2014 Products I Want to Use Up!

As a relatively goal-oriented person, one of my favorite subjects at this time of year is setting goals for the next year.  Whether called Plans, Goals, or Resolutions, they all mean the same to me - something to strive toward to feel a measure of success.

A 2013 favorites post will be coming soon, but as I was going through my stash last night, I realized that I have quite a few products that I simply just want to be done with.  Not that they are necessarily unflattering or unliked, just that I have something newer that is very similar, or just seem to never end. Many of them are lip products, some are deluxe sample sizes, with one significant eye palette thrown in to the mix.

I must give credit to two (2) of the YouTubers to which I subscribe: Michele of MakeupMLC MakeupMLC YT Channel and Kristin of KristinGehm Kristin Gehm YT Channel.  Both of them are around my same age (one a little younger, one a little older), but I love their perspective, attitude, and input on products.  Let's face it, I am not a 19-yr old UK gal, heading off to class at Uni, or out to the bars/clubs on a Wednesday night.  I basically wear makeup for work, date nights with the Hub, and sometimes a dinner party at a friends house. I will never use loose glitter on my eyelids or any extreme color on my face, so I look to those women for ideas on how to mix it up.  Every once in a while (inspired by the great Lisa Eldridge Lisa Eldridge YT Channel) I will put on false lashes and a bold lip - woot woot - crazy wild woman alert!

Here a snap of the products for 2014:

It looks like alot, however many of these are almost empty.  Another note, my Empties posts for 2014 will focus on these products. 

Below are pics of the products by category and I may mention a little something about a few, but definitely not all!  I will save reviews, opinions for the Empties posts.

Face:

For face, quite a few of these are almost done, or sample sized. Typically, you get a better value when you buy the full sized version, but I love sample/value/gift deals so I can try a bunch on new products at once.  This is especially true of foundations and BB creams.  I really like the Misha BB cream above and want to finish this one while my skin is still relatively pale.  Concealers are also a weakness;  I have so many that I just need to finish so I can move on to the new ones that I have stacked up.  Casper, our resident Elf-on-the-Shelf, whispered in my ear that I may have a La Mer concealer in my stocking next week, and I HAVE to finish the Hourglass one above before I can start on the La Mer!

Towards the end of 2013, I really got into blushes and bronzers, and have purchased quite a few new ones.  One of the best for this time of year (and subsequent paleness of my skin) is Burberry's Earthy blush.  I am using it as an all-over bronzer with a little extra thrown in for contour.  The other blushes by Nars and Stila are both pretty basic so I feel like I can use them by themselves or layered over other products year-round.

Eyes:

 

This is ambitious!  I have also been on an eye palette kick lately with the new Naked 3 and Laura Mercier Artistry palettes already residing in my stash.  I need to go through at least one this year!  I chose the Lorac Pro because of the variety of both textures (sheer, satin, frost, and matte) and colors.  This a great palette for travel as well, and will provide a variety of looks, though I will still be challenged to use some of these colors (Garnet??? really???).  The Tarte gel liners (black and bronze) are the oldest ones I have.  So far they are not dried out, but I would like to use these up, or at least for the most of the year.

Lips:

 

There is a theme here: my lips but better (MLBB).  Most of these colors are on the mauve-y, pinky, neutral side of the color spectrum.  These are the colors I tend to gravitate toward due to the ease of use (no mirror needed!).  There are few that are pretty old, but do not have a bad smell or texture so I will use until they are gone.  I like using liners especially since I am starting to notice product migration/vertical lip lines - ugh, but I seem to always forget about them.  I do not have a ton of lip liners compared to other classes of products, but enough where it bugs me when I don't use them (especially the Chanel ones because they are not cheap!).

So that is it for now!  Gotta go put my face on and start vetting the 2013 faves post for next week!

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TAG - 4 or More

One of the tags that is going around right now is 4 or More.  Essentially what it is: look at all your products and determine what products you have 4 or more of.  The thought is that if you 4+ of them, you must really like them.  The caveat is that it cannot be products that you bought in a multi-set (of which there are a TON out right now due to the holiday collections).

So I took a dive into my drawers and cabinets and this is what I found - very easy to see that I LOVE lip and eye stuff:

Revlon and Chanel - both ends of the spectrum!

