Confession: Beauty MInis

Now with holiday value sets in full swing at places like Sephora and Ulta I thought it would be a good time to share my thoughts on all of the minis the can accumulate around this time of year.

Do you actually use your mini products?

I mean they're soooo cute and all but do you use them?

I have this issue where they accumulate in my collection. I set them off to the side for when I "travel"(Lately for me traveling is my parents house a whopping 2 hour journey from Queens)but then just end up bringing my full sized products with me instead. 

So lets weigh some pro's and cons and see what minis are good and what minis are collection cluttering evil.

Pros: Obviously getting opportunities to try products in miniature before you buy the full size  is fantastic. Especially when they're free minis. Now ninety percent of the time this time of year you're paying for your minis so that is something to keep in mind. 

They are insanely convenient for travel. What with all the safety limitations in existence for flying having miniatures versions of your favorites is a necessity. Even if you're not going by air the ability to minimize the amount of space for your makeup bag occupies allows for plenty of room to over pack other things. :)

In addition to more long haul travel, mini items make for good purse-mates. This way you don't have to lug around all the parts of your makeup routine you can just aim to carry smaller versions of the essentials.

Cons: When you pay for minis usually the value is just not there. It may require less money upfront but, if you don't end up liking or using it it's still a waste. Maybe it's just me but I feel like I'm less likely to return sample sizes and, if you buy the mini as part of a kit than returning the whole kit over some mediocre samples is a far less common occurrence.IMHO: Do your research and buy the full size from a retailer with a good return policy. 

If something is small enough it tends to get lost in the fray of the rest of my collection. Now you may say "but, Molly, you have an obscene amount of makeup. Of course you lose things in your collection!" 1. How rude! and 2. It's not just that they get lost in my over sized collection but, I find these are the types of products that even get forgotten about in the bottom of my everyday makeup bag. If you can't find it in your makeup bag you're never going to remember it in the back of a drawer.

Finally, the clutter! I know I have a lot of products. I know I don't need an infinite number of lipstick options in my life. I do find though that the biggest culprit in my beauty disorganization comes from housing samples and minis and gift with purchase freebies that I more or less never reach for. 

Now every so often I can be swayed by a good point perk or a brand introductory gift set but, generally it's because they contain products I've already decided I want but and just haven't gotten around to purchasing yet.

I will put a disclaimer out there that this is just me. I can see how someone with a slightly more organized way of life might be more on board for trial size foil packets and baby tubes of lipstick but for now I think I'm just going to stick to all the full size beauties I've spent my hard earned dollars on. 

How about you? Are you all about the mini or do you neglect them as well?