The 5 Stages of My Makeup Evolution: Stage 3

After discovering YouTube and the power of makeup, I gradually became obsessed with all things beauty related.  YouTube would be my nightly source of entertainment and it still is today.

Along with the techniques I picked up from watching YouTube tutorials, I also learned about different product types and functions.  Makeup brushes, for example, were something I never knew existed... until YouTube.  I remember one brush in particular being all the rage in 2009: the "skunk" brush a.k.a. the duo-fiber brush.  People touted its ability to blend foundation like a dream, giving an "airbrushed" look, perfect for applying cream blushers, etc.  Slowly but surely, I felt compelled to be an owner of this skunk brush... and countless other beauty items I saw and heard...

In the early stages of my newfound addition to makeup I was still much grounded in practicality.  I knew I didn't know how to use eyeshadows and did not want to buy many of that item.  I also knew I didn't like foundations, so I also refrained from purchasing those items.  What I had a weakness for then, and now, are blushers.  I slowly began to accumulate a new blusher here, and odd blusher there, all the while being conscious of not having too much.

My sense of practicality during this stage also prevented me from buying expensive makeup items.  I was incredulous whenever someone on YouTube "hauls" items from Sephora, say a Nars blush for $28; and I was flat-out flabbergasted when their shopping trip would amount to hundreds of dollars.  It was absolutely absurd to me to spend that much money on makeup.  I was much, much more comfortable with CVS and Wags, and the "poor-people" half of Ulta.

Somewhere between indulging in YouTube and cheap blushers, I discovered CVS' semi-annual makeup clearance event.  Of course the store does this to clear out old items to make room for new products, but back then this was the greatest thing that could've happened!  It was like being in a candy store and all the candies are 75% off!  I indulged and even gorged on products that weren't blushers; eyeshadows, foundations, lipsticks, lip glosses.... If I had to pinpoint a specific event that catapulted me into collecting makeup, it would be the CVS sales.

It didn't take but one or two trips to CVS during the sale for me to outgrow my tiny 3-drawer Sterilite storage system.  At first I was a bit mortified at my behavior, coming home with so much makeup.  But somehow, over time, the rush of having new makeup to swatch and play with overcame whatever practical sense I had in me.  I frequented the drugstores and Ulta more often, though I never ventured to the "rich-people" half of Ulta.  For me the thrill of shopping has always been finding the best bargain for my money; I aim to not pay full price for a lot of things, and makeup was no exception.  So in addition to regular drugstores, I also stalked the beauty sections of discount stores like Big Lots and Dollar Tree, even Marshalls and TJMaxx, always on the hunt for the next makeup bargain.

It's really a gift and a burden then that I am very good at finding bargains.  Almost every outing would result in some fantastic deals on makeup and my collection steadily grew.  Additionally I ransacked my sister's old, unwanted things and added to my collection old makeup that she had forgotten about.  These included a ridiculous amount of cheap gift-with-purchase items that seemed like free gold to me at the time.  I was on a high every time I added something to my collection.

And then it happened: the day I popped my "high-end makeup" cherry and purchased something from the "rich-people" side of Ulta...

The infamous NAKED palette

This was the first makeup item that I bought full-price at $44, and shamefully, it was all because of YouTube.  When this item first came out everyone on YouTube raved and raved about it - it was the best neutral palette, best quality, best colors, best everything; it was the end-all-be-all neutral eyeshadow palette.  To make my lemmings for this palette even worse every store was sold out of this product and even the company had it on backorder.  I actually took mild comfort in it being unavailable because I was convinced no makeup product is worth shelling out $44.  Yet, when I saw this one lone palette in Ulta that day, all my reasonings went out the window and I immediately snatched it off the shelf for fear that someone would beat me to buying it.  I coveted this palette for quite some time, it was so expensive after all; I kept it in its original container and didn't even swatch it because I didn't want to mar the beauty of the palette.

After this purchase I slowly became accustomed to the price of high-end makeup.  Although the high price tag no longer shocked me as it did in the beginning, I was (and am still) a frugal person at heart and did not indulge like the people I watched on YouTube.

But I was no better than them...  What I ended up with was an overflowing amount of makeup, mostly cheap and of poor quality, products that did not suit my style (lipstick) or lifestyle (blue eyeshadow?!).  Consequently, most of these items were hardly ever used.  But at this stage, I wanted it all and needed it all and I had to have it all!