February 2, 2011

Musings of the Day: Do You Wish You Were A Makeup Minimalist?

Do you sometimes wish you were a minimal or non makeup type of girl? I have friends who have one lipstick, one lipgloss, some powder, and an eyeshadow.

Seriously, that’s all.

Do you sometimes wish you were that girl?

Jump!

Yup, I do. I sometimes wish I could get through life by simply owning a single lipgloss and just calling it a day. Why do I have to have 100’s of lip glosses? Dozens of blushes? Millions of the same shade of brown eyeshadow?

I fantasize what it would be like to be the minimalist.

But I quickly realize I’d be terribly unhappy with a single lipgloss.

No fun!

How about you?

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Tanya

    I think about this alot and even tried to do it, but I fail so miserably. The best compromise I’ve come up with is to have certain size makeup bags for one speific type of makeup and once it’s full that’s it. So one bag for eyeshadow, one for lip stuff, etc.

  • Fran

    Hi Muse,
    This is the 1st time I comment on your post. I read your blog, and I love it:)
    Yea, sometimes I wish I was that girl. Last week a friend of mine was like, “Geez I need to shop for make up, I ran out of eyeshadows and blush.” I was like, “What do you mean?” And she showed me her EMPTY jar of Bobbi Brown pot rouge and almost EMPTY Too Faced smokey eye palette (she used up everything except for one color, I think). So I asked if that’s all she had. And yup, that was all she had, with the addition of two nars lipglosses, a MAC eyeliner, a Bare Escetuals foundation, and two MAC brushes. She doesn’t own a single lipstick. Amazing!

    • the Muse

      hi fran thanks for coming out to say hey today! ;-D and thankssssssssss! so glad you enjoy Musings ;-D OMG empties how I wish I had empties to lay claim to LOL! AMAZING is right! God I WISH I could be that type of girl sometimes!

      • Fran

        I told her I had 2 pot rouges and I wasn’t sure I could finish them. She said, “Oh it’s gonna take you a few years for sure. You don’t have to worry about buying a new blush for a while.” I did not have the guts to tell her I own about two dozen blushes in my stash…lol!

        PS: Your blog is my happy place:)

        • the Muse

          LOL aw fran you rock! we are surely sisters in another life ;-D ha….! I’d probably nod and say oh yes, a few years, for sure LOL! ;D

  • Misato-san

    I think I’d be more sad too because I love colours. But sometimes I feel I’ve got too much so I stop buying a lot and try to get a better use of stuff I’ve got… specially the ones who disappointed me, because if they are a disappointment I need to get rid of them XD

  • Mel

    I wish! Actually I used to be that girl…now I find I enjoy my makeup “routine” and I’m more likely to experiment!

    • the Muse

      ha mel! ;-D what was it like being that girl share your experience, I never personally was that girl ;-D I wanna know what it was like ;D!

  • Liz!

    Nah, I’m usually pretty happy about my makeup obsession 😀 Sometimes I do bans and project pans though when I feel like I’ve got too much stuff. I like to set aside $ I’d be spending on makeup during that time so when I’ve used up enough products I can splurge on something nice. It’s a good motivator!

    • the Muse

      liz the willpower ;-D I’m all over the place! I rarely hold out on a pan project and I end up spending willy nilly if I try to organize myself ;-D! I do however have a separate account that I place $$ in for my makeup habit lol as I def don’t want to overspend!

  • neutralgirl

    I have tried this and failed too! Sometimes I feel so guilty that I have so much…I almost feel like a makeup hoarder so I’ll give a lot of things away and scale down my makeup case and think “There, I don’t need any more than this for right now” only to be suckered and go right back out for the cool new products. Oh, the money I’ve wasted.

  • lara / the glossarie.

    i am *so* trying to be that girl! truth be told i am makeup obsessed, but i actually don’t wear a lot of it? so i get excited about new products, purchase them, and then use once or twice. it’s bad news. i try to move things in and out of my arsenal now so that there are less products in rotation at once. it’s working for now but it’s not easy on the wallet 🙂

    • the Muse

      lara I have a similar problem. I’m not using everything as I am too busy testing new products daily and can never just dig into my collection for the sake of just applying a look that I want to do as I’m busy doing looks for the site or using products for a post, etc…so I end up using some items once or twice! ugh drives me bonkers!

  • Cj

    Makeup minimalist? Puh-Leaze. I am a makeup addict and PROUD of it lmao. I have been hauling MAC like crazy lately. Got my first “taste” 2 weeks ago and now I can’t stop lol. Just last night I put in another order online!

