What I Crammed Into My Travel Bag

I have a tendency to over-pack when I travel, and that includes my makeup selection. I'll pack five different lip color options and three foundations, despite the fact that I'm incredibly lazy when I travel and I spend a lot of time makeup-less in my pajamas. To save space in our luggage, I decided I'd only pack what I could fit in this small makeup bag. I openly admit that I squeezed it cram-jam full and I could barely pull the zipper shut, but shut it I did, so it counts.

Against my better judgment, I packed two highlighters: Glossier Haloscope in Quartz and MAC Strobe Cream. I brought the Glossier highlight because it's my go-to for natural looks, and I brought ye olde Strobe Cream because it's almost done and I wanted to empty the tube. (This is a good place to point out that I've decided to stop collecting empties for the year. I'm tired of having a box full of trash in my bathroom and empty containers clogging up my luggage.)

Glossier actually makes up about half of my bag. I brought three shades of Cloud Paint because I'm Too Much, but also because Dusk, Puff, and Beam can be mixed to make a whole slew of shades. I'm almost done with this tube of Lash Slick, and it's my go-to summer mascara because it doesn't smudge or flake on me, so I figured I'd finish it up on this trip. I'll be curling my lashes with the Shu Uemura Lash Curlers, which are honestly at the end of their life cycle--the hinge is getting rather loose. As for the Boy Brow: it's just a tube of the clear shade I'm trying to finish up.

There's a distinct lack of Besame in this bag, which I know will raise some eyebrows, since they make my favorite lipsticks. Frankly, I've become a bit of a Besame collector, and I'm way too worried about losing my beloved lipsticks to even consider tossing them in my carry on. Instead, I brought two travel-sized lipsticks that won't hurt my wallet if they're lost: YSL Oil-In-Stick in 44 Nude and Shiseido Modern Matte in Exotic Red. If I wear the Shiseido, I line my lips with the NYX Auburn Lip Pencil to get a crisper line.

Now, I would usually round out my bag with a brow pencil, since they're easy to apply and don't require any special tools. But honestly, I've been loving how the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in Medium Brown makes my brows look. It takes a little longer to apply, but it's unbelievably natural looking. I use the lighter shade in the front of my brows and to map out the shape, and I fill in the tails with the darker shade.

For my base products, I brought my most natural, slap-it-on-and-go foundation (Surratt Surreal Skin) and my new favorite undereye concealer (YSL High Cover). If I'm traveling and dealing with something that needs more coverage, like the travel acne that finally reared its ugly head today, I usually just skip a full face of makeup and go with these two products instead:

Is it a cheat to bring these two products in my purse, separate from my makeup bag? I always carry a lip balm (this is the new Glossier Balm Dot Com in Mango) and my Sephora Make No Mistake High Coverage Concealer in 04 Ginger, so it's just standard fair for me. But maybe I should've wedged them in to the bag, too, to prove to myself that I could pack light. Anyway, I think the Mango balm is just okay, and I absolutely love and rely on the Sephora concealer. Sephora will inevitably discontinue this concealer and I will have a minor panic attack. It's doing a great job covering up this morning's travel acne.

Now that my brother is back from the south and I've finished sorting through roughly half of the objects I left at my parents' house, I can probably start using this makeup bag, right? Right. I'm going to get out of these pajamas and put on that fierce red lipstick!

...tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll do it, I promise. Today, I have books to read and a brother to hang with.

Spring Cleaning: Products I'm Purging

The beautiful card catalogue Kirby made me only has so much space, and it forces me to keep only what I love. That means I've got to get rid of some products to make room for the new stuff I've tried and loved. I'm actually a bit surprised that I'm getting rid of some of these things, to be honest, because there are some gorgeous products here. But if you're not using something, it's just going to waste.

So let's talk about the really amazing products I'm getting rid of! At the top of the list are these Face Stockholm cream blushes. I stand by my belief that these are some of the best cream blushes on the market; they have a slightly "jelly" texture that blends easily and provides a natural highlight. But I always, always reach for more hygienic liquid blushes in tubes or slap-it-on-and-go stick blushes. Another beautiful, but rarely worn, product is the MAC Amplified lipstick in Nicki's Nude. As pretty is it is, on the rare days when I wear a beige nude, I reach for NARS Raquel.

The list of makeup that's really lovely, but just not my style, includes the Marc Jacobs Dew Drops in Dew You, the Milk Makeup Holographic Highlighter in Mars, and the Fenty Mattemoiselle lipstick in Freckle Fiesta. The highlighters are a tad too sparkly and "makeup-ish" for my tastes, though most people with less ghostly skintones will probably find them natural and beautiful. As for Freckle Fiesta: I absolutely ADORE the color of this lipstick, but I think I have to admit that it isn't flattering on me at all. I keep telling myself it'll be better if I tan up to NC20, but that's turning out to be a lot harder than I thought.

Now for the epic fails. Look, there have been some rave reviews for the Kosas Tinted Face Oil, and it's SO up my alley and I SO want to love it...but it just doesn't work on me. It deserves a better home. The Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer came highly recommended, too, but I found it pretty "meh." It has zero staying power on my dry skin and it can look a bit chalky on my undereyes.

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I tried the new @urbandecaycosmetics brow gel and it was...eek. #urbandecaycosmetics #brows #nomame #beautyproducts

A post shared by Renee (@reneesanatomy) on Feb 19, 2019 at 6:53pm PST

The new Glossier Generation G formula is an abomination, so I won't linger on that. But can we talk about how every other brow product on the market seems to turn bright red on me? I had high hopes for the expanded Colourpop Precision Brow Pencil shade range, but nope, every shade is still too dark or too orange on me. And don't even get me started on the Urban Decay Brow Beater gel. Woof. Maybe if you have decent brows, this will look nicer, but it just made me look like Groucho Marx.

