2016 Makeup Inventory

I got this idea after watching  Elle S's latest video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDyrDno8Cfw)

I took this afternoon and went through my makeup to create my own list (of full and deluxe size samples)

Face Primer 5
Eye Primer 6 (includes 5 MAC Paint Pots)
Correctors 4
Lip Primer 2
Foundation 2
Tinted Moisturizer/BB/CC Creams 2
Pressed/Loose Powder 4
Concealer 2
Brow Products 2
Highlighters  (includes 3 in a palette) 12
Eye Shadow Palettes (large and small) 9
z-palettes 2
Single eyeshadows 77
Pigments 3
Eye Shadow Sticks 5
Eyeliner 25
Mascara 1
Blush 9
Bronzer cream/powder 3
Contour Products 3
Lipliner 11
Lipstick (48 are in MAC palette) 80
Lipgloss 4
Lip Balm/treatment 6
Lashes 4 pkgs
Lash glue 1
Tweezers 2
Nail polish 30
Nail treatment 2
Top/Base Coat 3
Setting Spray 2
Lip Scrub 1
Beauty Blenders 2
Eye Brushes 19
Face Brushes 17


After completing this exercise i went ahead and pulled items for the make-up swap next week and items for the trash bin. There are still a few items I'm on the fence with. I don't use often and i may include them in the swap.

Items thus far for the makeup swap:
Eyeshadow 7
Brushes 3
Nail Polish 8
Face Products 2
Lipstick 4

(Maybes: Highlighter, Foundation and Primer)

Tossed in the trash today
Mascara 4
Lash Primer 2
Concealer 1 (+1 thats in my back-to-MAC pile)
Eyeliner 2
Eyeshadow 5

Thoughts....
I definitely don't need any amount of lipstick considering its the one main beauty item I often skip. The MAC de-potting project was a stupid idea. i had so many lipsticks that I decided depotting them i would see the colours i have and use them more. Wrong. I rarely use them.  They have been depotted a year now in July. Im thinking by the end of the summer they will be tossed and i will use the palettes them selves for blush or shadows.

Im not de-potting shadows ever again. I lost most of them in the process and i rarely reach for my z palettes. The only loose/single shadows i like are MAC so I will be keeping them but going forward I'm not going to buy other loose shadows for the z-palette unless its a shade I'm desperately seeking.

Going forward into 2016. I'm going to use what i have and if i don't like it, it will be given away or put in the trash. Im not limiting myself to no new products but when I purchase new things, something needs to come out of the stash to make room.

My 2016 Wish list so far includes
Burberry Cream Blush, foundation/tint, highlighter, eyeshadow quad
Chanel Cream Blush, eyeshadow quad, les beiges foundation, foundation brush and reformulated nail polish
Charlotte Tilbury Matt Revolution lipstick in very victoria and magic eye cream
Guerlain Meteorites booster
Nars Concealer
Bobbi Brown Liquid Corrector in Light bisque
Chantecaille mascara
Lancome deficinials mascara
La mer lip balm

this exercise definitely puts it into perspective...im going to work on a skin care, fragrance and hair care post as well....great way to start spring cleaning!! :)

xo
B

#365 Days of Samples

This year I decided to take on the #365 days of samples challenge. Basically incorporating samples into my daily routine to use up the vast amount that I have collected thought Sephora, Hudson's Bay, Holt Renfrew and Shoppers Drug Mart over the past year. 

I will try my best to use up a sample and give a review. If i have a reaction to a particular product or really dislike it, I will throw it out. I will also note if a sample was not adequate enough for me to form an opinion on it.

Divided into categories, each product will be in the following format:
Name/type of product/ Rating out of 5 (1 low-5 high)/Purchase status/comments

This blog post will be updated over the year as i use my samples:} 

Skincare

Sephora Pearl mask/ fibre mask/ 1 / Will not purchase/ this made me break out and did not make my face look "perfect and bright". 

Kate

Glam Glow Thirsty mud 

Clarins 

Skin ceuticals 

Murad Pore Refining Duo 

Dermalogica clear start overnight treatment 

Dermalogica clear start daytime treatment 

Ren instant firming beauty shot/2/

Dior dream skin /1/ won't purchase/ made me break out. Very dense cream. Might work better for dry skin 

Chanel Le lift /1/ won't purchase/ didn't do anything for me. My skin didn't feel firm and obviously not enough product to notice any anti wrinkle effects

Chanel sublimage/ 2/ won't purchase/ loved the scent but a very heavy cream. Too heavy for me. Felt like cement on my face

Chanel Le Blanc 

Lancome dreamtone 

Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment/5/will purchase. Similar effects as my Chanel Le weekend serum and ole henriksen Lemon strip peel but more effective as one single product. Clears up my dull skin and gives me the results of a mini facial. Recommend this. Top shelf quality!!

