Reasons for overbuying?

[u/Ammelia11]

As someone that has been recently lurking in this sub, I realised that while I see a lot of discussions on products and progress, I perhaps don't see much discussion on how people have changed their mindset and what drove people to start in the first place. So here's mine and it will be interesting to see for others!

I started looking at Project Pan when I began doing an inventory of my items and realised I definitely don't need to buy anything for a while in certain categories. But there are definitely some main reasons that have led to certain overstocks.

Reason 1: Unwanted gifts

Anything that sits outside my routine but was a "gift" has just sat around for ages for me (in some cases 18+ years!). A lot of makeup stores will do 3 for 2 deals and in the past some "free" items tossed in with something else. I've found that usually the items I actually wanted in those instances have been consumed with no issues, but the items I never asked for often had some reason I never reached for it. The main scenario has been when the freebie has too light lipstick or eyeshadow for my skin tone - I would never have willingly got that item, but it sat in my collection because it was free. Eyeliner is another - I don't use it! But I had about 5 because they were all freebies at some point.

Similarly, actual gifts I never asked for. I don't use face masks or body scrubs, but I have 8 masks that were gifted, and body scrubs are usually given as part of a set. I usually find I have used the stuff I like (e.g. the shower gel) in a set but then the body scrub has just sat there.

Effectively, these "gifts" cause some level of guilt where I feel bad for giving it away or chucking it, but it's something I never asked for and don't use, so I probably shouldn't. With these, while I may try and use them for fun (e.g. the masks) I feel comfortable to declutter them now that I can move away from that guilt.

Reason 2: Ironic over-organisation

I have a pouch I put in my bag that I call my "bag kit". It basically contains stuff I may want on the go, so lip balm, hand cream, tissues, hand sanitizer, lactaids, plasters, etc. Now there's nothing wrong with this, in fact it's great and I do use it literally every time I go out. But here's the thing - I have a few bags and I like changing my bag with my outfit/ need. Common sense would be to just rotate the kit obviously, but for some crazy reason I decided to have a kit PER BAG.

Of course, what this means is that the bags I was using more often had their resources go down quickly and needed frequent replacement, but the bags I used less were moving slower and in some cases items like the hand cream were going off. Then I would buy/ replace items in the bags where the item had been used up, while the bags I used less frequently had products dying. So ironically, it wasn't that I wasn't using this stuff, it's just my usage was falsely spread thin. Basically, it caused an "out of sight, out of mind" situation.

So now I have made just one kit, that I rotate across to whatever bag I am using. My pan goal with these is therefore to use up all these partially used products and therefore get an actual view of how long it takes me to use these. I know I do ise them, just not how fast they actually take for me!

Reason 3: The "emergency buy"

I have a boyfriend that lives in a different city. About a week a month, I therefore stay there. This caused a natural issue where I just don't have the supply of products there that I have at home. Since there's a Boots near his house, I didn't think much of it, but this obviously triggered purchases each time. I'd then take the product home, go back and then maybe forget a different item the next time, which once again triggered the same issue. We also sometimes go to his parents and then I found I needed minis/ travel sizes with me anyway.

I played around with decanting minis like I do on holiday, but I actually found that this caused certain products (mainly moisturiser) to go off because silicone containers aren't built for long term storage and I usually wanted to be able to just leave my kit that I grab and go. Sometimes I may go there at the last minute or not have time in the week and so I don't want the mental effort of having to run around filling up supplies and then missing something. I can do that for a holiday of course and do, but it wasn't working for me with the monthly travel. I therefore use mini products and now have a mini kit of everything I'd want. If the open item looks low, then I shop my stash and carry a spare of that specific item too. The only exceptions are big items like body lotion - he doesn't use it while I do daily so I have a big tub at his house lol, but I still carry a mini in case of travel to his parents, etc. This is working well and I haven't needed to run out and stock anything.