Speaking of brows! Sephora is finally releasing some freebies I want, so I'll be purchasing that brow powder and brush I mentioned this coming week. Beyond that...there's not a lot I want to buy with my birthday gift cards. Don't get me wrong; there's plenty of stuff I'd be interested in trying! But even after this purge, I've got plenty of products in my collection that I'm rediscovering. I think that's one of the best parts of being on a no buy: you have to be creative and use what you already have.

Remember Makeup 411?

Have you ever paused a movie mid-dramatic moment because HOLY HELL, you MUST know what that lipstick is? I've done it more times than I can count, and until recently, there was a website I could visit that might tell me exactly what the makeup artist used: Makeup411.com. These days, it redirects you to the website for Makeup Magazine, but there was a time when it posted official product breakdowns and expert advice. I know I'm not the only one who misses it.

Well, with the wonderful Internet Wayback Machine, you can still access most of the site's content! (You can also access plenty of other websites and see the stupid shit you wrote when you were 13 years old, but based on personal experience, I can't recommend putting on that digital hair-shirt.) Just type in the URL and hit enter.

Here's a screenshot of the website as I remember it: there'd be a large photo of a featured breakdown, a list of the most recent breakdowns, and some easy-to-navigate tabs at the top. Unfortunately, a lot of the links on main page are broken in the Wayback Machine, but you can still get around with some creative clicking. If clicking on the actor's name under "Latest Breakdowns" nets you a broken link, for instance, you can usually get around it by clicking the makeup artist's name. That's how I got to this breakdown for Beyonce:

I TOTALLY USED TO OWN LYCHEE LUXE! I was a freshman in college and still used Aveeno lotion as a facial moisturizer, then wondered why my skin stayed so dry and unhappy, BUT STILL! I remember owning that gloss.

Interestingly, the links for the older version of the site are almost all active and easy to reach. I don't remember the site looking like this--I was introduced to it circa 2010--but holy shit, did seeing that early 2000s design take me back:

A layout made from pictures that were probably sliced in Dream Weaver, the default fonts, the hit counter...my God, the memories. Now I'm thinking back to the time before search engines. How did we find what we wanted back then?!

Actually, I've changed my mind: this takes me back. Man oh man, I remember when every girl in my high school went for this look! You plucked your eyebrows as thin as you could handle, you wore so much liner and mascara that your eyes looked slightly crusty, and you keep the rest of your face pale as could be with a super matte face powder and some borderline white lipgloss. You all know I love clean, dewy skin, thick brows, and a bold lip these days, and I think it's because I tried this out when I was younger and never wanted to admit that it looked horrific on me.

Speaking of the older website: these advice sections were stellar, and I'm sad that I missed them in their heyday. A list of drugstore alternatives for pricey products? If that wasn't prophetic for YouTube dupe videos! I don't know how accurate it is--I remember the NARS Sheer Lipsticks and the CoverGirl Lip Slicks, and they looked very different to me--but if a makeup artist said they could use those products interchangeably for the same effect, I'm not going to argue too much.

You can still find some beauty breakdowns and plenty of makeup artist tips by using Google, I know, but it's just not the same. I really miss having a full list of products straight from a makeup artist and readily accessible on one site, and I miss reading about the ten extra skincare steps completed to prep an actor's skin. Maybe we'll find another site that can fill the gap. Until then, here's one of my all-time favorite breakdowns, which had a product list so long, I had to cut and paste together two screenshots...

...in MS Paint. You know, like you did during those Y2K years.

Holy Grail Products I've Replaced (or Supplemented)

People often send me incredibly kind messages and emails telling me that they love my blog. And in a solid half of those emails, these incredibly kind people mention that one of their favorite things about my blog is that products I rate highly or call my favorites generally reappear for years and years. I take pride in the fact that, when I say I love something and it's a favorite, I mean it. I will almost never call something my Holy Grail unless I have used it for at least a year and/or finished an entire tube/bottle/stick/whatever.

That said...

Now that I've finished my move and started wearing makeup again, I'm noticing that I keep reaching for specific products. Many of them are not my much-raved-about Holy Grails. Instead, they're products that have entered my collection in the last year or two. It used to take me forever to replace a Holy Grail favorite, but it seems to me that changes in consumer tastes and improvements in product textures and ranges have resulted in a lot of new stuff that suits me better. (That is, cream and liquid products that are easy to apply and take very little effort, also known as "makeup for lazy people.") When the Holy Grails I've Replaced tag became popular on my YouTube feed, I knew it was time to talk about these new loves.

Bear in mind that I still love all of these products, that the original Holy Grail is still a better choice in some scenarios, and that I would still give all of these my wholehearted recommendation. But in my day-to-day life, yeah, the newbies are taking precedence.

Shu Uemura lash curlers -- Surratt Relevée lash curlers

I used the Shu Uemura lash curlers for most of my undergraduate years, but I switched to the Shiseido curlers when Shu left the US. While the Shiseido version worked well, I decided to give Shu Uemura another try last year, and I had to admit that the Shu just gave me a better curl overall. Then somebody offered to sell me their like new Surratt curlers at a super low price. Now, I admit that the Surratt curlers can pinch my eyes a bit, mostly because it's a bigger tool with a bigger opening and I suck at positioning it. But while the Shu Uemura curlers sometimes have trouble grabbing the lashes at the outer corner of my eye, the Surratt curlers never miss a lash. Shu Uemura lash curlers, $22; Surratt Relevée lash curlers, $30.

Maybelline Full n' Soft Mascara -- Glossier Lash Slick

Maybellin Full n' Soft remains my go-to mascara for voluminous, fluttery lashes that don't smear or flake horribly. But if I'm not too fussed about getting a lot of volume and I want next to no flakes at the end of the day, I go for Lash Slick. It's become my go-to every day mascara: I can slick it on at 8am, work until 4pm, run errands in to the evening, and go out to dinner with zero mess. Despite the great staying power, it's also easy to remove with a Makeup Eraser and warm water. Glossier really killed it with this launch. Maybelline Full n' Soft mascara, $8; Glossier Lash Slick mascara, $16.

