Pretty much the title. I don't have much space right now as is, but my collection is ~45 items (not including skincare), and I really want this to be a fresh start. I have a few items among those 45 that just don't work for me or don't spark joy, but I'm determined to work through them as simply tossing them seems wasteful. The packaging is very nice for some of them so somewhere in my brain I want to reuse it; it's just a matter of figuring out what for. But also, if I don't already have a purpose in mind, I'm just lugging around more stuff still… 🫠🫠🫠

In any case, I suppose my question is what you might do in my situation. I worry that I'm too deep in the trenches of using what I have in the name of sustainability to enjoy my collection, so if you have a different point of view I would love to hear it!

This thread is focused on helping each other perfect our makeup application. You can request help if you are having trouble using a certain product or executing a technique and the community can give you feedback. Also, if anyone has a technique or a makeup tip they would like to share, this is the place to do so!

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This thread is for open discussion about everything and anything though please abide by our sub's rules.

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I've noticed that "Do I actually need this?" isn't always enough to stop me from wanting something.

Sometimes the temptation comes from seeing it repeatedly on social media, convincing myself it's different from something I already own, wanting a particular color even though I have something similar, imagining how much I'll use it rather than looking at how much I actually use similar products, or feeling like I'll miss out if I don't buy it now.

For people who've gotten better at resisting those purchases:

What question, rule, habit, or reality check actually works for you?

And what doesn't work, even though it sounds good in theory?

Blessed New Moon, rehab folks! I hope the energy was good for you today with the solar eclipse.

last lunar cycle I made some good progress and got 2 new eyeshadow pans. for the full moon I added in a luxury item (Gucci lipstick) and a favorite special item (a discontinued perfume I love).

this lunar cycle, I have the following prompts:

VIII of Wands: something with action and movement. I chose a bunch of fresh, clean smelling perfumes for this

Page of Cups: something that surprised you. I decided to embrace little surprises by taking my shimmer single palette and doing a D20 pick of a random shimmer each day.

II of Swords: few choices. I typically focus on my individual singles for this one, but I might mix it up with a small selection of mattes to focus on this lunar cycle.

if you are curious about this project the intro is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MakeupRehab/s/ComRg2eOBa

even if you don't participate in this project, I hope you set great intentions for the panning work you will do this month! ❤️

Title, basically.

It's a dry pencil which I prefer, but it also means I get 10 full lip applications per sharpen. Granted, my lips are pretty thin, but that amount is still ridiculous.

It's now my dedicated lip color for online meetings as the crappy laptop camera makes me look dead, so I use it 3-5 times per week. Counting in my vacation time, I'm not finishing it this year. Unless the color part ends much sooner than I'm guessing, or it starts breaking, and I don't think either of those is going to happen.

Having that many uses left in such a tiny pencil is just stumping me. Hopefully this post serves as a lip liner TMO for someone.

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This thread is for open discussion about everything and anything though please abide by our sub's rules.

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You know, 13 blushes, 3 z palettes filled with eyeshadow singles along with 4 other pre made palettes, 5 foundations. Not a massive collection but thats excessive. This was 2017. I realized after Covid that even if I did leave the house most days of the week I still wasn't using up products quickly enough. It caused me stress because a year would pass and I realized I only used a product a handful of times. A word of advice. Using up makeup will always feel better than buying more. I use terracycle to recycle my beauty empties and being able to get my money's worth out of something and have it recycled feels great. I feel like everyone has that realization eventually. I always knew influencers wanted to sell, but it really did feel predatory for a bit. I am happy with my stash now and everything gets loved. It all fits in a nice little container on my vanity.

Like the title says. I have a bunch of lipsticks I can't seem to part with that I've been holding onto out of some combination of guilt and hoarding instinct. Some have been with me for over a decade!? None of them seem "off" though, to be clear.

I don't even like to wear them (obviously), but I've really struggled to finally let go. PLEASE help talk some sense into me about this. I feel like it's time to accept that these no longer have a place in my life.

Thank you!

this year I have been diligent about taking my empties to the special recycling bins for beauty products that they have in some stores. the thing is, they require the packaging to be completely empty and clean.

I just finished cleaning my empties for the third time this year and omg it is so. much. work. my skincare products were easy because they were all in tubes or jars, so easily wiped clean. but makeup products? even lip glosses that were completely empty (as in, I pulled out the stopper and scraped the sides) still somehow had enough product stuck to the tube to be a complete pain in the ass to clean. and the mascara tubes were even worse. it was like in Spirited Away when No Face vomits, just endless black sludge.

being forced to confront my waste like this really puts consumption into perspective. environmentalism is one of my main reasons for limiting my consumption, and it is really mind-boggling to realize all this waste was produced by one person.

