Beauty Minimalism as a Beauty Blogger

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Beauty minimalism is something I wanted to talk about. I think the definition of minimalism is very personal but is tied with surrounding yourself with things that you genuinely love. The way I want to talk about the idea of minimalism from a beauty standpoint is discussing release fatigue. Basically release fatigue is when you are tired of brands releasing and releasing product (looking at you Colourpop). This is my daily struggle: my content that does well is reviews and hauls, and what else do you review than a new product? However, I battle between wanting maybe one or two products of each makeup category to loving trying and buying new products. I wanted to share some thoughts I have about release fatigue and the over-consumption (me included) of the beauty industry.

According to an article I found on the Allure website- over 3,000 women were surveyed by skinstore and found that women in the united states spend $300,000 on their face over a lifetime. A LIFETIME. I have never counted or added up the value of makeup collection mostly because I could porbably pay a large chunk of my OSAP. When you are not into beauty or skincare to this number is probably terrifying and the amount of makeup I personally own is probably mind boggling – however it is my only hobby that costs me money so I think somehow it balances out! But, to think about numbers like $300,000 shows how much the beauty industry is growing.

I think my biggest gripe with the beauty industry right now is how much companies are releasing. If you take a look at Trendmood’s Instagram you can see photo after photo of new products and new brands – which is great but can be overwhelming. NARS, Colourpop, Morphe are a few of the brands that I’ve noticed have been releasing collection after collection, MAC has always done those limited collections so I don’t get sick of their collections because in my humble opinion I feel like brands have tried to emulate that. I think my main issue is it feels like brands are capitalizing on trends and targeting consumers so they will buy more and feed into capitalism (which again obviously I do this too). However, I think that brands that curate well (like Glossier) do so strategically for marketing purposes. I think Glossier, and Hourglass are a few brands do well with having releases every 3 months or so making it less overwhelming for consumers. When brands like Colourpop (who I will admit don’t compromise quality) release a collection every which way I feel like for the average consumer this can get overwhelming. Even for me, an avid lover of the brand, it can just get overwhelming.

When I say overwhelming I say this for one reason: that someone new to makeup is just going to buy this affordable makeup and then not realize what they actually like. Am I speaking from experience? Yes. Yes, I am. When you first discover the world of beauty YouTube you just want to try everything and that means buying inexpensive products that either don’t work for you or you bought to try because you saw your fave person using or like me you use it once and realize its not your makeup style. Now I’m not saying Colourpop doesn’t make some of my favorite products or in fact doesn’t make products I use on the daily they are merely a good example of a brand that releases collections twice monthly. In fact most of the time I find myself gravitating towards my colourpop items because they are so good – however it is the best example I personally have in my Instagram feed of new releases.

What is the point of this post? I think my point is that I strive to be more intentional with my purchases. At the beginning of 2019 I bought a million drugstore products that didn’t “spark joy” as Marie Kondo would say (still need to read the book and will do so this summer) and then finding myself not gravitating towards drugstore makeup but using my high-end and boutique makeup (like the body shop). I think the other thing for me about trying to not buy makeup is to not buy it as an excuse for “research” for the blog. I built the beginning of this blog on drugstore beauty which I will never not lover but more and more when I picture my “ideal” collection it consists of high-end makeup with some drugstore and boutique brands spackled in there. While I don’t ever see myself losing the drugstore/affordable side of my blog I do think that because the beauty industry has boomed so much I want to start doing quality over quantity as well as treating ALL my purchases with more thought.

I also think that I struggle with the fun of trying new makeup and being creative with only owning what I need. For example, as a blogger, I love finding dupes for holy grail products which then means I am feeding into the mass market to try new things to help my readers find alternatives! Alas, the balancing act continues!

What are your thoughts on beauty minimalism as a beauty blogger?

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Drugstore Hero Products

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From my month of only wearing drugstore makeup I discovered quite a few lovely drugstore products. I wanted to share some drugstore products that are sort of hero products in my collection. This was also in part inspired by Mariah Leonard. Stay tuned this month for a “what happened to my skin when I used high end makeup for a month”.

