Writing and wine: My two favourite ‘W’s’

*Warning: This post will contain no pretty photos and a whole lot of rambling. Continue at your own risk.*

I’ve been drinking a bit of wine. And by a bit I mean…like a small glass. HEY – I’m a lightweight now, what can I say? Every so often I have a glass of wine after Elena goes to bed as a nice wind-down after a long day of being a mom, but tonight after a supper of chips and dip (I had a craving!) I’m feeling it more than usual. And I’m feeling chatty after reading a couple good blogs (here and here) and I’ve been meaning to post some deeper thoughts on the whole ‘declutter’ thing for awhile now. What better time to be forthcoming and rambly than after some wine? YES.

I’m sure the topic of decluttering/simplifying is a polarizing subject – either you’re all about it or you’re sick of hearing about it. If you fall in the latter camp, I’m sorry dude…but I gotta do what I gotta do. For me, decluttering isn’t a fad or a way to keep relevant in the blogging world (as it IS quite prevalent lately), but a necessity for a mind that gets anxious easily with too much ‘noise’ – whether it be literally (I DO hate noise), figuratively (clutter and excess stress me out) or mentally (my brain is going 160 km/hr at all times so I try to minimize that constant buzz as much as possible). It’s a paradox particularly when it comes to beauty because I ADORE makeup and skincare and all things cosmetic (HEY my blog is called Beauty Obsessed, whaddya know), but then I get oversaturated with product and the fun starts to sour a bit. It’s a never-ending loop I can’t seem to fully break out of, no matter how hard I try. I’ll be calm for a time and feel like I’ve got a handle on things, and then Sephora goes and has a DAMN SALE and I’m all discombobulated again. Though I have great willpower for many things, a sale on cosmetics gets me EVERY FREAKIN’ TIME.

Though I’ve been slowly purging makeup here and there for what feels like forever, I still have a substantial collection, 80% which doesn’t get used on a regular basis (some items probably haven’t even been worn in the last 6 months). It would be easy to say ‘Well heck, anything you haven’t worn in a while get rid of!’ but quite honestly, I LIKE that stuff and I don’t want to ~petulant voice~. I know the fact that I haven’t used it in awhile may indicate otherwise, but there are various reason I haven’t worn shades that I DO in fact, glean ‘joy’ from – the biggest reason being that I now have a KID and that means I barely wear makeup as it is, let alone most of my 74 eyeshadows (or whatever the number was that I quoted in my post last week). And the shades I still have? They make me HAPPY, even if they just sit there unloved most of the time.

It wasn’t until I read Liz’s goodbye post that I really recognized it’s my thought processes that need changing, not the actual amount of product. I think I’ve reach the point where I like what I have and I don’t see value in getting rid of items just to get rid of them, but the volume of product still stresses me out. Tonight I had an AHA moment (THANK YOU, WolfTrap Syrah) when I realized that the reason I keep wanting to decrease the amount of makeup I have smaller and smaller, even though I now like all the products I have, has been in order to BUY MORE STUFF. I’ve wanted to decrease my collection only for the terrible reason that I want to buy newer, shinier things.

OH SHIT.

And also – AHA!

And so I’m strapping my ass down and not buying anything new unless I’m really feeling it – that means, no seeing something on someone else’s blog and thinking I NEED it because it’s the new fun fabulous beautiful thing everyone wants; if I perchance happen to see said product IN PERSON and I fall in love, OKAY, but if I just get it in my head I need XYZ because it looks pretty and hence it will look pretty on me, no – just, NO. I want need my purchasing to go old school, back when I bought things organically because I saw them, I loved them, I brought them home. Quite honestly, I am much more susceptible to impulse and needless purchasing online because I can justify it more easily, whereas almost every time if I look at something in store I end up passing on it because it just doesn’t WOW me.

I like this solution a lot particularly because it’s not restrictive [me and restrictions = bad {expensive} times] but I know with absolute certainty that I will buy less if I pick something up only because it caught my eye while I was shopping, and not because I researched the heck out of it, looked at a billion swatches, read all the rave reviews, and then rushed out to buy it because I HAD TO HAVE IT. Of COURSE I had to have it after all that, jesus, who’d be able to resist something after pretty much ensuring it’d feel like the second coming? WAY TO PUT SOMETHING ON A DAMN PEDESTAL, sheesh.

Alright. So that’s where I stand now. Back to basics. I feel good about this, you guys! Gummy summed up the feeling really well when she said she felt ‘frenzied’ at times to buy new things. That’s exactly what’s been happening to me off and on for years – pretty much since I started reading beauty blogs. Information is Power, but also – Information Drains the Shit out of your Wallet. I don’t want to feel frenzied anymore. I want to feel at peace while still wholehearted having fun in the beauty world. I feel like this is possible.

ESPECIALLY after wine. YES.

Wordless Wednesday: Pre-Move Empties!

I know I just posted my summer empties only a short while ago, but as soon as I found out we were moving I got a hussle on to finish up some products that were dragging on too long in my arsenal. The less I have to move  – and the less stuff cluttering up my shiny new space (official move-in day is tomorrow!) – the better! This is a pretty huge empties post actually considering it’s less than 2 months worth of stuff. I’m super-excited to have a more tidy, manageable amount of beauty products going into our new home. I’m already starting off on the right foot!

Anyway, this is supposed to be [mostly] wordless, so let’s get crackin’.

Notable here is the Kypris Moonlight Catalyst (so lovely), the MAX Effects Makeup Remover (awesome!), and the MUN Anarose Toner (have gone on about my love for this in a past empties post too).  

The DevaCurl Set It Free is a fantastic pre-styling hydrator for curly hair (but it’s expensive and doesn’t last too long); I use the NOW vegetable glycerin for mixing with my polish remover to make it gentler on nails; you already know I ADORE the Lina Hanson body oil (I made that baby last!), and the Yes to Carrots Hand & Cuticle Cream was really nice but the lettering on the packaging started to flake off and every time I’d use it it’d get everywhere. Ick.

Ok. There are some good samples here (and some bad)! I liked the Fresh Rose Face Mask a lot (contemplating a full size but we’ll see…), the Royal Apothic Cuppa Cuppa Firming Tea Treatment Mask  was lovely (soothes & purifies), and the Lancome Genifique serum seemed nice. The rest were fine but nothing outstanding; did NOT like the Jurlique Rose Hand Cream (too scented), and the May Lindstrom The Good Stuff body oil (disliked the strong cocoa scent!).

Nothing much to say here. These are both good (though I think I’m going to cool it with fast drying top coats, they often shrink the polish and make chipping more likely).

