Recent Acquisitions, Pale Foundation Swatches, and More

I took this picture and immediately scolded myself. "How, how, HOW did this happen?!" I screeched internally, wondering what possessed me to spend all of my non-existent money on this pile of stuff. Then I remember that I swapped for half of this, was gifted another chunk of it (thank you, seriously!), and got the rest on sale. Oh, and there's a ton of samples, too. That always bulks up a haul.

First, the basics: I repurchased the Paula's Choice Sheer Matte Tint in Level 1, because it's a staple. Although it's darker than my neck, it's sheer enough that I can get away with it, and it's perfect for work or I'm-in-a-rush days. The NARS Sheer Glow was an incredibly sweet gift, as are the samples in the middle and the Chanel cream blush in Fantastic. :) Bobbi Brown Skin foundation was one of my Friends & Family sale purchases; I'm testing it out right now, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it just yet. Will review it shortly.

My other F&F purchases were Shiseido cottons (a staple) and the Hourglass Opaque Rogue Liquid Lipstick in Ballet. This looks like a soft, mid-tone pink in most of the photos I see...maybe I got a dud, but this shade is definitely a berry-fuchsia on me, much darker than I expected. It's not BAD, but I'm not sure it flatters me. I'll probably send it back for one of the other shades. The Urban Decay Perversion mascara was a Sephora 100 point perk. I also bought the It Cosmetics CC Cream in Fair and Hourglass ORLL in Edition from Reddit/blogsales.

This is me wearing Bobbi Brown Skin and Hourglass Ballet. There's no denying that Skin photographs beautifully, but macro shots in my review will show that I haven't managed to wrangle it yet. I'm going to give it a third try, and if I'm not satisfied, it'll also be going back. :/ On the bright side, I received my VIB cards in the mail, so I can still get 20% off of my exchange products.

And I think you can see that Ballet looks very, very berry on me. So sad. :( I was hoping for something softer/milkier and lighter.

Also on my face: Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx01 for spot concealing, Anastasia Dipbrow in Taupe (reviewing soon, really, I am just so behind), L'oreal Miss Manga mascara, Cargo Catalina blush, MUFE Uplight #11, Wet n' Wild liquid eyeliner, and Milani Liquid Eyes pencil. I didn't wear any powder or primer because I wanted to test Bobbi Brown Skin on it's lonesome; the next time I wear it, I'm adding my sunscreens, which double as primers.

Here are some swatches of my newest foundation acquisitions. Be prepared to see this photo multiple times, because I hate reswatching a base product unless it's necessary. *lazy*

Natural light on top, flash on bottom. From left to right: Bobbi Brown Skin liquid foundation in 00 Alabaster, NARS Sheer Glow liquid foundation in Light 1 Siberia, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx02, It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream in Fair.

The first three are in the N10 range, while the It CC Cream looks more like an N15 product to me--we'll see how it looks when I apply it. NARS Siberia has strong cool yellow undertones, which bodes well for me. BB Alabaster and KA Sx02 are slightly pink.

As a final note, I've complete 25 tops! Here are all of the lipsticks I decided to purge:

1. MAC Neon Orange
2. MAC Sounds Like Noise [LE]
3. NARS Cruella
4. NARS Roman Holiday
5. Lipstick Queen Saint Berry
6. Bite Madeira
7. Beauty Cosmetics Flouron
9. Bite Pomegranate
10. Revlon Back Cherry
11. Elizabeth Arden Poppy Cream
12. MAC Impassioned
13. Laura Mercier Mulberry lip stain

Don't forget: I'm giving away a free Kevyn Aucoin lash curler!

25 Tops: Lipstick Queen Pink Sinner

Let me get this out of the way: I've been dealing with something akin to face dysmorphic disorder. I obsess over my face, my skin, and my makeup all throughout the day; I look at myself in every mirror in the house, and I'm never satisfied. I'm not 100% sure what's going on with me, but I think it's a combination of aging changing my skin ever so slightly and general stress. Logically, I know there's nothing wrong with my skin, and there are so many people with bigger problems: painful acne, aching rosacea flare-ups, fungal infections...I'm just having a moment. So please bear with me while I try to get myself back in balance.

All of this being said, I'm currently trying to find a foundation that can replace MAC Face & Body. It's still quite beautiful on my skin, but my bottles are getting old (they're from January 2011). While I keep the bottles in the fridge, and while they seem to be functioning properly, I get a little icked out putting a 3 1/2 year old product all over my face. Before I shell out $70 to replace them, I'd like to see if I can find something with medium coverage that matches me out of the bottle.