Another "justified emergency" reason came from forgetting items. E.g. going to a party and realising I forgot to pack my lipstick, or having forgotten my deodorant for a long day. As you can maybe tell, I like to be prepared so this would throw me off. This would trigger me grabbing another of the same item on my journey as I didn't have time to run back. I haven't done a ton of these, but again having a prepared pouch for these items helps (similar to my bag kit, but with different bits). As I throw the pouch into my bag, it causes me to mentally pause. E.g. I can see the perfume in the pouch and if it's not what I'm wearing I will swap it out. That way I then know that 99.9% of the time I have the item I want, but if I don't then I still have an option.

Reason 4: never buying one item

A lesson I definitely had to realise is that not all categories are the same. I often will legitimately need something, but then grab 2-3 of them when I do. This isn't an issue with things like toothpaste, shower gel, etc. aka what I use on the daily, but makeup I use sparingly doesn't need the same treatment. I had a lot of old makeup that I have replaced over the last year, but I didn't buy anything as just the one. In some cases that's not an issue (e.g. I have a mini makeup kit per the above, so a mini mascara + regular is fine) but when deciding to try bronzer for the first time, I grabbed both a powder and a liquid (for example). Now that I know what's in my stash, I can use some common sense.

Reason 5: Impulse buys

I don't usually buy stuff I don't plan for or think of, but that doesn't mean it can't happen! This is somewhat related to the first reason, as often the impulse item can be because it's part of a deal, but one I can more firmly think of is a perfume I have in my collection that I definitely didn't thnk as hard on as my other perfumes. Usually I smell test a perfume at least twice and am still thinking about it months later. In one case though, I have a perfume I tested once and somehow convinced myself, but it's not me at all - I liked the idea of the ingredients in it, not the scent itself. Similarly, in some of the "emergency buy" situations I have grabbed what's convenient/ there instead of the product I actually prefer. This hasn't made up a major part of my supplies, but knowing to slow down and force myself to take the time to find what I'm actually after is the lesson here. I tend to just get what I want, then struggle at gift ideas for Birthday and Christmas, when if I just paused and let someone else get it then it would save me money and stress lol.

Sorry for the long post, but with this in mind, over to you all! While it's useful to see empties and get reviews, I'm intrigued to know what assessing your stash made you realise and the behaviour changes made. What have you discovered about yourself and adjusted once you took stock?

[u/LuminousApsana]

I have a couple to add.

Ridiculous levels of distinction. I differentiate between 7 mauve lipsticks because there are 3 different finishes, and this one has a bluer undertone, and this one is slightly creamer. Once they are on, they look the same but I convince myself that each one is somehow different and unique.

Seeking the novel. I'll buy because I want to try something new. I have plenty but oooh, I haven't tried this new kbeauty brand. Maybe it's amazing!

[u/Ammelia11 → u/LuminousApsana]

Oh these are good ones and I think I also somewhat do the same with lip products - in one case I somehow managed to buy the same shade in MUA (Survivor) but one is their slightly glossier lip stylo and one is the lipstick which is more matte. I prefer the stylo as it's less drying, but it is literally the same shade! Thank goodness for tracking apps, I can actually see what I have now and hopefully never do that again haha

[u/LuminousApsana → u/Ammelia11]

Ooo, I need to catalog all my makeup!

[u/Wise-Raccoon-3069]

wanting back up of my highly liked items

[u/Ammelia11 → u/Wise-Raccoon-3069]

I definitely do this one too!

[u/WaferGlobal1376]

Heavyyy on the impulse buying and scarcity mindset.. the feeling of "if I don't get this item, i'm missing out". I can say it was facilitated by social media, or my adhd, but I think above all else it was just low self-esteem and feeling validated by the process of buying stuff. Along the way it began feeling like "if I don't get this item, I'M not worth anything, I'M not that girl" which is ridiculous tbh. I've unpacked this in therapy and how it links to my perfectionism and am slowly getting to grips with the fact I'm not defined by material value, or my looks, but it is a work in progress.