Mascara palooza! See review on the L’Oreal & Benefit; it Cosmetics Hello Lashes was just WEIRD to me. Maybelline Brow Drama was fine but I wouldn’t repurchase; I finished the Korres Lip Butter and the Clarins Lip Perfector to the last drop (see photo below – that’s hardcore!). I’ve had the UD 24/7 Pencil in Lucky for quite awhile, it’s an awesome shade (since dc’d though) but it’s dried up. And this is the 3RD BLUSH that’s broken on me from Illamasqua (this is the shade Hussy), I won’t buy any more of them, I can’t take it! And they’re not really made in a way that I can pressed them again, so out it goes! I only have 1 shade left from the brand (and I used to have 5 total). The lipstick mini from Hourglass is in a shade called Grace, which is a nude – too light for my skintone. 

Kaboom!! That’s a lot of empties, eh? So I’m thinking my fall empties post will be teeny in comparison. Which isn’t really a bad thing, hopefully that just means I’m using less overall so I’ll have less to show for it. As an aside, after reading Liz’s review I picked up the Marie Kondo book on tidying, so I would hazard a guess that the amount of things I own in general is going to continue to decrease rather than increase. At least, that’s the plan! Again, moving really helps as it forces you to take a good hard look at what you own (as packing less = unpacking less). I wonder what the new *thing* will be once we’ve all decluttered our lives?? 😉

 

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect [More Makeup]: An Update

Well, things sure have been busy ’round these here parts….but what else is new? Remember when I was pregnant and I kept saying I needed to slow down, but didn’t? Ha. Maybe I should just accept the fact that I’m always going to be busy doing something, it’s just my nature! Right now, it’s been particularly chaotic – we bought a house (finally!) and moved in October 15th. That it was a quick turnaround from putting in our offer to moving in, and it was made even more intense by the fact that we found a renter for my condo (b/c the market is CRAP and the damn place just wasn’t selling!) and she moved in at the end of September! To get everything packed and cleaned in a super-short time frame was stressful enough, and on top of that I had to do this alone, as Ryan had to go back to work, and I had a wee one to look after and amuse on a 24/7 basis. Wowza! I think I managed to pack one box every 3 days lol. Thank goodness my family came over a couple evenings to help me out, otherwise I would have been completed SOL. Ah well, that part is in the past now! Now I just spend my days unpacking a box here and there and trying to get organized, but at least it’s on my own timeline. For now, let’s talk about makeup, shall we?

Move-in day! 🙂

As regular readers will know, I’ve been on a streamlining/downsizing kick for the better part of the year (with only a semi-minor regression after Elena was born – new mom retail therapy lol). I’ve always used moving as a great excuse to purge and reduce clutter and this time was no exception. I did a major declutter of my closet back in the spring which was a great move as I’ve found it really easy to get dressed every day with less to choose from, as what’s left are all pieces I love. I replaced some old, ratty items with new, better quality clothing and got rid of anything that didn’t suit my current aesthetic or lifestyle. I’m still working on it but it feels SO good when I open my closet door and see a bunch of items that make me happy. This is what I’ve been working toward with my makeup/beauty hoard and I’m making great headway!

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It helps when the new closet is like this one! 🙂

I’ve been bouncing around ideas in my head of how to approach streamlining my makeup & polish collection in a way that feels good to me. At first I was all about getting rid of anything that didn’t ‘bring me joy’ (a la Marie Kondo), which was easy enough – I let go of those shades that I liked in theory but that didn’t work on my skintone or fit my lifestyle (aka ‘downtown’ makeup that I no longer wear b/c…how long has it been since I went out clubbing!?). Then I purged anything that had outlived it’s place in my life – something I used to frequently wear but fell out of love with. Even after those moves however, I still have a fair amount of makeup, enough that everything would never get used in a lifetime.

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So where do I go from here? I’ve considered eliminating even more items, weeding through color stories and keeping only my absolute favourites (check out Liz’s Lipstick Survivor posts for an idea on what I mean), but quite honestly? At this point I really only have shades and products I love. Sure, there are some I love more than others, but for the past couple years, most of the purchases I’ve made have been after much consideration and thought, and I really like these items! It seems wasteful and rash to just eliminate things to achieve some sort of ‘ideal beauty collection’ I have in my mind.

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Oh, the CONUNDRUM.

I also don’t want to do a formal ‘no buy’ or restrict myself in some way b/c I’ve tried that too and I know how well I respond to restrictions – by going off the deep-end after a time and buying everything in sight. That’s essentially what happened when Elena arrived, I had been so good for so long and then BAM! I fell off the wagon. Rather than make a strict plan of action, I’m just going to exercise plain old willpower as much and often as I can, but if I feel like buying something or something catches my eye, I’ll get it! I’m pretty good at restraint these days and something that I’ve found particularly effective is rifling through my stash every few days and taking mental stock of what’s there. Then if I’m out and about, I have a much harder time justifying a purchase I clearly don’t “need.”

So here we come to the *good* part (if ‘good’ in your books means making lists, like it is in mine 😉

Tally (pre-declutter [before July 2015] / present):

1. Primers/Setting Sprays: 6 / 3
2. Foundations: 6 / 8
3. Concealers: 7 / 5
4. Powders: 3 / 3
5. Bronzers: 5 / 4
6. Blush: 33 / 18
7. Highlighters: 6 / 4
8. Brows: 3 /5
9. Eyeliner: 22 / 16
10. Eyeshadow (shades): 72 + 5 palettes (61 shades total) = 133 shades / 72 + 2 palettes (17 shades total) = 89 shades
11. Lip Liners: 3 / 5
12. Lip Colors: 56 / 35

As you can see, I’ve done a bit of reducing overall (though – OOPS, I bought MORE lipliners!) and in some cases did a pretty sweet job in bringing those numbers down to a more reasonable level (blush, shadows and lip colors), if I do say so myself. Note that I didn’t include mascaras because I go through them regularly and don’t keep a stock of them around (and right now I only have 1, so that’s kinda boring). Overall I’m pleased with my progress, and just like the pride at seeing a savings account grow, I feel good about seeing these numbers get smaller and smaller and it is a huge incentive to keep up the good work.

So you can probably guess that I’ve held fairly strong with respect to my previous commitments to not incur more of specific categories within my beauty stash. Below I’ve noted my current progress:

1) Base products: I’m really keen to try the Urban Decay Naked Concealer, but I absolutely am holding out until I can get that number down by half first. Despite the fact that I felt like I had A TON of foundation, I was toying with the idea of buying a new one when I was sent the new Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation (liquid & stick). Thankfully, it’s fulfilled my lemming completely and I won’t be in the market for one for quite a while now. I’m currently on a mission to finish up a few that are nearing completion to get that number back down a bit. As for the rest (primers/powders), I’m not really enticed to buy new ones, though I think I might pick up the Becca Backlighting Primer before the wedding next fall, if there isn’t some fabulous new option out by then (likely).

