r/MakeupRehab

I can’t believe that it has been 5 years since I posted my idea to drink a quart of water every time I wanted to buy skincare. My old post has more background, but essentially I was spending a lot of time researching skincare to the detriment of other hobbies. Purchasing products was less of an issue for me, but I was still recovering from the beauty box era and had enough of most product types to last 6-12 months. Since I didn’t actually need anything, I realized that this research was helping me to feel socially connected and potentially intellectually stimulated. Aka I was lonely and bored.

Well, I am here to tell you that this water drinking method actually worked. If you don’t believe me, compare how much I was posting and commenting on Reddit 5 years ago vs now. Here’s why I think it did:

* I recognized that this habit of researching was a symptom of unhappiness. This took some of the fun out of it immediately.

* I directly addressed the need that this research was meeting, which was social connection. This required me to push myself a little bit, but I started texting people more once I was researching less, and that led me to find my current friend group.

* To address the boredom, I read more physical books and got a physical newspaper subscription. When I did have leisure time on my phone, I tried to divert it to industry news. I deleted the Instagram and Reddit apps whose content often sparked my curiosity about ingredients. I still don’t have the Reddit app and I rarely have Instagram.

* Drinking a full quart of water takes a long time to do, so it allowed that initial impulse to pass while also letting me feel like I accomplished something positive.

* Drinking a full quart is also slightly uncomfortable and I started to associate mild discomfort with researching, like Pavlov’s dog. This was my intent but I didn’t think it would work so well or so quickly, given that I was self-aware.

Something about replacing the habit of mindlessly researching and checking Reddit with the habit of drinking water genuinely did something to my brain. I encourage you to try it - it’s free and you can adjust the amount of water to suit your body and how often you get the urge to purchase/scroll.

Quick disclaimer: it is possible to drink too much water, but spacing it out is the most important part. Drink no more than a quart/liter per hour. Most people should drink about 3 quarts (about 3 liters) per day, more if you’re exercising or in a hot climate. You can start with a cup or two if a quart sounds like too much.

I am much happier and healthier now. Looking back, this small change was one of the first steps I took to give myself a better life. Please let me know if you try it!

Hi! I completed a project pan for winter lippies and will be switching out to my spring/summer project pan pretty soon 😊 Here’s the progress I’ve made in each colour category:

❤️ Reds
Started with 5
\- 1 declutter
\- Two halfway finished
\- 1 soon to be finished

💜 Purples
Started with 6
\- 1 declutter
\- Wasn’t able to make much of a dent in this category as I wasn’t very confident in wearing my more unique shades 😢

💖 Pinks and Nude tones
Started with 7
\- 1 Pan!
\- 1 declutter
\- 1 half way done

🤍 Clears
Started with 3
\- 1 full pan!
\- 2 almost finished!

What goals I accomplished:
- pan/declutter at least 1 lippie per colour category ✅

- create new favourite lip combos (favourite purple combo, cherry cola lips, everyday red lip, etc) ✅

What goals I didn’t achieve:
- use every product at least once per month -> a part of me believes that this is almost impossible when you have a large collection + are trying to pan products. I really have to focus on a product to be able to finish it, so I’m not sure if I can also try to use everything at least once. But it was a good goal in the start to get to re-know every product before focusing on a few!

- try to wear more bold lip colours during the day time -> with changing friend groups, lifestyles and even jobs, I wasn’t able to experiment much in this department 🥲 I’ll try again in the summer with more fun bright colours!

- not buy more lip products -> probably my biggest fail lol. 3 of the new products I actually found around the house after starting my project pan so I wasn’t sure how to include them, but all the rest were bought new. 3 of them because of wanting them for a long time + sale, 1 impulse purchases and 1 to dupe a panned lipstick + is a limited edition.

What I learned:

- I’m not a layered lip combo type of person 🤦‍♀️ maybe I’ll do a more intricate lip look in the morning, but I definitely won’t reapply it the same way throughout the day. I rarely even reapplied my lip liner, so the max I’m doing is lipstick + gloss

- I forgot how much I love clear gloss! But when I start purchasing it again after panning what I have, I’ll stick to Korean clear glosses that have the silicone applicator that I can easily wipe off and not have to worry about staining it with what I have underneath.

