Makeup Collection June 2019: Eyes

I am starting off my makeup collection with all of my eye products. This is everything in use and in storage. This is every single piece of eye makeup that I own. I enjoy makeup and collecting pieces of makeup. Skincare and makeup is my passion and what I love wearing, buying, and reviewing. I enjoy blogging about all of this in my free time. As far as makeup is concerned, I will not be going out and buying any this year. I already made my birthday purchase and I tend to only indulge then. Black Friday, is usually for skincare, body care, and perfume if needed. I usually like to indulge in food at Christmas, so I like to buy gingerbread houses and things like that. Any makeup that comes to me this year will be from my FitFabFun box. So, I really want to make some progress in six months with some of these items being used up.

IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara

I have only one mascara and it is currently being used. I will be needing a mascara to replace this one, however, both my mom and my best friend has said that they have some mascara that they don’t want. So, I don’t think that I’ll need to go out and buy one. If I do need to buy some, I would buy the Sephora Lashes to Go kit that is $25 for 5 minis and a coupon to redeem a full size. That sounds like a hell of a deal. That’s like 3 years of mascara, since you can have a tube open for 6 months.

I have three glitter eye shadows. One is a balm and the other two are the Stila Glitter & Glows. I would like to use these up this year. I have already hit pan in two of them. I want to use up 1 by the end of the year for sure. These are very easy to throw on. I just apply with the wand and I’m done. This is one and done liquid glitter eye shadows. I tend to want to do quick looks in the morning before work. These glitters might be a little fancy for work, but who doesn’t need a little glitter in their life?!

I only have one quad and one trio. The quad is all shimmers and the formula is very pigmented and wet feeling. I really love it. The cream and brown is great for a simple eye look. The rusty red would be good for the Fall and the blue is bright for Spring or Summer. The trio has two mattes and one shimmer in the middle. This is perfect for a basic eye look for work. I’m going into the office 5 times a week soon. I am sure that I will start seeing progress on my eye shadows then. Both of these can be very quick, easy, and work appropriate.

These are my two priming eye products. One is the Urban Decay Eye primer that I use with powder eye shadow that I want to last all day. The Dr. Brandt is an under eye primer for correcting dark circles that you use over your eye cream. I see it more as a makeup product than as a skin care one.

These are all my eye shadow palettes. The oldest is my Smashbox palette that I have thirteen eye shadows remaining in it. I need to start putting them in my projects, but it is a bulky palette. I need to make room for it. There are 6 mattes and 7 shimmer/metallic shades in there. It is very basic for work and all the colors are very blendable. I have already hit pan in two eye shadows. For my project pan. I might rotate all my eye shadows in every week to get progress and use out of all my eye shadows. That could be super fun. The ELF palette was a free gift with purchase and again, this would be a really good palette for work appropriate looks. It has 4 matte shades and 6 shimmer/metallic shades. I’m excited to use the pink and rose gold shade. There is a nice base shade and I like the champagne shimmer. I probably won’t get much use out of the darker shades, but I won’t mind chucking this palette after I finish the first 6 shades. I am super excited about my Ciate palette that I just bought for my birthday. It has 3 pressed glitters, 4 mattes, and 2 metallics/shimmer shades. I think it is a beautiful palette for work and for going out as well. I am itching to play with this palette and make some pretty looks.

I have 4 eye liners that I cannot use in my waterline. I want to use these up, so that I can buy some gel eye liners to put in my waterline and tight line. I can use the silver and the nude as an inner corner highlight. The blue and grey, I need to find other uses for. Maybe, I’ll use them as an eye shadow or to line my bottom lashes. I only use eye liner in my waterline. My hooded eyes are too hooded to use eyeliner as it was intended. My line always ends up wonky.

I have 6 cream eye shadows. I am currently trying to use up a nude eye shadow stick. The other stick is in rose gold. I have a cream moss green neutral shade and a metallic purple that I need to apply sheer to use it up. I have a moussey white gold jelly eye shadow color that is beautiful. The last potted one is a gold metallic shade that is very neutral to wear. I love the ease of cream eye shadows, but I also love standard eye shadow as well. It really depends what I’m in the mood for.