2) Antiperspirants: none bought (but of course, this is the easy one). Had the bright idea to leave one in the car, because I forget to put it on A LOT these days.

3) Nail polish: The number of polishes I own is staying strong at 83 shades. Still more than I’d like, but I can’t seem to let any go – I did in fact get rid of a few more, but then I bought two holiday shades, so… oops. Every few days I go through them again and try and release my death grip on a few more bottles. All I can do is keep trying!

The line on the left are drugstore/shades of which I only own one.

4) Color cosmetics: Bought – Lancome Shine Lover (June), Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in Walk of Shame (July), Urban Decay 24/7 Lip Liner in Naked (August), Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop (August – I caved!), MAC Pro Longwear Lip Liner in Ms Diva (September), and NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls (September), Burberry Wet & Dry Shadow in Antique Blue (October). As usual, lippies dominated HARD. I don’t feel bad about these purchases though, they all make me happy and will get good use (though guiltily I wear so little makeup lately they haven’t yet!). However, I do want to ease up on the lip-heavy purchasing.

5) I’m adding one other category to the list: BROW PRODZ. I bought a Milani clear brow gel and a Stila brow pen in July/August so now I have way more brow products than I personally need or want (a total of 5, which is about 3 more than I think is necessary). Absolutely must use most of these up before I will be inclined to buy more.

Oops, I just realized the Maybelline Brow Drama was in my pre-move empties post, but yet I still have it…probably should toss that now!

Phew! That was a long post. I wish I could just dictate what I want to say to someone and they could do all the other blog work for me – I have so many things I want to write about but so little time to actually write it / take and edit photos / etc. I honestly don’t know how some bloggers with young children do it. I guess most of them have their baby daddy’s around to watch the little one(s) so the momma can do other things. I don’t have that luxury very often, unfortunately 😦

Anyway, I hope that even just the act of getting a post out will serve as an incentive to do more posting, I really miss it and I have so much to say on the top of beauty lately! If you follow me on Instagram I try to get a lot of those thoughts out there as they’re a quick snapshot of what’s going on in my beauty life – if you don’t follow me, you should, as I’m much more active there these days!

Recent Purchases, Part III: The eye make-ups

In the ongoing chronicle of my intense 3 month makeup haul, next we have all the eye makeup that I bought over the past few months – again, this behaviour was nonsensical as I barely wear eye makeup these days save for mascara, but…sometimes we just lose our damn minds. I’m better now (but still want to atone for my ‘mistakes’).

Let’s begin with the most sensible purchases, given my comment above – mascara.

I went many years without buying much mascara at all – maybe one per year – as I’d often get free ones from Clinique, or just use the samples I’d get from Sephora etc. But this past year I’ve been trialing quite a few drugstore mascaras, as I’ve made an informal, semi-pact with myself that I won’t spend the big bucks on mascara any more; for only 3-4 months of use (and generally the same effectiveness across low- and high-end), my monies are better spent elsewhere.

The first mascara I picked up however, WAS from the higher-end of the spectrum – Benefit’s new Roller Lash mascara ($31CAD) – though I bought it during the Sephora sale in April.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Benefit’s newest mascara offering claims to be a ‘super-curling and lifting’ mascara to give a ‘sexy, wide-eyed look.’ As my eyelashes are already pretty curly on their own, I wasn’t initially reeled in by the product, but after seeing a few tutorials and reviews online I decided I liked the way it separated and lengthened lashes. Since I tend to go very low-key on the eye makeup day-to-day, I do prefer my lashes to be ultra-defined while letting my lips do the heavy lifting. For me, Roller Lash does the job well – it gives decent length, doesn’t clump and really catches every lash so they stand out, which is important when you’re not wearing anything else on the eye.

Two coats of Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Though I am quite enjoying the lengthening and separating effects of Roller Lash, I also wanted to have a more volumizing formula on hand for when I wanted more drama. Enter L’Oreal’s praised Voluminous Million Lashes Excess mascara:

L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara in Black

The Million Lashes Excess is supposed to give ‘bold volume with clean definition’, and I’d say this is partly true. The formula is thin and wet, so it gives you time to build it up on the lashes without clumping. Because of this, you do get fairly defined lashes – however, it takes effort and several coats to get that ‘bold volume’, at which point the likelihood of clumps increases (though not by too much). I personally find this tedious to apply, and the effect is not dramatic as I’d hoped. Not a bad option though for those who are looking for a reasonably priced mascara with a little bit of drama.

One coat of L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara

Two coats of L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara

After watching Tati’s first impressions video on the L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Rock mascara, I went ahead and picked it up when it went on sale at my local Lawtons drugstore. The yet another addition to the Voluminous franchise, Miss Manga Rock is touted to give ‘mega texturized volume’ via a 360° spiked brush and textured formula, creating ‘explosive volume’ at the roots and pointed lash tips.

L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Rock Mascara in Blackest Black

One coat of L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Rock Mascara

Two coats of L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Rock Mascara

Despite the aforementioned tendency to wear little to no other eye makeup except mascara lately, I still get sucked in by a pretty shadow. I had been on the hunt for a striking gold eyeshadow with almost a greenish tint for month, when I finally stumbled upon Makeup Geek’s Liquid Gold pigment. The price was right (~$6) so I promptly ordered it because, why not?

Shortly thereafter, I went on a MAC craze, listing all the products I *needed* to buy from the core range. I planned to buy a few every couple months or so, and one of the first on my list was the subtle highlight eyeshadow in Ricepaper (frost), and a couple months later I followed my plan and picked up Cork satin eyeshadow, which I though would be perfect as both a transition shade or an all-over lid shade that would give me just a hint of smokiness (being so close to my skin color).

During my shopping trip to buy Cork, it so happened that the Extra Dimension eyeshadows were launched permanently, and though I don’t love a ton of shimmer in my shadows, I couldn’t help but buy one – iridescent A Natural Flirt reminded me a lot of my favourite shade in my KATE BR-2 palette, and so it was that I brought it home as well.

Finally, I had been eyeing a handful of products from Charlotte Tilbury (who isn’t these days???) and Beautylish offers free shipping on your first order from the site, so along with a Chikuhodo brush (review to come) I picked up a Colour Chameleon eye pencil in Smoky Emerald, a gorgeous dark sparkling khaki, after seeing it in action in a post on Into the Gloss re: makeup for brown-eyed girls. Of all the new shadows I’ve bought, this is the only one I’ve worn (for shame!), and it is LOVELY. Glides on SO creamy and smooth and then lasts all day. And this shade really is PERFECT for brown eyes!

