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)