Joe Fresh powder highlighter. Again, another gem from the Canadian drugstore. This is such a nice subtle highlighter that creates a beautiful glow on the skin. I thought this might be too icy for my liking but it is a nice neutral highlighter for my skintone.

Annabelle Matte bronzer. This is a really nice matte bronzer. It is a spot on dupe for the Anastasia powder bronzer. I love how this warms up the skin without being orange. Definitely a must have if you visit a Canadian drugstore.

Burt’s bees blush in Bare Peach. This is one of the best blushes I own. It is pigmented but fades quickly so I like going ham with it and taking it up on my temples for a more peachy look and it tones itself down by the time you are done the rest of makeup.

L’Oreal Blush in bare honey. Another great neutral blush from the drugstore. This is a lovely warm blush.

Burt’s Bees multi-sticks. These were sent to me by topbox cirlce in exchange for a review. I love these products. Glossy glowy goodness that creates a lovely dewy moment on the cheeks.

L’Oreal stick foundation. This is an awesome full coverage yet lightweight foundation from the drugstore. Again, not really drugstore priced, as its $19 CAD. It blends out easily and does not irritate my skin.

Burt’s Bees goodness glows foundation. This foundation was something that I did not life before – and I still do have a bit of hard time working with it in terms of blending it out and blending it into the skin. However, I found that using this with a good moisturizer and a good hydrating primer it works wonderfully. I also like that it is clean ingredients so I do hope they expand their shade range.

Annabelle hydrating illuminating veil. This is a lovely hydrating primer that I would repurchase. It is pearly without being glittery and creates a lovely dewy base that works well under any foundation.

Joe Fresh concealer. I love this concealer. It is from a Canadian brand and it has light coverage but covers just enough under the eye so you look awake.

Maybelline Age rewind. The Maybelline Age Rewind concealer is perhaps on of the best concealers I’ve ever tried … including the Charlotte Tilbury concealer except I would still repurchase both. The Maybelline Age Rewind concealer is light weight but full coverage and has great lasting power.

Revlon Candid Concealer. This is a lovely medium coverage concealer. This is eons better than the Too Faced Born This Way sculpting concealer (which has grown on me) but nonetheless this is a lot less expensive and is easier to blend out!

Colourpop eyeshadow in cornelious. These supershock shadows are awesome in general. They are easy to wear one wash wonders that are easy on the daily.

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Cheekbone Beauty Brand Review

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You know me – I love trying new brands and discovering new brands especially ones with a Canadian background and brands for a cause. When I listened to the breaking beauty podcast with the found of Cheekbone Beauty Jenn Harper, who is an Indigenous woman from Thunder Bay. I was so excited that finally a brand with a great cause. The founder herself strives to educate people on Residential schools and its impact on generations of Indigenous people. The brand supports the  First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (FNCFCS). You need to read about this brand – it is literally makeup that advocates. The founder of this brand is also extremely inspiring! They also have great customer service – when you order she emails you and says thank you for supporting. Their lip kits on the website also donate 100% of the profits go to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society.

You can buy this brand on cheekbonebeauty.ca. I bought three products: their stardust highlighting palette, their warrior women liquid lipstick and their lip gloss!

Let’s start with their most iconic product: their warrior women liquid lipsticks. These retail for $29 CAD. I got the shade Melina. The cool thing about this lipstick collection is they are named after indigenous activists. This is directly from their website: “Melina was named after an Indigenous Rights advocate from the Lubicon Cree First Nation in Alberta, Canada, Melina Laboucan-Massimo. Melina has been a vocal advocate for Indigenous rights for the past 10 years and is a Climate and Energy Campaigner with Greenpeace Canada. Melina has also produced short documentaries on water issues as well as Indigenous cultural revitalization”.  The liquid lipstick in this collection is a lovely velvet matte formula. I find they are similar to the NYX Soft Matte Lip creams but have better pigment and last longer. I find I can put this lipstick on and it lasts literally all day.

The lipgloss is also a lovely formula.The lipgloss retails for $24CAD. I don’t usually go for a colored lipgloss but the colour sundance spoke to me as I love coral. This is a lovely non-sticky formula that somehow lasts quite awhile.