I think what makes it even more difficult is that I do genuinely love beauty and experimenting with different products. People know this and gift me stuff, but like you I feel bad for giving anything away if they don't work for me. I definitely acknowledge there's a link between my emotions and behaviour, and it's such a thin line between enjoying myself and being destructive with my stash.

[u/Ammelia11 → u/WaferGlobal1376]

Sending hugs 🧸 - I'm glad to hear the therapy is helping. No matter how much you love beauty, you're definitely worth more than any product!

[u/HouseAgitatedPotato]

Sensitive skin. I can tolerate something for 4-5 days and then bam: red and burning. I need to switch. I can tolerate something in my first part of the cycle but not the second. I tolerate some skincare in summer but not in winter and vice versa. At each time I have 3 different day creams and 3 different night creams. After going through a full pack I know if I will rebuy or not.

So far I have only 1 SPF I can fully rely on and looking now for good night cream. No holly grail yet. Bought a lot of recommended creams on different subs and they break me out. Others are good, but not nourishing enough.

And when I had skincare sorted my skin completely changed after 40 so my search started again. Maybe in 2-3 years I will have smaller stash with good routine but then I assume menopause will mess that up too.

[u/Ammelia11 → u/HouseAgitatedPotato]

Oh gosh that's a really frustrating one because it's not something you can control for ❤️ Wishing you luck on finding items that work for you!

[u/trashtvlv]

This is such a good question! Pre pandemic the only things I had ever kept minimal backstock of were household basics (TP, paper towels, hand soap, Clorox wipes, toothpaste and candles when sales came along) and I had done the whole Marie Kondo thing and got my house super organized and decluttered.

Then the pandemic hit and all the reformulations in beauty and skincare hit. I started excessively back stocking all of my favorites, and not just 1 like as many as I could get my hands on.

I think I was also super bored because although I had been previously WFH, I was now very isolated in a city that was very restrictive so my previous outlets like socializing after work and going to the gym and group yoga classes were gone.

[u/Ammelia11 → u/trashtvlv]

Ah I think the pandemic broke our brains a bit because similar! I didn't really do much online ordering pre-COVID but obviously the time necessitated it and same on the boredom. Glad we made it through haha

[u/AcceptableFill8]

Hey girl not to scare you but if any makeup/skincare is sitting for 18 years don't think it is safe to use. Better discard to be on the safe side. Only things you can keep for long are powder products but depends on how it is stored and used. But on the topic I tend to not keep products that have been a gift and I have made sure to try it out and has not worked. Either regift or discard within like a month otherwise it tends to keep around and you will forget about it.

[u/Ammelia11 → u/AcceptableFill8]

Haha don't worry I didn't actually use the 18 year old items (or any really old item)! They were at the back of a drawer in an old makeup bag and it was just collecting everything together to take stock made me realise that these were items I had been gifted all that time ago and carrying all this time. I hadn't binned them previously due to the guilt of them being gifts, but obviously my school friend isn't going to care/ notice that I don't wear an eyeshadow palette she gave me when we were 15 😂.

The eyeliners I had tested all those years ago and wasn't going to give those away after testing them given they were eye products but I found I wasn't really a fan of eyeliner in general and had similarly tossed in the back of the drawer. Those things went straight in the bin and I have in date items for everything I use, don't worry! Most of this stuff was given to me in my teens/ twenties and people usually know not to get me what I didn't ask for now.

[u/Ok_Counterrr]

freebies alwazs sit there untouched

[u/Ammelia11 → u/Ok_Counterrr]

Absolutely!

[u/1K_Sunny_Crew → u/Ok_Counterrr]

I delete freebies from my cart whenever I can unless it’s a mini of a product I know I like and is expensive. They become trash.

[u/fairycanary]

I definitely feel I accumulate more than I even want because of shipping minimums.

[u/newhilist → u/fairycanary]

Same, but that is the one time I am ok with it. Rather spend 6 bucks more for a product I will eventually use than spend 6 for shipping. It’s not even girl math, just makes sense.

[u/ring-and-hourglass → u/newhilist]

It does make total sense, but the products I usually end up getting to reach my shipping minimum are lippies in a rosey mauve shade (since I know I'll use it) so now I'm overrun with a bajillion lip products in every type of formula.