I have two single shadows. One is a peachy pink and the other is a blue in a stick format with a sponge applicator. I’d like to use both of these up and get them out of my collection. We shall see. I want to get use out of all of my eye shadows, because as I write this post, I seriously want to use everything.

Lastly, I have two duos and they are all shimmers. The green eye shadow, I am not interested in using. I love the gold though. Once I use the gold up, I will be decluttering the green color. It is too dark for my hooded eyes. The purple and frosted white are both beautiful colors to wear together. I use the purple on the lid and the white as an inner corner highlight.

The more I think about it, the more I do want to cycle through my eye shadow products and get use out of all of them. I will work out a way by my Summer project pan. I am thinking of introducing 4 products: one for each week whether a palette or a single. I could then use one a week and one the next update choose 4 more. I’ll comment on if I declutter a shade or hit pan/used one up, but will comment very little otherwise since I’m not using any of these consistently enough to show progress on them. Hopefully, I can move some stuff up before the end of the year.

With Love,

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Skincare Backstock Collection 2019

I am doing an updated skincare backstock update for 2019. This is all skincare not currently in rotation. I do have a bunch of skin care out, don’t you worry. This bin contains face masks that have been in and out of rotation, but masks tend to last longer. They are in backstock until I get some older ones used up first and then, I’ll add these ones back in. Back stock is anything that is not currently in my skincare rotation. I need to keep myself accountable with what I have and use that up before deciding to buy new skincare. There are only a couple of categories that I have only one item in use of. I am allowing myself to purchase anything that doesn’t have a replacement in backstock. I have three backstock bins that I am hoping to consolidate into two by the end of the year. Without further ado, these are all of the products waiting to be cycled into rotation.

CLINIQUE Pep-Start Daily UV Protector

This will be added shortly to my summer project pan, because it needs to be used up this year. I don’t like this sunscreen as it makes my oily skin oiler. It has some sort of emollient in it that leaves a greasy residue that never absorbs all the way into my skin. It might be made for drier skin types. It is slightly tinted. I am confident that I will be able to use this up during the summer as long as I wear it everyday.

ELF Daily Hydration Moisturizer

I plan on pulling this one in when I am done with my mattifying moisturizer, which I feel doesn’t do much. I bought two moisturizers when I previously did an ELF haul. I feel good having a backup for a daily moisturizer. I haven’t found my holy grail yet. I think I will try PIXI or a brand from Sephora unless this one blows me away.

Beauty 360 Brightening Radiance Facial Mask

I haven’t even opened this one yet, so it will remain unopened for the rest of this year more than likely. I have other masks opened in backstock and I will go through those before this one. I am excited to try this one. If it is a sleeping mask, it might get opened this year. This is the only sleeping mask that I have in backstock at the moment. I don’t need to buy masks for a looooong time. I am well stocked with every kind.

SOO AE Donkey Milk Sleeping Mask

So, this is just a sachet packet. I will probably use it up this year, when I want to take a break from sheet masks and do something a little different. Right now, I have two sleeping masks open though. This won’t be utilized for a while. I am looking forward to trying it out though. I love what masks do for my skin. I have oily skin, but if I keep it hydrated, it tends to be more combination. Also, as I am getting closer to my 28th year, my face seems to be getting drier. I am taking that as a good sign. I would love to be combo instead of an oil slick in my t-zone.

Too Cool For School Egg Mousse Soap Facial Cleanser

I started using this, but then decided to work on my deluxe size cleansers. They were piling up! I am down to my last two deluxe sized cleansers, so I will be picking this back up again sometime this year. After, I want to move on to cleansing balms, because I love the moisture that it gives my skin after getting all the makeup and junk off. I used to be a fun of foaming cleansers, but I find them really drying nowadays.

VS Let’s Glow Sheet Mask

I have one last sheet mask from VS. It’s a brightening mask, which I usually use in the morning, so I am waiting for the right time to use this one. I enjoy sheet masks a ton. I usually do one every Saturday night, but sometimes, I’m just way too tired to mask. I try to at least do one every month for a tiny bit of me time.

Drunk Elephant Beste No 9 Jelly Cleanser

I was told that this smells like cantaloupe. I haven’t opened it yet, so I have no clue. lol. I plan on using this next after I use up my current cleanser, which isn’t too far away. I really do not need a backstock of any product. I would much rather order a new one when I’m almost done with my current one. I am working towards the goal of having 1 backstock bin for when I do order and add on items to meet the minimum free shipping. This was part of my free birthday gift, so I feel good about having it in backstock. IT’s everything that I deliberately bought that I feel bad about.