Left to right: Charlotte Tilbury Color Chameleon in Smoky Emerald, Makeup Geek Pigment in Liquid Gold, MAC Extra Dimension Shadow in A Natural Flirt, MAC Shadow in Naked Lunch, and MAC Shadow in Cork

I also made another shadow purchase, during the Sephora sale: a Giorgio Armani Eye Tint, in the shade 10 Senso (reg. $39CAD). I was so excited to try this formula, and having to order sight-unseen as we don’t have Armani here in Halifax, I took the safe route and ordered the bronzy shade which I was sure would work well for me. When it arrived however, I was dismayed to find that not only was it not all that bronze on me (it looks much more like a taupe-brown with a purple lean), but that it looks very similar to two other shadows I already owned – Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Amethyst and Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Rehab.

Left to right: Giorgio Armani Eye Tint in Senso, Urban Decay 24/7 Shadow Pencil in Rehab, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Amethyst

Having already purchased more eyeshadows than I should have, and being less than impressed with the shade (and formula – this was nothing to write home about, in my opinion, especially for $39!), I returned Senso. There’s just no room for subpar products or duplicates in my stash!

And so ends my eye makeup purchases – for the time being. I’m sure I’ll buy more mascara at some point, but not until I’ve finished two of these – I’ve tried all the ones on my lemmings list now so I’m good for a while. However, I am going to try my very hardest to resist buying any more eyeshadow until our trip to Los Angeles over the Christmas holiday (can’t wait!!!!), when I’ll have access to a ton of brands we can’t get here (MOAR Charlotte Tilbury!). As you may have seen on my Instagram, I’m struggling with reducing the current collection of shades I own as it is, so until I either can eliminate a few shades or use a few up (!!!!!), I absolutely NEED to put a lid on it for a while.

Now, to leave you with a couple sweet pictures of my wee one, who was such a good girl during my swatchfest 🙂

GAH. My kid is so stupidly cute.

Have you been hauling lately? How do you stop yourself from buying products that you don’t need/don’t use?

3 makeup products every new mom needs

During my pregnancy, I resisted the urge to buy many new makeup items, because I figured I wouldn’t have any time to really wear makeup (for a while, anyway) once the baby was born. I wasn’t wrong – especially while in the hospital I didn’t wear a lick of makeup, and most days I’m lucky if I wash my face more than once. But there are times, like when you have non-familial visitors, or when you actually venture (briefly) out of the house, that you want to look just a bit less worn out and sleep-deprived. In those moments, a handful of makeup items have been helping me boost my lacklustre appearance to semi-normal, with the minimum amount of effort and time (because honestly, when you have any ‘free’ time, you want to spend it catching up on sleep!). The trio I’ve been relying on for this purpose is concealer, bronzer, and lip stain.

The Clarins Instant Light Concealer in 03 and the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Tan have replaced the two NARS Creamy Concealers I’d finished in January. Both are nice concealers with medium coverage – the Tarte offering is quite tacky and moist, and I find the creamy finish looks youthful and deflects light, helping me makes look less tired; it also is a very good match for my skin. The Clarins version, a lightweight concealer with a second-skin-like quality that’s currently having a HUGE moment in the blogosphere, also brightens the eye area and is suitable for other parts of the face as well (love it around my nose), but the shade is just a hint too light and grey to be perfect for me. I like and use both for similar purposes but they yield slightly different results due to their different formulas. Neither are holy grail as I still can see my dark circles peeking through…but I’m not convinced anything will obliterate them completely, anyway. #pipedream

I’ve been having an on-off love affair with NARS Laguna Illuminator over the past 6 months – originally when I bought it I thought it the perfect bronzing product for someone who is already…brown (lol), just giving me some illumination with a hint of golden color. But the small specks of glitter in it really turn me off, especially in the summer when the sun is shining. However, in the dead of winter when most days are dreary and grey, this has been a go-to to perk up my skin or warm up any foundations I have that are a touch too light or cast a grey pall over my skin when worn alone. Right now, it’s been a quick way to both give my skin some much-needed color plus add back some radiance – it can be blended with fingers in seconds. If I have a few more minutes to spare, I’ll layer a bit of Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzing Powder (previous review here) on top for extra color and glow.

Finally, the last touch to my quick and dirty perk-me-up routine is a bit of lip color, which can be applied on the go at any time, like when you’re trying to manhandle your baby into submission lovingly carrying your wee one around. A lip stain is a good choice if you can’t manage reapplication, though I find a low-maintenance lip product is probably the one item I CAN find the time to slap on here and there, so I always have something (often just balm) handy. YSL’s Glossy Stain in Corail Aquatique is a good option because it leaves color behind even as it wears, and is a soft shade that doesn’t need a mirror to apply.

If I have a full 10 minutes to do my makeup, I’ll throw on some mascara and groom my brows a bit – but the luxury of that much time occurs infrequently. I could never understand before becoming a mother why other mothers never had enough time to do things that take just a few extra minutes, but now I get it; it’s because those ‘few extra minutes’ could be spent, oh I dunno – brushing your teeth, changing your underwear, EATING, daydreaming about sleeping. I’m learning how to do so many things with just one hand, it’s getting quite impressive. I thought I was an excellent multi-tasker before; I am a WORLD CLASS, GRADE-A MULTI-TASKER now!

Gratuitous photo of my sweet little girl

Do you have any time-saving makeup tips? To all the moms out there – how did you manage your time?

Make Up For Ever gives ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ a touch of class

When I was in New Zealand, I spent a lot of time traveling around on a bus. To pass the time, I read a handful of books, two of them being part of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. There are a couple points to note here: I only read two of the three books; and I read more than one of the books only because at that time I had nothing else to read. Are you getting the picture yet? Quite honestly, I found the ‘Fifty Shades’ books ridiculous – the sexy bits were repetitive and silly, and I actually started to skip over them to get to the ‘meat’ of the novel. I struggled to get through the second book, and I had NO desire to read the third novel and find out how Christian and Anastasia ended up.

NEVERTHELESS. This should not be taken to mean that I will not give a ‘Fifty Shades’ themed makeup collection my full attention and appreciation – particularly one from a favourite brand of mine, Make Up For Ever. The Fifty Shades of Grey Give In to Me make-up coffret ($90CAD) by the brand is especially worthy of a serious look – even though I could take the books as anything but!

The kit contains a handful of Make Up For Ever’s most iconic products: their popular Smoky Extravagant mascara (review here – though please note that while my original review was less than stellar, the one in this set is quite lovely!), their new Graphic Liner (review here), two natural-hued lip products – a Lab Shine Lip Gloss in D14 (a shimmering indian pink) and a Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick in N4 (a pink-beige), and four neutral shades of the exquisite Artist Shadows, in I-514 (‘pink ivory’), S-556 (‘taupe grey‘), ME-612 (‘silver brown,‘ previous review here), and I-628 (‘reptile‘ {WUT?}).

