Another year, and another collection of empties! I’m in the process of decluttering my makeup collection, and I found it also an appropriate time to dig into my empties bag. I must get everything a beauty junkie possibly can out of the way!
This empties post has quite a bit of random stuff, nonetheless hope you enjoy the post and it helps you decide on future purchases!
As 2016 came to a close and I browsed my makeup collection to pick the best of the year, I have come across some poor products that I just have not bothered with in a while. Having sat untouched for so long, I felt it was time to make the move and kick them out.
3 decluttering posts coming up here, and the first one I’ll touch upon is the most common for all beautie junkies – lip products.
It’s a shame letting some of them go, but if they’re old and unused, and have been sitting there for years… It’s time to let them go.
Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipstick (Fairytale) – This was a great colour. Bright and bold, not too warm or cold on my lips. Lasted quite a while, even when out partying. I would have continued using it had it not irritated my lips. You’ll notice that to be a pattern with some of the lip products I’ll soon mention.
Etude House Color Lips-Fit (Fantasy Fit Pink, Dream Fit Coral) – I bought them and never wore them. I didn’t realize how neon-looking the colours were until I applied them for the first time. On top of that, they bled pretty easily and didn’t distribute an even colour to the lips.
Glossy Box Lipstick (Glossy Pink) – This was a nice mauve pink given to me by a friend. It’s pretty, but the more I wore it, the more I didn’t like it on my lips. I felt like it was too cold of a colour and it washed me out.
Gosh Cosmetics Velvet Touch Lipstick (Darling) – It seems like an intimidating pasty nude, but once I put it on it actually looked decent without washing me out. I stopped wearing it because my skin tone is not as pale as it once was, so the colour doesn’t compliment me as much anymore. Otherwise I’d recommend it to the fair ladies!
Mac Cremesheen Lipstick (Coral Bliss) – Way back when this was a big mention on Youtube. I bought it and wore it constantly. And what do you know… My lips became irritated. Unfortunately this is the case with all Mac lip products.
Milani Color Statement Lipstick (Nude Creme) – An AMAZING nude colour. Very beautiful on the lips. I loved wearing it on top of a pink-brown type of lip liner. Why I’m letting it go? Lips became irritated and dry. If you’re not super sensitive to drugstore products like I am, this one is definitely a good one to try (if you can get a hold of it – it’s always sold out).
Nyx Lip Liner Pencils (Dolly Pink, Peekaboo Neutral, Coral, Pinky) – Nothing wrong with how they applied or pigmentation. You’d think they’d be a win for me for affordable lip liners. Unfortunately, they irritated my lips within minutes, and I had to rub them off. They must go!
Nyx Xtreme Lip Creams (Strawberry Jam, Natural (Shine)) – These were the affordable version of Sephora’s cream lip stains. Have to let them go because I have found more moisturizing versions of these colours since. Love the colour of SJ for a warm berry look; Natural was very close to a concealer on the lips – but it didn’t look bad at all in the colder months when my skin is lighter, and it was actually a good-go to to neutralize the lips to make a colourful lip product stand out. I also purchased Tokyo which is the one I disliked the most, so I gave it to my sister shortly after purchase.
Revlon Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick (109) – This was an awesome coral colour that was recommended to me by a colleague who loves the colour herself. After wearing it for a while though it irritated my lips. Unfortunately it must go!
Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters (Sweet Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, Tutti Frutti) – I remember when these were ALL the rave on YouTube! Out of the 3, I would repurchase the Tutti Frutti (Orange one) because I enjoyed wearing it the most, and the others seemed a bit pasty for me.
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Creme (Ravish Me Red) – loved the colour, beautiful orangy-red, the kind I like most on me! Problem? It bled around the lips quite a bit, and I always had to check up on it. Kinda the reason I stopped wearing reds for a while.
The Face Shop Real Gloss Vivid Vibrant (Rouge Hommage) – LOVED the colour, unfortunately it was too liquidy for my liking. When dealing with a red, I don’t want it to be very prone to smearing. I would have just used it very lightly, unfortunately I have to let this one go because the applicator broke.