The Stardust highlighting palette is perhaps one of my favourite products. The highlighter palette retails for $48CAD. The highlighters in this are a bit dark for my skin tone but I find with a light hand and mixing the lightest one with the gold one they give such a nice glow. They aren’t metallic but still gives a lovely sheen and glow to the skin.

The swatches:

Liquid Lipstick in Melina, Lip gloss in Sundance
Swatches of the stardust highlighting palette

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Makeup Revolution Reloaded vs. Naked Heat

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In the past, I have been skeptical of the brand makeup revolution because of its reputation of blatantly copying other brands best selling products accept selling them at extremely affordable prices. Now, I have just managed to get my hands on this because orabel beauty sells the brand. Makeup Revolution is a brand from the United Kingdom and is cruelty-free. I wanted to compare this palette to my much loved naked heat palette. This is very clearly made to dupe the urban decay palette but makeup revolution has sneakily added a few more shades so it’s not a blatant copy like their makeup revolution golden bar whose packaging couldn’t be more obvious that they are trying to copy Too Faced. On one hand, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this because they are copying another brand, but on the other hand, I think makeup and makeup trends should be accessible and that is what makeup revolution gives to consumers. In any case, I wanted to compare the two palettes because I love warmed tones and couldn’t resist testing it out. After the disappointment of their concealer, I wanted to try a few other items form the brand.

First the claims on each: Time to get RELOADED! Our 15 shade eyeshadow palettes that are bound to pack a punch at an affordable price. Warm burnt shades for lovers of orange and burgandys, in a variety of matte and shimmer shades. Highly pigmented, long-wearing, smooth and blendable eyeshadow shades that will keep you on trend all year round. The price of this palette is 9.99 CAD on orabel.ca. Orabel is a great website to find makeup that isn’t easily accessible in Canada. The shipping was super fast too!

The naked heat claims: Urban Decay’s Naked Heat features all-new, amber-hued neutrals—including warm browns, burnt oranges, and rich siennas. Each shade features Urban Decay’s Pigment Infusion System™, a proprietary blend of ingredients that gives each shade its velvety texture, rich color, ultimate staying power, and blendability” . This palette is currently $66.00.

As you can see, these to have a similar description in that it is a warm-toned palette but the makeup revolution one does not blatantly state that it is duping and after all brands are free to create warm toned palettes as long as no copy writing is being infringed upon. I think that these have similar vibes.

The Comparison

The biggest differences I see in these palettes are the density of the shadows. The mattes and shimmers in the makeup revolution ones feel thinner than the naked heat shadows and apply with less pigment. The same goes for the shimmers, the ones in the makeup revolution palette are quite similar to the naked heat but again, the naked heat ones to pack a bit more of punch.

MR means Makeup Revolution and UD means Urban Decay

I think that price wise the makeup revolution palette is a nice affordable option for that same warm vibe that the naked heat gives you. The naked heat really for me, steals my heart in that I am an avid lover of the naked series. While I don’t own the newest one, as a collector of these particular palettes I would always choose the naked over the makeup revolution. Now, the lack of pigmentation in the matte shadows in the makeup revolution reloaded is actually welcomed so that you don’t overdo it and it doesn’t require as much blending to diffuse the colour as I enjoy doing in all my eyeshadow looks. However, I’d say if you have a darker skin tone then you would have to build up the mattes in the reloaded palette quite a bit.

The application

Right is urban decay and left is Makeup Revolution

The application of the naked heat vs. the makeup revolution is different. The naked heat packs a punch essentially right away whereas with the makeup revolution I find you have to build it up a bit more to get that full opacity. I created two similar looks here. The makeup revolution also did not last as long as the naked heat after a 12 hour day. Granted what I used for primer was a matte foundation and even when I have worn the makeup revolution palette with a sticky primer they tend to fade more than the naked heat.

