Girl, You Only Have One Face

1) Urban Decay Revolution lipstick "stark naked" - finished by previous update 2) Sephora gel lipliner "rose wine"- didn't manage to finish this one, and that's okay. I didn't really have a framework for how long a lip liner takes to use up. I'll keep using this, but not as aggressively as I have been. 3) Givenchy mascara sample - I'm going to consider this done since I'll be tossing it at the end of the month. It's starting to dry out on me a little bit. I enjoyed using it, but not enough to want to repurchase. Again, no update picture for this since it's still an opaque mascara tube. 4) Two BB cream sample jars - I finished the Dr Jart++ by the last update and finished the Laura Mercier not long after the update. I definitely prefer the Dr Jart++ and have been using a full size my friend de-stashed to me. The Laura Mercier one felt a bit too greasy on my face, so I would not purchase that one. (no picture for this since

I've only seen one of my Youtubers update so far, but the end of the month seems like a good time to add an update. I did swap out one of my products, so there won't be progress to see on that one. 1) Urban Decay lipstick in "Stark Naked" - finished! Once I make it through some other lip products, I would really think about buying this in the new Vice lipstick line. 2) Sephora gel lipliner "rose wine" - I've been wearing this every day that I wear lipstick. It warmed up Stark Naked, and it also goes well with the lipstick I'm currently trying to pan. This might be a bit too dark for year-round use, so I'm working to move this one out of my collection. 3) Givenchy mascara sample - I won't include another picture since the packaging is opaque, but I've been making an effort to use this even on days I'm working. When doing makeup at 6AM, that's a feat, for me. 4) Two BB cream sample jars - I used up the Dr Jart++ d

I'm happy with my skincare progress this past month. My system for using up perfume samples is also still going well, even though the darn things keep coming in. Per usual, here's a picture to be followed by mini-reviews and thoughts: ~ Stella McCartney sample card - I remember this as being a nice floral. Something I would use a sample of, but not necessarily buy. ~ J'Adore by Dior sample card - this smells like perfume to me. I couldn't really discern any specific notes. That said, it smells nice. I probably would not purchase this, partly because it doesn't come in a rollerball. ~ Elizabeth & James Nirvana Amethyst sample - The tobacco flower notes made me smell a bit like a smoker. A powdery smoker. Would not purchase. ~ Josie Maran finishing balm - will discuss in project pan update ~ Urban Decay "Stark Naked" - will discuss in project pan update ~ Maybelline FitMe concealer in 15/fair - This grew on me. It looks a bit too warm right of

Pretty much all of my project panning Youtubers are doing this as a huge collab, so I thought I'd join in just for fun. It runs from now until December 31st, and I'll be posting updates as I see the Youtube community putting their updates up. 1) Urban Decay Revolution lipstick "Stark Naked" 2) Sephora gel lipliner "rose wine" 3) Givenchy mascara sample - I usually throw mascaras out at the 3-month mark, but I want to see if I can finish this one up since it's so tiny. 4) Two BB cream sample jars (one is Laura Mercier, the other Dr Jart+) 5) Ole Henriksen moisturizer - no pic this time, its a moisturizer 6) Josie Maran finishing balm DS 7) NARS blush "Goulue" - I would like to have some use showing on this, hit pan if I'm very lucky. 8) Lorac Pro "taupe" hit pan 9) Lorac Pro "espresso" hit pan - look at that dip! 10) Lorac Pro "nude" hit pan 11) NARS Audacious lipstick &q

~ Stella McCartney "Stella" - This was a light floral that I wore exactly once, since it was a foil. It was okay, and I'd be open to trying a larger sample. ~ Caudalie Beauty Elixir - I'll be honest, I have no idea what this is supposed to do. I just used it as a toner so I could use it up. Even though there's still product in there, I'm going to count it as done because the sprayer stopped working. It was a destash from a friend, so I didn't spend $18 on a luxury spray that broke, so I'm not that bitter, but still. Of note, the Sephora website notes that it has a "new, improved pump" so I wasn't the only one that happened to. ~ Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel - I liked this as a daytime moisturizer, and I might repurchase after trying some new things out. ~ Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm - I use this to take my makeup off, and wash my face after. It's the only thing that actually takes off all my

