2016 Make-up Inventory

For the first time ever I've taken an inventory of all the make-up and lip balms that I own. I've known that I own a lot of products but they're scattered all over the place so I can't see them all together and really don't have any idea exactly how many of each item that I own. This year, in an effort to reduce my spending on cosmetics and use up what I have, I did a make-up inventory. It was scary. I couldn't sit down and count everything at once because kids, so I did the inventory over three days. Yes, you read that right, three days. 

I counted everything as one product, including samples and travel sizes. I did consider counting two travel sized or samples as one product, but decided that I'd count each product.


Are you ready for this? Here we go.

78 eye shadows 
55 eye liners
41 mascaras
18 palettes 
32 foundations
29 powders 
38 concealers
18 highlighters
63 blushes
22 bronzers
20 primers
10 brow products 
262 lipsticks
178 lipglosses
27 lip liners
394 lip balms 

Whilst most things weren't surprising a few were. I didn't realise how many blushes I owned. I use the same blush every day so I definitely don't need 63 blushes. Also, what's with the 41 mascaras? Who needs that many? Not me. I use the same one for three months then toss it out and start a new one. By that method I have enough mascara to last me the next 10 years. Crazy. 

I've already started my lip product cull, there's a post about that coming up soon. Clearly a blush, highlighter, bronzer, concealer and mascara cull is in order too. 

I have a lot of primers but that includes face, eye and lip primers so I'm not too fussed about that number, it'll reduce quickly enough. I'm okay with the number of brow products I own, I don't need that many so as I use them I won't replace them, but I'm not planning on culling any of them. 

Twenty four foundations is plenty. I've already had a big foundation cull and only kept the ones that I really like or want to test, so I won't be culling any more foundation. 

After my huge eye liner cull I thought I was doing well, then discovered a whole pile of eye liners in another spot. I've put them all together now so there'll be another eye liner cull coming up soon.

This year I plan to be in constant cull mode. I'll try things a few times and if I don't love them out they'll go. I'm also doing a low buy, I'll buy no more than two products per month, including lip balm but excluding skin and hair care. That means my total purchases for this year will be a maximum of 24 products.

Have you done a make-up inventory?