This flash photograph provides the best representation of the colors. I don't wear Lipstick Queen Pink Sinner very often, but I think that's because I mostly wear bright lips, and if I don't, I wear something strong enough on the eye that I feel better with quite a pale lip. Pink Sinner doesn't fit that bill: it's a slightly warm, mid-tone pink that gives a distinct rosebud look. Really, I should wear it more. It's a KEEP for now! What do you guys think?

I'm going to PURGE NARS Penny Lane, however, because it's too brown for my skin. The Wet n' Wild Nude Awakening palette, I'm...not so sure about. I LOVE the super-pale shade in the top left, and there's less fallout with Nude Awakening than with other WnW palettes. But a lot of the other shades seem really sheer. Hum...that's a MAYBE. I also PURGED my Makeup Forever HD Pressed Powder recently. I'd originally bought it for my mom, but she's not wowed by it, and I never really use it.

For reference, here's the FOTD in natural light on a cloudy day (aka, a regular day in Pennsylvania), and with flash on a standard definition camera:

KEEP PILE:
1. Hourglass Muse
2. Hourglass Riviera
3. Hourglass Icon (mini-size)
4. Chanel Dragon [D/C]
5. Lancome Pale Lip
6. Bite Beauty Velvet
7. Lipstick Queen Saint Pinky Nude
8. Lipstick Queen Jean Queen
9. MAC Scarlet Ibis [LE]
10. MAC Viva Glam Nicki [LE]
11. Urban Decay Native
12. MAC Candy Yum Yum
13. Lipstick Queen Sinner Bright Rose
14. Lipstick Queen Sinner Pink

PURGE PILE:
1. MAC Neon Orange
2. MAC Sounds Like Noise [LE]
3. NARS Cruella
4. NARS Roman Holiday
5. Lipstick Queen Saint Berry
6. Bite Madeira
7. Beauty Cosmetics Flouron
9. Bite Pomegranate

MAYBE PILE:
1. MAC Impassioned
2. Elizabeth Arden Poppy Cream

NEW STUFF:
1. MAC Relentlessly Red
2. MAC Sushi Kiss

STOLEN:
1. MAC Please Me

 LEFT TO CONSIDER/TEST:
1. MAC Petals and Peacocks [LE]
2. MAC Party Parrot [LE]
3. Bite Quince
4. Bite Cranberry
5. MAC Betty Bright [LE]
6. MAC Ruby Woo
7. Lipstick Queen Rose Sinner
8. MAC Viva Glam VI Special Edition [LE]
9. Laura Mercier Mulberry lip stain
10. Maybelline Super Stay Non-Stop Red
11. MAC Lady Danger
12. Revlon Black Cherry
13. MAC Girl About Town

25 Tops: MAC Candy Yum Yum

There are some products that I just KNOW I'm not going to get rid of, but I feel like I should give them a real test regardless. Enter MAC Candy Yum Yum: a matte lipstick so neon, it makes most others look positively plain.

Oooh, alliteration! *English teacher*

A blue-based, neon pink with great wear time, Candy Yum Yum definitely goes in to my KEEP pile. No, I don't get to wear it often (it's not exactly work appropriate), but it's a showstopper when I go out for the night. You can also blot this on for a stain that's absolutely wearable, so keep that in mind!

Surprisingly, just about everything else in this pile is a KEEP: my Makeup Forever Uplight in #11 (I wish they made a white/pearl shade with this dewy finish!), my Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, and the Kiss Me Touch Me Lip2Cheek in 02 Peach (actually a pink color, but whatevs). This particular shade of KA SSE is Sx02, which is darker and more pink than Sx01. I think Sx01 is a better match for me, so I'll probably stick with that in the future when I repurchase, but I can get away with Sx02, right?

PS: I noticed that my Lipstick Queen Bright Rose Sinner lipstick wasn't on the list, and yeah, it has to stay. It was a gift from my mommy! :)

This puts me at about the halfway point as far as my lipstick collection is concerned..so it's time to be discerning! Man, this is gonna be tough.


