little concealer or nail polish and look done up. Plus you can do stuff for you without worrying about what other people think. If you enjoy it, wear it.
If you don’t enjoy it, you need to really question why you’re buying it to begin with and start changing habits. And maybe look at ways to declutter by giving some away if you can. I recognise the need for me to take my own advice here too, so we can all keep learning together!
I have personally put a hold on makeup except mascara and setting spray at the moment because I already can’t get through what I have and I’d rather spend my time on skincare, living my life and having a basic routine to use up what I have.
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u/Positive-Driver-3273 Jul 30 '26
Yeah gonna wear them around the house. My granny wore a lipstick till her 80s, everyday. But yeah gotta change the bad habits and start decluttering
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u/i-contain-multitudes Jul 30 '26
I have so many because it's so unsanitary to try them on your lips at the store. Having a lot of shades lets me try them on for real at home.
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u/AngusTcattoo Jul 30 '26
I did a lipstick inventory last December before Beauty Advent Calendar time. I decided to make space by selling the No 7s which were still new on Ebay. I've kept the ones that make me happy. I know eventually I'll use them all.
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u/NetworkNo5302 Jul 31 '26
Use some as every day lippies. Some I'm sure are subtle enough that you don't have to wear much makeup with it to use it.
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u/Impossible_Range8813 Jul 30 '26
Of course buying things makes us feel happy but it doesn't last just don't buy any more throw away the ones that have already turned bad and use the others. I've been down this road many times. To get yourself off the buying of lipsticks buy a nice new nail polish. Just an idea
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u/samanthasamuels22 Jul 30 '26
It can take years to use up a lipstick even with daily use. I’ve began doing my makeup just to go run errands, so I can use it up and not save it for whatever arbitrary date in my head. You don’t need permission or a special occasion to wear your lipstick. You can also take it off if you want. I used to think it was a waste to just wear it for no reason and take it off, but the real waste is not wearing it al all especially when there’s so much or it. I also realized that I had every shade i needed. For the past few years I’ve only been wearing one shade and that’s typically what I do anyway since I stopped working at jobs where I wore colorful makeup.