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?

Products I Threw Away

When I did my last post about products that I finished, I also took pictures of products that I am going to throw away. Notice that I didn't say that I have thrown them away. They have been sitting in a box in my office ever since. Maybe if I do this post, I'll actually let them go in the garbage.

Clearly Natural Essentials Lilac soap - I think my main problem with this soap is that I let it sit for too long. I had it for over a year before I used it. When I did start using it, it didn't smell like lilac anymore (if it ever did). I tried using it, but I finally just gave up.

Meow Snarky blush sample - I normally throw samples like this into my swap box, but due to some stroke of brilliance (please note the sarcasm), I dumped it all into a swirl bowl before I decided that I didn't really like how the color looked on me.

ELF lipsticks - I got these in a swap. I don't really wear lipsticks, and these are starting to look funky around the edges. I would be scared to use them. I never tried them, so I can't comment on the formula.

Everyday Minerals Soft Bronzer - This pulled too orange on me. Again, I had decanted it into a larger jar than it originally came in, and it would be too much work to get it back into a container that would be good for swapping.

Revlon Grow Luscious mascara - This mascara felt tacky to me long after it dried. It drove me nuts.

ELF mascara - This was either a terrible mascara or it was so old that it had pretty much dried up by the time I used it. I could barely get any color on my lashes, let alone any length or volume.

Urban Decay Supercurl mascara - It's been a while since I used this, but I think this was another mascara that felt tacky all day.

Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 50 - I didn't like this and stopped using it so long ago that the SPF had expired.

Jordana Squeeze n' Shine gloss in Lollipop - This gloss looked gorgeous in the tube, and I bought it on clearance. Unfortunately, it felt really goopy on the lips.

Got2b Playful cream pomade - I have no idea how long I've had this stuff. I don't use anymore, and I'm tired of having it sitting around.

Aromaleigh Color Infusion Botanical lipstick in Sassy - This was another item I got in a swap. I got it a couple of years ago, so it's time for this to go away.

Everyday Minerals Lavender pressed eye shadows - This pressed palette smells like crayons, which is an indication that it has gone bad. I might keep the compact around for potential future pressing.

Everyday Minerals Fairly Light pressed foundation - This doesn't have the crayons smell, but I've had it for about as long as the pressed shadows. I got it in a swap, and it's too dark for me. Again, I might keep the compact.

ELF Cream Shadows - I got these last year through a deal on Target.com. I think I spent $2 total for both compacts (with free shipping). When I ordered them, the site description said they were cream liners, so I was surprised to see that they were cream shadows when they arrived. They are useless. They crease in two seconds (maybe 5 with a powder shadow on top).

While this doesn't make a noticeable dent in my makeup collection, it's nice to get getting rid of products that I don't use. I need to pull more things for swapping as well. I'm one of those people who tends to keep things around thinking that I might figure out some way to use it in the future, and I rarely do.

Are you good about cleaning out your stash? Do you regularly throw out, swap, or give away items that you don't use?

What's in My Travel Makeup Bag?

A few weeks ago, I made the 6 hour trek to visit my family and attend the annual family picnic. Being the person that I am, I over-packed. I think I had twice as many clothes as I actually needed. My fiance refers to me as a boy scout when it comes to packing because I will pack anything and everything I think I might need. I have a large duffel bag that I use to pack my clothes, and it is a rare trip when it isn't completely full. I figure that if I have the room, I might as well use it and give myself options.

The same can be said about my makeup bag. I will fill it as full as I can without straining the zippers. Here's what I took with me for this trip, which included a day of shopping and a day sitting outside with my extended family.

 This is the bag I typically use. I got it last year at Target. It is by Sonia Kashuk, and I think it cost around $20. You can maybe see in this picture that it has three zippered compartments. The reason I originally liked this bag is that the top one has an elastic pocket with a protective flap for brushes. In a dream world, I would prefer that the sides were made of something more solid so they stood up better. It would also be nice if they separated completely. Overall though, this is a great bag that works really well for my traveling needs.

The top section is the one designated for brushes. Some people might not like that it is just one big pocket for brushes, but I like it because I don't have to worry about whether or not a brush handle will fit into a designated slot. On the left, you can also see that there's a zippered pocket that is really nice for smaller, random items.

Here's what I had in the zippered pocket. I bring extra hair ties, just in case (remember: boy scout). I throw in Q-tips for blending, and I bring tweezers for any stray hairs that I need to take care of. I threw in three lip products: Revlon Kissable Balm Stains in Sweetheart and Smitten and the new Tarte LipSurgence pencil that is also named Smitten that I got in a recent QVC TSV. I threw in a couple of perfume roller balls in Pacifica Island Vanilla and Clean Shower Fresh.

Here's a better look at the brushes I took. I like to take enough eye brushes that I could use a new brush every day if I switch colors. Yes, I realize that's excessive, but there's room, so I go for it. From left to right they are: Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, Tarte Airbrush Finish Bamboo Foundation Brush, Real Techniques Stippling Brush, ELF concealer brush, Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush, an Eco Tools shadow brush, Real Techniques Accent Brush, Everyday Minerals eye liner brushes (3), ELF Studio Contour brushes (3), and Everyday Minerals shadow brushes (3).

Here's a look at the second level of my makeup bag. I generally use this section for eye products. As you can see, it has quite a bit of room. For reference, my Naked palette fits quite nicely in there, and I can still throw in more products.