KEEP PILE:
1. Hourglass Muse
2. Hourglass Riviera
3. Hourglass Icon (mini-size)
4. Chanel Dragon [D/C]
5. Lancome Pale Lip
6. Bite Beauty Velvet
7. Lipstick Queen Saint Pinky Nude
8. Lipstick Queen Jean Queen
9. MAC Scarlet Ibis [LE]
10. MAC Viva Glam Nicki [LE]
11. Urban Decay Native
12. MAC Candy Yum Yum
13. Lipstick Queen Sinner Bright Rose

PURGE PILE:
1. MAC Neon Orange
2. MAC Sounds Like Noise [LE]
3. NARS Cruella
4. NARS Roman Holiday
5. Lipstick Queen Saint Berry
6. Bite Madeira
7. Beauty Cosmetics Flouron

MAYBE PILE:
1. MAC Impassioned
2. Elizabeth Arden Poppy Cream

NEW STUFF:
1. MAC Relentlessly Red
2. MAC Sushi Kiss

STOLEN:
1. MAC Please Me

25 Tops: MAC Please Me (sort of) and UD Native, plus a "Skincare State of the Union"

Please note that there is no top image for this post. That's because the lipstick I was going to toss in to this challenge, MAC Please Me, was recently stolen from me. What had happened was...I took a bag containing several personal items, including some makeup, into the bathroom at work on Wednesday. I wasn't feeling well and I was a bit out of it, so I forgot the bag in the bathroom. Right before my class, I realized the bag was missing; I looked everywhere and couldn't find it. Nobody has returned the bag or contacted me (my information was inside). So they made off with a lot of personal items, including my MAC Blot Powder, my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (an HG product)...and, I realized today when I reached for them and came up empty, my MAC Please Me lipstick and my Bobbi Brown Tutu gloss.

I was so upset, I almost cried on the spot. I don't say this because I want you to pity me and send me free things--my life is not that hard, and I always tell people to donate their money to worthwhile charities instead--but rather because it was a moment when I felt incredible pain. I don't make a lot of money, and these were items I'd worked hard for. And because most people aren't as pale as I am, I sincerely doubt that the thief will even be able to use what they stole. They stole that bag probably thinking there was money in it, and when they checked and realized it was just personal items, they probably...well, they might've used some of the stuff, but it's more likely that they just chucked my hard work in to a dumpster.

But I decided, "I am NOT going to let this person defeat me." I put on UD Native instead. And I realized that I truly, truly love this lipstick, even more than the Please Me/Tutu combination. I am not a vengeful person, but I am honest. Here's the truth: selfish, greedy people always get their comeuppance. And I will look flawless, no matter how much of my stuff you steal.

BASE: MAC Face & Body in N1 + White, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx02, Dolce & Gabbana powder foundation in 50 Ivory

EYES: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in #02, Wet n' Wild Comfort Zone palette, Wet n' Wild eyeshadow in Brulee, Shu Uemura brow pencil in Seal Brown, CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara, Anastasia clear brow gel

CHEEKS: Scott Barnes Chic Palette in Posh [D/C]

LIPS: Urban Decay Revolution lipstick in Native

 .

In other news, my skin has changed a good deal over the past 6 months or so. I think it's a mixture of aging, hormones, and stress. I'm experiencing lots of tiny bumps on my forehead (I think they're clogged pores), more sensitivity and acne, and a much oilier t-zone than I previously did. So I've been slowly switching out my products to figure out what might be causing the change in texture; namely, I've replaced konjac sponges with baby washcloths (because the latter are washable), and I've started using my mother's CeraVe PM cream. I'll try to keep you guys posted!

25 Tops: Beaute Liqui-Gel Stain in Flouron

When it comes to cool, unlike-any-other lip formulas, few products can top my Beaute Cosmetics Liqui-Gel Stain in Flouron. I gave this bright beauty a rave review, and it was well-deserved: this is definitely a long-wearing product with plenty of pigment and a relatively comfortable feel. Also, it looks cool. I always get a mixture of compliments and questions when I wear this stuff. It somehow manages to sink in to the lips and stay bright. Awesome!

But I think it's time for Flouron to move on.

I stand by my initial review. In a nutshell, this is a bright pink lip stain with a slightly powdery feel. It can be used on the cheeks, but tends to dry too fast for my tastes. It can also be layered. All in all, a very cool and unusual formula.

But I don't reach for Flouron much. And I'm starting to realize why: it's not as versatile as my other "neon pink," MAC Viva Glam Nicki I. Think about it: I can dab VG Nicki on for a soft pink stain or apply it full-force for loads of color; you can't really sheer out Flouron. Flouron's texture means it's always going to look "soft-edged" on my mouth, but usually I want the harder line that a traditional lipstick can give me. Flouron stains the lips for about 2 days, even after I've used an oil-based makeup remover, but VG Nicki wipes clean away when I'm done.

