u/Screw_coloranalysis

I feel like I’ve become significantly better at resisting the appeal of sales and the fomo of limited editions. But there’s something about the appeal of minis and mini gift with purchase that really tests my willpower. It’s the appeal of being theoretically able to eventually finish the products that is making me a gold medalist in mental gymnastics. And it’s not like I have a good track record of actually finishing mini makeup. Of all the minis I had, I’ve finished all of the mini primers and mascaras, all of the mini sheer lipsticks/tinted lip balms, one mini powder bronzer, a deluxe sample 0.5g eyeshadow stick and two mini setting powders.

Even though that doesn’t sound that bad, I have right now in my collection:

- 1 mini twist up brow pencil

- 3 mini liquid blush, 2 mini cream stick blushes and 1 mini powder blush

- 3 mini primers (I’m not really worried about theses they should be all gone soon) and I’ve finished one this month.

- 2 unopened mini mascaras I got as gift with purchase and another gift with purchase in use.

- 2 mini lipsticks I had a third one I finished this month. One of those is a very pigmented matte long wearing red lipstick.

- 1 mini stick bronzer and 2 mini powder bronzers

- 8 mini eyeshadow sticks all proper minis not deluxe sample size

- 1 mini eye primer

- 1 mini powder

That’s 27 freaking mini products. I know the 3 primers, the mini nude lipstick, the two backup mini mascaras and one of the mini powder bronzers I can finish in 2026. But that’s still leaves me with 20 mini products left. I’m writing this to hold myself accountable, because Nars just released a new liquid blush and knowing them they will offer a mini as an offer on the Sephora website soon and it will test my willpower.

With the upcoming bans of Cyclohexasiloxane, Cyclopentasiloxane and talc in cosmetics in the EU, more and more products have been and will be reformulated or discontinued. There seems to be a panic in beauty communities and a lot of people are running to buy the latest discontinuation. 

I can understand that some people with a minimalist collection that regurlarly finish the same products could see some benefits with buying a replacement a bit earlier to delay the inevitable. But let’s be honest with myself, if I’m in this subreddit, it’s because I have a lot more products I can use.

One of my favourite lipsticks is on its way out, not because of the ban, the line still exists, it’s a colour discontinuation. I caught myself thinking about buying a backup. I have 25 lipsticks and while is well used, it’s nowhere near finished, I don’t need a backup. There are plenty of really nice formulas out there, once I’m actually almost done I can always bring the bullet with me shopping to find a close alternative. I also wanted to maybe buy a backup of my eye primer because it contains talc. Once again I’m nowhere need finished, I’ll figure something out once I’m actually done.

How about you, have you fought the urge to buy a backup lately? 

When I was young, I always liked makeup and I had more eyeshadows (single and quads pre palette craze) that I could realistically finish. They had noticeable dips and hitting pan happened from time to time without needing to seek it, it was a byproduct of repeated usage. My whole collection would fit in a hard makeup boxy case and besides lipglosses and eyeshadows, I had one of each.

I’ve been realizing for a while that my collection is far bigger than when I was younger.  But I didn’t realize how much my mindset has changed since I started reading product reviews on makeupalley and then watching product reviews. Before reviews, I wouldn’t try to get a holy grail product, I didn’t even knew it was thing. 

What changed the most is what was driving the purchases. Before I would buy something in the goals of creating new looks and not because I was chasing the next hyped product. Usually it was a new shade of an eyeshadow or lipgloss formula I knew I liked. Of course hype did exist then too, but it was fairly long lasting, it wasn’t a new product every month.

I now feel less inclined to even want to add products now that I have had a “breakthrough” on my behaviours. There will always be a product I like slightly more than something I already own in a given category, I’ll never be done if I keep on chasing the new and improved generation of something or essentially the same thing I already own but with a nice new hat.

What about you, what made you accumulate too much?