The Ordinary Alpha Lipoic Acid 5%

I totally forgot that I had this serum in my collection. I don’t feel like I need a serum until I’m 30 and it’ll be an anti-aging one. I am using up all in my collection and not repurchasing until then. I no longer support the brand and just want to use what I have up at this point. This isn’t a serum that you can use everyday either. You can only use it a few times a week, so it will take forever for me to use up.

The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution 10-Minute Exfoliating Facial

This is an exfoliating peel face mask, which is unique in my collection. I am not a fan of physical exfoliation on the skin, but I love chemical exfoliates which are gentler on the skin. I am currently using a peeling gel in the shower, so I would not add this in until I use that one up. This is only meant to be on the skin for 10 minutes at the most, so it is great to apply in the shower once I have conditioner in my hair. I can apply this “mask”, clean my body, and then rinse. I would use this 2 to 3x a week at most, because my skin is on the oilier side, I feel like it can benefit from more frequent sloughing of dead skin cells. If your skin is normal or combo, I would suggest 1 to 2x a week. This is unopened and will stay in backstock until I finish my current peeling gel.

The Ordinary Retinol 1%

I totally forgot that I had this. I am actually taking this out of backstock and putting it in my current skincare collection in the bathroom. I put this away during the winter, because it was too drying on my skin. Now, it is getting warmer and summer out. I am pulling it back out to use at night and I am going to try to use it all up this summer. I use this at night. I usually alternate between using a sleeping mask and an oil. Now, I will alternate with this as well at night. Even in the summer, I cannot use this daily and I can only use it 3x a week at most. It has 2/3rds to 1/2 left, so I think I might be able to do it.

Roloxin Lift Instant Skin Smoothing Masque

I am decluttering this to my mom to use, because I do not have wrinkles that need filling.

MJCARE Sheet Masks Variety

I have 8 more of these sheet masks left that I want to use up. I enjoy wearing sheet masks and I try to do them once every week or so. It’s hard sometimes to try to find the time to mask. I have been reserving them for Saturday nights after a clay mask while doing my homework that is due on Sundays. Sheet masks aren’t a necessary in my skincare routine, but I do enjoy using them. They are very indulgent, but I usually snag them when they are on sale for a dollar or two.

ELF Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths

I have three packets in storage and one currently in use. These were $5 for a 2 pack with a total of 40 wipes, which I thought were a good idea. They are moist and effective at taking off makeup and cleaning your face at the end of the night. I sometimes use this in the morning instead of my micellar water. I like to have these one hand for lazy nights when I am too tired to wash my face and do the whole big routine. I won’t need more for quite some time.

The Sharing Co Sheet Masks

Again, I have more sheet masks. I love sheet masks though. Seeing all of these is making me kick myself in the butt that I need to mask more often or at least commit to once a week. I cannot wait to use these up and enjoy them.

Valentia Skin Detoxifying Clay Mask

I received this in PR and have used about half of the jar. I put it away for now to work on my oldest clay mask first. This is a good mask, but it is very messy. This is one that I reserve for when I know that I’ll be taking a shower to rinse it off. I have a few other clay masks that I need to use up before this one. It gives great results, but it is just a really messy removal process that is a pain in the butt. I am good with masks for a while though. I am glad to have so many to choose from, but my back stock is excessive.

L’Oreal Pure-Clay Mask

Again, another clay mask. This one only has a few uses left in it, so I will probably use this one up next after I use up the one that I am currently using. I really like this mask and find that it reduces oil production for a few days. It is not cruelty free though, so I will not be repurchasing this. My best friend bought me this for my birthday and I really appreciate it. I love this mask and I would accept it again as a gift anytime. I am sure that this will be featured in an empties post somewhere in the near future.

Valentia Ultra Plumping Hydration Mask

Another half way used up face mask. This one is a hydration mask that I am received in PR. This is very similar to a sheet mask as its made to hydrate and plump the face. I really enjoy this mask, but it requires rinsing. I would much rather use a sheet mask or a sleeping mask than get another one of these hydration rinse off masks. I will use it up, but I would not purchase a product like this.