Also, every once in a while, this happens with the Beaute stain:

Nothing in particular seems to cause the transfer. I just have days where this product wants to slip right to the center of my lips and look like a disgusting ring around the inside of my mouth.

The Beaute stains are still 5 out of 5 products, but I'm downsizing here, and I can't afford to be sentimental or lenient. Since I have another bright pink that does roughly the same job, but better, I have to declare Beaute Flouron a PURGE and MAC Viva Glam Nicki I and KEEP.

Also, I've decided to PURGE Bite Madeira after all. Just not as flattering on me as I'd like.

CURRENTLY IN THE KEEP PILE: 
1. Hourglass ORLL in Muse 
2. Hourglass ORLL in Riviera 
3. Hourglass ORLL in Icon (mini size) 
4. Chanel RAL in Dragon (DC)
5. Lancome Pale Lip
6. Bite Beauty HPP in Velvet
7. Lipstick Queen Saint in Pinky Nude
8. Lipstick Queen Jean Queen
9. MAC ML in Scarlet Ibis
10. MAC SL in Viva Glam Nicki
11. Urban Decay Revolution lipstick in Native

CURRENTLY IN THE PURGE PILE: 
1. MAC ACL in Neon Orange 
2. MAC SL in Sounds Like Noise (LE)
3. NARS VMLP in Cruella
4. NARS VMLP in Roman Holiday
5. Lipstick Queen Saint in Berry
6. Bite HPP in Madeira
7. Beaute Cosmetics Liqui-Gel Stain in Flouron
 
CURRENTLY IN THE MAYBE PILE: 1. MAC ACL in Impassioned 
2. Elizabeth Arden Poppy Cream

NEW STUFF:
1. MAC RML in Relentlessly Red
2. MAC SL in Sushi Kiss

25 Tops: Bite Madeira

I am so, so lazy when it comes to eyeshadow. If I feel like I'm being too boring with that whole "I just want bright lipsticks!" thing, I try to wear eyeshadow, and it never really flatters me. Not to mention the fact that if I do decide to wear eyeshadow these days, I will almost always default to two stupidly easy options:

1. Slapping on a cream, like Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Epatant, and acting like I put in a lot of effort.
2. Blending a bunch of orange-and-gold junk on my eyes, because it's kinda neutral and it's hard to completely screw up.

Because I don't want to be super-duper boring, I threw on option #2 and whipped out the nude lipstick. Then I realized that this will be the third "25 Tops" post in a row to focus on orange products, and I just gave up.

Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Madeira has always been an "iffy" product for me. On the one hand, I love that freaking formula to bits, and it's the only opaque nude I've owned that doesn't make me look like I ate a messy chocolate bar. On the other hand, I don't think it's the most flattering shade in my arsenal; it's still a bit dark and brown, in my opinion, and I feel like the undertones can exacerbate the sallowness at the corners of my mouth.

But I've been keeping it because, again, I don't own any other opaque nudes (so it fills a niche), and of course, my mom love love LOVES it. (If you're new here: my mom hates my bold lipsticks, but will go bonkers for nudes and soft, girly pinks.) Although I'm a big girl and I wear what I want most of the time, I have a soft spot for makeup my mom actually likes on me.

And it kinda gives me that "supermodel" lip color you see in a lot of 90s photos, which I have a weakness for:

So for now, Bite Madeira is in the MAYBE pile. Joining it is the MAC lipliner in Subculture, which I also worry is a bit brown for me. The 3 eyeshadows I used the most for this look--MAC Woodwinked, Urban Decay X, and Urban Decay Foxy (I think?)--will also stick around, because they don't take up very much room aaaaand I don't have any other orange shades. Also, I should probably purge my flesh-colored MAC Chromagraphic pencil because it's not an everyday product for me, but I'm disgusting and I love that overdone pseudo-60s look, SO THERE.

I also re-tested Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara and the Hourglass Veil primer. Both of those products are "pretty good," in my opinion, and I wouldn't mind recommending them to others. But I just have other products in my collection that I think work as well, if not better, and are more suited to my skin type and personal tastes.

25 Tops: Lancome Pale Lip

We all know I'm not the best about utilizing nude lipsticks. But what you might not know is that there are also days when I want to wear makeup, but I don't want to function that much. I mean, yes, it's usually a relaxing experience, a creative experiment I relish. There are always those days, though, when I want it on my face instantly. I don't want to fuss with foundation, I don't want to fiddle with 50 products, and I don't want to perfect my lip line. Those are my days for lazy eyeliner and an "I can smear this on and nobody will know I didn't exercise restraint" lipstick.