Buxom Show Some Skin Foundation -- Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint

Let's make one thing clear: I'm still more likely to recommend the Buxom foundation over the Philosophy tinted moisturizer. Buxom Show Some Skin has a much more inclusive shade range, and the packaging doesn't make me want to cry every time I open it. But I wear that Philosophy Skin Tint several times a week now, and I haven't reached for my Buxom foundation since I moved. I just find the Philosophy more comfortable and natural-looking on my very dry skin--once it's settled in, my skin looks smooth and lovely, but almost makeup-less. It's also a slightly better shade for my casual makeup days now that I self tan my neck. Buxom Show Some Skin foundation, $34; Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint, $39.

Rohto Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk SPF50 -- Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35

I have yet to find the dry-skin friendly sunscreen that will beat Skin Aqua for long, sweaty days in the sun. However, I'm definitely preferring the Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35 for my day-to-day needs. It has a rich lotion texture and lightly hydrates my bone dry face while sinking in relatively quickly, working well under makeup, and never breaking me out or causing irritation. Also, Japanese sunscreens are frequently discontinued or reformulated to keep up with market trends. The relatively new Skin Laundry line, however, seems like it will be a bit more slow to change. Rohto Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Milk SPF50, ~$10 on eBay; Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35, $25.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector -- Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand and Glossier Haloscope

I've finally admitted that it's time to throw out the bottle of Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl that I've clung to since grad school. This stuff is way past its expiration date, after all. But even more than that, I just don't reach for the Becca highlighter as much as I used to. Mind you, it's still one of the most gorgeous, photogenic, and versatile highlighters on the market, and I'm sure I'll repurchase it one day. But I've been favoring quick-and-easy over versatile these days. I don't usually want to carefully ration how much Becca SSP I apply for a natural look; I just swipe on Glossier Haloscope in Quartz and tap it out with my fingers. I don't want to layer Becca SSP for a wet look; I'd rather spend all of thirty seconds swiping and blending the Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand over my cheekbones. I'm lazy, you guys, and I'm finally admitting that that extends to my makeup. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, $41; Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand, $38; Glossier Haloscope, $22.

Products I Want Brands to Release

"Products I Want Brands to Release" and "Gaps In My Collection" videos and posts are some of my favorites. They're not pushing people to rush out and buy specific products NOW NOW NOW, but they spark conversations about possible dupes and market trends. They can even encourage brands to work on that item you've always wanted or improve their current range. I just haven't written one of these posts until now because, frankly, I feel like most of my makeup needs are met by my current collection and the small gaps I can find seem rather niche. Then the hilarious Nisipisa posted her video, and I was inspired. Okay, plenty of people would skip over a Colourpop rainbow palette, including me...but when she pointed out that they'd yet to produce one, I realized, "Huh, yeah, that's definitely something they could make bank on."

So here we have it: my list of products I want brands to release, AKA an entire post of whinging.

#1: New packaging and shades for the Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint.

I've complained about this all spring, and I promise to leave the petty whines behind when summer arrives. But since we're still in May, let me repeat: I really love this product, but the packaging is the stuff of nightmares, and the shade range is perplexing. As much as I want to give this tinted sunscreen my full-throated recommendation, I'm hesitant to put others through the strugglebus that is this oozing, unsanitary jar. Philosophy, if you love your consumers, you'll put the Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint in a tube, and you'll add more shades to draw in a larger audience.

#2: A warm, dark-skin-friendly Glossier Cloud Paint Shade.

Like the aforementioned Philosophy tinted sunscreen, I wanted to give the Glossier Cloud Paints a solid five out of five stars, but the fiddly packaging and limited shade selection stayed my hand. It's been over a year since Glossier launched the Cloud Paints, and they've become a staple in my collection. Yet there's still only one shade that will, by Glossier's own admission, work for dark skin, and it's the very cool-toned Haze. The colors and shade names are inspired by the colors of a sunset, and that means there's plenty of room for a bold red--think liquid NARS Exhibit A.

I'm glad Glossier has been picking up steam, releasing a new product every three months or so and opening new show rooms, but honestly, it's time for them to pause on new launches and update their existing range.

...actually, I take that back: I'm a candle whore, so I'm more than ready for the home fragrances they mentioned last year. (As long as they don't smell like Glossier You, that is. I was not a fan of Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume 2.0 that perfume.)

#3: 1970s inspired products from Besame.

This is so not my decade re: vintage makeup, and until now, I didn't think it was Besame's, either. Their lipstick shades stop right at 1970 with Chocolate Kiss, and their range is heavily weighted toward the 1920s through the 1950s. Then Besame released their Avengers: Infinity War collection with lip glosses purportedly inspired by a 70s product, and I realized that that decade ended almost forty years ago. I'm pretty sure that's prime vintage territory. And while the amount of frosty lipsticks I'm seeing in contemporary photographs and magazine ads make me think I'd pass on most 70s products the company produced, this 1972 blush ad gets me bodied:

#4: Mini versions of the new MAC Strobe Cream shades.

It's no secret that MAC Strobe Cream is one of my all-time favorite products; I've gone through countless travel size tubes, since they're famously a better value per ounce than the full size bottle. So I was thrilled when I realized they'd updated the range and added new colors, including the stunning Peachlite. So flattering! So warm without being gold or stark! Do want!

But for whatever reason, MAC hasn't released mini sizes of the new shades. If you go for the smaller one ounce size, you can only get the original Pinklite shade. The tints in Strobe Cream are so sheer and subtle, you might say it's not worth making minis of all of them. But I'm enough of a highlighter hound to buy multiple shades if they're made available, and I know I'm not the only one. Come on, MAC, take my money!

