What do you do with unloved minerals?

[Cupcake]

Once, they were coveted and eagerly anticipated as we paced the floors awaiting that magical sound of the letterbox rattling, heralding the sound of a parcel arriving. Our beloved loot that we web-stalked, swatched and chatted about gradually got shoved further and further into the back of the drawer until one day, it lay there forgotten and gathering dust.

I decided to show some love to the eyeshadows and blushes of a former brand before my newest arrivals absorb all my attention. This former brand was one I adored and spent a ruddy fortune on when I first acquainted myself with mineral cosmetics last year. They seemed such a revelation that I went over the top and bought everything that twinkled and called to me through the computer screen. Reluctantly I came to realise that they do still look amazing in the pot and brightly cheerful swatched on the back of my hand, but worn on my eyes even with industrial strength primer and preparation, they look garish and trampy, or they look like concrete-coloured sludge as all the twinkle falls off onto my cheeks and turns my blush rainbow-coloured.

Personally, when I was about 14, I loved rainbow coloured glitter on my face, but these days, on a 34 year old in broad daylight, it's somewhat less endearing in the workplace.

So, ladies - what do you do with your old minerals? It seems criminal to bin something which was once so treasured. It's almost like admitting defeat to discard something you'd hoped so much would be as pretty as you imagined. Rehome them? Yes, but I've saturated my friends with colours already and those who would accept more couldn't do so as they have as much themselves to face up to abandoning. What are the options? Wait for a windy day and release them into the wild? Perhaps not, the neighbours cars wouldn't appreciate it. Hairspray your next Christmas tree and sprinkle them onto the adhesive hairsprayed bits like very expensive glitter? Or just quietly tip them into the bin, hold a moment of silence and as you chalk it up to experience, be glad for your budget and complexion that you are now older, wiser and looking fabulous - painted your true self.

[JenW]

I have thrown most of my other brands away in chunks. At first, it was all the non matching foundations, I never got to throwing out the off finishes because I never found a good match anywhere else. The next round claimed all of the unloved eyeshadows, the ones I never liked. Then it started cutting into the eyeshadows I kind of liked, but never wore. I am a lover of blushes and those I have in a separate container......but I have only opened it in the last 6 months or so to send off some discontinued colors to my favorite duper. I have very few minerals that see use that are not Silk Naturals, but my situation is a little different than some. I guess what I am trying to say, is that it has gone in phases for me. My advice is to stick with what you are comfortable. I am one that always likes to simplify when I can.

[karen]

Sometimes tossing stuff out can be a liberating experience...I call the money "wasted" on weird projects (as I have many both at work and at home) "tuition in the school of life". There are some other options though...swap them with other mineral lovers, give them to the kids to play with, blend them into something new, donate them to a women's shelter, or you could work them into some sort of craft project- like resin casting, or paints- I used some pigment to make earrings with melted ultra thick embossing enamel- fun but I'm over it.

[krenee]

Regrettably, I'm a thrower too. I can only handle my stash getting so big. I usually keep it "pruned." I have an 8 year old daughter who has been interested in makeup for about 5 years now (no lie!) so I have to be careful if I have too much laying around or I will go into the bathroom and find a mess because she's decided to play. I've had to resort to some creative hiding places, which she always finds, eventually.

If it's something resalable and it just doesn't work for me d/t color or formula, I've had some (limited) success selling on some of the bigger forums, like Mineral Makeup Mania. Luckily, I've never had any problems with people not receiving their packages or any complaints. I try to be pretty up front if I've used the item and how much is left etc, and make the price fair (especially if the item has been used.)
I have sold some things cheaply to friends at work, and I have given some things away too. I have one friend who has 2 daughters who are of age to wear makeup and so I figure if she can't use it, they will. I think she almost has come to "expect" to get little makeup gifts from me every so often, however!

If all else fails, and I can't take it anymore, I start throwing. I do have a moment of anxiety when I realize the money I spent and then just tossing it. However, it is usually "out of sight out of mind." The remorse hasn't been enough to stop me from continuing to buy more, however!

[lcash]

As a junior high educator, I have no problem "recycling" my unwanted minerals. I bring them into school in a shopping bag, hand it to one of my students and tell her, "Find these things a home." Not sure how far they go, but she and her friends wear happily the shades that didn't work out for me. I heard a few of them were used for makeup in our school musical! L.

[Rhys]

Giveaways. I've had a few things that were so awful I wouldn't pass them on and those got binned (nothing SN in that lot, of course!), but at this point I've donated massive amounts to women's shelters, and to friends who can't afford makeup (usually with a foundation kit, a few lippies, some skincare, and a set of brushes - I loved the little 7-pack that used to be for sale here, did keep one for myself).