I splurged a little bit for my birthday month, but as of this post, I'm really happy with everything I got. I just feel a bit bad for everything that had to be a backup. ~ NARS Audacious "Raquel" : I waited to buy this until I had used up 2 lip products, so it's extra special as a birthday lipstick. It's a natural pink nude on me and I love it. ~ Real Techniques setting brush : I've been using this for my loose setting powder. It's been okay so far. ~ Real Techniques brush cleaning mat : Used it, love it, glad I bought it. ~ Tarte "paaarty" blush : This is my first Tarte blush, and it has totally lived up to the hype. I can be heavy handed with blush application, but this still looks natural and beautiful. ~ Tarte "birthday suit" liquid lipstick : This has an interesting liquid to powder feel on my lips. It's not as drying as some liquid lips, it's just odd. I like the color though, so I'll keep using it. ~ Clinique

This was more of a skincare month than a makeup month, but I'm still happy with the progress I've made on my collection. A picture is below, with mini reviews below that. ~ Peter Thomas Roth Irish Moor Mud mask DS: this was okay. My skin felt a little bit smoother after use. Unfortunately, PTR is suuuuper expensive so I don't think I'd repurchase this for the price:results. ~ Make Up For Ever step 1 smoothing primer DS: this was the primer that made me like my Cover Fx foundation. And also the first smoothing primer I liked. I might repurchase, if I ever run out of primer samples. Someday. ~ Clinique toning "lotion": I have so many questions. 1) How in the heck is this lotion? It's rubbing alcohol! 2) What is this even supposed to do? I just used this as a toner in the morning, and now I'm reusing the container for a travel size of micellar water. ~ Cover Fx sunscreen DS: I really liked this. It was very silicone-ish in feel, so my makeup

I'm actually pretty proud of the products I finished in August! I finished two makeup products I wanted to finish in 2017, and was able to weed out more of the deluxe sized skincare things I'm trying to move out. As per usual, there's a picture below and I'll do mini reviews below that. Starting from top left: ~ Origins a perfect world eye cream : I liked that this had spf in it, which makes it a decent daytime eye cream. Will probably not repurchase just because it wasn't that special otherwise. ~ Smashbox pore minimizing primer : I feel like this made my face kind of greasy/slippy. I have so many primer samples that I will never need to purchase one intentionally. ~ Viktor & Rolf Flower Bomb sample & card: I like this scent. Its a warm, spicy floral. It just doesn't smell like "me" to me so I probably wouldn't buy a larger size. But I'd totally use another sample if it came my way. ~ Tarte Frixxion Stick : this was okay. Went

It's been about 2 months since I first posted about what I wanted to finish up in 2017, and I've made some visible progress on my goals! Lip Products ~ Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipgloss in "stargazer" I finished this up this month! I enjoyed layering it over my lipsticks for a glossy summer look. I didn't try to take out the stopper to use up every last bit of it, I just used it until it was inconvenient to get product out of the tube. ~ Buxom full-on lipstick in "Bombay" I also finished this up this month. I enjoyed the rosy shade and the formula in general. I don't know if I would repurchase though - there are other things I'd like to use. ~ Urban Decay Revolution lipstick in "stark naked" - I'm going to start working on this more in the fall, I think. It's a warm nude, that would look good with the red/orange looks that usually come with fall. ~ {new} Smashbox liquid lipstick in "Driver's Seat" DS -

Soooo, these no-buy attempts are not going great. Technically, this month was a "replacement only low buy" so it's not as bad. But most of these are not replacements. Oh, well. Here we go! (in chronological order) ~ L'Oreal Lash Paradise : Not gonna lie, I bought this because of all the hype it was getting. And I was staring at a pile of deluxe sample mascaras that I didn't pick out myself but still felt compelled to use. So I bought a mascara. I actually really like it! It's volumizing without making my lashes look chunky, and it looks good on my lower lashes too. Would probably repurchase after I get through some more samples. ~ Replica Beach Walk : I've gone through two samples of this, and I love it. On me it smells like coconut and honeysuckle, so it's a great spring/summer perfume. It's been going in and out of stock at Sephora, so I snagged it while it was in stock. No Ragrets. ~ NARS vanilla travel size : I actually haven't used th

This wasn't as successful as past months have been. But I seem to be nearing the end of my supply of deluxe-sized skincare, which is nice. I made an effort to push through them this summer as I'm moving in with my fiancee and thus my lifestyle of having to fit all my skincare in a travel bag is coming to an end. Anyway, here's a photo of my empties this month with mini-reviews to follow. (clockwise from pink box upper left) ~ Sephora sleeping mask in Pearl: this is supposed to be "perfecting and brightening." I just used it like a thickly-applied night moisturizer, and I didn't notice a huge difference. I might buy one of these again if I need to reach a certain amount for online shopping. ~ Peter Thomas Roth Irish Moor Mud cleanser deluxe sample: this was okay, my face felt clean, not a fan of the packaging with having to shake and smack it out towards the end. ~ Tory Burch Love Relentlessly perfume sample: this was a bit too floral for me, would not p