Freeman Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask

This mask is almost used up as well. I use this 5 minute mask in the shower. Once I use up all my “shower” face products, I would get another Freeman’s 5 minute face masks to keep in my shower to deep clean my face. With the steam and warm water, they penetrate deep, work fast, and I see results. I thoroughly recommend these masks. Ideally, I still want a “shower” mask, a regular clay mask, sleeping mask, and sheet masks in my collection. I currently have too many. I probably have enough to last to the end of this year.

It is surprising to me that I have 21 face masks including sheet and jar masks. This post does not include the two masks that I just got from my best friend for my birthday, but they will be included in my inventory counts spreadsheet. I need to start masking more than once a week. This is the inspiration that I need to enjoy what I have instead of trying to hoard them. I don’t need to. I have a life where I can buy whatever I want within reason. If I use up all my masks, I can buy new ones. I could even buy a $30 one. I’m not gonna restrict myself, but I want to use up what I have. Otherwise, it’s wasteful. I’m not going to go out and buy a nail polish when I have over 40 at home.

With Love,

Birthday Hauling: ELF

Last but certainly not least is my ELF haul. There would have been a LUSH haul as well, but my tub isn’t getting fixed until June. It would be a moot point to buy anything now and I doubt that I’ll want to take many baths during the summer. So, a Fall Lush haul is most likely in my future which is fine with me. I’ll make sure to stock up on my favorite Halloween and Christmas staples. For my ELF haul, I basically stocked up on makeup wipes and makeup brushes that were desperately needed in my collection. I ended up with 2 freebies as well, so I am happy about that. My whole haul was $27 USD and change. I need the $25 to get free shipping.

ELF Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths

Each 2 pack was $5, so I spent $10 on makeup wipes for an 80 ct. I think this is a fantastic deal if they work well. I am halfway through my morning cleansing water, which I bought these as replacements for. I am also sometimes really lazy at 11 oclock at night and I thought that these would be really convenient to not sleep in my makeup. I want to keep my skin as clear as possible, especially since I struggle with acne prone skin. Nowadays, its mostly texture acne that I deal with, but still, gotta keep this face clean.

ELF Lip Exfoliator in Mint Maniac

I bought this for $3 to replace my Lush potted lip scrub which is almost used up as a backup since I won’t be doing my Lush order for a few months. By then, the Coco-Cola one should be back in season. The cherry cola is my favorite lip scrub that Lush makes, so I will be a happy girl when I can have it in my life again. Using a lip scrub has become a daily part of my night routine before I wash my face. My lips have never been in better condition. No flakes, plumb, and liquid lippies look fantastic and are easy to apply (as long as the formula is good).

ELF Lash & Brow Wand

I bought this for $1. It is totally worth $1. I use this to comb my brows into place and through my lashes to get rid of any clumps. It won’t work if the mascara is reallllly clumpy, but for minor clumps, it works like a charm. I think I need a lash comb to salvage clumpy mascara, but at that point, I think I’d rather just chuck the mascara. This was much needed in my brush collection though as I had none.

ELF Pointed Powder Brush

This is so incredibly soft! I paid $6 for this brush, mainly for baking/putting powder under my eyes and setting concealer. I can see using this to set my whole face though if I used foundation. I have a big fluffy powder brush, but it is more geared towards the body with how big it is. This is a better size for the face with more control. I can go back to using the other powder brush to apply my Lush powdered dry shampoo. I am so happy to have new brushes in my collection to help my powders perform better. I bet I will see a big difference. I actually like the ELF brushes better than Real Techniques.

ELF Angled Blush Brush

I actually got this $4 makeup brush for free for my birthday. This will be great for blending out blush and contouring the face. I might reserve this for contouring and use a different brush for blush. The angle is perfect for getting under those cheekbones. I have a kabuki brush that I usually use for blush from ECO TOOLS. It is a nice freebie. It isn’t as soft as the other brushes that I bought, but it is still soft and not scratchy.