Is this a “dupe”

In the makeup world a dupe is a duplicate, generally intended to be a more affordable version of the high end version. In all cases of duping, this is a colour dupe if anything. The Makeup Revolution Reloaded palette definitely has similar shade colours, but the formula is very different. I think that is a great dupe and if you want that naked heat warm vibe this is a great affordable alternative!

Drugstore Concealer Round up

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Because I’m not sent anything, I obviously do not have EVERY drugstore concealer on the market for this post. However, I have quite a few concealers I’ve been collecting over the past 7 months, FOR SCIENCE. I wanted to give mini-reviews on each. I think it’s helpful to have a reference point for something that most people use in their daily lives, makeup lover or not. I ranked these concealers into three categories: the top, the middle and the bottom. Basically, the ones I love, the middle pack are ones that are alright and I may repurchase, and the bottom category are the concealers that I would not repurchase. Most of these are super similar from the top 5 to the middle pack, but I wanted to give the low down on why I love the ones I do and why I am not a fan of some others. I would eventually like to do this again with maybe high end or different concealers from the same brand! Who knows, those ideas are always brewing.

The Top Five

Photo of: revlon youth fx, collection lasting perfection, Joe Fresh illuminating, Maybelline Fit Me, Maybelline Age Rewind
Me wearing the maybelline age rewind
Maybelline Age Rewind

Maybelline age rewind. This has a newly expanded shade range so I feel more comfortable recommending this than say, the Annabelle or collection lasting perfection. This concealer is lightweight yet covers up dark circle in no time. It doesn’t look heavy under the eyes and stays all day. I have yet to find another concealer (other than at the moment the charlotte tilbury concealer) that is as good as this one.

Me wearing the Joe Fresh illuminating concealer
Joe Fresh Illuminating Concealer

The Joe fresh illuminating concealer. When I first tried this I didn’t use eye cream and I thought it was a drying concealer and gave it to my girl Kaitlin, who loved it. So since she loved it I decided about a year later to repurchased, at which point I had forayed into an eye cream. This is a beautiful light coverage concealer. I love the effect it gives my under eyes. The biggest con is there aren’t many shades, you’ll see this is a recurring theme in this post. This is a Canadian brand you can buy this at Loblaws and Superstore.

Me wearing collection lasting perfection concealer
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Collection lasting perfection concealer. WHY IS THIS ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE UK????? This is such great, full coverage, lightweight concealer. I really enjoy this. It blends out easily and brightens up your undereye in a non extremely stark way. However, again a huge drawback to a lot of these concealers is the shade range. Selfishly this work – but the drugstore needs to step up its game!

ME wearing the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
Maybelline Fit Me

Maybelline Fit Me concealer. This is yet another amazing concealer from Maybelline. I also used this quite early on in my makeup years, and again I thought it was super drying and didn’t look nice under my eyes. Then  I learned some makeup tips and rebought this for this post.

Revlon youth fx concealer. This concealer is very similar to the Maybelline age rewind. It is lightweight and has a lovely satin finish under the eye. I used this up awhile so it is an empty so alas I don’t have a photo for you. I would 100% repurchase this! Again shade range …

The middle pack

Left to right: NYX HD, L'Oreal True Match, Rimmel Lasting Breathable, Revlon Candid Concealer, Annabelle Concealer
Me wearing the Annabelle concealer
Annabelle Perfect Concealer

Annabelle perfect concealer. This is a great concealer from a Canadian brand. The shade range is such drawback. Even the shade I got isn’t necessarily what I would classify as fair light but alas it does match my skin tone so I usually just mix it if I want a brightening effect. I like this on those days I don’t want super brightened under eyes and want a nice light – medium coverage.

Me wearing the Revlon Candid Concealer
Revlon Candid Concealer

Revlon candid concealer. I really like this concealer. It is only in the middle of the pack because really this is on the same level for me as the Annabelle. I like the finish of this. It is has a nice satin finish under the eyes and lasts all day.

Me wearing the L'Oreal True Match concealer
L’Oreal True Match Concealer

L’Oreal true match concealer. This concealer has similar vibes to the Maybelline age rewind. It really creates that brightened under eye effect which isn’t always the vibe I’m going for but I find it has very nice coverage. I think if I were to repurchase I would get one shade up to match me a bit more for a less brightened effect.