- Definitely not a matte liquid lip person. Not buying any again.

- It’s not about how many days you wear a lipstick, but rather about how often you reapply it. If you wear every day the same lip, but reapply only once due to being lazy and not wanting to bother, you will get through product very slowly. But if you wear different lippies but reapply them often you’ll get good use of them. To me this means that it’s ok to have a somewhat diverse collection of lipsticks as long as I remember to reapply them often. 🙂‍↔️

All in all, I’m happy with my progress and think this was a good start to a rolling project pan! I definitely could’ve done better in the shopping department, but I’m also happy that I didn’t buy more than this as I usually would’ve. I’ve definitely become more mindful of my shopping and hope that it only gets better with time!

Feel free to ask about any questions 😊
I’ll be posting my spring/summer project pan later this month over at the project pan subreddit!

As a cool-toned fair girlie, I've recently come to the realization that popular, viral, and high-end products are rarely my favorites or the ones I reach for the most.

Instead, it's all about tone. And honestly, colourpop and other drug store brands have been doing cool tones really well lately.

I'm really trying to focus on what I have that works so I don't keep buying more.

My makeup looks best to me when I stay looking like an elegant ice princess and don't try to warm up my face too much.

I think it's helpful to have a really clear sense of when you like your makeup the best, and just stick to that and don't feel FOMO to try new things.

I didn't even buy that much. Sephora is expensive, ulta can be too! I have Bipolar 1 which also causes me to overspend, whether I'm manic or not. How do I control my impulsiveness?

What is the one makeup item you will not let yourself run out of?

I ran out of one of my products in a category where I only had the one product. I did my research, decided the one I was using was the best option, and set up a plan to mindfully buy it.

I am so proud of myself, I walked into the store picked up what I needed checked out and left. Didn’t browse other products to see what was new, and stuck to my plan. I did have my husband there for support which was great!

I REALLY wanted to buy a different product in this category for the high of trying something new. But then I realized the product I was using was just fine, and buying something new to me would just feed the desire to buy more things.

So proud of my progress. I’ve had a few lapses, but this is a step in the right direction for me!

I’m headed to my second home for 6 months that is pretty remote and so popping over to Target or Ulta is not a thing. There are literally no Sephora stores in the whole state of VT. Anywho I’m bringing only a small supply that I want to pan. And a few backups of things I KNOW I will run out of. I’m even making myself use eyeshadow as blush in order to use up some of my palettes. Very excited to see how little I come back with.

I own:

15 lip tints (some of them being duplicates of each other)

5 eyeshadow palettes, 3 mini ones

5 sheer red lipsticks (some are duplicates)

7 lip glosses

3 mascaras

4 black eyeliners

At least 15 lipsticks (some are duplicates)

A few colorful eyeliners

4 glitter eyeliners

1 liquid eyeshadow

1 blush

2 concealers

With the upcoming bans of Cyclohexasiloxane, Cyclopentasiloxane and talc in cosmetics in the EU, more and more products have been and will be reformulated or discontinued. There seems to be a panic in beauty communities and a lot of people are running to buy the latest discontinuation. 

I can understand that some people with a minimalist collection that regurlarly finish the same products could see some benefits with buying a replacement a bit earlier to delay the inevitable. But let’s be honest with myself, if I’m in this subreddit, it’s because I have a lot more products I can use.

One of my favourite lipsticks is on its way out, not because of the ban, the line still exists, it’s a colour discontinuation. I caught myself thinking about buying a backup. I have 25 lipsticks and while is well used, it’s nowhere near finished, I don’t need a backup. There are plenty of really nice formulas out there, once I’m actually almost done I can always bring the bullet with me shopping to find a close alternative. I also wanted to maybe buy a backup of my eye primer because it contains talc. Once again I’m nowhere need finished, I’ll figure something out once I’m actually done.

How about you, have you fought the urge to buy a backup lately? 