ELF Ultimate Blending Brush

I bought this brush for $6 and again, the ones with the white tips are super duper soft. I have that dupe Artist foundation brush, but I hate it. I want to be able to chuck it and a few other brushes, but I needed to buy replacements for them first. I wanted a really good blending brush to buff foundation into the skin. I am so happy to have a few brush “empties” for May. I cannot wait to actually use this brush. I have a particular foundation stick from Hourglass that I want to try with this. I have tons of foundation samples that need to be used up before I purchase one from Sephora. I only buy high end base products, so that it doesn’t clog my skin and is healthier for my acne and texture prone skin. Ingredients really do matter and Sephora has a better selection of cruelty free brands. I would try a foundation or cc serum from ELF though, because I haven’t had a problem with their products breaking me out.

 

ELF Need IT Nude Eyeshadow Palette

I also got this $10 eye shadow for free. I am actually happy to have this in my collection. It has good buildable pigmentation, which is what I look for in an eyeshadow palette. I don’t like anything too pigmented unless its a lid shade like the Stila Glitter and Glows. It is soft, but I have felt softer and it has a tendency of being chalky with the matte shades. My Ciate palette is higher quality and doesn’t do that. It is really good for a $10 10 pan palette. That is $1 an eye shadow. The metallics are beautiful and by far my favorite from this palette. I do like the matte rose as well though, even though it didn’t show up great in my photos. The three browns on the end are virtually the same swatched out. The one in the middle has gold flecks in it. They aren’t too dark though, so they will be usable on my hooded eyes for darkening the outer v. This is a great palette for nudes when using other eye shadow products that I have to build a complete look. I’m sure I will have a few pans showing this year.

With Love,

5 Out: July

I wasn’t sure how to name these review posts. I knew that I want to title them 5 Out, but I didn’t know beyond that. I think that I will just name them with whatever month that we are currently in. Even though, these are items that I finished in May. It takes me awhile before I get around to blogging about them, but I am going to be better about it for sure. I have 5 more items waiting to be written about and I will do that right after this post. You might see two if these posts in July then, but they will be named the same.

Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo

I liked this dry shampoo, but I would not repurchase it. I don’t think it absorbed enough oil in my hair. It still was a bit oily. If I sprayed a ton, it did leave a bit of a white cast, but you couldn’t really tell with my grey hair. It does not leave your hair feeling gritty and it does provide some volume. I think there are other dry shampoos that do a better job on oil hair. I have oily roots and this did a 50% job on day 2/3 hair. I need to find something affordable to work on my hair. The only dry shampoo I have found that works is Amika Perk Up. That stuff is amazing!

Victoria Secret’s PINK Coconut Mango 2-in-1 Wash & Scrub

The scent on this is to die for, but I will not be repurchasing. Somewhere along the way, VS has become non-cruelty free. I will continue to buy bras and such from them on sale, but no more beauty products. This was a great scrub, perfect for summer. It was very gritty like sand on the beach. It was like a beach in a bottle. I really enjoyed this scrub, but it is not as good as Tree Hut scrubs. Hopefully, I can get my hands on them at Marshall’s soon. You can always get VS on promotion, so never buy them full price like B&BW. It is not worth it.

Alba Botanica Acnedote Deep clean Astringent

Alcohol is the second ingredient, so I will not be repurchasing for that reason. It stung my skin if I used it after a drying mask. It was effective against acne, but there are less harsh things that work just as well. If this brand makes an alcohol free toner, I would buy it. I like to use a toner that also doubles as a morning cleanser or micellar water. It also had a strong smell that irritated my eyes and made them sensitive. I like that the ingredients are 100% vegetarian and that it contains no “bad” ingredients, except for the alcohol.

Dr. Brandt BB Cream Self-Adjusting Flawless Coverage SPF 30

I am decluttering this BB cream. It is not self-adjusting. It comes out super orange and muddy. I cannot wear this at all. I don’t know why I have this around still and it for sure went bad. It was a good idea if you have a medium skin tone or are tan. I will not purchase from Dr. Brandt, since he is not CF. I have never found a BB cream that matches my skin tone. When I think I am medium, I’m light. When I think I’m light, I’m fair. It is just a bit of a guessing game with most brands.

ELF Tone Correcting Powder in Cool

I am super sad that they discontinued the warm powder. I loved this powder. The only drawback is that the cool makes me overly pale and ghostly. I have warm yellow undertones, so it doesn’t really suit my skin tone. The only other negative is that the powder kept on getting hard pan on the blue and yellow side until I repressed it. The powder is finely milled and kept my skin oil free all day. I didn’t notice any benefit from the color correction, but I have yellow undertones. So, a purple color would have suited me better for a brightening effect. Overall, a great powder for 3 dollars.

