How to effectively document your beauty entries
Dear Diary,
At the start of 2020 I took it upon myself to start documenting all of my beauty entries in order to take note of how much was coming in and out of my beauty collection, and to keep on top of what I was spending on a monthly basis. Sometimes just when we think were getting a bargain, (especially with beauty subscriptions) sometimes the product value isn't as good as what it first seems. It was for this reason that I committed to keeping on track with what comes in and out of my collection each month, and to make sure I am actually using up what I get. Let me tell you when I say that it has been an absolute lifesaver for me, as I feel more in control of my collection, I can narrow down what I like/don't like (without being sucked in by the online hype about certain products), and it also opens your eyes as to how much your actually spending each month. It is for this reason that I wanted to write this blog post, to pass on to you what I have learned through keeping my own beauty inventory, and how you too, can start up your own. Enjoy.
Love Becky. Xxx
Materials needed:
Folder/book (I personally have a pink folder which I have decorated; makes it more personal)
selection of highlighters
pen/pencil
pencil case
calculator (or you can use your phone)
You can use your computer/tablet/phone to do this but I prefer physical copies
Getting started:
For this blog post I'll be focusing on purely monthly beauty entries but if you want to have an inventory list at the start and go through your whole collection and categorise each item you have, than you can do so if you wish. It's your collection, you do what's best for you.
I like to have a page at the start of my folder highlighting any beauty goals/challenges I have for the year while making sure they are SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time sensitive). If your unsure about what a smart goal is and how to make your goals achievable, than you can click the link below to research this.
My beauty goals for this year are:
To challenge myself to a low buy month of under £50 (achieved in February 2021)
To finish up 10 make-up items (of any size) (achieved in June 2021) (I also have a sperate piece of paper for this in my folder)
To pan at least 1 full size make-up item in powder form (currently have 2 items nearly panned)
To challenge myself to not purchasing any beauty subscriptions for 1 month (on track for achieving in July 2021)
Let's move on to starting our monthly beauty entry pages. It's easier to start doing this at the start of the month if your just starting out as you may have forgotten what has already come into your collection (especially if your already half way through the month) or you can simply back track to the start if you remember exactly what has already come in.
What I like to do first is every time I have a haul or subscription come in, I write this down under it's own sub-heading as this way you can keep track of how many different orders/hauls have come in that month. I write down each item I've got in bullet points and write down what I paid for the whole order, what the RRP is of each item next to each one, and what the overall value of that order is. (see picture below an an example).
Colour coding system:
Once you've written down what items have just come in, you need a colour coding system in place to help you keep up to date about what items you like/don't like as it may come to 6-12 months down the line and you can't remember what you thought about a particular item. This is where your colour coding system comes in place.
For my one I have it like this (you can copy mine, or come up with your own system if you wish):
Pink - Love it
Green - Like it
Yellow - It's ok
Orange - Don't like it
Red star next to item - donated or decluttered
This will continue throughout your folder/book for every single item that comes into your collection. Once you have finished an item, than you can tick it off (see picture below).
Totalling up:
Once you get to the end of the month I always list down a few things:
how many new items have come into collection
how many empties have I gone through that month
how many items have I decluttered that month
total spend for that month
total product value that month
Once you have done this for a few months, it's nice to go back and look at how your spending habits change and if there was anything different happening one month to make you spend more/less. Did more limited editions come out that month? Were you pulled into any sales? Did new product releases happen? whatever it is, if there is an area you have trouble working on, pin point that and try and set yourself some goals as to how you can improve on that. You can even refer to setting yourself some long term SMART goals if you wish.
Yearly review:
At the end of the year I like to do a total round up of everything that I have accumulated throughout the year and what damage I've done to my bank balance, lol. In all seriousness though, you will be surprised how much you've spent and if your having any genuine trouble with money management/shopping addiction or trouble with your mental health that is affecting your finances, than I have left a link below where you can go for professional help and advice. Trust me when I say that they do not judge you one bit!
My beauty round up looks like this:
Total new beauty items this year =
Total beauty items passed on/donated this year =
Total beauty empties this year =
Total yearly beauty declutter =
Total yearly beauty spend =
Total yearly beauty worth =
Average monthly spend =
Average monthly worth =
To work out the average mean, you add up all of the monthly total values and divide by how many there is. For example, to work out the average monthly spend, you would go back throughout each out the 12 months and write down how much you have spent each month and divide by 12 (as there's 12 months in a year) giving you your total.
And there you have it. That is how I manage my beauty entries every month, and it has just turned into a way of life for me now. I couldn't be without my little folder. Try having a go of it yourself and see how you manage. If you would like to ask me any further questions that you have, than you can send me a message by going onto the 'contact' tab on my blog or if you follow me on Instagram than my DM's are always open. Until next time, take care. Xxx
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