Girl, You Only Have One Face

I have the habit of spending too much of my money on makeup, and spending too much of my time browsing for makeup and consuming makeup-related media. To counteract this, I make myself "earn" my makeup budget by doing things that are better for my mental and physical health. Here's how I did for the month of November: Purchases: ~ Sephora VIB Rouge sale order: gifts x2 (won't list in case I ruin any surprises), Drunk Elephant C-firma serum set (considering this a replacement, since I just finished one), Replica "by the fireplace" travel size perfume (with the sale $22); Dyson air-wrap styler (hair tools and appliances weren't necessarily required to come out of the budget so I'm going to say it doesn't; suffice it to say I'm set on hair appliances for a good long while) ~ Mario Badescu glycolic foaming cleanser - this was a replacement, so it doesn't come out of the budget (I finally made it through my backstock of cleanser!) Books r...

This project is part of my effort to get visible progress out of my makeup. I randomly selected five shadows to start, and as soon as I reach my goal (usually hitting pan), I can rotate in a different randomly-selected shadow. Here's how I did over the past month: 1) "Sin" from Urban Decay Naked palette - Still here, trucking along. I can't see a ton of progress on this, but I'm still using it every time I do my eye makeup as my inner corner highlight. 2) "Rose Quartz" from Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry palette - I feel like I've been super close to hitting pan on this for a while. Since I've been using my fingers to apply, I've made a wider dip more than a deep one, so hopefully I'll be able to hit pan this upcoming month. 3&4) "Light My World" (right) & "Wildlife" (left) singles by Sydney Grace - I'm still loving "Light My World" both over a green base and by itself. I can only real...

In lieu of a traditional project pan, I've been working on a few products out of my collection for a month at a time, either to use them up, get some extra use out of them, or decide how I feel about them. Like a combination project pan/makeup basket/chopping block, if you will. October selections and outcomes: ~ MAC prep+prime lip - When I added this in, I had no idea why I had it (it came in a set, that's why I had it). Since I wore liquid lipsticks so much in October, this product was a game changer. I could actually wear liquid lipsticks without my lips flaking off. It's not an everyday necessity, but I'm glad I have one now. ~ Benefit precisely my brow pencil (shade 4.5) - I purchased this during the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty sale and wanted to make sure I liked it. It's a little bit softer than the ABH brow formula I'm used to, but I enjoyed it and will be happy to use it. ~ ABH Master Palette by Mario - I probably didn't get as much use out of th...

I'm happy with the skincare I was able to move out of my backup drawer - I've actually started to use some full-sized products since I've made it through so many of the minis. The perfume sample drawer is still going strong though. It's like a hydra - I use up one and two more pop up in its' place. ~ Ole Henriksen Counter Balance oil control hydrator - This was a good lightweight gel moisturizer for the summer months, but it had the same scent as the cleanser I previously finished and I'm not a fan of the scent. Probably would not repurchase. ~ Lancome sunscreen - This was a very thin liquid, even after shaking, and it left an oily sheen. Which was fine if I applied makeup over it, but I couldn't just leave a bare face. So I would not repurchase this. ~ Juliette Has a Gun "Moscow Mule" sample - The notes are "zesty lime and ginger" and I liked the spicyness of this for the transition to fall. I have another sample of this I'm...

I have the habit of spending too much of my money on makeup, and spending too much of my time browsing for makeup and consuming makeup-related media. To counteract this, I make myself "earn" my makeup budget by doing things that are better for my mental and physical health. Here's how I did for the month of October. Purchases: ~ I got my hair cut this month, and I got my usual purifying/softening treatment. Not included in this budget, but it it beauty related, so I thought I'd mention it anyway. ~ Urban Decay primer potion travel size (replacement, doesn't come out of budget); Cover FX mattifying primer (had a coupon and a gift card, so this set me back $20.40) ~ Not a purchase, but my godparents generously sent me the Sephora favorites lip set and a Marc Jacobs gift set with a mascara and a lipstick (so it's products added to my collection, but not money spent) Books read ($1 per 100 pages) ~ Little Fires Everywhere  by Celeste Ng - 348 pages ($3.48)...