I recently posted about giving away most of my makeup collection. Just want to share that I have NO REGRETS. In fact, I’m thriving. No more analysis-paralysis. No more sitting around watching my unused products gather dust. I actually use less makeup now because I’m cultivating confidence in myself and my natural appearance.

I want everyone to feel this good! 🩷

I never had a full cabinet of makeup but I certainly had more than I need: 4 Eyeshadow palettes, 10 blushes, 4 lipsticks, 5 shimmery topper single shades, everything else was pretty much just one product per category. I don’t have time for daily makeup so I mostly wear makeup on the weekends. That’s why I barely panned most of my stuff despite having them for 6+ yrs.

I think that’s certainly overconsumption on my end. And I don’t want to let them just sit on my shelf most of the time. I asked around and my friends plus my sister took some off my hand. (I wash my brush after every single use and sanitize them once a month so they happily accept my already over opening period products 🥺)

So I have a really successful 1.5 yrs of no buy makeup and cut down 1/2 of my existing collection, which is a huge win for me yay. But now I see a really special offer on brushes and going absolutely crazy back and forth if I should get it.

I have about 60+ brushes now. I don’t care about the handle design but I love experience how different density or shape of the brushes would effect how they perform different make up products/ textures.

I will mention the specific product below and will hide them since I don’t know if it’s acceptable.
>!I always want to buy Sep pro brush 47 and 71 but the price is crazy!< >!🫠!< >!especially for someone living in a developing country like me. So I hold back. I bought a few pricey-to-me makeup brushes (Hourglass and Mario, Sigma) before and abosolutely loved them. So it still lingers in my head that the Sep 47 and 71 would be amazing also). Btw Sephora is not even in my country yet so I always have to buy from third party/ private reseller. I know a girl who is legit and has been in business for 10 yrs. She uploaded yesterday that she has about 10 Sephora pro brush set holiday edition 2023 in stock. But it’s been a long time so the box is damaged and her special offer is $40 a set. It includes brushes 47, 71, 59, 93, 98, 20, 27, 15. It seems like a absolutely score but I technically don’t need new brushes since I have plenty diverse shapes and wash them after each use.!< >!🥲!< >!The head and the heart are not speaking the same language right now. And tbh I know someone else might benefit from the set since it covers a wide range of purposes for each brush. This as a starter pack would benefit them much more than which they can add to my already big brush collection.!<

I truly need some opinion on this.

Welcome back to the 10 by "Summer" project!! 🌞

What better time than now for a little spring clean of our makeup collections! 🧹

The project works like this: Choose any 10 items and pick a goal that you want to work towards by the end of the season. Anything beauty related is fair game; makeup, haircare, skincare, fragrances, etc. Select your goals for this project: finishing an item (aka panning), hitting pan, reaching a usage goal, or even just testing an item out.

10 is just a suggestion, though feel free to add any number of items you like. Make it work for you!

This project starts on the first day of spring, 21st March, and will run until June 20th. Feel free to join anytime. The more, the merrier!!

I'll post an update every two weeks: 🌻4th Apr 🌼 18th Apr 🏵2nd May 🌺16th May 🐝30th May and finale on🐞 20th June.

Please let me know if you would like to be tagged as a reminder for when the updates come out. I'm having some Reddit issues, but I will do my best!

Myself & u/Thislittlepiggysays are running this project, so if you have any issues, please let us know!

@mods please remove this if it’s not allowed

Hello amazing MUR people!

Following the amazing advice I was given by you wonderful humans, I’m not feeling in such a dark place any more.

I saw a lot of people doing a Shop My Stash, which I thought was an amazing idea. When I searched Reddit to get some more information/inspiration I was really shocked to see that there wasn’t a specific place for people who were doing this activity.

So I made somewhere - r/ShopYourStash

This weekend, instead of buying stuff, I’ve turned my energy into making a subreddit page for Shop My Stash.

It may be that there is just no place for this in our wonderful community, but I had so much fun setting it all up, making custom flairs, making the banner and icon etc. if you do find yourself having a quick look, if would really appreciate some feedback!

