June and July Round Up: Purge and Purchases

I think I was compliant with the 3-products-a-month-only rule (if I only count the net increase of 4 items in my stash). I bought 5x as many as my self-imposed limit.

COMPLEXION STUFF

Additions = 3; Deductions = 2

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Powder in N30

Here’s the story behind this purchase (aka my excuse): It was a choice between this and Hourglass Diffused Light. Between the two, Chanel ranked higher, but Hourglass released the Ambient Lighting Palette which I thought was a better deal since I’ll be getting 2 additional pans of product. Lesson learned: I should improve my indistractibility skills.

But all is well. I got what I wanted and I’m happy. Hah!

I use it on its own or as a finishing powder. It gave me what I thought I could also get from the Hourglass palette: a powder that can tone down my shininess but leaves a skin-like sheen. It gives warmth but highlights my face at the same time. I can’t really describe it. I’ll write about this in the future, maybe, when the high I’m feeling has gone down. I hope that never happens.

Becca Luminous Skin Colour Ultra Sheer Foundation in Camel

As to why this is called a foundation is a mystery to me. Maybe it doesn’t have enough emolliency to be labelled a tinted moisturizer.

It is not ultra sheer, as it says on the label — it’s ultra ultra ultra sheer but I’m ok with that. I prefer the ‘wash of color’ type of foundation anyway.

What I didn’t like about this is the scent. I’m not usually fussy about fragrance but this smells overwhelmingly “old” — not the old foundation stock type of old, but like old baby powder in the worst-est way possible. The scent doesn’t go away. If I rest my face on my wrist, the scent will be on there, too, for the whole day. Also, I get sniffles and a mild headache when I use it. I could be allergic.

I’ll put it up for sale one of these days.

Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Bronzer in Rich Bronze

I got it as a gift from Bea, but I’m counting it as a purchase because I know I would find a way to get my hands on it regardless. I love this bronzer! It doesn’t have shimmer but it has a nice sheen being a cream product. I’m not fond of matte bronzers because I use them to bronze my face — not to sculpt Kim Kardashian out of me. If I need a contouring product, I’ll get something made for that purpose.

Complexion stuff I let go of:

1. MAC Studio Fix Concealer
   — I’m pretty sure I won’t use this again so I gave it away. It’s not bad. I’ve just been preferring Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer and Nyx Wonder Pencil more.
2. Myra BB Cream
   — I don’t need another face highlighter — as used for that purpose by The Beauty Bee.

LIPS STUFF

L-R (B-T): Estee Lauder Stay-in-Place Stay Mauve, MAC Please Me, MAC All Fired Up (Now tell me, Please Me doesn’t look ‘dirty blue pink’ against my skin, right? It looks like a dirty coral pink.)

Additions = 6; Deductions = 4

1. Estee Lauder Stay-in-Place Lipstick in Stay Mauve
   — Finally found my perfect mauve shade. The pigmentation is great but I don’t know how I feel about the formula.
2. 4U2 Matte Lipstick – SHY 03
   — Happy to find a mid-priced matte lipstick. I love the color too it’s a wearable pinky purple color.
3. NYX Matte Lipstick in Siren,
   — See how it looks like on my face here: The Darkest of My Lipsticks
4. Ever Bilena Orange Lip Liner
   — I’m used to wearing strong lip colors but for some reason, when I wear MAC Lady Danger, I can’t get the edges right. I bought this just a few days ago and haven’t tested it yet.
5. MAC All Fired Up Retro Matte Lipstick
   — Bought this from Donna for Php 500, barely used. FOTD coming up in a few days (or months, it depends).
6. MAC Please Me Matte Lipstick
   — Check the swatch here: MAC Please Me Lipstick

Top – Bottom: 4U2 SHY 03, Ever Bilena Orange Lip Pencil, MAC All Fired Up

Lipsticks I let go of:

1. 2 Sophie Koshize lipsticks (Dramatic Pink, Coral Wisdom)
   — Dramatic Pink wasn’t dramatic and Coral Wisdom wasn’t as opaque as I’d like it to be.
2. Maybelline Color Show Plum Promise
   — Not matte
3. MAC Taupe Lipstick
   — Haven’t been picking it up because of the rustiness (see it here: MAC Taupe Lipstick)

EYE STUFF

Additions 4; Deductions 3

Three are replacements for the stuff I disposed of:

1. NYX Wonder Pencil
   — I’ve always been curious about this and I’m glad they have a dark-ish shade. I don’t think I was ever a fan of brightening the undereyes and the waterline. I just want to conceal the pinkness in that area when I’m sick or tired. Also I needed something to replace NARS Rue Bonaparte.
2. Maybelline Hypercurl Mascara
   — I didn’t buy this. Cheche gave it to me. But since my Fairy Drops expired, I was bound to buy a new tube anyway, so I’m counting this in. I’m liking it so far because the brush isn’t rubber and the product itself is not wet.
3. Wet ‘n Wild Comfort Zone Palette
   — This is the first and only Wet ‘n Wild Eyeshadow palette I owned. And OH MY GOODNESS, I want to punch myself in the face for choosing an ELF palette to experiment with eye makeup. I should’ve picked up something, anything from Wet ‘n Wild.
   [instagram url=http://instagram.com/p/q-gowirkDY/]
4. Bourjois Cream to Powder Eyeshadow in Bleu Tenebreux
   — A huge disappointment. I should’ve gotten the neutral colors from the line.

Eye stuff I let go of:

1. BYS Matte Eyeshadow Palette
   — Smells very similar to the Becca Luminous foundation.
2. Bourjois Bleu Tenebreux
   — Once I know for sure that I won’t be using something, I let go right away. I thought this would apply like how duochrome eye shadows are expected to, like how MAC Club applies on the lids. See that blue sparkly part? That doesn’t appear in that intensity on the eyes. I always end up with a faint black grease-like smudge with sparse blue glimmers even if I pack it on. Maybe I just don’t know how to use it. I gave it to someone who, I think, knows a little bit more about eye makeup.
3. NARS Large Than Life Rue Bonaparte
   — I loved this. I wrote about this a few years ago (Road Test: NARS Rue Bonaparte) and I like how it looked on my waterline. I think I’m allergic to it, though. I always get teary-eyed by midday. At first I thought my contact lens was expired (or perhaps my contact lens solution). My eyes would also get really really red. I was a little bit wary to give this to a friend since it’s an eye product. Thankfully, she didn’t have that reaction.

I don’t feel like I bought a lot of stuff because the 4 net additions barely took space on my dresser. But I know I totally cheated. The limit was specific. Haha. Oh well. See you in the next installment.

En Route: A bunch of stuff from Ellana Minerals, mini-lipstick set from Sophie Paris, and a travel-sized MAC Fix+ (counting all these as August acquisitions).