VIDEO: My Sunscreens

 (To watch in full screen, start the video, then click the "YouTube" icon.)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Disclaimers - 0:30

Face Sunscreens for Incidental Exposure - 4:30

Face Sunscreens for Extended Time Outside - 9:10

Body Sunscreens I Would Not Repurchase - 17:23

Body Sunscreens I Would Repurchase - 20:20

Lip Sunscreens - 27:05

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HELPFUL LINKS
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For more info on how sunscreen works, definitely check out Labmuffin's super helpful videos:

Chemical vs. Physical Sunscreen

How Much Sunscreen Do You Need for Your Face?

I used the Skinacea UV Filters chart for this video.

Here is a video on Hawaii's sunscreen ban.

Click here for my full Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint review.

Try This: Create New Lip Colors

I know super huge, macro lip shots freak some people out, but I think it's worth it if it can save us some money. Obviously, lipstick is my weakness, and when I see a blogger wearing an incredible new shade or a makeup artist showcasing a formula with a unique finish, I want to rush out and buy another tube pronto. But the truth of the matter is that I don't have a ton of money to buy new products, and I don't really need them, anyway. When I look at my collection of over a dozen lipsticks, assorted balms, and various pencils, I realize I can make most colors with a bit of mixing.

Take this first lip as an example. Lisa Eldridge did a video showcasing a variety of bright-but-not-stark lip looks, and I was weirdly attracted to this sort of "popsicle"variation. (I say "weirdly" not because it's an odd look, but because glossy isn't usually my style.) I stopped myself from buying a new Korean lipstick and tried mixing shades instead. I used Portrait Peach for the overall color and some Fenty Freckle Fiesta for a bit more depth, and I layered Fresh Sugar Caramel Lip Balm under and over to create that more sheer, shiny finish. Boom: no new lipstick required!

Pencils are also an excellent mixing tool. Using them just around the edges of your mouth is a great way to get a clean shape, create depth, and prevent feathering, but it can also alter the shade of the lipstick on top. Rodin So Mod is a bit too milky and pastel for me to wear on its own, so I always use a dash of NYX Nude Pink around the edges to keep my mouth from disappearing. If you cover your entire lips in the darker, more peach liner, then So Mod becomes a less pastel, but still milky and mod-ish shade. I love this look so much, I've finally decided to let go of MAC Faux lipstick. (It's in the same color family, just more purple and muted, which isn't as flattering on my skintone.)

Granted, this only works if you have a small collection of lip products to begin with. If you only own a couple of lipsticks or a single pencil, your options might be more limited. Yet with one gloss, six pencils, and sixteen lipsticks, my collection is not huge by blogger standards, and I can still come up with a range of new colors. Even if you only have two lip products, it's worth smearing them together to see what you can get.

Also, a word of advice on matte liquid lipsticks: you can still blend most of them. You'll just have to move quicker. Some people do one color on their top lip and another on their bottom, then rub their lips together, but I find that a lot of modern liqui-mattes dry too quickly for this, and it can mess up the lip line. You can try dabbing a bit of each shade on the back of your hand, then blending them together and applying them with a lip brush for precision.

Revisiting First Impressions Videos -- What Stayed?

"First Impressions" videos are incredibly fun, but are regularly subject to a totally valid criticism: you can't properly review a product after one application. So I decided to revisit my recent First Impressions videos and discuss what products I kept, what I immediately purged, and what I finished, but wouldn't repurchase. Hilariously, my first impressions actually matched up to my initial reviews almost perfectly.

So what stayed?

The biggest surprise was the Catrice Long-Lasting Brow Definer, a $5 brow marker I tossed in my Ulta cart on a whim. This easy-to-use product makes it possible for me to get naturally full-looking brows in a minute. It actually ended up on my Best of 2017 list. Unfortunately, it looks like Catrice is discontinuing it; there's only one heavily discounted shade available on Ulta right now. (ETA: Several readers have contacted me to say that this product is still readily available in Europe. Thanks for the info!)

Now, I expected to like the Cream Rouges sent to me by Besame, but I didn't realize just how often I'd wear them. They're perfect for my lazy makeup days because they're so natural, blendable, and multipurpose. I'm especially fond of the red, Crimson Rouge. Still, I can't wear them every day because they contain an ingredient that breaks me out with consistent use.

These were okay, but...

I'm really enjoying the YLS Touche Eclat, and getting a full size tube of the stuff along with a bunch of other interesting samples for a mere $25 was a coup. However, I put it on my 2018 Use It Up list because it's just not worth the price tag. When it's finished, I'll switch back to the Maybelline Dream Lumi Pen in Radiant. If you want a natural highlighter and a soft, glowy undereye corrector, you can get it at a cheaper price.

As for the Dior DiorShow mascara: it gave me fluttery, full lashes, but holy shit, did it reek of perfume. You can smell that stuff as soon as you open the tube. I mean, let's just take a look at my face in that First Impressions video:

 Woof.

Last, but not least, the Ciate Lip Velvet was really lovely, but just not My Thing. I got rid of it for three reasons: I've given up on liquid lipsticks, it's not the sort of liquid lipstick formula I liked to begin with, and I have several red shades that are almost identical. However, if you want a comfortable, smooth, pigmented liquid lipstick that won't dry you out horribly, I'd have no qualms recommending the Ciate range.

Fuck this.

Can we have a moment of silence for my hopes and dreams? Because I was expecting the Colourpop Brow Boss pencil to wow me. Instead, I found the formula difficult to work with, the packaging flimsy, and the spoolie downright painful. I've considered trying their new Brow Boss Gel, but the pencil basically turned me off of the entire range. PS: most of the shades read weirdly yellow on me.