No matter what I do, how many tutorials I watch, what products I buy, nothing ever looks good on me. For most of my life, I used to do a powder-based routine that was extremely simple with just foundation, mascara, and lip gloss, and that was about it. Sometimes, a fun eyeshadow or mascara color because it was the aughts. When I entered college, I developed adult acne (yay), and realized the brand I used forever had reformulated their product and it was worsening my breakouts. This was also around the time when all the heavy liquid products and bold eyeshadow palettes were highly popularized, so I tried switching. And I looked a mess, despite following all the steps properly. I reverted back to powder, and noticed just how much it was sticking to my facial hairs. I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to my self-care routine, so I didn’t want the financial obligation of derma-planing my face, and now I’m at a stage where I’m older and starting to get fine lines, so powder isn’t an option, liquid’s far too dramatic for daytime (and looks insane on me), and tints and creams just…don’t look good.

I’ve tried everything and with anything more than the slightest whisper of a barely-there blush, I just always look like an overdone clown. If I ever try any kind of liquid blush that’s popular now, even just a miniscule dot, it immediately overpowers my entire face. Even the blondest possible brow pen makes my eyebrows stand out way too harshly, but a clear gel makes them look muddy mixed with the foundation, and my natural brows are too high contrast for my face when I’m going for a sultry, feminine look (I actually use the blond to lighten them). I know my shades are right and not too dark, but when the palest options for my coloring always turn to orange or pink or yellow on my oily skin, even with setting spray and all the right prep. I can pull off a bold lip, but I know that’s not really the style anymore, and again, not great for everyday.

It’s also the way makeup sits on my face. Again, I get all the right applicators, I moisturize, I promise, I make sure my products have the same kind of best, and it still flakes, or doesn’t blend like butter like you see others do. I try sponges, brushes, powder puffs, nothing helps to blend well or keep the build-up from showing. And it either all looks mushed together and you can’t even tell I used different products in different areas, or I get stubborn parts of my face where the makeup just won’t blend and creates harsh lines between blush and foundation, etc. Even just the tiniest possible amount of setting powder shows on my face and then gets stuck in my wrinkles, without eliminating any of the shine. And I’m sooo light-handed with everything too. I thought maybe I was being heavy-handed with my makeup, but if I do any less, it literally looks like I’m wearing nothing—and not in a good way, in a it literally looks like I didn’t put in any effort way—plus I see beauty influencers literally pouring globs of foundation on their face and it still turns out well (I know it probably wouldn’t look that great IRL, but the point is it still looks good, where I’d look like I was having a crisis).

It literally feels like my face just isn’t made for makeup. Like, my facial and genetic features go against everything makeup is designed to do, and just doesn’t carry it well and makes me look worse. But I don’t want to go natural all the time—I don’t love my natural features and want to be able to soften the ones I don’t like and to elevate the ones I do like. I’d love to find just a nice, elegant look that doesn’t require a lot of layers (I’m ASD with hyperhydrosis, so I actually hate the feeling of cream/liquid makeups on my skin), that makes me feel pretty, and that won’t seep into all my nooks and crannies nor oxidize six seconds after I put it on. I’d love to find multiple routines actually, but if daytime makeup looks harsh, imagine my struggle trying to find a nice, neutral, special-occasion look.

Anyone else just feel super ugly in makeup? I know not wearing it is an option, and I don’t most days for my skin’s sake, but I’m also a girly girl and love treating myself to a new beauty product now and again, and I’m just so discouraged and feel so ugly knowing nothing looks good. I’ve really been feeling like makeup is designed for women who are already attractive, and no amount of doing everything right is going to fix the fact that I’m not. And I’m not a trend-follower, but it would be nice to play around with some of the products and switch up my routine now and again, and my face doesn’t follow the trends like other conventionally attractive women can does. Plus, the problems makeup seeks to “resolve” don’t apply universally and not much can reduce the features I’m looking to minimize: I have a prominent but thin nose so contour doesn’t work, I have prominent cheekbones I actually want to hide while everyone else is trying to accentuate theirs, I have thin lips which can only be overdrawn so much, I have a cleft chin which everyone else is brightening, and I have hooded lids that don’t work for all the dramatic eye routines. Things like natural brows makes me look like a Neanderthal, contouring makes me look sickly and androgynous, a bold eye on my hooded looks makes me look vaudevillian, etc. And especially with all the bold, hyper-pigmented products out there now that absolutely do not work for me, I’m just feeling so discouraged trying to find my “holy grail” routine when no products or methods I’ve studied seem to work for me.

