When you buy a new beauty product, do you rip off the package and try it out? Or does that makeup stay unused in its case?
Be honest: How many lipsticks do you have in your makeup bag that you’ve never used? You may not even realize that they’re in there because they are buried at the bottom, totally forgotten. It may not be lipsticks, but I bet you have some new beauty products in your bag that have never been opened and will remain like that for a while. You’re not alone. I love testing new makeup products, but some of the time, when I purchase items I’m really excited about, they can remain unused in my cupboard for months.
(Related: Why You Should Be Adding A Lip Liner Back Into Your Makeup Bag)
A lot of the time, people never end up using their new makeup purchases because they realize that after they plunked down the cash for that new product, it was a mistake. You either genuinely believed that you were going to wear that yellow eyeliner, or the sales associate convinced you that you could totally pull off that bright orange blush. Perhaps you thought that you had found the perfect red lipstick. Then in the regular light at home, you realized you were completely wrong, and you let all the shiny new products and clouds of perfume compromise your decision-making. You are never going to wear anything yellow on your eyes, ever, and that red lipstick definitely isn’t flattering.
Most people have a least one regretted item in their makeup bag that they don’t have the heart to throw away yet. I have had a few of those. See the white primer that made my eyeshadow stay on but changed them all into garish 1980′s shades.
One of the other issues I have is that I don’t want to “wreck” products by using them. I know it sounds odd; makeup is meant to be used, not kept pristine. Someone tell me I’m not alone. It must be the inner curator in me, but I want my products to look as good at home as they do at the beauty boutiques under the fluorescent lights that show off their shiny packaging. And I want them to stay that way long after the first use. Who hasn’t opened a fresh lipstick and looked at the pristine cut on the bullet and wanted it to stay that way and not go down to some dull nub. Then there are the ones with the embossed logo. No one wants to wreck that. You probably paid an extra $5 for that lipstick just for that mark. The same goes for eyeshadows.
It’s not just the actual products; it’s the packaging that gets ruined too. After that powder has been in your makeup bag for a few months, the logo is 67% faded off, and the entire package probably has a dull gray tinge, even if you keep your makeup bag clean. This is why it is tempting to keep it in plastic wrap.
Someone needs to invent packaging that stays glossy and is resistant to wear. And while they are at it, they can invent eyeshadows that don’t turn into powdery messes and lipsticks that have a permanently sharp bullet. Then I don’t have any excuses about wearing a new product unless, of course, I make a mistake again of thinking that I can pull off another neon blush.