The Artist Shadows have been taking the beauty world by storm, and for good reason – they’re silky, smooth, pigment-rich and come in a vast array of colors and textures. The shades in this set are neutral but not boring and are all very different, so a variety of looks can be created (sometimes I find palettes like these contain shades that vary by only a fraction). I also enjoy that the palette can be worn by both cool or warm skintones – both the highlight shade (I-514) and crease/liner shade (I-628) are tonally neutral, with the taupe shade (S-556) leaning just a touch cool, and the shimmering brown shade (ME-612) warm. Lastly, can I just say that it’s so nice to see a palette like this in which the shadows are still as good quality as you would find if you bought them singularly (*cough* MAC, I’m looking at you *cough*)?

Clockwise from top left: I-514 (‘pink ivory’), ME-612 (‘silver brown’), I-628 (‘reptile’), and S-556 (‘taupe grey’)

The lip colors are complimentary to the shadows, both MLBB shades that would work with most looks and on most skintones. The Rouge Artist Natural lipstick in N4 is a pretty shade of dusty rose, and the formula (previously reviewed here) is comfortable and lightweight, with a softly creamy finish. The Lab Shine lip glosses, here in D14, are some of the only glosses I’ve ever finished (previous shade reviews here and here) – in part due to their beautiful shine and wonderfully moisturizing qualities, and in part because they’re kinda small at 0.09oz (a YSL gloss by comparison is 0.2oz). I don’t mind much as it’s quite gratifying to finish a makeup item! – but something to note all the same. You can see below that in just using this regularly for the past few days that it’s already on it’s way to being used up.

Below are swatches of the shadows and lip colors!

Left to right: [Shadows] I-514 (‘pink ivory’), S-556 (‘taupe grey’), I-628 (‘reptile’), and ME-612 (‘silver brown’); [Lipstick] N4 (pink beige); [Lipgloss] D14 (shimmering indian pink).

Close up of Rouge Artist Natural in N4 and Lab Shine Lip Gloss in D14. 

Overall I think this kit is kind of awesome, and I’m not really one for makeup sets like this. Every item is a stand-out, and the palette is extremely wearable and appealing. If they had included a blush I would have died and gone to heaven! If you haven’t tried the brand yet, this would be the opportune moment to do so – though I see that this set is no longer on the Sephora website, so my apologies if I just created a lemming you can’t fulfill! I would definitely head to your local store to see if you can still score the set – but if you can’t, happily all of these shades are in the permanent line-up, so though it’s not a ‘deal’, you can still grab any shades/products that have caught your eye!

The moral of the story? Even if you weren’t a fan of the books, don’t let that deter you from looking at Make Up For Ever’s take on the ‘Fifty Shades’ franchise – theirs is probably the best thing to come from the phenomenon, hands down!

Did you read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy? Will you see the movie? 

*Product(s) were provided by the PR company/brand for my unbiased consideration.

30 Days of Decluttering

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I’ve been talking for ages about trying to pare down my makeup collection, by both using things up as well as slowing down my purchasing of new products (and may I just say – I have only bought ONE color makeup item over the past three months [the YSL Golden Gloss] – that deserves an award!), but now it’s time to get serious. I’ve decided to embark on a 30 day decluttering project, in which I have to get rid of a beauty item a day for 30 days. This could mean using up an item; giving away a shade I never wear but keep hanging on to for no good reason; tossing old, expired products; etc. It includes both makeup, skin/hair care, and nail polish – basically any beauty cosmetics I own.

To start off with a bang, these are a handful of products that I’m going to dedicate time to finishing – they’re nearly done already, and were the inspiration to start this challenge. Beginning something like this with a few products already ‘ready’ to go is a bit of a cheat, but eh – the results are still the same really, and it gives me an extra incentive to really use these up!

I’m beginning the challenge tomorrow – Friday, January 30th – and ending it on February 28th. I plan to track my progress on Instagram daily, so you can keep up with me there – or better yet, join me! #30daydeclutter

I’m excited to get cracking on this! Skincare is easy, as I usually only have just my current rotation of products with not much duplication (eg. only a couple cleansers, moisturizers, oils, treatments etc. at a time). Makeup, on the other hand, is much harder to part with – even if it’s a shade or formulation that doesn’t really work for me. I have been slowly pulling items from my collection and really scrutinizing whether they should be there or not – no point keeping stuff that I don’t love/wear – but it’s still hard to part with products that were purchased with my hard-earned cash. I just keep telling myself that the more I let go that just doesn’t DO it for me, the more new products I can buy that do!

Time to get ruthless….wish me luck!!

Anyone else in the process of decluttering / reducing their beauty stash?

Final Empties from 2014

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I’ve been thinking about my empties posts lately. I know some people are less than enamoured with these kinds of posts, while others absolutely adore them. Personally, I don’t have much interest in empties posts except to see just how much stuff people are using up – I use the evidence as motivation to continue diligently using my beauty products, rather than buying them just for hoarding’s sake. I’m most impressed by makeup empties, and as such, I feel pretty badass when I myself have used up a handful of makeup products, so of course I still need a medium for which to show it off at times.

Therefore, moving forward my empties posts will be wordless wonders – express posts mainly to show what I’ve used up / tossed every few months. If there are questions about a particular product, please – ask away! I’ll answer in the comments. Otherwise, consider these posts a reprieve from my usual chattiness 🙂

The first half of the photos are empties that were tossed back in the summer…yea, I’m MAJORLY delinquent in posting these, but as I said, empties posts aren’t really all that exciting, so I never got around to it. There wasn’t that much to showcase anyway – see for yourself (also, pre-emptive apologies for the dusty-looking photos and wonky lighting!):

Body and hair care

Facial skincare

Handful of samples

Makeup empties. KABLOW!! Almost all full-size products 🙂

Since that time, I’ve been storing up products and my empties bag was getting close to overflowing. Not only do I find empties posts kind of boring to read/write, but good grief taking PHOTOS of used-up products is AWFUL. However, these shots I took today of the next batch of empties was considerably more enjoyable, because last week I bought new camera 😀 😀 😀 I wanted a DSLR that could take fabulous photos once the baby arrives (and it doesn’t hurt that it’ll improve my shots on the blog, too :)), and Best Buy had a great Boxing Week deal on so I purchased the newest Canon Rebel, the T5. Now I just need to get my lighting set up down and I’ll be cookin’ with gas, as my family would say 😉  I took most of these shots outside in the snow, because it just seemed like the perfect backdrop, and I’m having fun figuring out how it works and what it can do!

