Products I Want to Use Up - 2014

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Last year I did a couple of posts about products I wanted to use up. It went okay. Looking back, I thought I had done more updates than I actually did.

I'm going to try it again this year.

When I went through and picked out the products that I plan on working on, there were a couple of things I looked at. Some of the products were chosen because they are products in which I've already made a big dent. I also chose products that were getting old.

Another motivation for doing this is to get rid of some of the products I own that aren't cruelty-free.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Balancing Foundation in Fair - I've had this for a really long time, and you can see in the picture that I've used a lot of it, so I'd like to go ahead a finish this off.

Nars Sheer Matte in Siberia - This foundation is in the same boat. I've had it for a while, and it is about half gone, so I want to try and finish this one too. I know using up both will take a while.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer - I have several full-sized primers in my collection, so I decided to use up all of my mini sizes. This is the last mini size that I have. It's hard to see in the picture, but it is about half gone already.
 

Benefit Erase Paste in Fair - Benefit isn't a cruelty-free company, so I'd like to get this gone. I would guess I have about a third of this left.

Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer - I have a lot of bronzers, so I'm taking the same approach that I took with my primers. I'm using up my mini ones first. I'm just about to hit pan on this one.

Hard Candy Concealer Pencil - This little pencil came with the Glamoflage Concealer, which I threw out a long time ago. I've been using this to clean up the edges of my lips. I can't sharpen it anymore, so it should be finished in the next week or so.

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA - I've had this for a long time, and it seems like it is drying out a little bit. It's crumbled a couple of times when I've tried to sharpen it. I've really like it though, and I might repurchase it once I work through some other concealers first.

Too Faced Wrinkle Injection Extreme Wrinkle Filler - I got this in a swap a long time ago, and I tend to forget to use it.

Milani Eye Shadow in French Vanilla (largest pan) - I need to work my way through my extra matte browbone shades. Wet n Wild's Brulee is my absolute favorite, so I'd like to clear the clutter and stick with that one in the future.

ELF Shadow from the Day to Night Palette (triangular pan) - I pulled this out as a shadow to use up a while ago because the pan is relatively small. It's a cream with gold shimmer that I can use on the inner corners of my eyes nearly every day.

Everyday Minerals Eye Shadow in Funnel Cake (darker brown) - I have a ton of mineral eye shadows that I've pressed, and I don't use them often enough. I pulled this out because it is an easy crease shade. It does have some shimmer, but it doesn't show when applied.

Everyday Minerals Eye Shadow in Driftwood (lighter brown) - Another pressed mineral eye shadow. Again, I chose it because it is an easy color to use.

Stila Lip Glaze in Splendor - I was really sad when it came out that Stila is no longer cruelty-free. This is an easy gloss to throw on, so I hope I can finish it relatively quickly.

Chapstick Lip Balm in Cake Batter - Chapstick isn't cruelty-free either, so this will be living in my pants pockets until it is gone. I have another Chapstick balm to go through after this one.

Tarte fRxtion Lip Scrub and Balm - Another old product. The darker side is the sugar scrub, and the white side is the balm. I have a feeling this will break off before I can finish it.

Silk Naturals Blush Samples in Candie and Tart Light - I have a lot of mineral blush samples sitting around, so I pulled out a couple to work on. 

Tarte Double-Ended Lip Liner - I got this at the same time that I got the lip scrub. The colors are okay, but I'm much more likely to swipe on a balm or gloss.

Stila Smudgestick Eye Liners - Again, with Stila's change in cruelty-free status, I'd like to clear out what I can. Eye liners are easier to go through than powder products, and these colors are pretty easy to wear, so I'm going to try and wear them as much as possible to finish them off.

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencils in Whiskey and Rockstar - It should be pretty obvious why these made the list. They are nearly gone to begin with, so I might as well use them up.

Those are all the things that I specifically pulled to use up. I've already mentioned that I'm working on my stash of lotions too. I didn't add in any pictures of them because I'm going through them relatively quickly using them twice a day on my arms and legs.

Are you trying to use anything up in the new year?

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Products I Want to Use Up! Volume 2

It's been just over a month since my first post of products I want to use up, and I've made some really good progress. It seemed like time to give an update.