This is a closer look at the eye products that I took with me (clockwise starting on the far left): Laura Geller baked shadows in Sand and Sea, NYX matte shadow in Tryst, NYX shadow in Flamingo, Urban Decay Rollergirl Palette, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Napoleon Perdis Mesmer-Eyes mascara, Silk Naturals Molten cream eye liner, Silk Naturals eye liner palette, and Wet n Wild Brulee eye shadow.

Finally, this is the bottom layer of my bag. I use this layer for face products. Again, it has plenty of room, allowing me to over-pack even more stuff.

Here are the face products I took (going clockwise starting in the top left corner): Tarte Maracuja Miracle Foundation in Fair, jumbo pencil sharpener, Skindinavia 10 Years Younger makeup finishing spray, Everyday Minerals kabuki brush, Physician's Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in Translucent Light, Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Light Peach, Meow Sleek Siamese concealer, Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch concealer in Radiant, Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller, Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA (old formula), Milani Minerals blush in Mai-Tai, and Physician's Formula Happy Booster Blush in Rose.

I didn't even get close to using everything I took, but I wasn't wishing for anything either.

What is your packing style? Do you over-pack like me or do you pack the bare minimum?

Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer

As someone who has struggled with acne and acne scarring, foundation has been an important part of my routine for a long time, but it's only been about a year that I've been trying out foundation primers. So far, I haven't really found one that has completely wowed me.

When I saw the Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer in CVS, I figured it was worth a shot. It cost $13.29 and contains .91 oz of product.

Going off of first impressions, the packaging is nice. It is in a glass bottle with a pump, which I know a lot of people prefer. I would rather have a squeeze tube that makes it easier to get the last of the product out and to make it more travel friendly, but I don't hate the pump.

The pump itself does a good job of dispensing the right amount of product. One pump gives me what seems to be the right amount for covering my face. The feel of this primer is less slick than Smashbox's Photofinish primer  or Tarte's Clean Slate primer. It feels soft and a little powdery to me, and, thankfully, it doesn't have any of the shimmer associated with the PhotoReady line.

One pump of product.

Blended out.

 I don't notice a huge difference in pore size or in how my foundation applies after using this primer. It does, however, seem to add about an hour or so of extra wear to my foundation. I tested it on back-to-back days, going the first day without it and the next day with; I purposely checked the condition of my foundation right after work. On the day that I wore the primer, my skin was less oily and my foundation looked better overall.

When I first started testing this product, I was worried that it was breaking me out. I seemed to be getting a couple of pimples popping up every day I wore it, but after giving it a break for a few days and trying it again, I haven't noticed any extra breakouts from it.

Overall, I think this is a decent primer. Like the other primers I've tried, it hasn't wowed me. I doubt I will repurchase it because I want to keep looking for a primer that does really impress me, but I'm not annoyed that I spent the money on it. If you are looking for a drugstore primer, this one might be worth checking out.

Have you tried this primer yet? Do you plan on it? What are your favorite foundation primers?

New Drugstore Products I'm Testing Out

There's been a lot of fun new beauty products showing up at the drugstore lately. Being the addict that I am, I haven't been able to resist. CVS isn't helping with good sales and giving me coupons and ExtraBucks to spend. I think the people who work at my CVS are going to start thinking I'm nuts because I've been going in there so often.

Here's a first look at the new products I'm testing out (all products were bought at CVS unless otherwise noted):

Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer - $13.29

I've used this a couple of times. I like how it feels when I apply it. It feels soft, but it doesn't feel as slippery as Smashbox PhotoFinish primer or Tarte's Clean Slate primer. 



 

 Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Hightlighting Concealer - $8.29
Revlon PhodoReady Eye Primer + Brightener - $9.99(Note: The Maybelline one comes with 1.5 mL of product. The Revlon one has 2.4 mL.)

Drugstore brands seem to be figuring out that peach concealers are good for under the eyes. I'm currently on the hunt for a better under eye concealer, so I couldn't help but grab these.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush - $8.29

The texture of these is really fun. It truly does feel bouncy.  The colors that I have are Fresh Pink and Plum Wine. Plum Wine looks scary in the pan, but it blends out nicely.

Maybelline Color Tattoo eye shadow - $5.84 (at WalMart)

I have these in Bad to the Bronze and Tough as Taupe. When I took these pictures, I noticed that Tough as Taupe appears to have a lot more product in the jar that Bad to the Bronze. Has anyone else noticed this with the ones that they've picked up?

L'Oreal Infallible eye shadow - $8.29

From left to right: Endless Pearl, Iced Latte, Amber Rush


 These are an interesting hybrid of a powder and a cream shadow. So far, I'm not impressed with Endless Pearl. It applies patchy compared with the other two.

Maybelline Super Stay 10 Hour Stain Gloss - $6.94 (at WalMart)

I picked this up in Mauve Dream.

I've only tried this once, and I haven't tested the 10 hour claim yet. I will say that the smell is a bit odd. It is like a cross between fruit punch and cherry cough syrup. Those who are sensitive to smells might want to avoid this product.

Is there anything that you would like to see an extended review on? What new products for 2012 have caught your eye? I have $9 in ExtraBucks for CVS. What should I pick up with it? I'm going to try and make it my last purchase for a while. I've clearly been on a spending binge lately.