Yüli empties…I am definitely purchasing a large size of the Cocoon Elixir (a facial mist)! So lovely.

Other skincare empties. On my second jar of the F.A.B. Facial Radiance Pads 🙂

Hair and body care empties. 

Deluxe samples…I really liked the Indie Lee ones (a cleanser and facial oil), and the amala serum (though it’s like, $300 for the full size…uh, NO), but I HATED the GlamGlow mask. Full of weird seaweed-y bits or something and thus was a major pain to apply. PASS, PASS, PASS. 

Random samples of hair & skin care, and foundations/concealers. Nothing to write home about except the Eminence Neroli Age Corrective Eye Serum – that was quite nice and I’m thinking of buying the full-size when I’m in the market for an eye treatment (I have like, a billion samples to get through first). 

…and BOOM! More makeup empties!! There’s a ton of mascara empties – as I mentioned in my 2014 makeup purchases post, I went through a slew of different kinds this year, mostly all disappointing – but there are two full-size foundations and two full-size blush. Oh YEA, baby! The MAC blush is one I’d dropped a couple years ago and was really left with only scraps left, to be fair – the other is a Milani blush/bronzer duo I’ve had for 5 years which I figured should be tossed now. Also, see how I finished the Burberry illuminator?? Not too shabby, methinks!

And so, my final roundup of empties from 2014. I can now start fresh, woohoo! I feel lighter already. My goals for 2015 are to see more lippie empties (so I can achieve part of my resolutions) and maybe even a blush or an eyeshadow. The latter is a TALL order, but I’ll see what I can do!

Did you make any significant headway in finishing products this year? Do makeup empties make you as happy as they do for me? What are your thoughts on empties posts overall?

Makeup Roundup: Purchases in 2014

Hello and a happy last day of 2014 to you all!! I sincerely hope everyone has been having a lovely holiday and enjoying family (as much or as little as you like), fun, and delicious food! As always, it flew by for me this year, but I took time off from the 19th and don’t return to work until the 6th, so if nothing else I’ve been relishing my sleep-in time and some laid-back days!

I thought I’d do a little something different this time around in wrapping up the year. Since I’ve spent much of 2014 trying to rein in my beauty spending, I was curious to see just how well I did and how much I purchased in the end. I thought perhaps you might be curious too! Some of the numbers are surprising to me, mostly due to what I DIDN’T buy *pats self on back* – but that doesn’t mean I didn’t go a bit crazy in other areas 😉  Let’s get to it, shall we?

*Note that the numbers below represent the total number of products I own in my current stash (some items have been given away/tossed/etc.), and the number that I have purchased in 2014 – not overall.

PRIMERS (Own: 3 full size, 1 sample, 1 eye. Purchased: 0)

OK, OK, so while I didn’t purchased any primers myself this year, I did receive 2 via PR samples (Make Up For Ever HD Primer in 6 Yellow, and Skindinavia The Makeup Primer Spray), so this is a bit of a cheat. But still, I personally haven’t bought a primer of any kind in over 3 years (NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base in July 2011), so that’s pretty impressive. I’m not a huge primer person though, so there’s that – but lately I’ve been reading a lot about the Chanel Le Blanc Light Revealing Brightening Makeup Base, and it sounds right up my alley –  all I’m ever trying to achieve is a lit-from-within glow to my skin, and this might be the ticket to getting it!

FOUNDATION (Own: 4 full size, 1 travel-size. Purchased: 1 travel-size)

Until very recently, I hadn’t bought a foundation in almost 3 years (Hourglass Immaculate in Mar 2012); all others have been received either via PR samples, or through my Clinique gratis (though this year I only snagged 1 new product, Clinique’s Stay-Matte). But a couple weeks ago, when I was in Sephora trolling the aisles for things to buy to utilize my $20 off a $50+ purchase coupon, I snagged a travel size of NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in St. Mortiz. I’d been hemming and hawing over the product for ages, and when I saw the smaller sizes (the other shade offered in travel size is Alaska), I figured it was a great opportunity to give it a shot. St. Mortiz is a shade too light for me (but Cuba, the next shade up, is too dark), but I’ve been mixing this with my deeper-toned summer foundations and I’m quite liking the result. I’ve been wearing some form of base makeup almost every day lately (again trying to work that pregnancy glow) so I’m hoping I might have a couple products for the empties bin by the time the warm weather hits – I’d love to try out some of the new offerings, but I can’t justify a purchase till I get through some of the ones I already own.

CONCEALER (Own: 5 full size. Purchased: 1)

In my Sephora VIB {Rouge} sale haul, I showed you that I picked up Lancome’s Effacernes to try – but unfortunately I had to return it, as I found it didn’t meet my expectations at all (though it’s nice and lightweight, it was somewhat dry looking under the eye, and the tone was a bit greyish). I exchanged it for Tarte’s Maracuja Creaseless Concealer, which I’d sampled before but wasn’t super keen on. While it still doesn’t give me true FULL coverage that I need to hide my ever-present dark circles, I like that it’s a bit dewy-looking, so at least my undereye looks hydrated, and it even seems to reflect the light a bit. I look tired but youthful I guess…I’ll take it! lol

The other concealers I have are all on their way out – I’m scraping out the last bits of my two NARS Radiant Creamy Concealers (purchased in 2013), my Clinique Airbrushed Concealer is almost finished (which I did add to my collection this year, but which I received via my gratis), and my Benefit Boi-ing (purchased in 2012 or 2013, I can’t remember) is my leave-at-work shade and has major pan showing. So the 5 that I currently have will very shortly become a small number of 1-2. Just the way I like it.

POWDER (Own: 2 full size. Purchased: 1)

Powder isn’t all that exciting, so it’s no surprise I only have two. I bought MAC’s Blot last year and I rarely use it, mainly only for travel as it’s a compact – to be honest, it doesn’t wow me much. What I did buy this year however, was Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder, which I’d read good things about over the years. I do like it, and it doesn’t even leave me looking too powdery, but I still find I have shine peeking through by mid-day without fail. However, I suspect no powder will ever be able to leave me both shine-free yet still luminous, so my expectations are low.

I’ve been thinking about trying the Secret Brightening Powder from the brand however, to use under my eye area to give it some more brightness and help set my concealer. However, every time I swatch it in store it looks SO GLITTERY. Has anyone tried it?? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

HIGHLIGHTER (Own: 3 full size plus 1 sample. Purchased: 0)

While going through my stash, I was surprised to find that I hadn’t bought ANY highlighters this year – I think because the year before, I picked up 3, so I was still feeling a bit overdone. Though I wear highlighter almost every day (usually opting for Chanel’s Poudre Signée de Chanel), it seems to last ages, so I really have no need to buy any more at the moment. Aside from the Chanel, my most cherished is my deluxe sample of Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal – when that runs out, I will be buying a full size, STAT. However, though I love highlighters and how they look, I’m fairly content with just owning a small handful – perhaps if I hit pan or use one up over the next year I’ll pick up a holiday one (they tend to be SO GORGEOUS, ahhh MY EYES burn from the BEAUTY), but I think that every year and then every year I don’t bother…so we’ll see.