Do you like this new review style? I think it works for my blog and makes my review posts more interesting. It does take awhile for me to write these posts, because I have to take the time to review each item. I hand write all of my reviews first before they appear on my blog. I like to get my feelings out on paper first before typing them up and adding a few bits and pieces that I forgot to mention. Even though I do online college, I still take notes in my notebooks. There is just something about putting ink to page that speaks to me and helps me remember. But maybe that is just the writer that is talking in me.

With Love,

May Empties

I may be late sharing my empties, but I never knew how much I had to share in a month until I cut down my schedule to about 15 posts a month. I’ve been having to switch around the format of my posts and so this one is coming up later in the month than what I like. I basically sit down two Sundays a month now and write posts. I now have two Sundays a month free for classes. I only work on my blog for about 4 hours a month. That only includes writing the posts, not taking the pictures and coming up with the ideas. I am happy with this new pace of my blog. It makes it so I can be a well-rounded person and have time for everything that I want to have time for. It is nice to know that when life gets hectic, I generally have a week or two already planned out on my blog.

You hear about these every month, so I am cutting out the drinks that I purchase without fail every month. You know that I love them or else I wouldn’t have featured them for over a year here on my blog.

1 Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo

2 Hair Teasing Brush

1. MJCARE Sea Weed Sheet Mask

2. Alba Botanical Acne Dote Deep Clean Astringent

3. Borghese Clay Cleanser

4. GlamGlow Super Clean Cleanser

5. Philosophy Purity Face Mask

6. Clinique Pep Start Eye Cream

7. Derma E Hydrating Day Creme

1. VS Coconut Mango 2-in-1 Wash & Scrub

2. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter

3. Equate Pain Relieving Cream

1. Dr. Brandt BB Cream

2. ELF Color Correcting Powder

3. Buxom Plumping Lip Gloss

4. YSL Black Opium Perfume

5. 1. Perfume Sample Cards

19. Physician’s Formula Cushion BB Cream

1. 719 Walnut Avenue Honeysuckle Jasmine Hand Soap

2. Fresh Breath Brushing Gel

3. Equate Cotton Rounds 100 ct

4. 1. PaperMate Ink Joy Blue
5. 1. 1. B&BW Mini Candles

6. Avon Mini Emery Board

Well, I had a lot more empties than I had originally thought. I cannot wait to do my progress update on my 200 pan goal. I have been working on my pictures and I hope you can tell a difference. I think it looks more professional and I have added a bit of brightness to the pictures themselves by staging some lightening. Since I have a bit more time, I thought that I would put more effort into the picture taking themselves. I have a feeling that my empties will be slowing down, because I am running out of mini things. I still have a whole bunch of samples that I need to get through though. I hope you enjoyed looking through my trash today. Reviews are to come. 🙂

With Love,

Project 200 Pan Update #1

This is the post I will be breaking down my empties post and sharing which ones will qualify for my 200 used up or panned items in 2018. First, I will share the items that I have hit pan on in January.

I hit pan on 3 items: Elf color correcting face powder in cool, Smashbox purple color corrector, and Lush lip scrub in Mint Julep. I feel like that is a great start to the new year. Now, let’s go over everything from my January Empties post that qualifies for this project.

Everything that counts in these pictures are as follows: all the makeup, all the hair, all the skin care besides the foil packets, Aveeno body lotion, and the Equate one as well. So, that is 11 items (I added together two deluxe sized samples). So, in January I used up 14 out of my 200 goal. I have reached 7 percent of my goal this year. Not that bad for the first month. My basket is already filling up with more items, so I am hoping for anything full February. It is a shorter month, though. I would be happy with another 7% down.

How are you doing with your 2018 goals?

With Love,

Recent Random Purchases

I will continue with what I got for Christmas later. I wanted to share a few things that I picked up lately that are not holiday related in any shape or form. I just needed a few things throughout the month of November and December and just never got a chance to share. I know there has been a lot of holiday posts, Dean updates, and the like, so I thought that this would be a nice break. I plan on having some reviews go up this month too, so you can look forward to that if you enjoy reviews. I’ve gotten a bit behind and have a huge basket of products to review. I’ve been so busy with cleaning the house that reviews went on the back burner. I’m hoping to post at least 10 reviews this month.