    • the Muse

      ha cj! you’re a mac addict now!? LOL! awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! deets, whatcha get?

      • Cj

        Yep im a newly converted Mac addict lol! I got their Mineralize Foundation SPF 15 (the cream one they just reintroduced a few weeks ago, totally loving btw!) and Select Moisturecover concealer 2 weeks ago and I just ordered Prep & Prime skin, Face and Body Foundation, Mineralized Skinfinished Natural (which is gonna be my setting powder), Dainty Mineralized Blush, and their brush cleanser ;D

        • the Muse

          w000000000t nice ;-D there MSF powder is good as well, try it ;-D brush cleaner=AWESOME, my hg and oh so cheap!

          • Cj

            Idk about the regular MSF :$, still a bit too shimmery for me lol, tho I am taking baby steps and staying away from ‘Matte’ stuff and going for a more natural/dewy finish ;D I kept hearing great things about their brush cleaner and it’s only $12! So I definately had to add that to my cart lol

    • Mary the Muse Militant

      LOL CJ !
      When you said: “I am a makeup addict and PROUD of it”.
      My home truth would be similar but:
      “I am a makeup addict and ASHAMED of it” !!!

      Help ! 🙂

  • ssaem

    Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I say yes because damn it, I know it’s going to take a while to use up what I have. That itself is sort of annoying. But I’m also a girl of variety. If I did the same look every day, I’d be bored as hell, haha. So I’m 50/50 on this subject.

  • reeny

    love makeup too much to even imagine having only one eyeshadow!
    but theres def lotta products that r just sitting there, that barely get used…
    but no, i need my makeup n all the pretty colors!

  • Chanel

    I am a minimalist some days. I don’t wear makeup every day(except for mascara) Today for instance; I just didn’t feel like being made up. Today I’m just rocking mascara, black eyeliner on top and bottom waterline. Its refreshing to just take 2 minutes to get ready for work.

  • Ru

    I used to be that girl, and sure I had a signature look (a very simple one), but I was also boring. I like having options, and variety, and honestly my makeup collection is what a toy box is to a kid- full of goodies I can play with!

  • Li

    I wish I could simplify like that, but I get tempted by packaging, the color, new item for the season, etc… But I can’t really spend too much on beauty products at this time, so I’ll pick up limited edition items if I really want them. I didn’t wear makeup at all while I was a student b/c I couldn’t afford to buy makeup. I guess I am making up for lost time after working full-time. My simplifying strategy is to limit myself to using the necessary items in one makeup bag until I’ve hit pan on the item. Sometimes I would get bored and want to stray, but most of the time I’m ok with the setup b/c I don’t have to think too much about which items to use each morning. My next step is to try to throw out items in my stash that I haven’t used in YEARS.

    • the Muse

      li I try to rotate alot so I’m not left with alot of crazy stuff I’m not using so I can relate to the not using in years bit ;-D

  • Janice

    I’m trying to become that girl! I’m trying to weed out a lot of stuff (not just makeup but clothes and stuff too) and pare everything down to the essentials. We’ll see how it goes… I will continue to avidly read your blog to live vicariously through you and your amazing makeup collection!

    • the Muse

      ha janice ;-D good luck hun! I wish I could but I have such a hard time saying no!

  • Emily

    I love my makeup collection, it makes my mornings more fun ( and take a bit longer)! My roommate is a minimalist, but she has bought a lot more since living with me, haha. Long live makeup! Too bad my college budget keeps me away from my beloved Sephora more often that I would like 😛

  • Andrea

    I’ve thought about it, but I don’t think I could do it. I like having lots of options for colors and looks. My roommate doesn’t wear anything except for the occasional chapstick, and she probably thinks I’m crazy since I’ve got a whole shelf dedicated to my stash (we have practically no storage space), plus I had tons of new stuff coming in a few months ago during all the F&F madness. Right now I’m working on a few items where I’ve hit the pan (a Clinique blush, a Revlon shadow quad, Stila’s Kitten eyeshadow), and I’ve made them my weekday/going to class routine so I can get through them faster and make room for new stuff. I’m trying to cut back on what I spend on makeup, though, which is hard since there’s always something new and exciting. Sigh.

    • the Muse

      Andrea it has to be hard livining with a minimalist ;-D some of them are judgmental hehe!

  • Liza

    I’m somewhat of a minimalist too when it comes to makeup because I hate bathroom clutter not just in makeup but for everything else in my life and besides I realized over the years just because a product looks so good in its packaging and has inviting words on it to draw you in, half of the time it isn’t and doesn’t work and I do believe in the basics so when I am tempted and do buy I never throw out the receipt so if it’s no good it goes back. I’m the queen of returns, something I’m trying to work on, lol!.

