I'll be the first to admit that I'm a bit of a makeup hoarder - some people collect stamps, or Pez dispensers, or coins, and I collect makeup. I've really grown quite proud of my collection, as I'm realizing that every product I own fits my style and is something I would wear. And it's only taken me three years. I've gone through cycles of beauty hauls and purges to curate my collection, and I wanted to share some tips I've found helpful if you're looking to really make sure your collection "speaks" to you.
WOULD YOU WEAR IT?
Let's start with the obvious one - go through your collection and think about each product. Is it something you'd genuinely wear? Does it fit into your personal style/aesthetic? It took me a long time to admit that I'm just not one for super shimmery smokey eyes (in fact, I haven't worn eyeshadow for more than three days in a row in months), so I eventually gave away my Naked palettes. I had a few bright orange lipsticks that looked stunning when swatched but just made me look ill. Go through your collection and be picky - if you haven't worn it even once in about six months, chances are it's just not your thing.
WOULD YOUR BEAUTY ICON WEAR IT?
Taking the first tip one step further - picture your beauty inspirations and icons. Go through your collection and ask yourself if it's something they would wear. Now, this doesn't have to apply to everything. My ultimate beauty icon is Audrey Hepburn, but I'm sure she wasn't piling on the blue highlighters from the Anastasia Moonchild Glow Kit, which I love and will never part with. Think of their style and how you can adapt it to yourself. I feel like my penchant for lowkey and understated makeup looks focusing on the lashes and a pinky nude lip is definitely influenced by my love of Audrey Hepburn, but I throw in some smudgy brown liner (rather than a cat eye) and a highlight because that's just me.
DOES THE BRAND'S MESSAGE RESONATE WITH YOU?
This is a question I've found myself asking when going through my collection a lot lately. There are a few brands I had things from, but I just wasn't a fan of their brand image/message/business practices as a whole, so I made the decision to part with them. Even if the product was a color I'd wear or one of my role models would wear, I don't want to feature the product in my content if it's not a brand I can stand behind. Some brands I'm really admiring at the moment are Glossier, Bite Beauty, Drunk Elephant, and Milk Makeup, so I want to make sure I showcase brands like those more and clear out some clutter to give them more attention.
DOES THE BRAND'S AESTHETIC COMPLEMENT YOURS?
I've saved this one for last because sometimes I find myself getting a little shallow here - if I have two products that are similar shades and similar formulas and I want to get rid of one, I'll always keep the one with the packaging I like better. Lately a lot of minimal, monochrome packaging is speaking to me - I think this is why I'm falling in love with Marc Jacobs Beauty at the moment. Of course, it's more important for the product inside to be good than it is for the outside to look pretty, but isn't it a plus when just looking at the product makes you feel good? I try to steer away from products in overly cutesy, colorful packaging because it just doesn't fit the overall "feel" of my content - the product really has to blow me away for me to use it anyway.
I hope these were somewhat helpful or even made sense - do you think about your collection as having one cohesive style?