I feel like if I fess up to this, the makers of that Hoarders show will come and get me, but what the heck! — I love eyeshadow palettes.
Who doesn’t, right? But I think I might possibly love them a little more than usual…because I hold on to them FOREVER, and I tell myself that this is OK because powders last such a long time (even though I know that the experts say you’re supposed to throw them out after a certain period of time), so even when I hold on to a palette forever for “archival” purposes or nostalgia, it’s totally fine.
I just really like the idea of opening a compact and having everything right there (I think I even like them more than singles). And when they have special limited edition colors, too, like if it’s an eye palette from December 2005, and it has this one color with the purple sparkles that you just can’t find anywhere else — that brings me great joy. 🙂
Off the top of my head, and I know this is so cliché, but I love the O.G. Naked palette — the very first one — and Chanel Kaska Beige (OMG! Why’d they discontinue it!?).
Oh! — and I have this one limited edition palette from MAC, and it’s so NOT exciting, but I use it all the time. It’s Rick Baker Monster’s Bride — I think I’ve talked about it before — but it has Club, Brun, Carbon, some other things… Just stuff I use all the time.
It’s actually broken, in fact. The top fell off, but I still love it.
And then there’s the great MAC Brooke Shields Gravitas palette, with the gray packaging, and it’s got all those beautiful neutrals, none of which are overly cool-toned or warm…
Other than eye shadow palettes, I’d have to say that fragrances are the second most substantial part of my collection, because I love the bottles, and smell is probably my best sense.
How about you? What’s the most substantial part of your beauty collection (eyeshadow singles, palettes, lipsticks, nail polishes, blushes, etc.)?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Jessica V. says
Ahhhh yessss – eyeshadow palettes all the way! Palettes get me excited in a way nothing else does, and eyeshadow is my number one favorite makeup product, so a palette full of eyeshadows makes me squeal in delight! Also, I’m right there with you on the perfume – I love to display all my little bottles, and I think fragrance is so much fun – I like to match mine to what I’m wearing haha!
Agata says
I would say eyeshadow palettes as well although recently I have been more into lipsticks. So lipsticks would be my close second. I have a ton of nail polishes too, since they are cheaper than buying lipsticks or eyeshadow palettes I have a LOT of them!
Chelsea says
Probably perfume! I love it, I love buying it, but I’m really picky, so I own a lot of similar scents.
I get really annoyed with eyeshadow palettes because there are always colors I don’t use or want, I buy singles most of the time.
I own too much blush too.
Ericca says
Lipsticks then eyeshadow palettes then single eyeshadow. I really love lipstick
sara f says
Nail polishes – OMG so many. But I work from home and since I don’t wear makeup all of the time, I have at least some pretty nails to look at.
Next would be lip stuff, lipstick, glosses, etc- I have no idea why as I don’t usually wear the stuff. Maybe just cause it’s pretty.
Heather L says
Nail polish! I wasn’t even thinking about that! I have a ton of nail polish too! Eyeshadow palettes are still my favorite, but I don’t know what I’d do without my nail polish!
sara f says
I seem to have a b***load of Zoya. All those promotions buy one etc. What’s your favorite brand?
Heather L says
For formula and long-lasting, Julep are my favorite. For color and names, I love OPI. Deborah Lipmann are my favorite, but they are pricey so I don’t have very many of those! I own the most of OPI and China Glaze. I like to collect indie polishes too.
LindaLibraLoca says
I recently counted my stuff and surprisingly the thing I own most is red lip stuff (gloss, pencils and lipsticks), followed closely by neutral blushes.
Almost no eyeshadow palettes and only two highlighters.
And I hold on to my stuff forever, not only to the powders.