Elf Tone Correcting Powder in Cool

I decided to buy this after Liv from Livloveshermakeup on Youtube recommended it and said that it was her favorite powder for setting in her foundation. I haven’t used it enough yet to say if I like it or not. I just finished up my last loose powder. I only have this and the glimmery Hourglass powder left for my face. Most of the time, I want a matte appearance. I’m sure I’ll form an opinion by the time I hit pan on this powder. I really love the Hourglass powder too, but I like to use it 1x when I want that type of look.

PaperMate Profile Ballpoint Pens

I needed more pens for my course work and I like the cushy pads on these. I will always choose PaperMate InkJoy as my first choice though. Unfortunately, Walmart was all out of the InkJoy,  so I settled for these. I’m not a fan of how thick the ballpoint is and I cannot wait until I need more pens again to get my favorite. If you haven’t tried them, I highly recommend them. I’m itching to try the Gel Pens megapack, but it’s expensive. Once I start SNHU, I will treat myself to a pack.

Plain Old $1 Notebook

I needed another notebook for my course. The first notebook held the first 5 chapters. I had some Chapter 5 overflow into this new book, but most of it was on the first one. I take a lot of notes too. This will be enough to finish the last two chapters of the book and the exam notes to study from. I plan on taking the test in February probably near Valentine’s Day. I usually plan the actual test date two weeks out from when I finish the last chapter. Two weeks of intense studying has been good for me. So, near the end of Chapter 7, I’ll schedule it at the test center.

Dial Paradise Limeade Hand Soap

I love this scent so much. It smells like a Raspberry Lime Rickey from my childhood. I need to pick another of the oil infused hand soap. My hands are so red and cracked. They need some tlc. I am looking forward to picking that up this weekend. I’m almost done with this one. I feel like the oil one really does moisturize better, but was too heavy during the summer when I first purchased it.

Playhut Plus Adventure Play Tunnel

I had to share Dean’s favorite Christmas toy. I know I said this was holiday free, but I lied. I had to share his favorite thing to play with. He loves crawling in his tunnel and hanging out in there. He plays hide and seek and tries to walk into it, but he’s too tall to do that. He’s such a sweet, good boy. I love watching him play and he brings me so much joy. I can’t imagine my life without him.

With Love,

My Current Morning Skincare Routine 2015

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I haven’t done an updated skincare routine in ages! Well, that is a little dramatic, more like over a year. A lot has changed in my life and my skin care routine is constantly changing. I haven’t had a steady routine for a long time, not even now. I’m hoping to discover more products that I love. So far, the only constant in my skin care routine has been my Cetaphil Facial Moisturizer. Everything else is in constant flux. I guess, that is to be expected for a skin care junky like myself. I love all things skin care…maybe even more than makeup. Shocking, I know. Any ways, let’s get into my morning skin care routine, which includes my basic makeup face for work. I like to keep my makeup basic for work. I’m there to work, not impress, but I love a little makeup.

Skin Care Routine:

First, I start off my washing my face with whatever sample that I have left over from my subscription boxes or the last drags of a cleanser I didn’t particularly like. I actually subscribed to Beauty Fix and September’s box comes with a facial scrub, so I will be using that. I haven’t found a Holy Grail morning cleanser yet. I just apply my chosen cleanser, leave it on for a minute, then rinse and pat dry. Really simple and easy, because my mornings are busy and my routine needs to be short.

I either use a toner or I go right to my moisturizer. I used to use toner religiously, but it is something that I stopped doing this year. I really want to get back to using it. I want to get a liquid one though. These toner pads are too scratchy and harsh on my delicate facial skin. I want to buy a Burt’s Bees one and get some exfoliating cotton rounds. Or the Pixi Glow Tonic, I’ve heard amazing things about that one as well.