As beautiful as some of these lippies are, they are old, unused, and need to go. A very big common denominator for the ones from the drugstore is that my lips became very sensitive and irritated as I continued wearing them, so I had to toss them aside.
Hope you enjoyed this decluttering post, and it inspires you to go through your makeup collection and LET THE LIPPIES GO!
xo, M
If you know Bubzbeauty, then you know that she’s been loving her Skin Inc. My Daily Dose Custom-Blended Serum. From following her for a few years, I know she has been using their products for a while and found them effective. I decided to splurge and purchase my own set during the Sephora VIB sale.
“Skin Inc is the world’s first Skin Supplement Bar offering customizable beauty solutions to help you create an effective and fuss-free regimen, designed for your skin. Our products feature highly concentrated, pure and active serums and innovative skincare from Japan that combine proven ingredients with the most advanced delivery systems for maximum results. Skin Inc products contain 0% added scents and parabens…”
I discovered peeling gels while delving into the realm of Asian Beauty. They are supposed to be the gentlest alternative to exfoliating. The idea is while lightly massaging the peeling gel around your skin, all the little bits pilling up is supposed to be dead skin cells.
I am a skeptic about this type of product is because:
1) Any peeling gel I ever tested in store pilled up instantly – how am I supposed to know if it’s really dead skin, or the product just drying up instantly?
2) Because it’s so gentle, I feel like it is not an effective exfoliant compared to a physical scrub (HUGE fan of the Italy Towel).
I received a large sample of the Face Shop Mild Papaya Peeling for Christmas. I have been in the bad habit of overly scrubbing my skin with the Italy Towel and that is definitely not the smartest thing to do; it gets rid of the dead skin but it leaves my face irritated from its sand-papery touch. I decided to hang it dry and give the peeling gel a shot and see if it can prove me wrong.
As you may have guessed by the title, I will be reviewing some mascaras I’ve “emptied” (or dried up, or never touched again…)
It’s a bit of a tricky review to do since I can’t apply any of these on my lashes any more, but I’ll do my best to describe the formulations and how my lashes felt (if that makes sense.)
In my previous post Winter Skincare Routine for Dry and Acne Prone Skin I mentioned that sheet masks were Asia’s gift to us. I still and have always held by this statement since I tried sheet masks way back when I first started getting into Korean skincare.
If you don’t know, sheet masks are, well, sheets, on average the size of your face (not accurately), drenched in serum. While it may seem gimmicky, these babies sure do wonders. I always notice my face more hydrated, smooth, and bright. Depending on your specific skin concerns, constant use over time of specific sheet masks may help those problems!
While in Seoul a tourist must always walk around in Myeongdong, for this is where most, if not all, skincare shops are within walking distance of each other.
My favourite Korean brand Etude House was having a sale specifically for foreigners (lucky me) of 10pcs of the 0.2mm Therapy Air Masks for 10, 000 Won (~$12 CAD). Of course I got 4 packs (split between Nick and I. Nick uses sheet masks.)
I purchased Lotus (soothing & purifying), Hyaluronic Acid (skin moisturizing) and Snail (smoothening & firming).
Since it’ll be a while for Nick and I to go through all of them, this post will be dedicated to the first time use of each mask!
BubzBeauty finally did it – a collaboration! With Bh Cosmetics, she created a 12 color eyeshadow palette. I am a huge BubzBeauty fan; when I was going through insane skin troubles, I found her videos, watched and tried many of her DIYs to help my skin, as well as her Q&As about acne. She’s probably the one of the few beauty gurus I have been subscribed to for years and still enjoy watching – I even started watching her vlogs (I NEVER watch vlogs).
I am sure you have heard it time and time again, but damn this year flew by fast! The time has come to reflect on the year 2016 of the best beauty products I have come across and coveted. Everything I list is in consideration to my skin type: Acne-prone, dry and dehydrated.