Heather L says
I am with you on the eyeshadow palettes! I love color (can’t even name one favorite) and have an artistic background, so nothing in my makeup collection brings me greater joy. I don’t discriminate – I love big palettes (like the Morphe palettes), medium palettes (like the Naked palettes), and small palettes (like the smaller Too Faced 9 shadow palettes)! I like company assembled palettes and my custom z palettes! The only downside is I don’t have time to use them all! If I could, I’d love to have time to just hang out by my vanity and play with them one day! Do any of you do that? As for my second place nominee, it would have to be lipsticks! I am obsessed with my Zahra Beauty spinning lipstick tower! Again, I love all the beautiful colors, and I love both traditional bullet-style lipsticks and liquid lipsticks (I’m especially enjoying the new Ofra ones!) I love to collect a big variety of colors, some of which I may not even have the courage to wear out unless it’s Halloween (It’s going to be a very careful decision whether to wear my green or black for Halloween – I’ve been waiting to use them!) Those are my favorites, but I love all kinds of makeup and skin care products and perfume. It’s tempting to just say “everything!”
Rachel R. says
I smiled when I read about your wishing to just play with your palettes. When I get insomnia really bad, I do that instead of watching TV. My family thinks I’m a bit nuts doing full-on eye looks at 2 a.m., but that’s OK. 🙂
Rebecca says
The lipstick tower is the best! It holds so many but takes up so little space! I bought one for my neice as well.
I bought the pink and clear, which did you get? Do you have the lipgloss tower too?
Jessica says
Without a doubt, Urban Decay palettes. And singles.
jane says
I would have to go with eyeshadow palettes like most of the above. However, in the 2 years, I vowed not to buy any more since I was only using a few shades and eventually getting rid of them. I consolidated a few with my favorite shades, but have run out. I have a few Bobbi Brown palette shades which have either exclusive shades or discontinued shades which I am praying she brings back. My two favorites are Malted and Champagne Truffle (this was in her Rich Chocolate palette which was my fave of all). She has Malted in the cream shadow, but I really love the powder shadow. Anyway, I broke down the other day and ordered the Telluride palette. One thing that bothers me with most palettes is that I wish the base shade was larger than the other shades since I go through it very fast. I usually have a single in a beige or Ivory shade.
Lorraine says
Nail polishes. The idea that they “expire” is ridiculous. There are so many chemicals in there, they’d last practically forever. Not so with other types of cosmetics, especially the liquid or creamy kind. So that is one of my major justifications for the crazy big stash of polish. That, and similar. NOT the same. BTW, thanks for leading me down the Chanel Vernis and TOm Ford rabbit hole. Less money for mascaras, lipsticks and palettes. but my nails will always be shiny.
Tatiana says
Perfume and nail polish. I have tons of both. Believe me, if I had more room to store my cosmetics, I would probably have a lot more eye shadow palettes, too. I just love all the pretty colors!
Emilie says
Nail polish, lippies and anything NARS. Even though I’ve gotten rid of a ton of products, it seems like my makeup shelf just keeping growing and growing. Le sigh.
Savvy in San Francisco says
I have an overall makeup addiction but I think the biggest part of my collection is eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks! I just bared my soul and shared my collection on Snapchat. The addiction is real! ???
Katie says
I tend to hoard lip products even though I hardly wear them… palettes are big for me too.
JCarbonel says
I’d have to say eyeshadow palettes and lippies. I LOVE purchasing lippies… but there’s colors I always go back to and some I feel like I’ve only worn once.
lisa r says
Foundation all day! But, I can’t hoard makeup. I feel bad spending money on something I could never use because I have to much of it.
Heidi says
I will confess to having an OBSCENE amount of nail polish, more than I could ever use in several lifetimes. Eye shadow palettes run a close second.
Elizabeth says
Eyeshadow palettes are difficult to resist but I must confess that lipsticks, glosses and nail polish find their way home with me too…all too often! These companies target us with that one shade we just can’t live without and goodness sakes if it is a “limited edition” item; watch out!