Last, and certainly least, is the MAC Upward Lash mascara. Look, I'm all about unique wands, but only if they function. The non-existent bristles on the Upward Lash wand glomped mascara in wet, greasy pools all over my lashes and smeared product across my eyelids. I usually force myself to finish mascaras, even if I'm not in love with them, but this stuff sucked so hard, I had to toss it.

The Budget: August and September

We're over halfway through the year, and the budget is showing it. To be totally honest, I'm pretty sure I'll end spending closer to $300 cash on new products this year. That's still better than the $1000+ I spent in 2016, but it's a good bit above my goal.

Let me explain why I think I'll break my budget.

What happened in August and September?

At the end of August, I obtained a second job that provides more consistent pay than teaching. I decided to resubscribe to Sephora Play! because this new job would support the $10.60 a month, and because I figured it'd bring new items in to my collection without requiring a big expenditure on my part. This violates one of my goals for the year ("unsubscribe from Sephora Play"), but because my work situation has changed, I'm not horribly offended by that. Besides, the quality of the boxes has started to improve again--if that trend keeps up, it's worth the ten bucks to me.

I've also been busy creating inventories and downsizing some of my products, especially my fragrance collection. While I've still brought plenty of new products in to my stash, I've also paid off every bill ahead of time; namely, I finally got around to buying a passport, which will be necessary for air travel starting in 2018, and I'll have my credit card paid off at the end of October. (To be totally honest, there isn't much on the credit card; I'm just trying to stick to the "minimum payment" every month to build my credit, and the minimum is pretty low.)

What did I buy?

As I said in my previous budget post, I wanted to make August a No Buy month. I succeeded pretty well. The only things I purchased with cash were staples (although I tried the Verb Sea Texture Cream to replace my previous texturizing products and ended up feeling meh about it) and gifts. I got MAC Rebel lipstick via the Back 2 MAC program, wore it twice, quickly realized the shade looks awful on me, and purged it.

Again, I renewed my Sephora Play subscription in September; I decided to include the October box's cost in this budget review since they charge me on the first of the month. I also used store credit to purchase Glossier's new Body Hero products. And since I'm one of three beauty bloggers who doesn't really care for Ulta, I only participated in one day of Ulta's yearly sale. I used a gift card to get two of the Butter London Glazen Eye Glosses (which I'm very excited to review!) and two Catrice brow products. I used PayPal credit to cover the extra shipping costs.

Because several big sales are coming up, and because I have this sample box full o' stuff to try, I'd like to try another month-long No Buy this October, with the obvious exception of the Sephora Play subscription. Honestly, I don't think it'll be tough. I have to buy a plane ticket, and I'd like to start saving up for a new camera, and those two things will really lock up my account.

Even with this No Buy, I think I'll end up going over the $250 budget because I'll be tacking on another $20 for Sephora Play, and I only have one gift card at the ready for the Sephora VIB sale this November. I'm not upset by the idea of going over by $10-20, since shipping costs and taxes alone can tack that on, but I will be a bit miffed with myself if I don't stay near $250.

How are my other goals going?

I'm down to three mini lipsticks in my collection, so I don't know how well that Project Pan goal will go, but otherwise, we're moving along swimmingly. I expect to be done with both the Glossier balm and the Maybelline concealer come Christmas. I may finish the Milk Makeup Blur Stick even sooner because I've been taking it to work for no foundation days.

I've slowed down on the number of foil samples I'm going through, mostly because I'm left with samples of actives and moisturizers, and I'm busy testing similar products in full size. A friend gave me a jar of the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads, for instance, and I only use half a pad each go, so I'm not using my other acid samples. However, I have no doubt that I'll finish at least 50 foil packets by the end of the year.

I've started to come up with some potential goals for 2018. I don't think I'll do another cash budget, but I do have some other interesting goals in mind, like "get down to 5 individual cream blushes" and "don't buy any mascara." If you have any ideas for interesting goals I could try to meet, let me know!

How are your goals for 2017 going?

This Lipstick Calculator Gave Me Heart Palpitations (in a Good Way)

It's not at all shocking that I love lipstick and own a lot of it. I've also accepted that while I may not own as much as some bloggers and YouTubers, I own more than most of my friends, even some of the drag queens. Most of my friends who wear makeup only for work or special occasions and aren't especially in to "beauty" have all of two tubes of lipstick, banged up and lurking in the bottom of their makeup bag or jammed in to a drawer at their desk. That's fine. I've made my peace with this.

I do enjoy every shade I have, though, and I want to make sure I get as much use out of them as possible before they turn. So when somebody on Reddit's Makeup Rehab sub posted a downloadable lipstick calculator, I figured, "Hey, why not? Let's see how long my collection will last." You just plug in how many of each type of lipstick you have, how many grams each of those lipsticks is, how often you wear lipstick, and how often you reapply lipstick when you wear it. Easy! No fuss!

Wait.

Wait a second.

Does that legitimately say that, at the rate I'm going, it'll take me fifteen years to finish my lipsticks?!

Okay, okay, so that's terrifying. But you know, I estimated that I only wear lipstick three times a week. I sometimes wear it more frequently, say 4 or 5 times a week. Let's try that! That might be less scary.

Technically, 9 years is much better than 15. And to be totally fair, there are some lipsticks you'll reapply more than 3 times a day; I wore Glossier Crush to work yesterday, for instance, and because it was a long day with a lot of talking, I reapplied the lipstick a solid 4 or 5 times. You also have to layer lipsticks like the Glossier Generation Gs for the color to show up.

But even then, that's a bit of a cop-out. For every lipstick I reapply frequently, there's one that needs touched up once a day tops, like the Besame reds or the iron-clad Lime Crime Velvetines. I may wear those Glossier lipsticks to work from time to time, but when I really want to look good for a while, I go for those fullproof formulas that almost never need reapplied unless you've eaten a big meal.

Most importantly, years of lipstick is still years of lipstick. And I have yet to meet the lipstick that lasts a decade.

