I do believe in depotting to keep things hygienic and to carry less, but let’s be honest the depotting process can really suck and it’s not always the best thing to do. Here’s why:
Cost
The cost of depotting is not only monetary, it also takes up a ton of time. We have to spend so much money just to be able to show up to work, it blows my mind to see how much additional money is being spent buying supplies to depot. This is especially true if you are newer to the industry and are still not sure what products you enjoy using and how you like to work with them.
The more you spend the less you earn. It is important to maximize your earnings, especially in those first few years. It makes more sense to work with new products in your kit first to make sure you actually like the product enough to want to downsize it.
Also let’s not forget all the fallen soldiers. I’ve lost hundreds of dollars in product during the depotting process and afterwards. Depotting can leave your press powder products unstable and unprotected. Tons of broken powders have ended up at the bottom of my kit because they weren’t protected once they were depotted. Certain packaging does have a purpose and with the amount of travel we do with our kits, some products simply can’t sustain the wear and tear when they are popped out of their cases.
Arts and crafts project or makeup kit?
The excessively depotted kits look amazing at first, but over time they start to look like a grade school craft project because those DIY palettes require a lot of cleaning and upkeep to look good (especially the eyeshadows). My kit has looked so horrible at certain points after depotting that I have spent extra money rebuying what I depotted to get the products back in their original packaging. This is a true story. I can’t tell you the number of cotton swabs i’ve gone through trying to keep those palettes presentable after the first couple uses - it is an actual nightmare.
I’ve been trying to support brands that create smaller, sleeker palettes or brands that allow you to build your own palette to cut down the amount of depotting I have to do. This also makes cleaning easier which is a top priority for me.
Clients Love To See What You Have In Your Kit
How your kit looks does matter and the brands in your kit also matter. Clients love to see brand names and even though looks aren’t everything - how a client perceives your skill level can be directly related to what they see in your kit. It’s human nature to judge by appearances.
I’ve been trying to buy from more brands that make mini sizes so the brand names are visible in my kit, but don’t take up a lot of space. I still depot things here and there but sprinkle in some of the brand names so my clients know what they are looking at.
I want to be clear: I still depot a good amount of products in my kit to lighten the load and to work more hygienically. I do think certain products are better depotted, and a clean and organized kit is absolutely something you should have. However, i’m no longer depotting just for the sake of it or depotting excessively when it takes up too much time, costs too much, or just ends up looking terrible.
How do you feel about depotting - worth all the fuss or do you feel we’ve gone too far?
