By Brooke Warner and Sophia Wright
Makeup is used for a variety of reasons. Applying makeup is sometimes used to hide blemishes, or make the wearer feel more attractive. For others, it could be a form of artistic expression, or used to complete a fashionable outfit.
Makeup today can be deemed as perhaps necessary to many, especially women, where “six in ten (60%) wear makeup on a weekly basis,” according to Yougov.
Makeup is often a luxury purchase if bought from a high-end brand, or a cheaper essential when bought from the drugstore. The price appeal also attributes to a purchaser’s reason for buying a specific item. But while most makeup-wearers have one foundation, one concealer, a few lip products, an eyeliner and a mascara, there are many who consider collecting makeup to be an important part of their lives.
What makes people want to collect makeup?
“Some people want all of the available product from a certain brand – like MAC or Tokidoki. Some people collect all of a certain type of makeup – like all the red lipstick. Some only want limited edition makeup with high resale values,” said Ellen Christian, from the Socialite’s Closet.
To gain a wider opinion on why collecting makeup is a unified behaviour in modern day society, a questionnaire was used to understand what exactly it is about makeup that causes for individuals to continue to purchase.
The overwhelming answer to the question of “Why do you collect makeup?”, was simply to “try new products”.
The influence of beauty influencers such as Mikayla Nogueria, who just hit 10 million followers, on social media such as TikTok and YouTube cannot be underestimated. She posts various times a week about new makeup products hitting the market, so it’s no wonder that followers who want to emulate her go out to purchase the items she recommends.
It’s not unusual that a trusted influencer enjoying and raving about a particular product causes followers to then go and buy the product, often selling it out nationwide.
Risks of expired makeup
Aside from the positive aspects that come with collecting makeup, the reality of shelf life and expiry dates can cause make-up lovers to have breakouts and eye infections.
Millie Brown, 20, an aspiring makeup artist explains the training she had to endure surrounding the importance of hygiene and cleanliness involving makeup application on different clients.
She went on to say that “isopropyl alcohol is your best friend,” with powders and eyeshadows being sprayed after each use. For cream-based products, the top ‘used’ layer must be scraped off before being sprayed.
Millie went on to say, “don’t even get me started on the brush cleaning regimen”.
Our poll also confirmed the lack of awareness about make-up expiration, with only 14% knowing that liquid foundations should only last around a year.
The psychology behind it
Nevertheless, there is a legitimate reason as to why we love collecting things. In an article in Medical Economics, Dr Shirley Mueller says that “there are psychological reinforcers that feed into their pleasure centre (nucleus accumbens )” when trying to determine why people love to become collectors.
Moreover, Dr Mueller says that another factor is the pride we feel when we gather exquisite objects into a group for the first time, which often gives us the feeling of having “bragging rights” over this acquired collection of objects.
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