So on this particular day, I decided to use a bit of concealer and powder for my base, and I brushed up my brows to add some "interest" to an otherwise lazy makeup look. It may be "brighter" than what I normally do, but trust me, it's lazy.

Lancome Pale Lip was a gift from a subscriber during my YouTube heyday. Even if I didn't care for the color, I would probably cling to it because of that sentimental value. (I like to pretend I've gotten over the whole "But it was a gift!" mentality, but it still rears its head from time to time.) Luckily, I actually like this lipstick. It's sheer, creamy, and not-that-long-lasting, which pushes it out of my usual wheel house. But as you can probably tell, it fills a specific function: it lightens and softens my natural lip color without looking gray or ashy. That's not something I need often, because again, I'm generally quite lazy and bland with my eye makeup. But I do like the look from time to time. This lipstick is therefore on the KEEP list.

I'm also putting RMS Beauty's Living Luminizer on the KEEP list. Even if I didn't like this product on my face, I would keep it around for my mom's sake; it looks really beautiful on her skin. (She doesn't wear makeup too often, so if she needs it, I just hand it over to her; otherwise, it stays in my travel makeup bag.) My MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in Genuine Orange, however, is going in the PURGE pile. It's a lovely, creamy pencil with decent staying power when I use it on the lips, but because I decided to keep an orange that doesn't need lipliner, it can't serve that purpose anymore. I tested it on the eyes here, and while I love the fun pop of color, it's a little too creamy for that purpose. It was hard to get a sharp wing, and you can see how it transferred in to my crease, despite the fact that I used a primer and powdered over it. This fun pencil deserves a new home.

As a side note, I decided to PURGE both of my NARS Velvet Matte lip pencils. While they are truly beautiful, and I would gladly recommend them to most people, they aren't as long-wearing as similar colors in my collection. More specifically, they have a lot of silicone-y slip that makes it difficult to get a super-sharp lip line, and they can smear throughout the day. That's a plus for people who want a matte color that want dry their lips out, but like I've said: I usually want my bright, matte lipsticks to behave like carpaint.

I wore my Bite Beauty lip pencil in Velvet to my sister's wedding picnic recently, and I let her borrow my Lipstick Queen Saint Pinky Nude, and both of those are currently in the KEEP pile. Lipstick Queen Saint Berry, however, just doesn't flatter my skintone, so it's been PURGED.

CURRENTLY IN THE KEEP PILE:
1. Hourglass ORLL in Muse
2. Hourglass ORLL in Riviera
3. Hourglass ORLL in Icon (mini size)
4. Chanel RAL in Dragon (DC)
5. Lancome Pale Lip
6. Bite Beauty HPP in Velvet
7. Lipstick Queen Saint in Pinky Nude

CURRENTLY IN THE PURGE PILE:
1. MAC ACL in Neon Orange
2. MAC SL in Sounds Like Noise (LE)
3. NARS VMLP in Cruella
4. NARS VMLP in Roman Holiday
5. Lipstick Queen Saint in Berry

CURRENTLY IN THE MAYBE PILE:
1. MAC ACL in Impassioned 

KEEP SLOTS LEFT: 18

25 Tops: Hourglass Riviera

True story: orange used to be my favorite color. When I was a little girl, I noticed that all of the other kids liked blue, green, red, sometimes purple...pretty much every color in the 10-shade Crayola box got some love. Except for orange. Nobody liked orange! The fact of the matter is that I felt bad for orange. So I declared it my favorite color,

Now, don't misunderstand me; I really do like orange, and the warmer shades on the color wheel in general. But by the time I'd finished college, I'd admitted to myself that I wore mostly black and was drawn to red things. Alright, okay, red and black are my true blue favorite colors. I'm a walking, talking stereotype, and I've come to terms with that.

My coloring suggests that I should give orange makeup more of my time. Too many cool-toned pinks can make fair-skinned me look like a doll, and because orange is opposite to blue on the color wheel, the contrast can make my eyes pop. However, I'm just not drawn to it the way I'm drawn to red and fuchsia. I always feel quite chic and bold when I wear it, but slapping on some orange lipstick is not my first impulse.

Enter this photo from a Rae Morris makeup book. My God, that is fierce! I have to wear orange today!