I make attars (a kind of middle eastern perfume w/o alcohol and other nasties), so I'll often do up a dram or two of their favourite scents to send along with.

What's so cool is that when I've sent things to friends, they usually get them on A Really Awful Day - it's not good to have Really Awful Days, but finding a package on the doorstep with a bunch of new makeup items, some perfume, some nice skincare and brushes cheers people up no end.

It ends up costing a little more to do it like that, but - definitely worth it. Especially if you know single mums who never spend a penny on themselves or people in similar situations.

[Cupcake]

Thanks for all the ideas! That idea about preparing gifts and them serendipitously arriving on "really bad days" touched me.

I live in a small community so there are no charitable options and no-one in the immediate circle of people I know to whom I can gift these minerals. (A lot of ladies here don't wear makeup and wouldn't appreciate regular cosmetics, let alone mineral ones. That, or they'd take the gift of cosmetics as an insult and insinuation!).

I did have a thought though. I know a very young mum in our little church who is in difficult circumstances. She's passing through the area for a short while. I found an empty plastic tub which was a see-through gift box for wrapped chocolates, some of Karen's bright pink packaging tissue paper and - somehow - a length of matching pink ribbon (I am SO not domesticated to have such things normally). I found about a dozen 5g jars which are virtually new and in the spectrum of colours, but all soft and wearable tones. Spruced them up and made it into a little gift set with a spare new eyeshadow brush that I had stashed away. It turned out quite nice and all fitted together as if it was meant to be. I'm still unsure about how it'll be received. Can but try.

I've still got another 20ish 10g jars of eyeshadow and a dozen or so blushes. Maybe a home for them will become apparent.

[tizzylou]

I have done both, I have taken them to work and let people go through them and "pick and choose" and I have tossed some that I thought no one would like, Luckily for me one of the other nurse's at work has a teenage daughter, who would love to all sorts of various colors, so I don't end up tossing to much.
Thanks,Hollis

[tizzylou]

Now that I am thanking you for reading my posts, I think I thought I was still MOXing at work, I just got home ,so I guess I have the right to be confused.

[Ghost]

Mum, sisters and aunty. They are the ones who benefit from my stashes. Funnily enough I went through my entire collection last week and decided to have a sort out. But let me be clear, the sort out was not that I was worry my collection was getting too large (no such thing, especially with SN ). It was more of I felt guilty towards the colours that they weren't getting used (I know, I know I'm crazy ).

I've brought colours that are lovely but have only used a handful of times or they didn't suit me as well as I hoped. Thankfully I know if they don’t suit me they will suit my mother who is a little darker then me and a her hair has gone a nice white/silver. But if the colour is too young- looking it goes to my 17 year old, blue eyed, blonde hair, 4ft 11in midget of a younger sister. Example, I brought tickled pink and I love the colour to bits, but it's one colour I JUST can't wear so Sian got it and now she wears it all the time

But it was hard to let some of them go. I sorted through the lippies first, not so bad then the blushes (got rid of some samples and a couple of large ones). But the real heart break was when I went through my eye shadows . God that one hurt. But I did it anyway, but glad I did. Again the gladness is not that it made more room but that it helped me rediscover lost loves never used. I went through the eyeshadows I had quite a few on the side ready to be picked and taken to a new home, but with anything I had one last look at them. I love every single MAC clone Karen has done and on the 'chopping block' were poly, boom, gidget and nekkid. I decided that I couldn't give a pink away (surprising coming from someone who never liked the colour until SN), Boom well I could have parted with that one but I remembered Rhys saying that it's great paired with Idolize (and who doesn't like that one). But the real discovered long lost loves were Poly and Gidget. I could have given them away but glad I didn't. Gidget is great for blues eye and lovely paired with bare and fire but of course I discover this after it was discounted. And Poly - WOW, great for blue eyes and lovely when paired with elle (over lid and poly in the crease), lilac as highlight on the brow bone and in the inner corner with film noir as liner but (my fav) butterfly blue as a setting powder then finally poly coming down on the lower lash line. I love this one soo much and get compliments all the time. Sian loved it so much, she has ordered poly and was a little sad when I told her that elle was a GWP and lilac was a gumball (ha ha ha ha - that what she gets for having tickled pink look good on her).

But I am happy that the others have found new homes as I know I can never bring myself to throw them away. I'd rather keep them and collect dust then chuck'em.