BRONZER (Own: 3 full size plus 1 sample. Purchased: 0)

Bronzer has been on my ‘to buy’ list for two years but I keep putting it off – I can never fully convince myself that I really need one! Aside from the NARS Illuminator in Laguna, which I bought back in 2011 (!!), I’ve never really bought a bronzer. The others I have were swap items (a deluxe sample of Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, and a full size of Too Faced Sun Bunny), and the last isn’t truly a bronzer, but I use it as such (Estee Lauder’s Shimmering Sands Illuminating Gelee, which I use to achieve a ‘sunburnt bronze’ look). Maybe this will be the year…

BLUSH (Own: 28 full size, 1 palette size. Purchased: 2)

Dudes. I only bought 2 BLUSHES this year!!! Seriously, do I deserve a pat on the back or what!? Last year I bought 7, and the year before, 6…so I consider this a HUGE WIN. The first purchase, Benefit’s Lollitint, is still a fave, and Chanel’s Malice, while a slight disappointment, is nevertheless a wearable shade of which I get use. Again, I did receive a bunch of great new shades via PR samples (MUFE HD Blush) and my Clinique gratis (Cheek Pops and a Chubby Stick Cheek Color) though, so that helped keep my own spending in check.

My goal is to keep my blush number at 30 or less, so it’s nice feeling like I still have a bit of wiggle room if new shades catch my eye next year. After I hit that 30 mark though…some lesser loved shades will have to go, it’s as simple as that!

MASCARA (Own: 4. Purchased: 4)

I blew through a bunch of mascara samples this year (4), some drugstore offerings (L’Oreal, Maybelline, CoverGirl), and a couple PR samples (Benefit, Arbonne), but nothing truly wowed me. I picked up Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear Intensifying Mascara while in Ottawa though, the first time I’d spent money on a department store mascara since fall 2012, and I quite like it (separates the lashes nicely, subtle but pretty). Never completely satisfied however, I then grabbed CoverGirl’s Clump Crusher Extensions Mascara a few weeks ago, and it’s great. Maybe not HG, but I would definitely repurchase again, especially for the price – it gives good volume, decent length, and best of all you can add coat after coat and it never gets clumpy!

BROW PRODUCTS (Own: 3. Purchased: 3)

I’ve always been pretty lackadaisical when it comes to brows – I guess since mine are decent I haven’t cared to fuss much with them. But since becoming pregnant, for some reason I got it in my head that I needed bigger, bolder brows! I’ve been letting them grow out somewhat, and on top of that I’ve been investing in a few products to achieve this goal as well. However, don’t get me wrong – I’m still resistant to spending much on my brows, and even the $16 I paid for Sephora’s Waterproof Brow Liner was kind of pricey for me. Most recently, I picked up a couple cost-effective drugstore options: Revlon’s Super Liner Brow Artist pencil and Maybelline’s new Brow Drama brow gel, and both have been doing the trick for me. Brow-wise, I guess I’m easy to please 😉

EYELINER (Own: 24. Purchased: 4)

I feel like I bought a lot of eyeliners this year, though I only picked up 4, two of which were black. I generally only wear liquid or cream eyeliner as I prefer to wear it in the ‘flick’ style – I think it’s most flattering / impactful on me, so that’s mainly the formula I picked up (a MAC Fluidline, Kat Von D’s Ink Liner, and a NARS Eye Paint). I did pick up one pencil though – Giorgio Armani’s Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in 1 (black), and so far so good. I recently received Make Up For Ever’s Graphic Liner, another black liquid liner iteration, to try, and it also seems up to the task. I’m a bit inundated with black liner now though! For someone who doesn’t even really wear eyeliner much as a whole, 24 is kind of a lot. I’m going to try this year to reduce that number by half – wish me luck!

EYESHADOW (Own: 72 shades [not including ones still in palettes]. Purchased: 5 plus 4 samples)

Though I got rid of a ton of eyeshadows from palettes this year (18 shades!), I also picked up a handful of new shades (oops) – most which I purchased myself (though I did receive 3 new shades from MUFE PR). I seemed to be on a cream shadow kick (a Bobbi Brown Long-Wearing Cream Shadow, the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Quartet, a MAC Paint Pot, and a Maybelline Color Tattoo), with only one powder shade purchased (MAC Soul Serenade). Just before the holidays however, I got it in my head that I *NEEDED* a sparkly, glittery shadow to up my festive game, and I grabbed an Urban Decay Moondust Shadow in Space Cowboy. It’s been the perfect way to glitz up my holiday looks!

I still plan to get rid of more shadows, as my original goal of owning less than 100 shades total (singles and palette shades) has been reached; now I’m aiming to have less than 75. Here goes nothing!

PALETTES (Own: 3 [21 shades]. Purchased: 0)

This probably comes as no surprise to any of you who’ve been with me for a while. Palettes = BAD in my world. Too much choice all in once place! Gah, the anxiety. Having said that, I’m very happy with my palette stash, and unsurprisingly I didn’t buy any this year (nor did I last year…I’ve actually only ever bought two in my life, once in 2010 [the Urban Decay one, now since completely deconstructed] and a small 5 pan in 2012 in New Zealand [the Kate palette]). Nor am I likely to buy any next year, either! This, my friends, is OK by me 🙂

LIP LINER (Own: 3. Purchased: 0)

Lip liners, meh. Boring category. As such, I only own 3 total, and had no need to even look at them this year. I picked up a translucent shade last year which pretty much covers my needs entirely. However, I was seduced by a MAC shade last year (Fashion Boost), and I’ve owned MAC’s Subculture (procured via a swap) for a couple years, only to have used it maybe once or twice on myself (I use it more frequently on others when doing wedding makeups due to it’s neutral tone). If I were smart, I’d toss Subculture in my kit and pick up a great neutral red liner just to round things out.

LIPSTICK/LIP STAIN (Own: 28 lipsticks, 6 lipstains, and 5 samples. Purchased: 11)

Lipsticks and lip stains clearly came out on top this year, with me purchasing almost 1/3 of my stash in this year alone (yikes!). I’m trying REALLY hard to get the total number down to under 30, but DAMN it’s hard. I have slowed considerably on my purchasing in the past few months though, so I just *might* achieve my goal. The problem is lately I keep getting lured in by drugstore brands (Revlon’s Color Burst Matte Balms, and more recently Maybelline’s Color Sensational Color Elixir in Signature Scarlet), which are just too easy grab when you’re looking for a cheap pick-me-up. There are some great options out there for anyone on a budget, no doubt, but this is one reason I try and keep to the higher-end brands – it curbs my shopping habits better!

