Nail polish is so fun, but mid-last year I was starting to get overwhelmed with my stash. I had around 250 bottles at that time, and while that is not as many as a lot of polish addicts, I don't consider myself to be a collector. So I asked around on NB and based on their input, I decided I wanted to only keep polishes I loved.
I had so many polishes that I thought looked nice and liked, but had to schedule myself to wear them as NOTDs. I realized I would rather wear a polish I loved every day than make myself wear something that I merely liked. And let's be realistic, even if I try to adhere to this rule, I will still have a hard time letting go of certain polishes and I will never be able to get down to 100 polishes.
With my most recent purge and blog sale, I'm at 130 polishes. I know a lot of people think I have much more than this, and looking at my spreadsheet, it's true: I have owned more than 400 polishes in the last two years. But I think I have finally figured out my comfort zone, which is around 150 bottles.
So, that said, I want to show you one of my favourite polishes. One that I really love.
Orly Stone Cold - 2 coats! I liked the look of OPI Swimsuit... and this came out shortly after that. I liked the look of this one better, since it seemed a little deeper, but still super vibrant. I saw it at Sallys and plopped down the $8 for it. It is so beautiful!
What's the state of your stash? Do you have any guidelines for yourself?
I have a medium-sized plastic drawer from Target that currently holds my entire collection, but will be too small when my freebies from Zoya and the three I got half price from Deborah Lippmann last night come in. I would estimate I have around 100 bottles, but around 20 of those are minis. Does that count? lol. My rule is that I can't buy something that is a close match to something I already have, and if that happens by mistake I have to purge one of them. I decided last night that Mermaid's Tears is not close enough to For Audrey for me NOT to buy it on sale for $4.99...maybe I have a little addiction, haha. But I definitely understand the whole "it's getting out of control" thing. I don't like having polishes I don't absolutely love either.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for having such restraint! My collection is disgustingly large, and while it's been building for a couple years I'm coming to a time where I'm planning to purge 200 or so just to make the size somewhat manageable. LOL. I think keeping polishes one *loves* rather than just likes is a great guideline, because I know how many polishes I've bought just because I "like" them, and then they just become part of the stash rather than individual, special pretties :P
ReplyDeleteThe state of my stash is around 400, but I'm thinking I might need to do some purging, too. There are so many polishes I have that I will probably ONLY use once. Maybe I'll try to do some stash control this weekend. AND...this color is gorgeous! I can see why it made the cut.
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm not brave enough to get rid of any of my polishes. I always feel like 'what if I get rid of something and regret it later'. This is a gorgeous colour!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I count minis, because some brands have full sizes which are the same as other brands' minis! I count every colour as a separate polish. I do not count base or top coats though!! :D
ReplyDeleteMermaid's Tears is gorgeous! It's different enough from Orly Gumdrop (which is too close to ChG FA) to keep both, imo! But when I get my hands on Zoya Bevin, I think I may purge one of them depending on which I like better!
Haha, part of the stash makes me think of each new polish joining up to a huge blob!
ReplyDeleteHaha, you definitely need to be in the mood to purge, otherwise you just look at all the pretty bottles and want to put them away, safe and sound XD
ReplyDeleteI felt like this at the beginning too, and started purging ones I really hated first. I have yet to regret a single swap or blogsale out of those 300 that have passed through my hands! It's about baby steps, if you are interested in downsizing. :D
ReplyDeleteI am still at the stage where I am accumulating and hunting down different polishes :) Like when I come across old OPI DS polishes, I get them so I won't regret it later.
ReplyDeleteI love Stone Cold! I also have China Glaze Blue Year's Eve which is very similar, except it's a foil. I wore each on a different hand on New Year's eve and none of my friends could tell them apart. But I can't bear to purge either though, this type of glowy blue is just gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI commend you on this feat! I have way too much polish, I think I'm pushing 500 now. I now try not to buy on impulse, but will now check before buying if it's a color that is almost identical to one I already have. Though now that I've seen Zoya Lotus, I realize I need it....and that it's not that close to Zoya Neeka, lol!
ReplyDeleteI do think I need to send some of this polish to a better home....but I think I'm too lazy to do blog sales, or swaps or whatever, lol.
Seriously though! My blob has gotten verrrrry dangerously close to the big 1000 and I'm pretty determined not to actually ever reach it :X When I (and my polish) moved from WA state to Washington DC, the unpacking stage was really like watching a multicolored blob monster (I'm picturing one a la Fern Gully) take over my new bedroom and then retreat into the fold... I know it will attack again another day though haha :D
ReplyDeleteI'm closing in on 270 at the moment... I sometimes try to purge but I can only ever part with one or two at a time. My problem is that I'm a hoarder and a collector >_<
ReplyDeleteAbout a year or so ago I realized that my stash was getting out of control for my tastes; like you I am most comfortable with a smaller number of polishes. I thought about it and realized that a great formula is the most important thing for me with polishes (dry time and finish coming in close second). It doesn't matter how great a color is if the formula is crap. For me, the brands that consistently have the best formula are OPI, Orly and China Glaze. I made a strict rule for myself that I would only buy from those three brands, and purge the rest. It's worked out great for me so far! I've found that most brands tend to copy each other each season anyway, so I don't feel as though I've missed out on any colors that I would have liked.
ReplyDeleteIt's BEAUTIFUL ! wow, Orly really stepped up their game last year, I was in love with every Orly polish I bought. I have Stone Cold, but I didn't have the time to try in on yet. But I wore Orly Sweet Peacock, and wow, it glows! The OPI and the two Orly came out too close to each other, but they are all different, OPI being the weakest. Sweet Peacock is awesome glowing medium blue with turquoise undertones, and I have nothing similar. It's a jewel.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the state of your stash? - Don't ask, sigh.
My stash is....a disaster. I know I'm upwards of 400 and am running out of room! I'm getting my husband to build me a shelving system. What else can I do? I really do love having a ton of polishes so I can do nail art and such. Plus, I am a hoarder of all things beautiful. Oh should that have come first?
ReplyDeleteI just had to get another container for my polishes because my stash was outgrowing it's means. I need to purge badly! But I get so attached to my polishes that it's hard for me to let any of them go :( They're like my little babies! Is that weird? Probably ;)
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