Me wearing the NYX HD Wand
NYX HD Concealing Wand

NYX HD concealing wand. This concealer was just okay for me. It has a pretty good shade range, but I find its a bit thick on my under eye. I find that by the end of the day this almost balls up instead of staying looking semi fresh until the end of a work day which is something I look for in concealer.

Me wearing the Rimmel Breathable Concealer
Rimmel Lasting 25 Hour Breathable Concealer

Rimmel lasting 25 hour breathable concealer. This isn’t the best… some days it works really well and other days it does not work at all. This concealer is difficult to blend out and it doesn’t wear well throughout the day.

The bottom pack

Left to Right: Elf Beautifully Bare, Makeup Revolution Concealer, Colourpop Concealer
Me wearing the colourpop no filter concealer
Colourpop No Filter Concealer

Colourpop no filter concealer. I know this is in my bottom three but I simply cannot make this work. I feel like this is a polarizing concealer, either people love it or leave it. I like to mix this in with concealers that are a bit of a darker shade if I want that brightening effect but on its own it is too stark for my liking. It has nice coverage but I find that even when I set it – it faded throughout the day.

Me wearing the makeup revolution concealer
Makeup Revolution Concealer

Makeup revolution. This was the same vibe as the Colourpop but a bit more full coverage and a better shade match. This concealer is only at the bottom of the pack because I just don’t enjoy how much this creases throughout the day. This does last better throughout the day than the Colourpop.

Me wearing the Elf beautifully bare concealer
Elf Beautifully Bare

Elf beautifully bare. I really wanted to like this but it just did not work for me. This has a waxy texture, and faded almost right away even when I set it with powder. It also kind of balled up b the end of the day which isn’t my favourite!

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Current Favourite Nude Lipsticks

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I did one of these posts last year outlining some of my favourite nude lipsticks that I wore pretty much on the daily. I love nude lips and they are pretty much the only colour I wear, other than coral. I used to be very into mauves and purples but right now my makeup style is more the coral and nude lips route. I wanted to give you all an update on my current faves that I’ve been rotating between!

Burt’s bees suede splash

A repeat from last year. This is a slightly darker nude for my skin tone but works with most makeup looks I create. It is a beige nude that has a hint of rose.

Covergirl sultry sienna

This is such a lovely shade of lipstick. I find that it is the perfect my lips but better shade. It is only a shade darker than my natural lip color. I also really like the smell of these lipsticks.

Cheekbone beauty Melina

A new favourite that I have been wearing pretty much every day since I got this. The Cheekbone beauty liquid lipstick in Melina. What a lovely, matte but not drying everyday lipsticks. This has a peachy rose undertone and lasts forever on the lips without crumbling off like other liquid lipsticks I’ve used in the pasts. It also has a great meaning behind it (more to come in my cheekbone beauty brand review I’m just slow). Again, this is my lips but better shade as are most of the ones in this blog post.

Clockwise from the bottom: Fenty Gloss balm, Burt's Bees Peony Dew, pixi natural rose lip balm

Fenty gloss bomb

The Fenty gloss bomb is definitely my go-to gloss for any day of the week. It has a rose gold shift that doesn’t make my lips looks strange like many true nude glosses make my lips look. I can wear this on its own or layer it.

Burt's Bees Peony Dew laying beside Fenty Gloss

Pixi lip balm in Natural Rose

Covergirl Sultry Sienna beside Pixi natural rose lip balm

This is lovely hydrating lip product. It is exactly what it sounds like, a rose lip balm. This lip product is easy to wear and has a lovely hydrating finish. AGAIN this is my lips but better shade for me. It fades nicely and lasts quite a long time.

Burt’s bees Peony Dew

This is part of their glossy finish lipstick. It is a bit pinker than it’s counterparts. It has a rose pink base but still fits into the nude category for me on my lips. I find the natural shade of my lips pulls pinky purple so this one fits into the nude lip category for me.