LIPGLOSS (Own: 12. Purchased: 4)

I had a strange, mild love affair with lip gloss this year, even though I generally like my lips either bold and mostly matte, or nude (as in, nothing on my lips but balm). I picked up 4 new shades on my own, nonetheless, and I’m on the fence about most of them – I love the YSL Gloss Volupte I got during the Sephora sale, and the Ilia Lipgloss I snagged is a great neutral, but both my Dior Addict Gloss in Exquisse, and the NARS’ newly formulated lipgloss in Istria I picked up, I hardly wear (for no good reason!). Silly rabbit. I’m hoping because the two latter shades are cooler-toned, that it’s just been a matter of not reaching for those kinds of shades in the summer and fall months. Hopefully they’ll get some love in the New Year!

BRUSHES (Own: 24. Purchased: 4)

I mentioned in my Summer Recap post that I’d picked up some Hakuhodo brushes in August. I’d been keen to try the brand for quite some time, and I have been very pleased with each brush I selected. I tried to choose brushes that both filled a gap in my collection but also would be useful on a frequent basis – no specialty brushes here! If you’re curious, after a LOT of research, I chose the J142 Eye Shadow Brush (a lovely crease brush), the G5520BkSL Eye Shadow Brush (a pencil brush, great for detail or for the lower lash line), the G5512BkSL Eye Shadow Brush (a teeny tiny liner brush that is perfect for tightlining) and a Medium Pointed Yachiyo Brush (which helps me blend out my cheek products beautifully – especially as I can be heavy-handed at times [MOAR BLUSH!]). I don’t have my sights set on any new brushes or brands for the New Year….but we all know that could change in a heartbeat 🙂

BONUS CATEGORY: NAIL POLISH (Own: 103 Purchased: ~18)

I bought less nail polish this year than usual, around 17-18 shades (as opposed to my average of about 25+) – in part due to my efforts to keep the number at 100 or lower, and also due to the fact that since being pregnant I’ve not been as crazy about polish as normal – it takes effort to put it on all the time lol! That being said, the total number is at 103, plus 3 shades I consider base staples (white, black, and sheer nude), and I’d still like to bring that number down even lower before the baby comes. But dudes, it’s HARD. I’ve pulled my favourite shades out and that hits around the 50 mark, but then the majority of the other shades are still ones I enjoy…GAH. The reason I’m making the big CHOP is because I figure, when baby comes – if I can manage to paint my nails once a week I will be a superstar.

So. much. POLISH!

Considering I’ve been hovering around the 100 mark for a couple years now, it’s clear I do well at getting rid of ‘meh’ shades regularly, but now that I’m much more particular about any new shades I pick up (as in, I must LOVE them to give them a go), the remaining shades are well, DARN PRETTY, you guys! Maybe I should just go on a purchasing ban for a while, see if I can use up a few shades and bring the number down that way. ~sigh~ Rough life, eh?

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So 2014 wasn’t a record-breaking year, either in purchasing or restraint, but I feel pretty good about it nonetheless. I plan to kick-off 2015 with a similar mentality, keeping my purchases to only those that really excite me, and trying to weed out the ‘ho-hum’ products that I only use because they’re there and I should. It may seem like the same old, but you know – I love these perpetual challenges I hold for myself! 🙂

What are your New Years’ goals, if you have any? How did you fare in terms of purchasing/restraint in 2014?

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

Ho Hum: My *exciting* Sephora VIB sale haul

It feels like for the past year I’ve been really responsible with my beauty purchases. It’s been quite boring actually, but I feel a lot better about my collection – less overwhelmed, and I use the products I have with regularity since I’m not constantly adding new ones to the mix. Over the past couple months however, I had grand ideas about really going all out for the Sephora VIB sale – I’d been a good girl and it was time to reward myself with a splurge.

Well…I splurged. But before you get excited, take a look at what I bought and see if you think I *really* went crazy:

Sure, I bought a fair number of things – 9 items, which is more than I probably buy in a month, lately. But do you see any REALLY frivolous things there? I think for all my scheming and plotting, I managed to be sort of responsible, yet again! It’s like ingrained in me, you guys. DAMMIT ALL TO HELL.

Probably the most ‘reckless’ thing I bought was a YSL Gloss Volupte (in the shade ‘1 Gold’) – I got it in my head a couple days before the sale that I NEEDED a gold gloss, and this was the one that came home with me. The L’Artisan Perfumer perfume sample box was a whim purchase too, the lemming created by Liz (surprise, surprise) as I was reading her post en route to the store. But the rest of these items were all products on my list and all ‘necessities’ in my mind. I use this term loosely of course, because who ‘needs’ all this stuff, but for a beauty junkie, there are real needs, no? I ‘needed’ a new concealer as my NARS Radiant Concealer is on it’s last legs, and the Lancome Effacernes Waterproof Under Eye Concealer seemed like a good replacement. I ‘needed’ a leave-in treatment for my hair (Phyto Phyto 7 Hydrating Day Cream) because I had ran out of my previous one. I ‘needed’ the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads because I’d used up my previous jar and had been patiently waiting to replenish them for weeks. I ‘needed’ an eye cream with SPF, like the Boscia All-In-One BB Eye Brightener SPF 20, because I don’t have one and I gotta hold off those wrinkles, yo. I also ‘need’ a couple new facial masques – both a hydrating one and an exfoliating one (gotta cover all the bases!) – and this little sample kit of three Peter Thomas Roth masks seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Finally, I ‘needed’ a new serum, as all the ones I have are oil-based and are a bit heavy for day. The Boscia Cool Blue Hydration Essence lured me in with it’s calming aesthetic and it’s promise to boost hydration in my skin to the max, a must for the oncoming winter season. I suppose I didn’t ‘need’ a new black liquid eyeliner – I own a black gel liner that works a treat – but the ease of use of the Kat Von D Ink Liner over my gel liner couldn’t be ignored (the lines are SO crisp!).

So there you have it. I clearly ‘needed’ almost every item I picked up, and my intent to go WILD and pick up some really fun products (like a Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick…a Dolce & Gabbana blush…or a Dior mascara) was once again squashed by my IRRITATINGLY sensible brain. ~le sigh!~  Maybe someday…

PS: The two other items I didn’t mention were samples I received during my shopping ‘spree’ – Dior’s Diorshow Iconic Overcurl mascara, and Fresh’s Sugar Face Polish. A bit more exciting, but they were free so I can’t take credit 😦

What did you buy during the VIB sale?