StriVectin-AR/ nighttime retinol treatment/2/ will not purchase/ not as irritating as other retinol products I have used in the past. Slight firmness to face next day but didn't offer results enough to encourage me to buy the product. 

Fresh/ soy face cleanser/3 out of 5/ will not purchase/ decent cleanser for morning use. Not ideal for evening cleansing and makeup removal. If you remove makeup with micellar water and follow up with a cleanser this one is gentle and non drying. 

Shiseido/ Ibuki gentle cleanser/ 5 out of 5/ will purchase/ The best I have used in a while! Lathers and is not drying. 

Caudalie /gentle cleansing milk/ 1/ will not purchase/ very gentle formula however not cleansing enough for my routine. Doesn't do a good job of removing makeup 

Caudalie instant detox mask/3/ won't purchase/ slightly clarified my skin but I need something a bit stronger. Might work well for someone with sensitive skin that needs a deep cleaning mask.

Clarins shaping Facial Lift wrap/3/ on the fence with this one. I felt immediate results. My face felt firmer. The result didn't last long though. This seems like the type of mask you would do to tone up before an event. Going to give it another try....

Caudalie Eau de Beauty/toning face mist/1/ I will not purchase this product/ I didn't notice anything different with my skin using this product. I also do not like the smell. 

Indigena Sea Veggie/ Bath Treatment/ 1/ I will not purchase/ I didn't like the smell. It smelt like rotten seaweed (i get it its fermented seaweed and i should have expected it). It made my bath cringeworthy and it didn't do anything for my skin.

Makeup

Charlotte Tilbury/ Revolutionary Matte Lipstick/ 5/ will purchase/ not as long lasting as Matte liquid lipsticks but an amazing moisturizing formula. Out of the three sample shades Very Victoria (nude) was my favourite and I'm definitely purchasing ( better than CT regular lipstick formula). 

Hourglass/ Veil mineral primer/ 1/ will not purchase/ This made me break out and make my skin oily.

Too Face Hangover Primer (I got a small sample enough to get two uses to the product)/3/Will not purchase/easy to apply, nice scent but didn't control oil enough for me to purchase. 

Marc Jacobs/ Blacquer Mascara/3/will not purchase/formula good/volumizes lashes/large brush (my main reason for not purchasing)

Tarte/ Opening Act Lash Primer/1/will not purchase/dry and didn't coat my lashes

Lancome/ mascara base/2/coated my lashes but made them gunky and stick together. Will not purchase

Tarte/ Lash Camera Splashes Mascara/3/ May purchase/ took a while to dry and was hard to remove/ waterproof and applied nice

Touch in Sol Mascara/2/won't purchase/the curved bristled brush made it difficult to apply. Hard to get inside lashes without getting mascara on my face

Kat Von d lock it primer/1/ won't purchase/ made me break out and didn't reduce oil production throughout the day

NARS creamy radiant concealer/5/purchased. Love the formula and coverage. Doesn't crease andlasts  all day. I apply with a brush and not the wand for a build able coverage. 

Estée Lauder serum/1/ smelt nice but made me break out. I won't be purchasing 

Haircare

Alterna Caviar repair/?/not sure how I feel about this. It says to apply a pea amount to scalp and run thought out the hair. Have used a couple of time but not sure of the results I'm supposed to get. 

Photo hair oil/5/ purchased/ light weight oil perfect for fine hair. Bonus you spray on and don't need to get your hands full of oil. Love this product!

Bumble creme de coco shampoo/2/ won't purchase/ way to heavy and doesn't lather well. Amazing scent though. 

Living proof dry shampo/5/ purchased/ the best on the market. Try it! 

Caudalie micellar water/ currently testing....

Makeup Forever 15 Artist Eyeshadow Palette

Recommended by Temptalia as one of the Best Holiday 2015 Palettes & Gifts  http://www.temptalia.com/best-of-holiday-2015-palettes-gifts I had to pick it up for myself. 

"Includes fifteen of the brand’s Artist Shadows (all of which are permanent, so you can always purchase them individually or repurchase if you ever finish one). Each shade is 0.06 oz., whereas full-size is 0.08 oz., which makes the palette contain $236.25 USD worth of eyeshadows. Not only is a tremendous value for anyone who’s wanted to acquire more (or try for the first time) the Artist Shadows, but the palette is of excellent quality"-Temptalia 

I tried to link to the Sephora Canada site but it appears that it is no longer available........????? It may be available in some store locations though. 