Swatches of the lipsticks: Left to right Left to right: Fenty Gloss, Burt's Bee Peony Dew, Pixi Natural Rose, Burt's Bees Suede Splash, Cheekbone beauty Melina, Covergirl Sulty Sienna
Left to right: Fenty Gloss, Burt’s Bee Peony Dew, Pixi Natural Rose, Burt’s Bees Suede Splash, Cheekbone beauty Melina, Covergirl Sulty Sienna

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6 by Labour Day Project Pan

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I love project pans and wanted to start another (actually I have been using these since May 1) but am just late on posting these items. Usually, the classic labour day project pan is a 7 by labour day but I wanted to do 6 as to not have too many things on my plate. This project will end of September 2 so it is a Spring-Summer project.

Too Faced Sweet Peach

Too Face Sweet Peach

The first item I chose was the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette, particularly the shade luscious and summer yum because I use those shades quite often. This is a lovely palette that I generally use in the spring anyway so I decided to throw it in this project.

NARS Forte De France

NARS highlighter

The second item in this project is one of my favourite highlighters. The NARS highlighter in the shade Forte De France. Quite honestly, I don’t think I will hit pan on this but I do think I have a shot since it does have an existing dip from being in previous projects.

Hourglass blush in incandescent Electra

Hourglass blush open

This is such a lovely blush that it is so easy to wear. It doesn’t have a ton of peach in it but the marbling makes for a nice effect on the skin. I want to see this dip significantly in the next few months.

Anastasia Bronzer in Tawny

Anastasia Beverly Hills Bronzer

This is a lovely matte bronzer and has a nice finish. This does pull red and I like to be light handed with it. I don’t see this hitting pan but I want to use it as much as possible. If you are interested in a full review you can read it here.

The ELF plumping lip gloss in Champagne

Me holding the ELF plumping gloss

I chose this lip gloss because it seemed like one of the easier things to pan. Every time I use it, the product goes down a bit more and the progress is visible.

The Colourpop Supernova Shadow in Running Orbits

Colourpop supernova shadows

I chose this for the project because it also has some progress already. It creates a lovely glittery eye and is super easy to use. I don’t find this creases easily and it makes me look “put together” quickly. I even wear this in a light layer during the day and I love it!

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What Happened to My skin After only Using Drugstore Makeup for Month

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In the name of science, I decided that for the month of April I would use all drugstore makeup for a month. In doing so I kept all my project pan items the same – such as the body shop foundation which is mid-range as well as my pan that palette, palettes, but other than that I switched out my normal high and low routine, for all drugstore affordable products. I Kept my skincare routine basically the same. I did get two new cleansers and a new moisturizer. I also added a new face oil, but that only made my skin feel better. I wanted to say that normally I switch between the IT Cosmetics CC cream and the Benefit foundation as well as my Body shop foundation and my Andalou Naturals cc cream, with a smattering of the Maybelline BB Cream in there. I know – I keep it wild. My reasoning for this project was mainly for the foundations. I wanted to see what would happen to my skin if I used only drugstore foundations, powders, concealers for a month. Mostly – I was curious about the effects of the wide range of foundations I owned price wise.

My skin before the whole experiment taken on April 1st.
Joe fresh concealer and Burt's Bees Goodness Glows foundation product shot

Day 2: new pimples have popped up. Literally, the day after I began using the Covergirl Outlast Active foundation  I got new spots. This is the thing – I wanted to make a more inexpensive drugstore foundation work which I why I used the CoverGirl and the Rimmel breathable foundation for the first half of the month. But, my skin just did not react well. Which is extremely frustrating because makeup should be accessible and affordable and not give your skin wild reactions. While most young people have great skin and don’t need foundation, I am fully aware that teenagers want to wear foundation and yet the foundations they can afford are clogging their sweet young pores.

Day 3

By day 3 I had sprouted new friends on my chin. Alas, I was still using the CoverGirl and Rimmel foundation. I had bought the ELF BB Cream which I actually quite like and doesn’t irritate my skin so that will be on my rotation for after May. I noticed an improvement after I started using the BB Cream and then just using concealer.