Regina M says
Thats tough! I have a lot of lipsticks and lip products and blush! So much blush! I tend to cycle through eyeshadow palettes and I tend not to keep them, either I return them, sell them or give them to my sister because I’m rarely 100% happy with them I have found that making my own through MAC has been a lot better than buying remade ones. I’d love to see a video or post of your makeup collection! I love seeing peoples collections its just like snooping in their bathrooms but better haha
Rachel P. says
Hi Karen! No shame in that palette game- I’d say palettes are my third most populous makeup item. First place goes to my VAST array of lipsticks… I don’t know how I ever ended up with so many lipsticks. I love ’em. I’m like a kid in a candy store with them. Just a world of formulas and colors to try, and they are so easy and quick to apply, and make such a big different to any makeup look on any given day. And then oddly, I’d say 2nd place/runner-up is liquid foundation. Overall, I love my features, but my skin is hyperpigmented, acne-scarred, combination… just always a mess. My skincare game is strong, but in terms of makeup, if I see a new foundation formula that could work for me, I HAVE to try it. I noticed MAC just released a new gel-serum foundation… I’m already dying to give it a test run.
michelle says
Mmmm…has to be colored eyeliner! I have probably 30 different shades in pencil, gel and liquid. By far the lion’s share is UD 24/7, if I had the cash I definitely would have been all over the vault. I have hooded eyes so often you can’t really see my shadow so I use colored liners instead. I also have about 40 or so polishes (total Zoya hoor here) which makes little sense as I am a cook and can only wear them on the weekends!
Kalli says
I think I have more lip products than anything, followed by nail polish. But I also have a ton of eyeshadow palettes! I have all of the UD Book of Shadows and I just can’t bear to part with them. I’ve even thought about depotting them into a Z palette just to make it easier to see what I have, but I don’t want to take them out of their packaging! Ugh such is the life of a beauty junkie 😀
Cyndi says
I am a hoarder of nail polish (60+ bottles), followed by lip products and then eye shadow palettes. And in my opinion I don’t have enough palettes… haha. I also love having the option of multiple looks in one palette. Makes it easier for travelling or on the go! 🙂
Diana says
Lipstick, nail polish, and perfume! I’ve been hoarding (sort of) since I had enough money to buy my own cosmetics, i.e. college freshman year. I can have 2 slightly similar shades at once but I’m okay with that because I like to test the quality of many brands.
Jill says
OMG! Mine is definitely lipstick. I have lipstick holders and they are all full of MAC lippies. I need more holders for my other lipsticks.
They eyeshadow palettes are multiplying like rabbits in my house. Husband is threatening an intervention
Ruth says
Lipstick and blush.
Fancie says
Is it sad that I probably have more than 1 category? ? I’m overrun with lipsticks, blushes and bronzers lol. My lipsticks more than likely make up the most of my collection though since they’re soo easy to collect and there’s always some new shade, formula or collection coming out that I’ve just got to have. Lord knows I need to start purging before I end up on hoarders with you lol
Laure says
Eyeshadow palettes are also my weakness. In fact, they’re the first thing I look at when I window shop online. I don’t have a sizeable make-up collection by nay means, but I have way more eyeshadow palettes than I have use for (but I love it so much!).
Laure says
Actually now that I think about it again, my nail polish collection is actually way bigger. Maybe I think about it, because my nail polish collection is completely separate from my make-up collection in my mind…
But yeah, I have an overabundance of nail polishes. More than 100 and counting. :S
Laure says
*[Maybe I] didn’t [think about it]
Kecia S. says
I confess that I have an obscene (I’m talking REALLY OFFENSIVE) amount of lip products. Next would be a toss-up between perfumes & eye shadow palettes. The fragrances probably win that battle, but my palettes aren’t far behind.
Rachel R. says
Eye shadow palettes for me, too. Everything from rios and quads up to huge ones like Urban Decay Vice palettes. As a child I loved huge boxes of Crayola crayons, colored pencils, chalk, pastels, water colors. Eyeshadow palettes are the grown up version.Oh, the possibilities…
I have several Zpalettes full of singles and depotted palettes. Then there are all the loose mineral shadows. Counting all my shadows, whether in a palette or not, they are definitely be my most numerous item.
I’m a pretty big lip product hoarder, too. Especially lipsticks: I have at least a couple hundred. Colored eyeliners of all types, but mostly pencils, would are also a big part of my collection.