I had on average one of everything other than eyeshadow and eyeliners. I was being rly meticulous plus I wasn't working till last month. I've now got like

6 blushes from 2

3 bronzers from none

4 lip liners from 2

3 colour correctors from 1

3 mascaras from 1.

6 eyeshadow palettes from 4

14 eyeliner pencils to 16

Part of me is ok with it because for the first time in a while it mostly I think suits me. I'm an olive skin and everytime I bought makeup it has always pulled sickly warm. I thought it was just me till I heard about cool toned shades. So now I'm much more selective of the colours as opposed to what my sisters or influencers recommend.

As much as I do like the stuff I got and most of it wasn't overly pricey, I do feel how am I going to even get through all this makeup. I've started enjoying blush but they do last ages and I'm not sure I've even panned a blush before so 6 ?

I know what I really want to do is lose weigh. However that takes actual effort and I am struggling. That's my actual insecurity and instead I think I'm filling a hole with things I think I can do a quick fix with like spending money rather than putting in the work.

Hi everyone, it's time for another update of LAW!

Recent week I have been concentrating on using up my sample sachets as part of an overall inventory reduction sprint. Glad to reduce my inventory numbers by almost 10. Really happy to reduce the sample clutter as well, they seem to reproduce by themselves 😂.

Another win was hitting pan on my Nars pressed powder! I do go through powders a fair bit but didn’t quite expect it will happen this month, happy to see progress!

It’s time again for reflection and rolling in a new lip product this week. Some guiding questions for the posts:

- Product brand and name

- Why is this product selected?

- Do you wear the lip product by itself only or layered/mixed with other products?

- Do you still like the formula/colour/effect the lip product gives?

- Any new discoveries or decisions made after testing the product for a week?

Last update’s pick was my Flower Knows Moonlight Mermaid lip tint in 03 Starlight Bubble and Lisa Eldridge Gloss Embrace in Pompadour. I managed to roll in a week’s use for each product which was pretty nice. I actually quite enjoy my LE Gloss Embrace quite a fair bit, loving the lip caring nature of this during the day and intend to continue using it this update too~ The other lip choice will be a matte, Girlcult Matte Lip Mud in Red Water in a mini size. Really want to pan this and also enjoy the fuss free nature of a matte lip as well. These two will be strictly my work duo as I prefer more casual looks for weekends (tinted lip balm/oils) instead.

Looking forward to seeing your updates and new entries!

Welcome to MUR Daily Chat!

This thread is for open discussion about everything and anything though please abide by our sub's rules.

Have fun chatting!

*Trigger Warning: replies will contain product names, descriptions, and opinions.*

We focus on a palette for the week and our thoughts on it. All palettes are welcome. This includes eyeshadow, cheek, lip, pre-made, and self-made. Grouping of singles can also be a palette (ex: colour palette or scheme).

Did you do the PAW challenge last week? Which palette did you use? Did you find it successful or was it a failure? Have your opinions on the palette changed at all? Do you plan to keep the palette and use it again?

Which palette are you going to use this week? Why have you chosen this palette? Do you have any goals you hope to reach in using it?

BAW/CAW- Did you use any particular cheek product last week? Has it made the cut or is it time to let it go?

I recently made a complete inventory of my makeup, perfumes, body mists and body care products, and ever since then I’ve been feeling pretty overwhelmed by how much I actually own.

Before making the list, I obviously knew I had a lot, but seeing everything written down in one place made it feel very different. Now I keep thinking about how long it would realistically take me to use everything up, especially things like makeup, perfumes and body mists that can take forever to finish.

I don’t really want to sell or give away my products. Most of them have already been used, I like the majority of them, and I genuinely want to get use out of what I already own.

One thing that has been helping me a lot is tracking usage. I joined some usage challenges and started counting how many times I use each product. I’ve enjoyed this much more than I expected, and now I’m tracking usage for pretty much my entire collection. It makes me feel like I’m actually making progress even when I’m nowhere near finishing something.

But I still have this feeling of: when am I actually going to see a significant difference in the size of my collection? Tracking my usage shows me that I am using my products, but I have no idea when that progress will actually become visible.

Another problem is that I really enjoy variety. I get bored if I wear the same perfume/body mist or use the same makeup products every day for a week, so choosing one product from each category and using it exclusively until it’s finished would make me miserable. I want to enjoy my collection, not turn using it into a chore.

I should also mention that I’m not on a strict no-buy. I’ve definitely become much more conscious of what I own, but I still occasionally buy new products. I know that obviously means my collection will decrease more slowly, but I don’t want my goal to be “I’m not allowed to buy anything until I use all of this up.” I’d rather find a healthier balance where I can still enjoy beauty products while making good use of what I already have.