I'm already on a lipstick no buy for the rest of 2017, and I'm doing pretty well. I've received a few new shades as gifts (MAC High Drama and Tom Ford Indian Rose), and I took advantage of the Back2MAC recycling program to get MAC Rebel. But I haven't gone out of my way to buy new lipsticks, even when a sale was happening. Instead, I've tried to pay attention to what's already in my collection.

Since things have shifted a bit since this tip post, I figured I'd do some more calculations. I still have, for me, a shocking amount of nude-type shades in my collection: 5 each, constituting half of what I own. Counting the number of lipsticks, though, didn't seem like an accurate way to assess what I have and what I need to finish up. So I added up how many grams I have of each shade. This actually shifts the numbers a bit:

I see this and I say, "Man, how is it that over a quarter of my lipstick collection is peach?!" Well, it's because two of my five peach lipsticks are quite hefty--NARS Apoline and NARS Raquel are 4.2 grams each. By contrast, my one brown lipstick is my mini Besame Chocolate Kiss, which only contains 1 gram of product.

I've decided to combine these charts with how old my lipsticks are and how often I reapply each shade. Most of that purple pie chart slice represents new shades (MAC Rebel and High Drama), and Glossier Jam is relatively easy to run through because it's sheer and needs reapplied regularly. Other tubes have been around for quite a while, and I drag my feet on using them for different reasons. I'm still mildly paranoid about finishing MAC Scarlet Ibis, for example, because it was a limited edition shade and one of my most perfect reds. But this is a silly way to think, because it'll just go bad if I don't use it, pretty much every lipstick shade is dupable, and--most importantly--this lipstick calculator has shown me just how long my collection will last me.

I won't be continuing the lipstick no buy in 2018, just because I'd like the option to replace a lipstick if it goes bad or try a new formula that piques my interest. But I have a strong feeling that these calculations will make me hesitant to expand my collection. For instance: if I buy a new lipstick, I'll likely want to purge one that's already in my collection so I can keep up. Realizing that I own 56.3 grams of lipstick, and a single gram lasts the average person many months? That was another wakeup call I needed on my "save more money" journey.

The Budget: May, June, and July

Part of life is failing to meet all of your goals, then learning to accept it. In this case, I'd hoped that I'd still have at least $100 left in my beauty budget by the time we hit the halfway point. That's not what happened here: I only have $61.81 remaining.

What happened in May, June, and July?

May was not a spend-free month for me for several reasons. One, Besame released a new lipstick, Portrait Peach. They also restocked Portrait Pink. I've wanted the pink shade forever, the peach made me think of Audrey Hepburn, and Besame makes my current favorite traditional lipstick formula. So I decided to purchase them, then declutter my collection and begin a lipstick no buy for the rest of 2017. Two, I managed to hit some great sales--but more on that in a moment.

My partner flew over to visit me at the beginning of June and stayed for two months. Obviously, him being here took up most of my attention, and the amount of money I spent on new products dropped. What I did buy was often purchased with PayPal credit from my most recent blogsale, store credit, or a gift card. I've become kind of stingy about spending cash on things, especially if I'm not liking the "freebies" that will be included with my order, and because of that, I'm more likely than ever to wait to purchase something.

Also, I obtained a second job. I don't plan on using the extra money I make to pay for beauty products; I'm more concerned with things like paying for a passport.

What did I buy?

Over this three month period, I purchased five staple replacements with cash: my Buxom Show Some Skin foundation, another pack of Shiseido Facial Cottons, a full size of the Kat Von D Lock It Concealer, and liquid eyeliner and mascara from the drugstore. I used Glossier store credit twice, once to replace a staple: my niece gacked on my sweater, so I decided to purchase another one, and I'll just keep the stained one for sleeping.

The biggest deal I managed to snag was a Sephora Chic It Easy set for $25. I'd wanted the set for a while, but it was originally $49, and I just couldn't justify it on my budget. When they dropped the price to $25, people went nuts--I mean, the YSL Touche Eclat alone is worth more than that! So it kept going in and out of stock. When it came back one afternoon and I happened to notice it, I used a gift card to snag one as fast as I could.

As for new products I spent my money on, I purchased a few things besides the aforementioned Besame lipsticks. I've been on a quest to find the perfect face sunscreen for my dry, dehydrated, reactive skin, so I snagged four on eBay. Unfortunately, I didn't pay as much attention to the sunscreen filters as I should have, so one of them is a sunscreen without UVA1 protection (Mommy UV Mild Gel). Had I checked that before purchasing, I definitely would've selected another sunscreen or just stuck with three. Colourpop released a new $6 concealer as well, and since I had a $5 coupon that would basically pay for shipping, I decided to buy the lightest warm shade for me and the darkest shade for swatches.

While these are mostly things I really wanted, and some of them are products I've wanted for years (ie, Besame Portrait Pink), I'm still a little panicked about how little I have left in my beauty budget. There are several products on my Sephora favorites list that are just calling to me, and I only barely managed to avoid the Nordstrom Anniversary sale this past month. $61.81 is nothing in the face of upcoming Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and winter holiday sales.

With that in mind, I've decided to commit to another month of "just don't buy shit" this August. There are two exceptions I'll be making. One is for Glossier's Wowder; I had enough store credit to purchase each shade they released, and I'd like to complete that review and those swatches so they can be a useful resource for anybody interested in the product. (The shades that are too dark for me will be given to friends after I've swatched them.) I also forgot to buy my friend a birthday gift when I was in Sephora with him last week, so I'll be ordering him one of the Stila glitter shadows he's wanted and grabbing a relatively affordable hair care product to replace some stuff I've finished. But other things I've been lusting after? They can wait until autumn. To keep better track of this, I've updated my budget spreadsheet so that "August" now stands on its own, and "September and October" share a slot.

