Like most kids who grew up in the 80s, I loved to collect stuff. First it was stamps, then novelty erasers and then ABBA records. As children do, I eventually lost interest in collecting each set of objects and quickly moved onto the next thing to collect.
When I became interested in make-up in 2016, I didn’t expect this interest to reignite my obsession with collecting stuff. However, I soon became like the proverbial kid in the sweet shop, the beautiful packaging and colours of make-up drawing me in and making me want to buy more and more with each new release from a brand.
I have a particular love (or, some might say, problem) with eyeshadow palettes. Maybe it’s because I also like painting and art but there’s something about the rows of different shades, the buttery soft mattes and glistening shimmers, all displayed in a grid within a beautifully designed box, that draws me in. This means that I now own over a hundred palettes from most brands on the market: Charlotte Tilbury, Pat McGrath and Natasha Denona being my favourites. More than I could need for a lifetime, unless I become a professional make-up artist (I can dream).
Of course I realise that this sort of consumerism is not good when trying to cut down on production and waste, for the sake of the environment. Furthermore, I’ve completely run out of space. Of course I could declutter my old palettes to make some room but that would also be a waste. Although palettes are supposed to only last about three years, the truth is that most powder make-up will last a lot longer than that. So, I’ve decided to enjoy the make-up I do have, instead of using each item a few times before moving on to the next shiny new product release. I mean, I’m not too the beauty editor of Vogue, for goodness’ sake!
A side effect of this is that I should be able to save a decent amount of money, which I can save up or use for other more useful purposes.
Of course I probably will be tempted when Charlotte Tilbury comes out with a beautiful new release but we’re off to a good start so far in January. I have been enjoying “shopping my stash” and rediscovering old items at the back of my cupboard. I’ll let you know how I get on…