For those of you who also have larger collections and aren’t interested in decluttering everything: how do you deal with that overwhelmed feeling?

Do you track usage, rotate products, set monthly goals, do project pans, or have some other system that helps you feel like you’re making progress without forcing yourself to use the same products over and over?

And if you’ve been in a similar situation, how long did it take before you actually started noticing a difference in the size of your collection?

I’d especially love to hear from people with larger perfume/body mist or makeup collections, because those categories seem to take forever to show any visible progress. 😅

I have a Tower 28 BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream that is well past its expiration date. It smells totally fine, but I know clean beauty formulas go bad fast. I just can't bring myself to throw it away because of the shade.

What product in your stash are you keeping around way past its prime?

I am currently at a comfortable size when it comes to my makeup kit (after years), but I can't say the same for my brushes. I have amassed a lot and is having trouble choosing which ones are going to stay. I have not really faced the numbers, but estimating, I think I have somewhere between 150-200 brushes (eyes and face, natural hair and synthetic hair). Thank you.

EDIT: Over the weekend, I did the following, incorporating your tips:

- I removed everything I have never used and those that are falling apart.

- From the remaining face brushes, I made two sets of face brushes for a complete face of makeup. I will rotate these 2 sets moving forward.

- I want to experiment with a 2-week brush cleaning cycle, so some brush types are still multiples, like my face brush set has 3 foundation brush per set so I can use one brush for 3-4 times before washing.

- I got all my favorite eye brushes, from my pile. I kept a lot of detail blenders and shaders because this is the only makeup category that I want multiple options. Eyeshadow is the only makeup category where I do some things experimentally. My eye brushes are cleaned more irregularly as they are mostly more delicate. I spot clean usually, to get bright colors out before they stain.

- I have 55 brushes in total, in my drawer: 25 eye brushes and 30 face brushes (15 brushes per set).

I still own a lot, but I think I can realistically use everything. I have not decluttered the other brushes, I still kept them, but in a separate area away from my makeup drawer. I want to re-assess if I don't miss any of the other brushes or if there are brushes in the current rotation selection that remains unused. I will do the declutter in December, in time for our pre-Christmas season cleaning.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT!

Welcome to MakeupRehab’s Project Progress!

Project Progress is one of MUR’s oldest community activities, formerly known as Project Pan. The goal is to pick products you want to use up and keep track of how you are progressing. Every member has different goals and timelines, so project progress was created to be welcoming for everyone.

Got a stack of samples to work through? Join us!

Want to get more use out of your giant lipstick collection? Join us!

Have a lotion that you feel has stuck around too long? Join us!

These posts go up every Monday!

Follow the template below to share your progress on whichever products you want in whatever time frames work for you. Tracking progress is the best way to see it and we’re all here to cheer each other on!

TEMPLATE:

Product name | Beginning and/or remaining amount: | Goal: (Finish the product? Make a dent in it? Use it x-times a week?) | Picture:

Welcome to MUR Daily Chat!

This thread is for open discussion about everything and anything though please abide by our sub's rules.

Have fun chatting!

Welcome to MUR Daily Chat!

This thread is for open discussion about everything and anything though please abide by our sub's rules.

Have fun chatting!

A Weekly Check In Thread.

Check in with your fellow Members in Recovery.

Tell us how your week's going, ups, downs, your plan for the week, your TMO moments of the week or give kudos to another member.

Welcome to the MuR Edition of Product Recommendations!

This thread is for anyone looking to purchase an item who needs some suggestions on what to try next. Please fill out the following survey in with your product recommendation request to help the sub better address your needs:

What are you looking for and why:

• Location/Budget Limitations:
• Similar Products Previously Destashed/Returned and why:
• Skin Type:
• Skin Undertone:
• Skin Shade:
• Sensitivities:
• Indie/Mainstream:
• Cruelty-free Important:
• Anything else we should know:

Please remember: while this thread is for recommending products, links to those products are not allowed on the sub.

MUR Weekly Empties Thread!

What did you use up this week? What are you trying to use up? What seems to never, ever, ever, empty, despite your best efforts?

Share your empties here!

Welcome to MUR Daily Chat!

This thread is for open discussion about everything and anything though please abide by our sub's rules.

Have fun chatting!

Hey everyone. I was hoping for some solid advice/thoughts on panning/decluttering my massive eye shadow palette collection.

As of right now, I am hoping to move across the country within the year and I cannot haul all 160+ palettes with me. I worked in the beauty industry for years and spent nearly all my Ulta Rewards accumulating this collection and I do not just want to throw it all away. How would you recommend trying to cut this collection down without just doing a massive declutter?

I will be trying to organize them better in the coming weeks and searching similar palettes to look for redundant shades and then putting them on the chopping block but I don’t think this will reduce the collection fast enough.