This past week, I’ve been thinking of ways to streamline my makeup stash, keeping only products I love and learning to loosen my death grip on those products that don’t work for me. I don’t know why it’s so hard to let go of items that just aren’t really well-loved like they should be – I guess my thinking is that if I spent the money on them, if they’re quality products that have nothing ~wrong~ with them, that I should hang on to them because I have no good reason not to. But the fact of the matter is, that some items in my collection just don’t have a use for me – the shade is wrong, the formulation isn’t suited to my skin type, or the actual product just doesn’t fit my needs/style. I want to release my hold on these items so that someone else may get pleasure from them, and (mainly) so I can make way for new products with a clean(er) conscience. So, here’s the outline of the challenge I’m posing for myself in the next month or so (because if I tell you about it, I’ll have to be held more accountable):
TASK: Wear daily at least one makeup item that generally goes unused.
GOAL: Figure out which items to keep and what to swap/toss.
NOTE: Product must be tried 3 times before making final decision, to give it a fair shot.
Here are the first 5 products up on the chopping block:
1) MAC Madly Magenta Cream Color Base – previously discussed here, I picked this up earlier this year while I was looking for a bright pink blush. Unfortunately, I think this shade is too cool for my skin tone, which I noticed so much more after buying Illamasqua’s Tweak, which is much warmer and better suited for me. However, my skin tone is fairly neutral and doesn’t lean too warm or cool, so I might be able to make this work with a little experimentation.
2) MAC Bing Mattene lipstick – purchased 2 Fall seasons ago, this is an intensely deep, dark burgundy that came out when the whole ‘gothic lips’ look came into fashion. While I still love this look, I think it works better on fair skin tones where the contrast is strikingly beautiful. However, recently I came across an advertisement of model Yasmin Warsame with a super-dark lip color and I think she looks fabulous (I can’t find this online anywhere, but when I do I’ll post the pic so I found one of Rihanna which looks pretty hot – see below). So, I’m going to figure out how to make this work if it kills me! (Note: The photo below is much more purple than this shade is in real life!)
3) Urban Decay BoS III – I got this early last year, and while I love a lot of the shades in it, I don’t wear a lot of them. There are a few shades in particular that deserve more love than they’re getting (like Bordello, a shimmering pale mauve-pink, and Last Call, a metallic burgundy-plum), so I gotta start using them on a more regular basis because there really is NO good reason why I’m not.
4) Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Berry Haute – almost an exact dupe of MAC’s Up the Amp, in which I’ve seen great lip looks online on darker skintones. However, I have to keep in mind that skin darker than mine can often run quite cool, so it might be why this just doesn’t seem to work for me. The situation is very similar to my Madly Magenta problem. I’ll try a few more trick, but if I can’t make it work, off it goes. Too bad as it’s a lovely shade!
5) Lise Watier Folie Pomme loose eyeshadow – first of all, I’ve had this shade forever, and that alone means that might might be time to go. However, it still seems OK, and it’s a really pretty shade of shimmering golden green that reminds me a lot of MAC’s Lucky Green which I know is a very popular shade. However, I just never seem to reach for it for whatever reason, and it doesn’t wear all that well either so….I’ll give it a fair chance over the next little while, but I think this is definitely one that’s going to be leaving my life very soon.
So there’s the little project I’m undertaking over the next month or so – it’s been something long coming but in the spirit of the new year ahead, I figured it was time to finally get on the ball. We can call it a beauty resolution for 2012 (one of many I’ll be making!). I’ll keep you updated on my progress, wish me luck!!
Have a great weekend everyone, I’m here relaxing in Ottawa today – we’re headed out to do a mild version of Amazing Race soon (so I can see more of the city), should be fun!!
#1 by Liz (Beauty Reductionista) on December 10, 2011 - 2:54 pm
Toya, this is such a good idea! I’ve thought of doing something similar but wasn’t convinced I’d have the heart to actually deal with the item that gets no love. I bet you would use the UD palette more often except you don’t like the hassle of pulling out that giant box!!! That’s what always happens with me and palettes. I look at the size of some of those things and know it would get put away in a corner and forgotten eventually. Okay, good luck with this challenge and I’m looking forward to the results!! AND SEE YOU TOMORROW! YAY!
#2 by Latoya on December 14, 2011 - 11:21 pm
It is hard to deal with products that you love in theory but just can’t make work in real life. I’ve been putting this off for a while but it’s time to get my *&%$ together and make it happen. I want new stuff, darn it!! LOL I think my issue with the UD palette is that only half of the shades are really wearable on a regular basis – there are so many ones with chunks of glitter that I really just can’t pull off at the office! So, it tends to get ignored for that reason, even though there are other shades in the palette that are perfectly wearable. Ah well, lesson learned!
And…visit was AWESOME if I do say so myself
Can’t wait till next time!!
#3 by Eugenia on December 10, 2011 - 3:16 pm
Echoing Liz, I also think this is a fabulous idea and one I believe we can all learn from. I’ve been down the same road myself, and lately have found myself culling items ruthlessly from my stash. As a matter of fact, thanks to you, I’m preparing a liner post and I discovered so many that I can’t/won’t/don’t use…and I wasn’t even aware of it until now! As to the UD palette, the problem with a lot of their shadows, especially any with glitter, is the huge amount of FALLOUT – ugh! Liz is right about how the bulkiness of it makes it too much of a hassle to pull out. The only UD palettes I’ve ever gotten any mileage out of, have been their Naked and a smaller bronze-y one they put out a few years ago. The Alice in Wonderland palette is languishing away, unloved, in one of my makeup drawers…..sigh…. Can’t wait to see how this experiment of yours will turn out and have a blast with Liz — my two girls are all grown up now *sniff, sniff*……lol!!!
#4 by Latoya on December 14, 2011 - 11:25 pm
It’s interesting what you discover when you REALLY take a look at your stash, not just when you go about your normal day to day business. The inventory posts are really helpful, especially when you do descriptions and realize – hey, jeez, I have nothing good to say about this (or nothing to say at all) – why am I keeping this?? It’s easy to just leave it because you think, oh well I might need it one day – but really, c’mon, you’ll always find something else that’ll work. I want only LOVES in my makeup collection, not just ‘likes’ or ‘okays,’ and I’m almost there I think! I’m excited too because that means buying NEW stuff, which you know is always fun
And you’re right, like I said to Liz, the issue with the UD palette is the shades with fall-out – so annoying! I’m not a fan of glitter in shadows – at 29, it’s just not gonna fit into my lifestyle. I’m thinking about depotting them and giving them away or perhaps swapping them. They’re not getting much love from me, that’s for sure!
And next time Liz and I have a little tete-a-tete – WE’RE COMING FOR YOU, TOO!! I can’t wait to get this group get-together on the go!