  • Megan

    I have a lot of make-up compared to some people, but I also have very little compared to some people. Day to day, I’m lazy and my make-up is sooo simple, so sometimes it doesn’t seem very sensible to have the amount of make-up I have. -sigh- Can’t resist though!

  • Quinctia

    I used to be pretty minimalistic. I think I still am to a certain extent–most of my excesses tend to be in getting assorted eyeshadows and nail polishes. I have a few lip products, but I don’t wear them (nothing stays on my lips), so I try not to buy them. I don’t wear blush, but I recently bought a cheap quad–I’ll probably end up giving it away, though.

    If I find HG, I tend to stick to those. I’ve only got UD face and eye primers, I only buy XXL Extensions mascara (plus a couple colored mascaras), and I’m working on a good foundation routine that I like so I can stick to a certain face routine and products. Though I already really like my concealer, so I don’t buy any others.

  • Deejay

    Hi,

    I’ve actually thought about it and just selling my makeup collection especially since I only wear makeup on the weekends and sometimes during the week if I have time. I work 6am-5pm so I don’t have much time to apply it. Anyways, everytime I’m close to selling it I change my mind, because I actually feel attached to it. lol. All those experiences I’ve had buying them….lol and besides everytime I go into a store I always go towards the cosmetics section to see what catches my eye. So i don’t think I would give up what I have now.

  • cait

    i wish i could be a skincare/foundation/concealer minimalist haha. i try to limit myself with eyes/lips (i only allow myself one liquid liner, one pencil liner, and one mascara at a time, my only eyeshadows are the UD Naked Palette, and I only use chapstick on my lips). HOWEVER, i struggle a lot with bad skin, so i throw RIDICULOUSLY INSANE amounts of money into every new skincare product or concealing product that comes out. *sigh*..i’d be so much richer if i were only born with naturally good skin! haha.

    • the Muse

      ha cait! I hear you! I throw alot of cash down on concealer for my eyes ;-D I’m obsessed with keeping them flawless looking and indulge in WAY too many concealers so I understand the need to throw cash at particularly products!

  • SJG

    Yeah, sometimes, kind of like I sometimes I wish I could be that cute hippie-esque girl who rolls out of bed and does nothing but splashes her face with water and looks adorable. But that is not me.

  • Yara

    No. But instead I want to be able to know which particular products are best for my face and look best combined with each other…

  • Soo

    yes! it would save me a lot of money.. I’ve thought about it a lot from that aspect, but don’t think I’m stopping any time soon though. makeup is too much fun

  • Taryn

    I used to be a semi-minimalist, where everything fit into half a drawer and one makeup bag, and I miss those days. I think my makeup is better now that I pay more attention to it, but sometimes I look at my stash and feel ridiculous.

    The other day I used up one full-sized bottle of Neaclear toner and felt so proud of myself. It was like the first skincare item I genuinely used up in ages (sometimes I’ll use more of a product to get through it quicker if I don’t like it, but somehow it doesn’t feel like an accomplishment when it’s finally empty).

  • Chels Marie

    I have thought about this but I am quite happy rolling around in my makeup and making stash angels 😉

  • Kimee

    I love makeup! But surprisingly, I only wear mascara, blush, and concealer on a daily basis.

    Anything more than that, I look too “done up”. Even if its a neutral eye or brown eyeliner! Nonetheless, I still LOVE makeup, even if I’ll only use the non-basic items (foundation, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick, etc.) on special occasions.

    Minimalist with a makeup addiction. Ironic huh?

  • Lolly

    This is such a fun post Muse. I think I hit that “buying the same shades” phase only recently! I am definitely on a ban right now and if I don’t see the silver pan, I’ll try my absolute best to not buy anything else *cries* I’ve never hit the pan on any product except when I used to be a minimalist! How I want to return to those days! I think it’s crazy how people can go through tubes and tubes of lipstick! I can’t even finish one!

    (However that Etude House tangerine collection is killing me right now with its awesomeness ><")

    • the Muse

      ha lolly the tangerine is getting me too ;-D can’t wait to try it! I understand how you feel but honestly have no will power to actually go on a do not buy!