...but still, I don't wear orange often. I don't know if I ever will--it's definitely not going to fly at work, and my mother absolutely hates it. I have 3 orange lipsticks, and I rarely wear them. It shouldn't be hard tofocus on those puppies and narrow this list down.

This is the second time I've worn Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Riviera, and my sweet baby Jee, do I love this formulation! Pigmented, long-lasting, totally matte...what's not to love? It's also strangely...flattering? Riviera seems to have a great balance of red and yellow tones, so I don't look overly sallow, and my teeth look surprisingly white against my lips. This is a definite KEEP. Somebody remind me to wear this lipstick more often, and get me more of these HG liquid lipsticks, STAT!

Because I'm keeping Riviera, I've decided to PURGE my two MAC oranges: the limited edition Sounds Like Noise, a yellow-based orange with a satin finish, and Neon Orange, an amplified cream that's quite close to Riviera, but slightly more red. Sounds Like Noise is actually more difficult for me to purge than Neon Orange: while it's not as flattering, it's incredibly unique. But it's not going to get worn, so it deserves a better home.

Also examined this go-round: L'oreal Voluminous mascara in Carbon Black and the Dior DiorShow Maximizer. I used to love Voluminous, but it doesn't seem to do much for me now. It's difficult to remove, it clumps like crazy, and it flakes throughout the day. The Dior lash primer makes it bearable, however, by amping up the volume and seemingly preventing some of the flakes. I won't repurchase the L'oreal mascara, but that Maximizer? Cripes, it's hard to resist.


CURRENTLY IN THE KEEP PILE:
1. Hourglass ORLL in Muse
2. Hourglass ORLL in Riviera
3. Hourglass ORLL in Icon (mini size)
4. Chanel RAL in Dragon (DC)

CURRENTLY IN THE PURGE PILE:
1. MAC ACL in Neon Orange
2. MAC SL in Sounds Like Noise (LE)

CURRENTLY IN THE MAYBE PILE:
1. MAC ACL in Impassioned

KEEP SLOTS LEFT: 21

Also, just something funny: I hate the feeling of wet hair on my neck, so I tend to pull it up with a spin pin or a clip after I wash it. The other night, I felt pieces of hair falling out of my spin pin bun, but I was distracted by a video game, so I ignored it for about 2 hours. By the time I was ready to crawl in to bed, my head looked like this:

25 Tops: MAC Impassioned

Having recently reduced my stash yet again, and having found the strength to purge lipsticks (LIPSTICKS!), I've decided it's time for a new project. Here's the deal: I currently own about 40 lipsticks. While that's nothing compared to my stash circa 2011 (I owned at least 200; photographs of the collection looked like something from an extravagant makeup counter), it still seems like a bit much for one face. My goal is to reduce my lipstick collection to 25 tubes, tops, by figuring out which shades and formulas best suit my tastes.

My main focus is going to be my lipstick collection, but I'm also going to retry other products in my stash and see if I want to purge those as well. After photographing these products and testing them out for a full day, I'm going to decide what I want to do with them: definitely keep, maybe keep, or definitely purge.

This morning's victim was MAC Impassioned. An opaque, pigmented coral-pink lipstick with a cream finish, it's one of the most recommended and popular products in the MAC range. While I've always liked the shade, I've rarely worn it. I can sort of see why: it doesn't seem to flatter my skintone as much as some of my brighter reds and cooler fuchsias. It appears more blue-toned and fuchsia in real life, but photographs as a beautiful tropical punch sort of color. I don't own anything else quite like it, so for now, Impassioned is going in the MAYBE pile.

Cargo Key Largo also goes in the MAYBE pile. It's a beautiful coral color, and Cargo's blushes are the only powder formula I think I've truly loved. Nothing blends or photographs just like them. But I rarely wear Key Largo because it doesn't match much in  my collection, and I'm inherently drawn to creams, not powders. Definitely going to have to think about this one.

The other two "featured products," Maybelline Great Lash BIG and Benefit High Beam, are getting PURGED. I really like Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes, so my mother tried to buy me a tube as a gift...and accidentally got the wrong product. It's the stuff of my nightmares: wet, sloppy, and beyond flaky. I've been trying to use this tube for almost 3 months...it's time to admit defeat and just toss it. Benefit High Beam remains one of my favorite highlighters, but my tube is at least 4 years old (they no longer produce this "travel size" tube with a doe foot applicator). It's begun to turn and has started to dry up, as evidenced by the patchy application on my cheek. Perhaps I'll repurchase a tube of this stuff one day, because when it's fresh, it's fabulous!