I550 Olive Gray is a warm medium taupe brown with a soft, frosted finish. Close dupes include: Urban Decay Angel (LE), Too Faced Rum Raisin, Burberry Pale Barley. 

I524 Pinky Beige is a buttery medium  peach with a soft, frosted finish.  Close dupes include: Chanel Tisse Venitien, MAC Naked Lunch, Stila rose quartz.

I916 Frosted Mauve is a cool toned light silver-lavender purple pearl finish. Close dupes include: MAC ready to party, MAC Crystal, MUG Phantom. 

D236 Lagoon Blue is a medium-dark  teal with a frosted finish and subtle silver sparkle. Close dupes include: Urban Decay fringe, Maybelline Edgy Emerald.

S102 Onyx is a matte black. Close dupes include: MAC Carbon, Urban Decay Crave.

S522 Pinky Nude is a light, peachy beige with a soft shimmer finish. Close dupes include: Kat Von D Lucious

D826 Fig is a medium satin reddish-burgundy with plum/pink glitter. Close dupes include: MUG enchanted, Urban Decay Last Call

D830 Black Rose is a very dark brown with purple shimmer. Close dupes include:  Too Faced obsessed

S228 Petrol Blue is a opaque indigo. Close dupes include: Color Pop Effect, MAC Prussian

S114 Pearl Gray is a frosty warm grey. Close dupes include: MAC chrome angel, Smashbox Granite * my favourite shade in the entire palette*

I528 Pearl is a bright frost peach-tinged white. Close dupes include: MUG whimsical. NOTE: at first swatch this reminded me of Kat Von D Thunderstruck. But KVD reflects iridescently like a pearl or abalone shell. 

I662 Amber Brown is a shimmery medium warm copper brown. Close dupes include: 
Ardency Inn Copper, Urban decay baked

I922 Electric Purple is a bright-cool medium purple with a satin sheen. Close dupes include: Urban decay urban, Ardency Inn royal

ME216 Electric Blue is a cool-toned frosted medium blue. Close dupes include: KVD paranoid, Color Pop kimono 

ME122 Snow is a bright warm white with a metallic sheen. Close dupes include: MAC crystal avalanche, Chanel Tisse Fantaisie

Recommended tools and looks included 

YSL Beauty

YSL is a gorgeous luxury beauty line. Both the packaging and the product is fantastic! This is my favourite high end brand. 

My favourite product from the line is their volupte sheer candy (the three silver lipsticks) they are my most used lip products. Mositurizing, sheer tint, smell delicious...it's like grown up lipsmackers. Now that sephora is open here in Newfoundland I will be picking up more. 

The rouge volupte and rouge volupte shin lipsticks are crazy pigmented. I need to apply by blotting or with a lip brush. The lipgloss and tint oil have the same scent as the sheer candy.

I have only tried one polish. I picked it up because I loved the colour. I wear it a lot. It's a great grey neutral.  

Eyeshadow. I took the plunge after seeing some awesome posts on Instagram and ordered a palette from sephora. I went with pure chromatics wet dry shadow no 9. Two shades (taupe and champagne) are metallic, pigmented and blend able. They look great together. The other two shades ( gold and grey are matte with glitter flecks. Looking forward to switching some more. 

Mascara. I'm trying a sample of baby doll and I just picked up shocking yesterday at the sephora Avalon opening. Great mascara! Very pleased with my purchase

Also yesterday I picked up the new touché eclait blur perfecting primer. After reading reviews on sephora I had to try it for my self. Looking forward to pairing it with my current foundation, which is le teint encre de peau from YSL.  I'm super picky about foundation. I never wore it for years because I could not find one that was sheer enough for me. I don't like full coverage at all. I used Armani luminous silk for years but it I was using the wrong shade ( I got a close as I could I'm the line. I loved the formula and it didn't make me break out but it was too yellow on me). Last October, while in Halifax on holidays I went to sephora and had them try a bunch of different foundation on me and I really liked this YSL one so I decided to buy it. I hope they keep making it because it's fantastic. 

Touché eclait is an iconic YSL product. I have no 2. I use to highlight my face and line around my lips to make them look bigger. It's definitely worth the money. Trying the blur perfector balm now. It's great for mattifing the t zone without looking chalky. It removed my makeup when I applied during the day. I could have blotted too hard with the sponge it came with. I'm going to have to look up some videos on YouTube about how to use it properly. 

What YSL products do you recommend ? Let me know in the comments 

-B