Bea says
Lip products, duh, Karen.
Rebecca says
I love palettes too! In fact, so much so, I have so few singles. However, I think I have the most lipsticks. I bought the Zahra spinning lipstick tower that holds 81 lipsticks and it is full and overflowing!
Alice says
Oh gosh, I own so much more blush than any other cosmetic item in my collection. And here’s the thing: all of it is cream or gel blush! I’ll never be able to get through all of it before it goes bad!!!
Barbara B says
Perfumista here-definitely my passion. Makeup- wise it is all lip products and nail polish. I only have a couple eyeshadow palettes and mostly eyeshadow singles.
Currently own only two blushes.
Astrild says
I think It could be nail polishes. I passed though a serious obsession a few years ago and I have a ton. There’s months since I purchased my last bottle though and my lipstick collection is growing quickly, as the blush one does, so probably both would the the main part of my collection very soon.
Kim says
I think it’s probably lip stuff right now. Mainly glosses, even though I try to thin the herd by passing things off to friends, especially lighter pinks which are the jam of one of my glossy friends. 🙂
Jennifer says
This is a very good question. For sure I am overrun with lipsticks, lipglosses, stains, and the like. I’m always hunting for the perfect lip color, which is going to make me look ten pounds smaller, five inches taller and more glamorous and sophisticated than I actually am. Adding to my addiction is those little makeup bags of lip products that Sephora puts out every season it seems. I’m always a sucker for those. In fact, if it contains one or two colors that I absolutely love, I’ll buy another couple of the bags because they’re usually a super value.
I do, however, have a lot of nail polish. I threw out/gave away probably 50 or 60 this summer. Like I had a come to Jesus moment and told myself I didn’t need five silver nail polishes so I kept one and got rid of the rest. I still have a ton of polishes. But I need many colors so I have design options.
And I thought about kon-marieing my makeup wardrobe but decided against it because those things spark joy for me. There’s a chance I might gather everything together just to do an inventory and assessment but I’m not planning to pitch anything. Unless there’s something old that escaped my notice this summer.
Syah says
Lippies and blush! I just can’t get enough of them? I *need* to try every color under the rainbow.
Katie says
I’d have to say it’s a tie between single eyeshadows and lipsticks, which is funny since until about six months ago I never ever wore lipstick. But now, I can’t go a day without it and I have an embarrassing stash…
I have a handful of eyeshadow palettes but I find I don’t reach for them as much as my XL Z-Palette full of singles (yup, I filled an entire XL Z-Palette and there’s still tons more on my wishlist), so I’ve forbidden myself from buying any more palettes.
Erin says
It’s lips for me by far. It used to be foundations but I culled those.
Jen L says
I am a lip stuff addict; stain, balm, lipsticks, gloss, moisturizers, exfoliants – whatever they make, I buy it.
I bought two glosses and an exfoliating moisturizer just yesterday TBH.
I have to have it all in a rainbow of colours as well, to suit my mood and outfits don’t you know. I think I spend more on lip stuff than food.
CJ says
Eyeshadow palettes narrowly beat out the lip products for me – both have two full drawers in an Alex nine-drawer, but then I overflow individual eye shadows into a third drawer in the Alex and then a couple trays of ColourPop in my vanity. So bad! I only have two eyes! I literally just sit and swatch my collection sometimes.
Ruta says
Lipstick.
I know I passed the 50 mark so I refuse to count them anymore while I keep buying more and finding more boxes to keep them in. No one actually needs that many red/berry/brown-pink/red lipsticks but what the hell. 😀 I love it!
It used to be eye-shadow but I finally stopped and started asking myself ‘do i actually need this?’ before buying. In other words, I look at it and realise i have dupes of every shade and walk away. Mostly. Apart from that Colourpop order, but I just haaaaad to.
Icy Sedgwick says
I have way too many palettes – I can’t stop buying them! I tell myself it’s more economical than buying singles, but then I buy an entire palette for just one shade, so it’s all false economy…but they’re so pretty!