In the meantime, I hope the start of the fall semester and training for this new job will keep me too busy to fuss over new releases.

How are my other goals going?

My casual Project Pan is going slower than I'd like. I certainly haven't finished a mini lipstick, which I knew was going to be the toughest goal for me. My Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint barely has a dent in it, mostly because in summer, I occasionally go full glam and mostly just skip foundation. There's slow but steady progress on the Maybelline Dream Lumi Pen, which should be empty (or close to it) by the end of the year. The biggest progress is definitely on my Glossier Mint Balm Dot Com, which was roughly 2/3 full and is now maybe 1/3 full; I used more of it than I expected this summer because my partner hates the taste of coconut and wouldn't kiss me if I was wearing my personal favorite Balm Dot Com flavor. I also finished the two skincare deluxe samples from the original post; unfortunately, neither was worth a repurchase for me.

I'm back at it! This makes for 36 finished foils. Neither of these is worth a full size purchase, in my opinion. #empties #projectpan #useitup #downsizing #shampoo #conditioner #haircare #drybar #alterna

A post shared by Renee (@reneesanatomy) on Jul 27, 2017 at 8:04am PDT

Speaking of samples: my quest to finish as many foil packets and deluxe samples as possible is going well! At the time of this post, I've finished 36 foils and 24 deluxe samples. I'm actually a bit surprised by how much makeup I'm finishing this summer, including several liquid eyeliners and the usual slew of mascaras.

My "free swag" hasn't been wowing me as much as I'd hoped lately, though. Recently, two companies offered to send me free products to test, went through obtaining my address and working out a deal with me, and then ghosted me when I reminded them that I only write honest reviews. Frankly, it's shocking to me how unprofessional some of these smaller brands are. If you've changed your mind about working with me because you're frightened I'll say something bad about your stuff, send me an email expressing that. Don't just disappear. I've also gotten a few new things from Influenster, and while I usually like the products' formulas, they have an awful habit of sending me the wrong shades.

"Be less wasteful" is the one goal where I feel like I'm still making strides. My mother in law recently offered to make me a carrying case for my reusable straws, for example, so that will make it easier to take them to restaurants. I'm trying to make even more food from scratch to cut down on waste from wrappers and boxes. For example, I always buy regular bags of things like nuts and portion them out in small tupperware instead of buying individual 100 calorie packs, and I've learned how to make popcorn on the stove so I won't buy bags of microwave popcorn anymore. And since the weather has been so temperate, I'm hanging some of my clothing outside instead of running the dryer whenever it's feasible.

Regardless, it's been a great summer overall, but a tough period for sticking to my beauty goals. I'm hoping for a smoother go of it in the coming months!

How are your goals for 2017 going?

What We Pack For Outdoor Day Trips

Let's give it up for Kirby being my Vanna White for the day!

I mentioned possibly writing a post about what Kirby and I take on our outdoor day trips, and I received a surprising amount of "That'd be awesome!"-type comments. So here it is: a quick overview of what we like to pack! This is the stuff that keeps us fed, dry, and safe from ticks while we take long walks through the forest or faff about on a canoe.

An important note: this is what we pack for a casual day trip in a safe, well-populated, well-maintained state park. It is not enough for more intense outdoor activities, like a weekend hike through the mountains. Always read up on the necessary equipment for a longer or more intense trip.

If you're hiking in the Appalachians for a week or completing a 70 mile bike ride across Pennsylvania's more rugged terrain, you probably have some of the best equipment on the market, including a top-of-the-line backpack. I do not. I have a backpack that I bought for $5 at my local Goodwill. I give zero shits about the fact that it's pink or a "Polo" product; I care that it has tons of pockets, is lightweight, and is super easy to clean. (I scrub mine down with lukewarm water and Dr. Bronner's soap.)

Most thrift stores I've visited have an entire box full of cheap backpacks for you to sift through, many of them in like new condition. If that's not an option, stalk the stores shortly after the school year begins and see if any of the backpacks go on sale, or check in at an army surplus store. Last, but not least, you can give a shout on social media and see if anybody has a spare backpack they'd give you. A few of my older friends with high school aged children say that their kids change backpacks every year, so they've often got an extra bag stuffed in a corner.

Now for the goods in the bag!

• A tarp. Most public parks have picnic tables, but sometimes, we just want to sit out on the grass. Yeah, a picnic blanket is prettier and more romantic, but it won't keep your butt dry if the ground is still wet from a recent rainstorm. Tarps are also easy to clean and cheap to buy; this 5'x7' blue one cost me about $10.
• A map. All of the public parks in my area provide free maps. You can also print one out before you leave the house.
• Extra socks. It doesn't matter if you plan on going in or even near the water: there's the possibility your feet will get sopping wet, and few things are more uncomfortable than wet socks. I always pack an extra pair for each of us. If we're actually going swimming (which almost never happens, since Kirby isn't a fan), I bring an entire change of clothes, my swimsuit, and a towel.
• Sandals, if we're canoeing (not pictured). You often have to step in to the water a bit to get in and out of your canoe, and my graceful self always manages to splash water in to the boat.
• A poncho. We avoid rain like the plague, but you never know in Western Pennsylvania. A poncho is easier than an umbrella, since it leaves your hands free. 
• Plastic freezer bags. We keep a few of these in the backpack so we can keep a few essentials in the canoe without worrying about them getting wet. And by "essentials," I mean "my phone," since I keep forgetting to buy a cheap-o watch so we can return our rented canoe on time. I really need to get an actual water-resistant case when I have the chance, I know.
• Bug repellent. I draw mosquitoes like no other and Kirby is terrified of ticks, so we always coat ourselves in bug spray. We've been using Off! Deep Woods VIII for a while now and are relatively impressed with it. It reeks to high Heaven, but it does a pretty good job of keeping most bugs away from us and it doesn't feel heavy or greasy on our skin and clothes.

