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Friday, October 22, 2010

Collection Tips!

So I am all about stalking all the beauty blogs for swatches and more info on upcoming collections.  Here are some tips that I find help me choose what products to get in a collection.

Research!

This can include looking for swatches, color/product descriptions, etc. Check to see if these colors are similar to a product you already own.

Temptalia’s Dupe List I think this is a wonderfully, genius idea. This list covers high end brands to the common drugstore so you can find something in your price range, ideas of color, consistency etc.

Review swatches--scour websites for someone close to your skin color. Many swatches I have seen are on the hand/arm but some can be on the place you normally put the product. I prefer to see both, especially for lip products.

Company’s website—go here to verify if the products you’re thinking of buying is a permanent part of the company’s catalog or if it’s limited edition. For example: MAC Tartan Tale’s Lash & Line Kits are full of products MAC has all year round. You get more for your dollar buying the kit, but if you miss out you don’t necessarily need to throw a fit because you can buy any those items separately. For me, this will allow me to focus my spending to another part of the collection.

Make your list, and refine it several times—this helps me so much! I can be a bit “particular” but my Wish List goes through several stages starting usually 2-3 weeks before the collection comes out. First is the note-taking stage. While I leisurely peruse the collection details online, I make notes in Notepad on product name, type and cost. A week after, more details of the collection are usually available like color breakdown and finishes. I transfer the notes to Word and flesh out vague spots in my list. When I want to see how much damage this collection will do to my bank account, I put all the information in Excel. I like Excel because it will automatically calculate how much my total cost will be. Finally, I have two totals: the grand total of every product on the list and the other is what I absolutely “need” to get.

Here are some examples of my crazily categorized lists.

Venomous Villains Excel List
(More Coming!)
Researching before your trip to the store could save you money to buy something you truly love.
 
Please note I do NOT NOT NOT own Temptalia's Dupe List or have any affliation with Temptalia.  My mentioning them is only a way to expand the reader's resources and knowledge base!

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