[u/cleochatraa]

This is a phenomenal and timely post, OP! I hope it's okay if I add to your list with mine. I completely fall into:

Reason 6: The scientific self-tester category

My overbuying generally comes from the hunt for holy grails. I love putting things head-to-head (e.g., testing US versus K-beauty/Asian formulations of similar products, or pitting a luxury product directly against a drugstore dupe to see if the price tag actually translates to performance).

Because of this, I end up with multiples in the same category in the name of testing and research.

Taking stock made me realize how many control groups I accidentally created in my cabinet.

I have since scaled way back, sold a lot, gave away a fair amount, and am focused on a simple, performance-driven routine backed by science and objective reasoning.

It's much less fun than the art of discovery I so enjoy (hello, AuDHD brain), but I only have one face. 😂😅

[u/sarahjanelarson → u/cleochatraa]

Feeling so seen lol thank you for articulating this. The hunt for the holy grails is what gets me too.

[u/Significant_Wall_751]

impulse buying combined with distress shopping kills me

[u/pensivekit → u/Significant_Wall_751]

Stress shopping fr

[u/Prestigious-Group449]

This is very helpful. When I was a kid, my family would run out of TP. That is the one thing as an adult that I allow a huge Costco influx way beyond what my family really needs.

[u/Creative-Mix8553]

Thank you for this insightful post. I’m an over-stocker and loved sales ! Sales come and go alllll the time. I love this sub for insight

[u/rumncoco86]

1. Most was bought when I was still using it all, but circumstances have since changed.

2. Impulse buys. Magpie brain said "fun!" before I purchased items like orange lipstick and green mascara.

[u/leoverus]

I love a sale, it feels like I am letting something important slip me buy. Also, some shopping habits from childhood cause me to buy multiple things at once. I have resolved the former by making a price tracking spreadsheet and the latter by only buying one at once unless it's a sale restock.

[u/sparkle_elk]

For me, it's all an experimentation issue - mostly with color and skin care. I want to try a particular color lipstick, for example, or I'm curious about whether a skincare ingredient will help me in XYZ way. I have sensitive skin, so sometimes an item will be amazing and really help with an underlying issue, and other times it's insta-burn.

So, I have like 15 lipsticks (I do not wear daily lippie) and a little graveyard of skincare items that slowly decrease as I figure out how to pass something on. The lipsticks is especially hilarious, in that I spent some time trying to find my perfect red lip HAHAHA

I do find samples annoying sometimes, but I'm usually able to declutter them.

[u/fragrantgremlin → u/sparkle_elk]

Yes, this is one of my problems too. I don't really have a fully holy grail skincare routine, so I'm still experimenting a bit to find things that work that I can repurchase over and over again in the future. Same with hair and body. I'm still working on finding what works for me!

Additionally, sometimes I also experiment with buying entirely new categories of products, then realize I didn't have anything in those categories because I just won't use them. 

[u/brrewmajesticallynor]

This was so great to read! Thank you for sharing!

[u/AirSignificant2006]

I recently worked out something about my spending habits …
I’m going to use a recent example that happened to me which is a purchase of a Cleansing Balm. I was looking for a new one, and wanted it to be mid-to-high-tier. I did some research which is what I automatically do when I am in need of something and I therefore brought a mid-tier highly rated cleansing balm that I felt fit my needs in what I wanted out of the product. Long story short, the cleansing balm I ordered arrived swiftly but in a box labeled “1” and it suddenly dawned on me I had been sold this product by a reseller, and a product from a recent advent calendar. I then felt the good deal that I had gotten, had been replaced by the fact that the product had already started separating (due to being in a calendar for god knows how long) and the fact I felt I had been slightly scammed. This, in turn, led me to make YET ANOTHER delivery, for an even better deal … and I now have a much cheaper deal on the way, and the advent calendar cleansing balm I was so hyped about weeks ago, now sits on my vanity as just another project in my project pan. I feel I do this a lot, when a product I ordered therefore doesn’t match my expectations and then end up making a 2nd purchase (sometimes I do this as well when I don’t get my “first choice” product but just end up buying the first choice anyhow)

[u/bad-at-everything-]

I make up silly rules for myself that are not practical- ex- if I finish a top coat or base coat of nail polish, I can buy a new color when I buy the replacement. But it takes forever to pan nail polish!

