I Inventory All My Beauty Products... Here's Why You Should Too

As weird as it may sound, I have a habit of taking "inventory" of my personal beauty collection. My beauty inventory is comprised of 4 major components: my spreadsheet/log, my catalog, the products themselves, and in some instances supplementary materials. Nonetheless, I want to spend a few moments of (your) time explaining the benefits of keeping a cosmetic inventory and why it might be good for you to adapt as a routine practice.

Reason #1: Prevents undesirable (re)purchases.

With any sort of inventory, a major benefit to tracking current and past purchases is the ability to confidently know what you have and don't have. This may seem trivial, but, in the bigger scheme of things, it can make a big impact. If I see that I have x-amount of lip glosses, at first glance I see a bunch of lip glosses and not much more. However, with an inventory, I can see whether or not I have a lot of the same brand or price point or color palette. Or I can even see whether or not I've purchased the product in the past or reference my notes to see if I absolutely hated it. Essentially, knowing what you have can help prevent unwanted, unnecessary, or unintentional purchasing or overstocking.

Reason #2: You can hold your collection in the palm of your hand.

When you are out and about at a store it is unlikely that you have your entire makeup collection with you. Think about it this way... If you are in the moment, you may not be thinking about that blush you still have from 4 months ago. Maybe, you aren't really considering what you have at all because, to be honest, it is quite difficult to distinguish what you have from what you may buy. This could be due to feeling overwhelmed, feeling impulsive, or simply just being unaware. All in all, having a digital version of your inventory consolidated onto something you can access with the click of a button, makes it much easier to see all that you have all at once with minimal effort.

Reason #3: Eliminates some uncertainty (re: purchasing, expiration, etc.).

If you choose to include specific information as part of your recording process, such as a purchase date or expiration period, you will never wonder "How old is that?" This is a question that, although we may not want to admit to asking, but is, for some items, very important to at a minimum consider. Remember, your inventory is completely customizable to you and what you deem important.

Reason #4: It doesn't do any damage... It can even help you keep organized!

I cannot comprehend any harm being done by my habit of tracking what makeup, skincare, and the like I have in my collection. If anything, the more I track what I have, the less damage I end up doing. For instance, I know that I should refrain from buying my fourteenth hot pink lipstick since I already have 13 others just like it. Rather, I could use the money and space towards something more unique or important. Also, on another note, knowing how many of something or what versions of something you have can help you keep organized in the sense that you can plan based on your available space.

In conclusion, maintaining a beauty inventory may or may not be right for you, but personally I find it to be a good way to spend my time and keep my collection tailored to my interests and needs. Again, there is no right or wrong way to keep track of your stuff. I tend to notate excessive amounts of product information, whereas you may simply want a list of the brand, the product name, and the version. Ultimately, I find this practice, inventorying, as a hobby in its own right. So, if you think this may be useful to you, maybe it would be a decent hobby to take up.