I hope I'm not getting into a no-buy, splurge, rinse, repeat kind of cycle. I bought things I didn't really need in June. So of course I'm trying to do a replacement-only no buy for July. Sigh. Here's how the June purchases look in hindsight. ~ Point perks: Hourglass lip stylo in "peacemaker" - can't really see it on my lips, it's okay                        Boscia Charcoal makeup melter - haven't even used yet                        Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum cream - love the travel size I currently have, waiting to open this one ~ Sephora collection green tea eye mask: purchased to get point perks shipped. Haven't used. ~ Drunk Elephant rise + glow duo: this has the B hydra gel and the Vitamin C serum - haven't used these yet ~ Hoola Lite: I really like this and have incorporated it into my regular routine ~ Luxury edition Sephora Play: purchased as a gift for my mom ~ Sephora collection pearl face mask: purchased to get to $25 so I

June was another good month for sample usage. Since I'm preparing to move in with my fiance, I've been trying to use up my skincare samples that I've been toting around. I also started piling everything into a shopping bag instead of just having a pile of trash on my dresser. Because apparently saving your beauty-related trash so you can post a picture on the internet is weird. Go figure.  ~ Garnier Fructis dry shampoo - discussed in Fire & Ice project updates. ~ UD Naked Skin Foundation - I feel like this oxidized on me, and I don't enjoy being orange. The formula was nice though. Might repurchase. ~ Ole Henriksen African Red Tea cleanser - this was the last item in the 3 little wonders sample kit to bite the dust. It was nice; I feel like it stripped my skin a bit. I would not repurchase. ~ Tarte marine boosting mist DS - smelled like spraying lemon pledge on my face and I didn't notice a difference in my makeup wear time. Would not repurchase. ~ Tarte

I think this is probably still going on in Youtube-land, but I've met all the goals I wanted to. I'll start with what I've already finished, and have pics at the end as always. ~ Dr Jart sunscreen sample finished by the last update ~ 2 perfume samples finished by the previous update, plus I finished 2 more in June ~ Laura Mercier radiance primer sample finished by the previous update ~ Garnier Fructis dry shampoo: finished! Wasn't too excited by this product, probably would not repurchase. ~ Ice item - Tarte Smooth Operator loose powder DS: finished! I enjoyed this, but would like to try other setting powders before deciding to repurchase this. I would totally use another DS though. ~ last but not least...Fire item - Firecracker from Tartelette in Bloom: hit pan! I got so sick of only using this thing as my lid shade. And my under-eye shade. I'm really liking doing eye looks that aren't red now. It's glorious. ~ I think I originally intend

I keep track of my makeup usage in the "vanity" section of Temptalia's blog. It lets me add most of my products (some aren't in the database) with spaces for when it was purchased, opened, and last used, as well as making notes. I mark project pan items as well as if I want to finish it this year. Since I started buying makeup in 2015, I'm starting to focus on my older products so I can make sure to use them before they start expiring. Lip Products ~ BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lipgloss in "stargazer" is definitely one of my oldest items. I think I got this January of 2015 for sorority recruitment. Time to go, bro. I've used this sporadically as something to slap on because I see it on my vanity, but I'm making an effort now. I'm about halfway through, so I should be able to finish it before the year is up. ~ Buxom full-on lipstick in "Bombay" is a rose shade with a slight minty tingle. It looks really nice paired with the lipg

I don't have a long list of purchases from May, which is good because I was supposed to be on a no-buy. I only bought products that were needed in my makeup routine. Even though my no-buy failed in that I made purchases, it helped me to think more critically about my buying habits. Hopefully I'll be less impulsive with my purchases in the future. ~ Maybelline Master Fix Setting Spray - I finished one of these previously and I liked it. It has a nice scent that goes away after it sets and it does its job of blending my makeup together. I'm almost done with the deluxe sample setting spray I've been using PLUS there was an Ulta coupon and points multiplier. If I'm going to make a purchase anyway, might as well do it while it benefits me, right? Right? Well, I did it, so it's gonna have to be fine. ~ Cover FX natural finish foundation in the shade N10 - I actually got color matched at Sephora for this one. I was reaching the end of my UD Naked Skin foundation, t

I forgot to include this in my May Empties post. Oh, well. That one was going on too long anyway. I hit pan on my Nyx highlighter in Ritualistic. It's supposed to be a dupe for Becca Moonstone, but I think I actually like this better than my mini Moonstone. I think I got this late 2015 or early 2016, so I'm happy to have hit pan on this after having a dent in it for so long. You can kind of see it hiding in there. It looks like a little horizontal line in the middle of the textured/dented area, but there's a bit of pan showing through! I'll take it.