Day 15 – a bit more congested than usual, lots of redness and spots.
Physicians formula butter high lighter, bronzer, blush.

By day 15, halfway through the month my skin was visibly more textured and had small breakouts – bare in mind when I used the Burt’s bees foundation for my skin drastically improved. When I returned to the Maybelline BB cream and  Covergirl foundation my skin then turned slightly red and those small breakouts returned. At this point, I decluttered the Rimmel and Covergirl foundations that I knew were causing this and switched to only using the Maybelline BB Cream, and the Burt’s Bees Foundation.

The Last day of the experiment. A few spots but looking a lot less congested

At the end of the month, you can see that my skin had improved – there are a few uncharacteristic spots around my mouth and on my forehead that I never get. However, this was only because I was gifted the Burt’s Bees foundation that is a clean foundation and I bought the Physicians formula healthy foundation that is $20 CAD which resulted in my skin healing. I also was using my L’Oreal shaping stick foundation that has never irritated my skin and is also $20 CAD. As someone who loves affordable makeup but also loves skincare, it is interesting to see the difference in using more expensive products from the drugstore that give my skin a better reaction than that of the less expensive foundations you can find at the drugstore.

L'Oreal shaping stick and Maybelline Instant age rewind
Joe Fresh single eyeshadow

This experiment really taught me the value of ingredients in foundations. CoverGirl by far had the most ingredients but that doesn’t mean they aren’t bad – it just means my skin might react to those differences but other peoples skin might be totally fine. What I did find was that the drugstore does concealer formula’s very well. I know in theory they should be similar formulas to foundations but I found that the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind and the Joe Fresh illuminating concealer were wonderful.

In the name of science, my conclusion is that my skin prefers higher end base products but can handle the powders at the drugstore which tend to not give my skin a reaction – however, I do use the more expensive drugstore products so that is defiantly a factor.

Look out for the end of May when I post about my high-end makeup every day and see the results of my skin then!

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April Favourites Revisited

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I have seen a few content creators do this type of post/video. I think that beautywithemilyfox was the first person I saw do this type of post. I wanted to revisit my favourites from a year ago (some of these are the same products) and see if I still like them and if I still use them. This is a good way, not only to see if my makeup taste has changed but also to see just how long products can last when you don’t use them as consistently as someone who only owns one highlighter and one foundation.

Thayers lavender toner

Thayers toner

This is still one of my favourite toners. I find that it is very gentle and has a lovely light lavender scent. I find that it keeps my skin hydrated and balances it quite nicely. It also keeps spots at bay.

NARS forte De France highlighter

NARS Highlighter

I still adore this highlighter. This was one of my first, other than the balm Mary Lou Manizer, high-end highlighters. I love how smooth the formula is and that as a powder, it looks glossy on the cheeks. It has not turned me into the Anna Edit yet but alas I love the glow it gives.

Caudalie essence

Caudalie Essence

This product has changed my skin. I love it. It is a gentle hydrating yet chemically exfoliating product. It has a lovely scent because of Caudalie’s iconic grape water that also adds that boost of hydration. I highly recommend this if you have sensitive skin and want a chemical exfoliant. I put some on my hands and then pat it into my skin.

Lush Karma perfume

This has been living in my travel bag/my purse, hence why it isn’t in the photos. I still love this scent. It is rather strong but doesn’t last all day so I can justify putting quite a bit on and then it usually fades by the time I come into contact with other humans. This is a patchouli based scent and is rather warm but also citrusy. This isn’t usually a scent I would go for but I do like warm scents and fresh scents. I would definitely get the spray once I run out of the solid!

Top shop jeans

Topshop jeans

Ah, the classic jeans. Friends, these no longer fit me. These are real, no stretch, 100% cotton jeans so I gained maybe an inch on my waist and they no longer do up! I still own them, not in hopes that I will lose weight, but because if I ever did I don’t have to buy new pairs … I know my mom would say “if you did lose weight you’d want new jeans” which might be true, but for me, these were such a staple in my wardrobe I can see them becoming a staple as I do more cardio and body weight workouts!