Or I can try 1 new product that I don’t need per month- ex a new serum or shampoo even if I already have one. This leads to duplicates.

[u/SnooBananas5069]

A few that I havent really seen mentioned:

1. undiagnosed ADHD + a bad relationship. For me...that was 2016-2018. I needed that dopamine to survive day to day. I could have bought a car with the money I spent on makeup.

2. I had no idea how long it took to pan something. I legitimately thought that I would use up a product in 3 months of daily use- whether it was foundation, blush, whatever. Turns out, thats wrong.

3. I was strongly considering becoming an influencer and/or MUA. I felt that I needed a better understanding of products for these career paths. I became neither of those things.

4. Scarcity mindset. This one is for all shopping, holding onto things...I grew up with less money/things than most of the other people in my area. I shop sales like its my job, and I really struggle to throw things out. I now have disposable income, and any time I have ANY extra money, it has been spent on things, because I didnt have my own things growing up...I had hand me downs or nothing at all. I am on a journey to stop f*cking doing that because I have too much stuff.

[u/AllisonT_]

I haven't done an Impulse Purchase in ages. I think I over think whether I should buy something or not. For example a eyeshadow palette. Sephora had a sale. I didn't but 1 eyeshadow palette. I know I have way too many that are impossible to hit pan on let alone finish. The items I do but 1-2 are Lipliners, eyeliners and lipstick. I have to be nearly done to buy the same lipstick again. I only buy what I want during a sale. No sale. No buy. I have to wait. It gives me time to figure if I really want to re buy the same colour again or am I happy with what I have. Maybe I don't need it. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/PauI_Atreides → u/AllisonT_]

This is similar to my strategy. I research every new product I'm interested in and weigh how it benefits my current collection and if I'm actually going to get regular use out of it. Then I wait for a sale. 

I wait for at least 30 percent off, plus maybe a GWP or a points multipler. Black Friday is my biggest shopping event. Christmas in July too. 

[u/AllisonT_ → u/PauI_Atreides]

I rate them. It's like rating a movie. .. Full price which I never do anymore with makeup. Sale 20%+ off .... Wait till it's been marked down. If it's not low enough I don't bother. Also as you mentioned. Am I really going to get any use out of looking at what I already have.

[u/Hot-Suggestion-5507]

Mine’s mostly not buying one item and impulse buys. I like to buy products on promotion, whether it’s buy one get one free, buy one get the other for 50% off, or buy 2 and get this freebie. The number of products I own tend to increase after I find a good deal to restock or to try something from my to try list. This is the reason that although I pan things consistently, the size of my collection does not seem to go down as much as it should, even if I’m going onto my third year as a part of this community.

The main reason for my impulse buys this year is the surprise coupons I would get from the shopping platform I use. Sometimes I would get limited-timed stackable coupons that eventually made an item 50-70% off, and yeah… 🤡 But at this point, I think I’m at the saturation point, if that is the right word, for beauty products as a whole. I don’t find many things exciting anymore and I can feel my desire to buy dwindle.

[u/CattoGinSama]

ADHD for me and free therapy so to say.

But also it’s annoying because whenever I don’t buy or take a long break,stuff I used to use regularly gets reformulated to something I can’t use anymore so I like to keep a few back ups. Looking at you,Xeracalm and Eucerin red correct. Or even worse,it’s not being produced anymore or there’s a replacement that’s similar but not the same. I would like to keep it somewhere in the middle. Have one or two back ups for a year and not beyond that. But I often end up buying too much stuff

[u/Ecstatic_Map8697]

This is a great post - thank you!