My current moisturizer is my Holy Grail and I will never stray too far from it. I love the Cetaphil Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 so much! I do have my eye on the Neutrogena Grapefruit Acne Fighting Daily Moisturizer, since I do get acne and I find that having an acne lotion works really well at treating and preventing them. I tend to find them drying, so I always use them every other day. I still get the acne fighting effect without it over drying my skin and making it even more oily than it normally is. I have oily skin. Always have and most likely always will. I’m finding out what works and what doesn’t. I have to use moisturizer. If I don’t, my skin is even oilier from lack of moisture and it overcompensates. I use one pump, brush my fingers together, and tap most of the product on my cheeks before moving to cover my forehead and T zone. I also go down my neck with whatever remains. I’m heavy on my cheeks and jaw line, where I tend to be drier. This leaves my face slightly dewy, before it soaks in. It usually takes two to 5 minutes to completely soak in and look matte.

Then, I like to add on some skin protection, since I have a genetic history of skin cancer and have had two scares so far in my short life. Cancer is no joke and everyone should be using actual SPF in their routine. SPF in your moisturizer isn’t enough. Now, I’ll get off my soap box. I look for acne safe SPF that will not clog my pores or make me more oily. I pour a quarter sized amount on my fingers and dab some of my neck, cheeks, and forehead. I rub in my neck first, then my forehead, then my cheeks bringing the product to the rest of my T zone as well. I will apply another quarter sized amount of product and repeat. This ensures that I am getting all the protection that I need from the sun on my daily adventures (going to work or daily events). It takes 5 to 10 minutes for this to sink in and for the white cast to disappear. It leaves my skin with a healthy glow after. I look hydrated and healthy. I will usually have breakfast and get dressed during this time.

I will prime my eyes to prevent them from getting too oily throughout the day and to get rid of the purple discoloration that I have. My veins color my eye lids to look like I’m always wearing purple shadow. A skin colored primer cancels this out perfectly. Right now, I am using ELF and I warm it up on the back on my hand before applying it. I would not repurchase this. It is dry unless you warm it up first to get it creamy. That wastes product though and I’d rather just use a creamy product in the first place.

I will then use my current base with a flat Kabuki brush. I love using this brush to apply foundation. It blends out like a dream. I am using a travel sized version of Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer, which has just enough coverage for my taste. I really love it for that everyday look. It gives my skin a healthy glow and depending upon my mood, I will sometimes not use powder after. It is just a pretty finish that sometimes I don’t feel like covering it up with powder. I apply from the outside of the face in to the center.

If I have any redness or acne peeking through, I will add my trusty concealer on top. I want to try the Nars dupe from Maybelline when I am done with this one. This does not completely cover acne and I think it works better for dark circles. It brightens up that area while concealing the purple color as well. I always use a little underneath my eyes, since I have hereditary dark circles. It is very creamy and blends out really well. I like using a foundation brush in a tapping motion to blend it into my tinted moisturizer.

While my face sets,  I will style my hair. It can take me anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes most weekday mornings. I will then decide depending on how my skin looks that day, to use a highlighter or a staining blush. If I want to look glowy and skip powder, I will chose a highlighter. The pink one doubles as a blush! I use it on the apples of my cheeks and blend in a c shape going towards my hairline and onto my temples. It gives me that light from within glow. I then, pat some of the inner corners of my eyes and on my eyebrow arch. Most of the time, I forget the cupids bow. It is a subtle glow with micro-shimmer, instead of obnoxious glitter.

If I am feeling like I want to use powder, I will use a staining blush. This one from Pixi looks scary, but it blends out into the most beautiful sun kissed glow. It has that beach vibe to it that I love. A little goes a long way, but I find that it is foolproof to apply. Even when I use a little too much, I can still blend it to look natural. I use my fingers and concentrate on the apples of my cheeks before blending out towards my hairline. It gives it a nice faded effect and best of all, no harsh blush lines!

If I decide to powder, I use a fluffy brush and apply the powder in a tapping motion concentrating on the T zone and lightly coating the cheeks and neck. I don’t love the one that I am using, but it is good for setting my makeup and keeping me matte throughout the day. By the end of the day, I am oily, but not as oily as well I use zero powder. It doesn’t add much color, but it does lighten the skin a little bit. It hasn’t broken me out, which is a good thing in my book.

That is my morning routine! I might just go ahead and do my evening routine tomorrow, but these types of posts have been draining to my lately with being pregnant and all. I might just do a book review post instead, I hope you all don’t mind. I want to see your morning routines! If you have a post on one, link it in the comments section below. I love reading these types of posts!

With Love,