What a Girl Wants, What a Girl Needs...

I’ve just been reading some blogs about make up storage and I’m totally overwhelmed – and of course green eyed ;-) – at the extent of some people's make up collections.  Admittedly, since starting blogging my own collection has increased, but up until now I’ve always had roughly the following in my make up collection:

• 1 foundation
• 1 bronzer
• 1 powder
• 1 mascara
• 2-3 lipsticks
• 2-3 lipglosses
• 2 eyeliners
• 3-4 eyeshadows (individual or palettes)
• 1 highlighter
• 1 concealer

That is IT!  Is this normal/pathetic/modest?  I honestly couldn’t justify having more than one powder blusher in the exact same shade of pink, for example. At times I may have a regular mascara plus a waterproof one. Or a black & a brown. I’d never have 2 identical shades of red lipstick. I normally have one perfume, which I use until it runs out and then get a new one – same for shampoo, conditioner & styling product.  I’d usually have an average of around 5 nailpolishes.

So I’m seriously ‘WOW!’ that people have around 5 or more of each individual item – like 5 pink lipglosses, 5 foundations, etc – and feeling rather inadequate.

Part of me thinks ohhhhh I would LOVE to have so many products - I’d feel like a child in a sweetshop if all that was mine! And part of me thinks I’d panic if I had so much to choose from… like I’d have to use a different one each day so as not to be wasteful haha!

I’m the same when it comes to clothes, handbags, shoes and pretty much everything in my life. Admittedly a lot of this has been due to limited funds (though I’ve always invested in good moisturiser, eyecream and foundation even as a student ;-) ) – or maybe it’s  reflection of my upbringing, where we always had enough, but little if any excess. 

For some time I’ve been trying to streamline my wardrobe (another passion!) and invest in a modest amount of really good quality, stylish clothes that I LOVE and feel really good in, rather than hoards of tat picked up in sales ‘just because it was a bargain’.

I like to apply the same approach to my make up (more than skincare, which I rarely scrimp on). Just yesterday I bought a bargainous lipgloss, as I’d missed out on the Chanel Venus one I really wanted in duty free (which some of you heard me ranting about on Twitter).  I don’t love my bargain gloss – and didn’t even wear it today – which is most unlike me as normally I can't wait to use new products.  So I’d have been better saving that £4.99 and putting it towards the Chanel one, right?

Obviously I adore make up and beauty products or I wouldn’t be here now, writing this beauty blog.  I’d love to have more and like I said, have already expanded (ok, probably doubled!) my collection since I started blogging. It’s pretty impossible to read about gorgeous new products or tried & tested favourites all the time and resist trying them out!

Just for the record, I’m not being judgmental about people with multiple products at all...  just thinking out loud (typing out loud?!) my ponderings.  I’m curious to know if I’m the only one who feels like this and if those of you who have lots of products actually use and enjoy them all?  I hope you do – and can totally predict being reminded of this post and teased about how things have changed in the not too distant future! :)

Thanks for reading and do tell me your thoughts in the comment box below! X