I feel the need to disclose this, even though if you've read some of my past posts on this blog, you may already suspect I have a problem. If you're a good friend of mine reading this, you know I'm an addict, and you've probably seen me walk into a beauty supply store, beauty aisle in a drugstore, or department store beauty counter like a junkie about to get her fix.
The thing is, my collection is currently too big for my comfort, so I've put myself on a "no buy" zone from now until November. (Because I am a junkie, and the withdrawal if I don't let myself buy one holiday blockbuster set will be ugly for everyone.) This means I have pledged to just use what I currently own, buy nothing new, and hopefully use up some products, so I will have a legitimate reason to buy new ones in a few months. And if I do run out of a couple of things, it shouldn't be a real issue, since I have backups of backups and tons of alternate choices for just about everything. Now a couple of months may not seem like much to you, but please keep in mind that I'm a junkie. Rarely a month goes by without me buying a new lipstick or eyeliner or nail polish. Seriously, I think I currently own 10 different black eyeliners alone, in pencil, gel, and liquid form. (Not to mention blue, purple, green, gold, silver, grey, white, copper, bronze, brown, pewter, turquoise....and things in between.) Of the colors of the rainbow, only red isn't represented in my eyeshadow collection. And lipsticks....um, lipsticks are my biggest weakness.
This spending moratorium is going to be tough. I get emails pretty much daily with tempting offers of sales or new limited edition products that are so pretty and shiny....but I must say no! I need to stay off the smack! So in order to honor my current collection, and keep my "no buy" pledge to myself, I decided that a good way to curb temptation was to shop my own stash. It's not quite the same high, but rediscovering an old favorite may calm the withdrawal systems. Plus I might finally get around to trying the dozens and dozens of samples I've been collecting over the past year.
In the process of shopping my existing collection, I came up with a Roy G Biv rainbow selection of some favorites that maybe others might be interested in trying - and spending money instead of me, to support the industry in my stead. :)
Red - So, technically the mascara is black, but the packaging is red so go with me here. I am currently slightly obsessed with the new Mega Effects mascara from Avon. It was my last purchase before my moratorium began. The product is fine, but it's the novelty of the brush that has me playing with it all the time. Like I said, I own a lot of makeup, so getting a product that is really unique is like a super premium rush for me. It's like a new drug, if we're sticking with my junkie analogy (which we have to, because I am an addict.) So this product, with it's new design and shape completely unlike anything else on the market, had me at hello. It's taken me a couple of tries to get the hang of it - I kept ending up with mascara all over my eyelid at first. The mascara came with instructions for how to get the applicator out of its case, but not for actual application - that took some trial and error. I have to say, it's cool and different, and once you get the hang of the wand it's quite effective, but it hasn't made me want to toss my other mascaras with traditional wands. (Full disclosure: I sell Avon. I'm like, the worse salesperson on the planet though, since I talk up other brands more often than not. I think I'm really in it for the product discounts, since I am my #1 client.)
Orange - I have a real soft spot for the color orange - it's just such a happy color! I own many lipsticks, blushes, and nail polishes in shades of orange: coral, burnt sienna, salmon....it goes on. Two favorites in my collection are the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable balm stain in Rendezvous and the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Cherie Merie. I tone down the shadow a bit by pairing it with a taupe-y brown, but I find them both to be quite flattering....plus so pretty to look at. :) I've even had a couple of friends buy the balm stain after seeing me wear it - surprised at how flattering orange could be. Unfortunately, the eye shadow was limited edition this year - though it may still be available in some stores.
Yellow - I don't own a lot of beauty related products that are yellow (shocking!) but of what I do have, I'd say BY FAR my favorite is Trader Joe's Jojoba oil. It's a just an all-around solid multi-purpose product to have on hand. It is great to use as a cleanser to dissolve even waterproof makeup, it is fantastic as treatment for my dry/course hair, and it's the perfect ingredient in all kinds of DIY home beauty concoctions, like salt scrubs. It's relatively inexpensive, plus a little goes a long way - I've had the same bottle for months, and I use it pretty much daily.
Green - Green is one of my favorite colors, but it's not that heavily represented in my makeup collection, other than in my nail polishes. (But let's face it, every color in the rainbow and then some is well represented in my nail polish collection.) I do own a green eyeliner, and some green eyeshadow, but in terms of my favorite products in shades of green in my collection - they're more like beauty related products rather than makeup. First off is the oldie but goodie staple: Queen Helene's Mint Julep Masque. It's an inexpensive, effective tool in my arsenal - it can help dry out pimples, clear out blackheads - I just love it. I also love the Macadamia healing oil treatment - a lightweight but effective serum that helps tame my frizzies and soften my course hair. The packaging is green, the oil is not. Unfortunately the hair treatment is pricey - but I think I get my money's worth.
Blue - I love a pop of blue on the eye, have since high school. What can I say, I'm a product of the 80s. To keep it more subtle, I like applying blue mascara on my lower lashes (love the Sephora brand one) and some blue eyeliner on the lower lash line as well. The Sephora brand waterproof eye pencil in My Boyfriend's Jeans is my favorite - it's a beautiful bright blue that wears well, and doesn't break the bank. The CoverGirl Liquiline Blast Eyeliner in Blue Boom is quite nice as well.Indigo - can someone please explain to me what color indigo is? Is it blue? Purple? Burple? I probably have something indigo in my collection, and I probably love it - but I just can't currently identify it.
Violet - I love love love purple eyeshadow. The thing is, I think finding a good purple shadow is one of the hardest things for a beauty junkie, because most purples will look beautiful in the pan, but then apply sheer or unevenly, and look more like your eye is bruised rather than carefully made up. Loving purple eyeshadow can be constantly disappointing. So I really value purples that deliver. My favorite is the Tarina Tarantino jewel shadow palette in Fantastical. I'm sorry it took me until the products were on sale at Sephora to try them out, because the sale meant they wouldn't be sold there anymore. It's fantastic. Also pretty great and pretty darn cheap: the Wet N Wild Color Icon palette in Petal Pusher. It lacks the beautiful violet purple shade in the TT palette that I love, but I still like it a lot. Plus, paired over the Milani Shadow Eyez shadow pencil in Royal Purple, which is superb, you can get a nice violet look that will stay put for hours. |
| Me, eyeing my collection. ;) |
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