While we don't usually go on longer hikes, and we're generally good about staying on the designated walking paths outlined by the parks department, I'm still in the habit of bringing a little extra safety equipment. Pictured above: an LED headlamp, a compass, a lighter, and a safety knife. Altogether, this equipment cost me less than $20 and was totally worth it to ease my paranoid mind.

Not pictured is the small-but-powerful LED flashlight, chemical mace, and safety whistle I have on my key chain. If you're going to bring a whistle in case you get lost or hurt, make sure you bring an actual safety whistle; mine is a Shoreline Marine whistle that cost me a couple of bucks and can be heard for several miles. The basic whistle code is one whistle to announce your location, two as a call back, three to call for help.

There's also an assortment of first aid stuff that we keep in a Glossier pouch. Yes, you read that right: we use a Glossier pouch. It has nothing to do with them being "cute" or "hip;" they're just the right size, lightly padded, and easily replaced if they get damaged.

Inside the pouch:

• Tampons, because I have a uterus and whatnot.
• Bandaids and Neosporin. Despite being supremely clumsy, I almost never get cuts when we're in the woods, but better safe than sorry. Hilariously, I actually use Neosporin more on my cat's popped chin pimples than on myself.
• Benadryl Cream. We pack this for two reasons. One, lakes are full of bugs, and even with an extreme amount of bug spray on our personages, we can still get bit. Two, I have trouble with chronic hives that can appear out of nowhere. Both are horribly itchy situations that can ruin a trip, so we nip the itch in the bud with this ointment.
• A hairbrush. This cheap, plastic brush was given to my partner by the airport when they misplaced his luggage. Stylish? No. Comfortable? Not really. Effective? Eh, it works well enough if I topple out of the canoe and have to brush out my wet hair to prevent tangles.
• Body Glide. I've written an entire post about this stuff, I love it so much, so definitely check that out for more details. I'll just add this: I won't go on any sort of walk, vacation, or day trip without Body Glide these days, and my chubby thighs are eternally grateful. 
• Moleskin. Getting in to hiking and boating exposed me to moleskin, and holy shit, how did I not know about this stuff before? Basically, it's soft cotton padding, usually sold with an adhesive back so you can adhere it to your skin. What do you use it for? Blisters. Guys, this stuff is fucking mana in the wilderness if you have a blister and you want to stop the rubbing. Maybe I'm being a bit intense, but trust me, it's essential if you're spending time outdoors. You can sometimes buy moleskin that comes in pre-cut little circles, but we usually buy the full pads and cut it to size.
• A nail kit, primarily for the tweezers and the scissors. These are useful for splinters and cutting moleskin, respectively.
• Ibuprofen 800mgs. We rarely use these on the trip itself, since we stay home if one of us gets a bad headache, but again, better safe than sorry. I actually had to pop one on a trip last month because my period snuck up on me, and I started having back pain on the way to the lake. 20 minutes after popping one of these, I was pain-free and ready to row.
• Extra sunscreen. We always slather on a thick layer of Blue Lizard Sensitive before leaving the house, and that will hold us for our walk and our picnic. If we're going to be outside for more than a couple of hours, though, we obviously have to touch-up, and that's easiest with a travel-size spray. We're currently using Banana Boat Sun Comfort, since it was one of the few sprays to get an "excellent" rating from the most recent Consumer Report. (NOTE: Again, Kirby and I usually don't go swimming; if you do, you may want to make sure your sunscreen has marine life-friendly filters.) I'm also carrying the Sun Bum SPF30 lip balm. I don't love it, but it's cheap, so, I mean...I won't weep if it gets ruined. In the bag it goes.

Kirby and I are also the picnicking sort...and even if you aren't, you should probably bring some food if you plan on being out for more than an hour or two. You should also eat a filling, but not too heavy, breakfast. My personal favorite? Oatmeal. It's so damn easy to make, very filling, and provides plenty of energy.

The basic oatmeal recipe is one part rolled oats to two parts liquid, but you can of course add extras to spice it up. My pre-hike oatmeal for the two of is 2/3 cup of oats, 1 1/3 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Pour it all in to a pot and stir it regularly over medium-low heat until the oats soften and the liquid thickens. I like to top that with a cup of fresh blueberries and chopped strawberries for each of us.

For lunch, I try to once again focus on "filling, but not heavy." I drop some reusable ice packs in to the cooler, then add sandwiches (a half for me, a whole for Kirby), a beverage for each of us, some raw vegetables with ranch or hummus for dipping, small containers of nuts, and a yogurt for each of us. I also throw in a fiber bar for each of us on the long car ride home. I fill a plastic freezer bag with ice, then put our water bottles on top. (The bonus with this method? You can steal some ice cubes out of the bag and drop them in your bottles if the water starts to heat up throughout the day.) These Brita bottles are nice if you plan on refilling them at the park and the water fountains are a bit suspect, but honestly, I just like them because they're soft and easy to squeeze.

I should note that we almost never eat everything I pack. On this trip, for instance, I didn't eat my yogurt and Kirby didn't touch his cashews, so we just took them home. Always dispose of your trash properly!

Last, washable hats! I highly recommend a hat with a brim that goes all the way around, like mine, so you can get some extra protection on your ears and the back of your neck as well. Kirby is addicted to his baseball hat, though, and that's better than nothing. "Washable" is key, because these get covered in sweat and sunscreen throughout the day, and we purposely blast them with bug spray to keep the gnats and flies off of our faces. It works, but at the end of the day, they are beyond smelly. All we have to day is toss them in the washer on a delicate cycle and hang them to dry.

So that's what a couple of filthy casuals like us takes on a day trip outdoors. If you think we're missing something incredibly important, or you have a few favorites of your own for outdoor adventures, please let us know! We're considering saving up for prescription sunglasses, for instance--any thoughts on that investment?