Here was my original list with the finished products crossed out:

Lumene Double Stay Long-Lasting Makeup in Vanilla Meringue
Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer
Tarte Clean Slate Flawless 12 Hour Brightening Primer
Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller
Darling Girl Cosmetics Sweet Lips on the Go Sugar'd Lip Scrub in Creme Brulee
Yankee Candle Lip Balm in Pomegranate Fruit
Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Naked - Mini Size
Burt's Bees Radiance Body Lotion with Royal Jelly
EcoTools Sustainable Softness Body Lotion
Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
Silk Naturals Colt Eye Shadow Sample
Physicians Formula Black Eye Liner (From the original Nude Eyes set)
Hard Candy Pencil Concealer
Urban Decay Primer Potion Mini
Silk Naturals Naked Eye Shadow Sample
Silk Naturals Bone eye Shadow
Silk Naturals Panache Blush Sample
Silk Naturals Lovelace Blush Sample
Meow Ballerina Blush Sample

I've gone through and taken pictures of everything again and added in new items. I shot pictures of the old items to show my progress. I did forget to take a picture of the Bone eye shadow, which I've hit pan on.

Here's a look at my new list:

Bath & Body Works Night-Blooming Jasmine Body Splash

As you can probably tell, this is really old. When they were originally discontinuing this scent, I stocked up. Little did I know that they would keep pulling it out during their semi-annual sale. I've still got another full bottle of this.

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil Roller Ball

The reason for me wanting to finish this one off is pretty obvious from the second picture. The cap is busted, so I have to be very careful to keep it upright: otherwise, it leaks. I use this as a cuticle oil.

ELF Zit Zapper

I'm not a huge fan of this, especially being a roller ball. I'm trying to use it up by putting it on bumps and ingrown hairs that I constantly get on my legs and arms.

Revlon Photogready Perfecting Primer

I haven't made a lot of progress on this. My skin was acting up and being really dry, so I cut back on using a primer for a while.

Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller

This is the product that just won't end, and it taunts me because I can't see how much is left. *sigh*

Holika Holika Essential Petit BB Cream

This is the foundation product that I'm now trying to finish off. I squeezed the extra air out of it to show its current usage.

Mario Badescu Summer Shine Body Lotion

Darn shimmery lotions. This is the only one I have left.

Yankee Candle Lip Balm in Root Beer Float

Yep, I'm working on another one of these.

Darling Girl Cosmetics Sweet Lips on the Go Sugar'd Lip Scrub in Creme Brulee

This is getting really close to being gone!

Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss Mini in Crush (From Roller Girl Palette)

I'm really proud of myself here. You all know that I finished the mini Lip Junkie in Naked. I've also got a mini Lip Junkie in Midnight Cowboy that is on its last legs (it is so close to gone that it seemed silly to put in this post).

Urban Decay Primer Potion

This seems like it is really close, but it could last a lot longer than I expect.

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencil in Rockstar

I really love this color. It's a great color that looks neutral. I have another mini and a full size in my stash, so I might as well try and get this one gone.

Hard Candy Pencil Concealer

It doesn't look like I've made much progress on this one. It's going to last forever!

Physicians Formula Black Eye Liner (From the original Nude Eyes set) 

The second picture shows all that I have left of this liner. It's almost there!!!

Silk Naturals Panache Blush Sample

I think I've only used this once in the past month. I need to work on that.

Meow Uncharted Eye Shadow Sample

I added a little bit of another color into this a long time ago. It's lighter than the original. It's been hanging around way too long.

Meow Cat in a Tree Eye Shadow Sample

This is another one that has been hanging around too long. I used to use this regularly as a liner, and I need to get too it again to get it gone.

Silk Naturals Lovelace Blush Sample

I haven't made much progress on this one since the last post either.

Silk Naturals Maybe Baby Blush Sample

This is just another sample that I pulled out of my stash to finish off.

Final Thoughts

Well, that's my updated list. It looks daunting, but it isn't too bad considering I'm not giving myself a time limit, and I'm not sticking myself on a no-buy until these are all finished. It's just a way for me to try and declutter my stash.

What are you trying to finish up?

Products I Want to Use Up! Volume 1

I've had a container of products I want to use up sitting on top of my makeup table. After seeing carlyjeanx's video about products she wants to use up in 2013, I realized that would make a good blog post series.

Let me be clear that I'm not attempting a project pan here. I'm not going on a spending ban. I know I would fail miserably if I tried. I am trying to cut back on my beauty spending, but that's not the purpose of this.