For lips, I love Revlon lippies: lip butters, balm stains, and glosses.

At the other end of the spectrum is my Chanel Rouge Coco Shines - best combo of balm, color, and gloss ever!

For eyes:
 




Love me some liners........

 I love quads.  I just find them so convenient for travel. I have several palettes, but there is just something about a gorgeous quad that I find hard to resist.  From the pic above, again Chanel has my heart, followed by the Mac quads that I can customize.  The singles below the quads are from Burberry (who just released some new quads......I must resist) and they are just fab!

Next pic shows my fave drugstore shadows - NYX.  Smooth, buttery and super pigmented.  I need to use a light hand with the dark colors or I look like I got punched in the face.  Mac Paint Pots follow as a terrific base for covering up my multi-colored lids and helping the shadow stay put.  I need to make sure to use a very thin layer, or they do not set and end up creasing.

Liners - I love eyeliners.  Faves are pencils from Stila and Bobbi Brown.  These are waterproof (more like resistant), but smudgeable for a short time so you can avoid the 80's harsh line (oh come on we've all been there).  I am not too adventurous when it comes to colors, mainly sticking with brown and black.  But I love buying the olives, purples, deep navy........I just do not end up using them very often.

So that is it, not too terribly bad.  I have alot of other products but have not really hit the magic 4 yet for others.  I love these products and still have to resist picking up more of them (hoarder much?) especially when there are holiday sets with 5 liners for only $32 (hate you Stila!).

Tag - A to Z of Beauty

I was watching some of my fave beauty "gurus" on YouTube today and saw this video upload:

and I decided I wanted to do it as well. 

The Tag is to pick your favorite beauty/skincare/haircare  brand (A to Z) and your fave product from that brand. 

I am not sure if I have something for every letter, but I am going to see what I can come up with!  Thank you Total Beauty for a comprehensive list of brands: Total Beauty Brands List

A - Almay, Get Up and Grow mascara - gives volume to my longish/sparse lashes
B - Burberry, Pale Barley eyeshadow - great basic for day and night looks
C - Chanel, Rouge Coco Shine in Fetiche - perfect all day, everyday color
D - Dior, Nude Concealer in Beige 002 - terrific coverage and no drying
E - ELF, Studio Bronzer in Golden - see previous post
F - Fresh, Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose - great color and moisture
G - Giorgio Armani, Maestro foundation - like my skin but better
H - Herbal Essences, shampoos/conditioners - smells fab
I - IT Cosmetics, Universal Brow Pencil - rocks!
J - Josie Maran, Argan Oil stick and oil- keeps it soft in dry Midwest winters!
K - Korres, Lip Butters - every night for soft/smooth lips
L - LORAC, Pro Eyeshadow Palette - great combop of both shimmer and matte
M - Maybelline, Color Tattoos in Bad to Bronze - great everyday shadow base
N - NYX, single eyeshadows in any color - super pigmentation and range
O - OPI, all colors - my go-to nail brand
P - Philosophy, Eyes Wide Open - for my puffy, not quite awake yet,  morning eyes
Q - Q-tips (not sure this is a brand vs. product name, but that is how TB had it listed) - love me some clean ears!
R - Real Techniques, all brushes - fave brushes of all
S - Skindinavia, make-up setting spray - makes the face last longer through the day
T - Tarte, blush in Exposed - great natural philosophy and pretty cheeks
U - Urban Decay, Primer Potion - lets my struggle for decent eyeshadow placement stay put
V - Visine, eye drops - reference P above
W - Wet n Wild, eyeshadows - ties with ELF cheek products for BEST Beauty Bargain
X - ????????? never tried Xen-Tan so I am out
Y - Yves St. Laurent/YSL, Glossy Stains - most innovative, trend-setting product of 2012
Z - Zoya, nail polish - 2nd fave brand behind OPI

Whew, done baby!

P.S. while I was writing this, my 8-yr old was doing "hair salon" on me......like it??????

LOTD 102812

Revlon Balm Stain in Crush, blotted, layered, blotted and topped with Burberry Lip Mist in Blueberry.  Great day look with berry lips