The Body Shop  Fresh Nude foundation

The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation

Since buying this last year it has become one of my holy grail foundations. It has a lovely satin finish and looks skin like on the skin. It builds very nicely but also looks lovely sheered out in an even layer. I tend to use half a pump and put it on the parts of my face that I feel need a bit of evening out. There definitely isn’t enough shades in this range. Selfishly I really like this because I have my shade and it doesn’t irritate my skin. I hope they come out with even more on the darker end of the scale because right now its a 50 shades of beige situation.

A word on Decluttering

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Decluttering is something I’ve always struggled with, whether its clothes, books, random things from my childhood or makeup. It is something I really want to get better at and I’ve been pretty good with clothes. If it doesn’t fit, it’s donated, if it’s broken, it’s fixed or I fix it then I donate it. With makeup and with having a blog, I find myself acquiring items for posts, for comparison, because of hype and then never using it again … or consistently reaching for something else over it because it suits my current makeup style more. All of the items in this post are items I’ve decided to declutter. They are all great products. They are all beautiful on the skin and easy to use, but they just aren’t getting the use they deserve in my collection. Many of these items also dupe items in my collection so as with other areas in my life, I wanted to pare it down.

I am decluttering a lot of ELF products … ELF is a great brand, one of my favorite drugstore brands but I find that the items I own from them dupe other ones and that was mostly the purpose I bought them, for posts I never got around to writing. For example, their pressed highlighter dupes pretty much any other gold/champagne highlighter in my collection. So I decided it was time to part with it. Same with the Wet n wild and Maybelline master chrome. These are both wonderful metallic see from space highlighters, but again they are similar to ones that already exist in my collection and those cover that metallic look when I’m in the mood for it. I am also finally decluttering blushed gems from ELF because while it’s beautiful, I just have others that are a similar shade. The essence highlighting stick is a lovely cream highlighter I included in last years underrated drugstore products, but again I just haven’t used this as much as I should so alas it shall find a better home. I’m also decluttering one bronzer, which was also in my underrated drugstore products. This is underrated and it is a beautiful bronzer, but it’s just not getting the use in my collection it deserves.

highlighter clockwise: ELF shimmering skin highlighter, essence prism highlighter, Maybelline master chrome highlighter, ELF baked highlighter in blushed gems, Wet n wild highlighter in blossom glow.
Clockwise: ELF prism palette in bronze, Joe Fresh neutrals, Illamasqua palette, ELF baked eyeshadow, Essence eyeshadow stick in mauve.

I’m also decluttering 5 eyeshadow products. A single eyeshadow from ELF that is great, I just find myself gravitating towards other purples in my collection as well as the ELF prism eyeshadows in the bronze. I love this, but I also have the Maybelline rooftop bronzes that have a few more shades I use more than this one. I’m also, which I didn’t think I would, am decluttering the Joe Fresh neutrals palette. I KNOW. I barely used this since I bought it last year … so I’ve decided it’s time for it to go. I find myself gravitating towards more warm neutrals and pinks so alas it is time for it to find a new home.

Blushes left to right: Milani Luminoso, ELF Berry Merry, Annabelle, ELF Twinkle Pink blush

We have four blushes and one cream blush. Again, these are all similar shades I have in my collection in other formulas that have been getting more use than these ones. My mom has already taken all the blushes so it was easy to find them a new home! As for the cream blush, I bought this for a post that never happened … so I decided it was time to finally get rid of it.

Left to right: the ordinary coverage foundation, Maybelline stick foundation.

I am also getting rid of two of foundations in my collection. One is the Ordinary coverage foundation. I simply don’t prefer this one compared to the serum. This one isn’t drying at all, I just gravitate towards the serum one because I can easily slap it on. The Maybelline SuperStay Foundation stick. The one I wanted to love, but the one that was just too drying for my skin. I decided to part with it because I prefer the L’Oreal shaping stick.

My point of this post is that decluttering makeup is hard, especially as a blogger. I almost feel like when I declutter something, it was either intended for a post I never got around to making or something I reviewed and it fell by the wayside. I’m trying to strike a balance between new products and shopping my stash and creating blog posts to create content.