My purpose here is to use up products that I would like to see go away or products that I have multiples of in my collection (like foundation, black eye liners, etc). I tried to pick things that I use daily or smaller sized items that I'm more likely to finish. I don't want to get frustrated with myself or get completely bored with the colorful products.

Let's take a look at what I'm currently working on:

Lumene Double Stay Long-Lasting Makeup in Vanilla Meringue

Confession: I finished this prior to getting this post written. I've already switched to a new foundation product: a Holika Holika BB Cream.

Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer

There's no particular reason why I threw this into the mix except that I've got several primers, so I picked this one to try and finish up first.

Tarte Clean Slate Flawless 12 Hour Brightening Primer

I threw in this sample primer too because it's formulated for drier skin, so it makes my face look greasy before the end of the day. I try and use this on short work days or days when I'm just running errands.

Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller

This product just won't die!!! I've been using this consistently for over a year now. I don't love it and don't plan on repurchasing, so I just want it gone. 

Darling Girl Cosmetics Sweet Lips on the Go Sugar'd Lip Scrub in Creme Brulee

I love this stuff. The best part is that you get to choose the flavor. I'm trying to use it up because I've had it around for a while and I don't want it to go bad.

Yankee Candle Lip Balm in Pomegranate Fruit

I like this lip balm well enough, but the size makes it a little awkward to put in my pocket. It's getting close to being gone, so I'm trying to finish it off.

Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Naked - Mini Size

As you can see, this is almost gone. I have too many lip glosses in my collection, so I chose a mini size to try and use up first. After this one is gone, I'll probably work on another mini Lip Junkie.

Burt's Bees Radiance Body Lotion with Royal Jelly

I dislike lotion with shimmer in it, and this one has shimmer. It's small enough that it won't take me too long to get it out of my collection.

EcoTools Sustainable Softness Body Lotion

If you've followed me for a while, you probably know that I have a big stash of lotion since I end up mentioning it when I have a lotion in a finished it post. This is a small bottle, so I grabbed it to try and use up. I'm also not a big fan of the smell.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream 

I'm not in love with this cuticle balm, I've had it for a really long time, and I've hit pan on it. It's time for it to go. I've got a mini size of this to work on after this one is gone.

Silk Naturals Colt Eye Shadow Sample

This was a sample made for me by a friend. Colt is a dupe for Urban Decay's Darkhorse (By the way, Silk Naturals now has dupes for the Naked 1, Naked 2, and Naked Basics palettes). A friend sent this to me a long time ago. I have too many baggie samples in my collection. This will be a start in the right direction.

Physicians Formula Black Eye Liner (From the original Nude Eyes set) 

I have a lot of black eye liners in my collection because so many brands throw them into value sets. After I finished off a mini of Urban Decay's Zero (it'll be in my next finished products post), I pulled this one out as the next eye liner to finish off.

Hard Candy Pencil Concealer

This came with the Glam-o-flage concealer. I'm using it to brighten up my lower waterline. Even though the pencil is quite small, it's going to take me a long time to finish. I've used it a handful of times already, but I haven't had to sharpen it yet.

Urban Decay Primer Potion

I use this every day. I have a full size and a jumbo of this in the old-style packaging. This mini tube is almost gone.

Silk Naturals Naked Eye Shadow Sample

This is a dupe of MAC's Naked Lunch. At first look, you might this this little baggie would be easy to finish, but you would be mistaken. If you've had baggie samples like this, you'll know that they last through quite a few uses.

Silk Naturals Bone Eye Shadow

I pressed this a while ago. It's a nice browbone highlight, but it doesn't match my Wet n Wild Brulee, so I want to finish it off. My goal is to work my way through my matte highlight shades that aren't Brulee and then not purchase any more. For the quality and the price, I don't think anything else can beat it.

Silk Naturals Panache Cream Blush Sample 

This has been collecting dust, and it shouldn't be too hard to finish if I just grabbed for it regularly.

Silk Naturals Lovelace Blush Sample

This is a much brighter peach than it is appearing in the picture above. I'm not a big peach blush person, but I really like this one. The second picture was included to show how much product is in the jar. Again, it doesn't seem like a lot, but this will last through quite a few uses.

Meow Ballerina Blush Sample

Again, this baggie holds a deceptive amount of product. I'm hoping since the color is pretty light I can go through it faster than a brighter color because I'll be able to apply more of it.

Those are the products I'm working on right now. Do you try and focus on finishing specific products? What products are you working on finishing right now?