I'm really proud of my progress this month. I finished one full-sized product, eleven deluxe-sized samples, and five foil samples. Here's a picture:   (also, with the different background...did I really pack up all my trash to take to my fiance's place so I could take a picture with natural light? Yes. Yes I did.) Starting with the first row: ~ First Aid Beauty facial radiance pads: these were okay. I feel like they're essentially supposed to do the same thing as the stridex pads below, except with a more gentle scent. I probably wound not purchase the full size of these. ~ Urban Decay all nighter setting spray: I liked this, but didn't notice a dramatic difference in how my makeup wore, so I probably would not purchase a full size since it's on the more expensive end. ~ Ole Henriksen truth serum: this is the last of the 3 Little Wonders from the kit I got around the holidays. It smelled like a creamsicle, but again, I'm not sure there was a noticabl

 The youtubers are uploading their updates, so here I am, tagging along for update #1! I think I had a pretty successful first month. I also used mostly deluxe sized samples, but eh, I'll take the morale boost. ~ Fire item: Firecracker from the Tartelette in Bloom palette. My goal for the first update was to wear down some of the lettering on it, and I made a decent-looking dent in the first few letters! I'm more of a stab my brush in one place until I see the pan kind of person rather than an even use kind of person, so I probably won't wear down the other letters. I've been wearing this as my lid shade for most of the days I wear makeup, so my next goal is to continue doing that. I suspect I might start to get sick of it, so hopefully I'll be able to keep going with it. ~ Ice item: Tarte smooth operator loose setting powder (deluxe sample size). My goal for this update was to be able to make another line to mark my progress. Unfortunately, the way I get the pro

I finished seven items during the month of April (well, six if you don't count the Sephora sample, but I do). I'll go clockwise from the perfume sample with the hot air balloon on it: ~ Replica perfume in "flying": this was a light citrusy, almost herbal scent. It smelled like going into a store at the mall that had an incense section. The sprayer on the sample was awesome. Other than that, would not purchase in a larger size (also it's hella expensive). ~ Fresh rose face mask foil sample: this feels nice on my face, not really sure if it did anything. If I got another sample, I would use it. I wouldn't seek out this product. ~ Drybar detox dry shampoo (sample from Sephora Play): this was very scented, like I could still smell it the next morning if I put it in at night kind of scented. And if I got it too close to my head, it left a white cast. I'm glad I got to try it, but I would not purchase it. ~ Glamglow youthmud (sample from Sephora Play): I

A couple of the Youtubers I watch (EyesOnAllison and Abby from MakeLifeYourRunway) are participating in this project, and I thought I'd join in. It's a four month long project pan with 4-6 products. One product has to be red, orange, or yellow for fire; another has to be blue, silver/grey, or white for ice. The rest of the items can be whatever you want. It started at the end of April and will go through the end of August. I'll try to update monthly - most likely, the youtube updates will remind me. ~ Fire item: hit pan on "Firecracker," the sparkly red-orange shade in the Tartelette in Bloom palette. TiB is my oldest eye shadow palette, so I'm trying to incorporate it into projects so I can get more use out of it. Picture below. ~ Ice item: use up Tarte Smooth Operator loose setting powder deluxe sample. I'm about halfway through now so I think I can finish it during this project. Picture below. ~ Dr Jart sunscreen deluxe sample (aim to

January Empties : This was the first month I cut things open to get the most out of them. It was worth it for the eye cream, but not really for the FAB face cream since it dried up so quickly. ~ Caudalie eye cream (sample from Sephora Play): I enjoyed this as much as I would enjoy any eye cream. It felt nice on my eyes and didn't have a scent. Too expensive to repurchase. ~ Fresh Soy face cleanser (Sephora birthday 2016 gift): this was super bland, and I didn't enjoy the cucumber scent. Would not purchase the full size. ~ First Aid Beauty face cream: again, pretty bland. It felt a little too heavy for use on my face during the day, but was decent for night time. Meh, would likely not purchase in the full size, but would use another sample. ~ Pixi eye makeup remover pads: I got these because Tati recommended them. They're supposed to encourage eyelash growth while they remove eye makeup. They didn't do the best job of removing, but I like having them for when I