  • AS

    I’ve been both people, to an extreme – only wore one lipstick in my 20s, Clinique Guava Stain, to be specific, and no makeup. Didn’t even finish that one and still have it! Now I’ve gone totally Apeshizz! Got in my thirties, had health problems, and realized that if I made up my face people stopped commenting on how sick I looked. Now yellow, green, and red shades stay where I put them, not randomly blotched all over my face due to poor skin coloration. I also notice I am treated better when I am wearing makeup. No kidding! So then my old OCD love of all the crayons in the box syndrome from childhood set in. I find it great fun and a challenge to wear wild shades in a minimal, professional-looking way. It is possible – even a neon-red NYX shadow stick and green mascara, when done minimally and correctly, were a surprisingly subtle combo that popped without anyone realizing why – it translated as a soft brown with a little something extra viewed from a normal distance. Love your graphic above, by the way!

  • Tracy

    It’s funny because I buy a lot but always use the same few makeup pieces ! Does that make me half-minimalist ? But I’m definitly not a skincare minimalist ! I buy and use just about a million things !

  • zang

    haha. i was a minimalist until i found youtube and some of the gurus there and beauty blogs.

    but, i really was just a makeup hoarder that’s been in the closet for too long!! haahaa. i’ve always loved makeup but didn’t show it until recently.

  • Annabella Freeman

    I am that girl with makeup with face and body scrubs, and shower gels it’s another story. However I’m making a concerted effort this year to sort the makeup collection out (or lack thereof) and get some stuff that really works for me!

    • the Muse

      LOL anna I’m that girl too, oh lord how many shower gels I have *head desk*

  • Dawn

    I suppose I could be considered one of those minimalists?
    I’ve got 2 eyeliners(one pencil and another,gel liner)
    1eyebrow pencil
    1 duo eyeshadow (brown and a highlighter)
    1 mascara
    2 lipstick(1 nude pink and another red)
    1blusher

    I do have quite afew lipbalms though,cause I love scented lippies!

  • Nunuiviet

    Arghhhhh no I can’t be like this girllllllll!
    I love colours too much and I love different textures as well, shimmer, lustre, creamy, matte etc… I need to try every makeup collection when ther’s something new and kawai! Hahahah it makes me so happy!

  • **blushing**

    I tried this for a day but gave up when it caused a recession. 😉

    Just doing my part for the economy, one (hundred) lipsticks at a time.

  • Regina

    Hi Muse! I was that girl a couple years ago but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve wanted a more polished look for work, etc. But now I’m totally overboard!! The nice thing now is that I can go between a minimalist and made-up look and I no longer look at other ladies and think, “Wow, I wish I could do that makeup look…” Now I have lots of shadows, liners,lippies, blushes and it “funs-up” my morning routine to sit down at my makeup table and do my face, lol!

  • Phyrra

    Nope. Being a minimalist wouldn’t be as fun to me. I’m the girl with like… 10 different shades of hot pink lipstick.

  • dangster

    Haha I *wish* I was a makeup minimalist. I actually don’t wear much makeup on a daily basis (usually just mascara, blush, lipgloss, maybe a tinted moisturizer if I feel like it), but I have SO MANY makeup products that I’ve been hoarding for the past 2 years 😀

    So I’ve made a New Years resolution where I do NOT buy any makeup products, unless it’s Urban Decay or Nars. Also I’ve been selling off the stuff I’ve been hoarding onto eBay (except for the UD and Nars stuff, naturally).

    I’ve stuck to it thus far–the only makeup items I’ve bought this year are 3 UD eyeshadow palettes (because I need those, haha). Now I need to stop buying so many bath and body products 🙂

  • Mary the Muse Militant

    Never ! It is not possible lol.
    My sister is a minimalist of the worst kind.
    She hasn’t said too much about my hoard but I know by her face that she thinks it is insane to say the least.
    She does somethimes ask me why do I need so many brushes, eyeshadows, blah, blah…
    Also I can’t bear to part with stuff that I don’t use.
    Muse, I bet you have the biggest hoard your side of the Atlantic !! HeHe. Lucky girl !

  • Catherine

    I used to be like this until I found the beauty community on youtube and blogs like yours! My collection is now extensive (excessive)… I’m trying to do a “project 10 pan” – 10 for skin/body and 10 for makeup – the makeup one shows no signs of ending anytime this decade… confirms how much more I have then I’ll ever be able to use up but it’s still so hard not to lush over all the new collections! I’ve been good so far but it’s only been 2 weeks!

  • Lola

    Sometimes when I think about the amount of money I’ve been on makeup … I faint thinking about how I could of bought a new car with it. lol So yeah, sometimes I wish, sometimes I try to be a minimalist, but make up is soo … addicting.