Hi everyone, it's time to have our fourth check in for Pan That Palette 2026!

If you have forgotten the rules of this project, here is a repost of the rules!

Pan That Palette is a challenge where you select a palette to work on throughout the year. You can choose an eyeshadow palette, a face palette, a lip palette, or if you want a challenge, more than one palette (e.g a face palette and an eyeshadow palette). You can either challenge yourself to hit pan on every shade, completely pan every shade (hence "pan that palette"), or make it your goal to use it regularly (e.g. X times per month).

This project will last from today to the end of the year. I will be posting most of my updates on the second day of the month, except for the intro, which was posted on January 3rd, and the finale, which will either be posted on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.

I am looking forward to hearing what progress you have made on your chosen palette(s) over the month of April!

And it feels oh so good knowing they're going to people that will enjoy them! I feel lighter and a bit happier now that they aren't collecting dust.

Yayyy

*Trigger Warning: replies will contain product names, descriptions, and opinions.*

We focus on a palette for the week and our thoughts on it. All palettes are welcome. This includes eyeshadow, cheek, lip, pre-made, and self-made. Grouping of singles can also be a palette (ex: colour palette or scheme).

Did you do the PAW challenge last week? Which palette did you use? Did you find it successful or was it a failure? Have your opinions on the palette changed at all? Do you plan to keep the palette and use it again?

Which palette are you going to use this week? Why have you chosen this palette? Do you have any goals you hope to reach in using it?

BAW/CAW- Did you use any particular cheek product last week? Has it made the cut or is it time to let it go?

I’ve gotten so used to wearing strip lashes every day that I honestly feel like I can’t go without them anymore. I take them off every night and I don’t put them directly on my natural lashes (so thankfully my real lashes are actually doing really well), but still… the difference is very noticeable.

Lately, especially with dating, I’ve realized something that’s been bothering me. When guys see pictures of me without lashes, they’ll say I look “different.” And not in a good way, more like they seem less excited or interested. That really gets to me because that’s what I actually look like.

It’s made me pretty insecure. My natural lashes just aren’t as long or dramatic, and I have small, round eyes that look even smaller when I smile. The lashes (whether shorter or longer styles) really help elongate my eyes and bring attention to them, especially since people compliment my eyes a lot with lashes on.

I catch myself thinking back to times when a guy liked me without them, and it feels so reassuring like he actually liked my face as it is. And now I feel like I’ve kind of lost that confidence.

The thing is, lashes are such a staple in my routine now. Sometimes they’re literally the only thing I wear and I feel amazing with them. Without them, unless I’m super well-rested (which is rare), I just don’t look my best.

I don’t think I’m ugly at all, but I do feel like lashes completely elevate my look, and I’ve become dependent on that. And my entire family tells me that as well.

Has anyone else been able to find a solution to this? It’s really impacting my own outlook on my looks.

Welcome to MUR Daily Chat!

This thread is for open discussion about everything and anything though please abide by our sub's rules.

Have fun chatting!

Welcome to MakeupRehab’s Project Progress!

Project Progress is one of MUR’s oldest community activities, formerly known as Project Pan. The goal is to pick products you want to use up and keep track of how you are progressing. Every member has different goals and timelines, so project progress was created to be welcoming for everyone.

Got a stack of samples to work through? Join us!

Want to get more use out of your giant lipstick collection? Join us!

Have a lotion that you feel has stuck around too long? Join us!

These posts go up every Monday!

Follow the template below to share your progress on whichever products you want in whatever time frames work for you. Tracking progress is the best way to see it and we’re all here to cheer each other on!

TEMPLATE:

Product name | Beginning and/or remaining amount: | Goal: (Finish the product? Make a dent in it? Use it x-times a week?) | Picture: