My Used it Up list

So starting last year, I started making a use it up list for a couple reasons:

• I wanted to track my progress (lol) of how much am I using my things up
• I wanted to make sure I am using things and not rebuying 5 of the same things without using them up first
• I wanted to make goals to use more things
• ...and that's about it unless I am forgetting thing

So here is my January use it up list
It have everything from Make-up, bath and body, tarts, hair, skin care, samples, etc.

1. Philosophy flirty girl shower gel sample
2. LUSH Hippy chick
3. LUSH star melt
4. Everyday minerals rice finishing powder
5. Fusion beauty prime results – brightening primer sample
6. NARS sheer glow foundation in Fiji sample
7. Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX foundation sample
8. unknown foundation sample
9. Dr. Brant pore no more sample
10. LUSH cinders bath bomb
11. Aubrey’s candles and crafts tart in apple cinnamon
12. Aubrey’s candles and crafts tart in biscotti
13. Garnier conditioner for normal hair
14. Nivea lotion 200ml
15. Giorgio Armani Crema Nera deluxe size sample
16. Aubrey’s candles and crafts in birthday cake
17. Aubrey’s candle and crafts lemon zest scrub 4oz
18. Life brand grapefruit defrizz mask
19. PFS sweet cornbread muffins tart
20. Magic Hands Workshop Vanilla Moo bath fizzie
21. Two’s estate Cotton Candy bubble bath
22. OMG Raspberry Delight tart
23. Cargo eye base
24. Dove Go Fresh therapy shampoo in burst
25. Nivea face wash
26. LUSH bubble bar in Xmas kisses
27. Antibacterial hand wash
28. Perfect 10 Hair color – shade 6
29. Unknown shower gel
30. Ivory hand soap
Most are full size, unless I say sample.
I woul this was a great month, usually I use up between 15-20 things (around half of that is samples)...my goal was 25, and I definetly surpassed my goal.

I really like doing this, it helps me realize what I have in my stash and also makes me keep it organized so I can keep track of what I am using.
Plus it feels soo great when you finish things, it feels like you accomplished a task.

Let me know if you do this also,

xoxo,

E.

New Primer I tried out today

So I ran out of my Cargo eye base primer yesterday (which was pretty good might I say). So I started using Laura Geller primers for face, lip and eye.

 This one specifically:

The top is 2 primers - an eye and lip primer, while the bottom is a face primer.

My review

The face primer was pretty good, gave me a glowy finish, went on smoothly and helped to hold my make-up through the day. There is this weird brush with it - it has no bristles, just plastic. I used the brush to put the product on my hand and then I used my finger to apply it. After, I let it dry for about 5 minutes.

I did not use the lip primer yet, so I can't review it, but I did read about it. I read it is better for use under lipstick than lipgloss, and I barely use lipstick, but I might make an exception for this.

Eye primer - I was dissapointed, it is very white and chalky, but it did blend in nicely after awhile. You need to use very little, if you don't want your eye to look like a mess. I applied my eye make-up around 10 and by 4 or 5 it was already creased. After that it kept going downhill from there. By night, my eye make-up was gone (usually it lasts all day till nighttime).

Good thing I got this on sale.

Ratings:

Eye primer - 1/5

Face primer 4/5

Lip primer - stay tuned

Do you use any good primer? Let me know.

xoxo,

E.

Beauty mistakes and more

Now we all make mistakes, beauty or otherwise...and we all have bad habits overall.

But here are some common mistakes according to Elle Magazine:

Bad habits can be tough to break, especially ones that involve your beauty routine. But, you may be guilty of bad beauty habits that are only holding you back from realizing your true gorgeousness potential. And when you read on and discover the dirty truth on what these bad habits are costing you, you’ll be eager to break them for good.

Bad beauty habit #1: Using dirty makeup brushes.
This one’s a biggie—we all know we should be cleaning our brushes regularly, but who’s got the time? Truth of the matter is, you need to make time. “If you use your powder brush 24/7, chances are a lot of bacteria and dirt has accumulated in its soft bristles,” says Stephanie Daga, a Toronto-based makeup artist at BlushPretty. Think of all the dust and makeup flying around your vanity, she says. “It’s all trapped in that brush you use on your face! And that’s not all, if you keep your brushes in your hot, steamy bathroom--talk about a playground for breeding bacteria.”

Break the habit: Clean your makeup brushes at least weekly—schedule it into your calendar to remind yourself. “I use clear baby shampoo, like Johnsons & Johnsons, which is really inexpensive, and some warm water,” says Stephanie. For a quick clean in between washings, she suggests spritzing them with a cosmetic sanitizer, such as Beauty So Clean Sanitizing Mist, or rubbing alcohol. Plus, it would be a good idea to store your brushes in a less humid environment than your wet bathroom.

Bad beauty habit #2: Playing with your hair.
We can perhaps blame movies for perpetuating this bad habit—the pretty, popular girl is often seen twirling a lock of her long hair around her finger in a flirty way. But this toying with your hair can easily become a bad habit, one that Greg May, owner of Greg May Hair Architects salon in Toronto, has seen damage hair—and even result in hair loss, with patches of hair missing where the person has been twirling away.

Break the habit: Make a conscious effort to stop twisting your hair—even if it means you have to don mittens until you’re able to resist the urge. You’ll also want to strengthen your hair, says Greg. “Use a protein treatment once a week to strengthen the damaged, weakened hair. Look for one that contains wheat protein and/or keratin, which is the structural component hair is made of,” he says. You may also want to apply a gloss containing a protein such as soy, he adds. “Doing this will replace all the lost amino acids in your hair which will not only heal your hair, but give it a luminous shine.”

Bad beauty habit #3: Going to bed with makeup on.
You’re exhausted and just want to get under the covers as soon as possible. It won’t be too big a deal if you go to bed without washing off your makeup, right? Not so, says Jenny Kanavaros, New York-based makeup and hair artist with Judy Inc. “Sleeping without removing your eye makeup will irritate your eyes and can become a breeding ground for bacteria, which can cause acne and leave your skin looking dull and lifeless,” she says. And left-on mascara may dry out your lashes and make them brittle, causing them to fall off.

Break the habit: No matter how tired you are, it’s worth taking a few minutes to remove your makeup before bed, says Jenny. “It will pay off in the morning by giving you a healthy fresh looking palette to apply your makeup for the day.” Makeup removal cloths do the trick nice and quick—try Yes to Cucumbers Natural Glow Facial Towelettes or Olay Daily Facials Express Wet Cleansing Cloths.

Bad Beauty Habit #4: Skipping the eyelash curler.
“Lots of women seem to shy away from curling their eyelashes—sometimes they’re hard-pressed for time or often they’re just afraid to use a curler,” says Kevin Smith, a Toronto-based hair and makeup artist with Judy Inc. “But curling your lashes always make you look more enlivened,” he says. Some women put on more mascara but if you curl your lashes, you can use less mascara, he adds.

Break the habit: Budget time for curling your lashes in your morning routine. Start by clamping down the curler as close to the lash line as possible, says Kevin, and repeat two more times along the lashes. If your lashes are quite straight, give the curler a quick blast with your blowdryer to heat it up a bit—just be careful to not overheat it, he says. Kevin swears by the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler—“it’s a nice, well-made mechanism with a great curve that suits most women,” he says.

Bad beauty habit #5: Using too much conditioner.
If you’re squirting handful of your conditioner into your palm and then reaching for your scalp then you’re literally pouring money down the drain—and causing your hair to go flat. “Many people use way too much conditioner on their hair and it makes their hair go flat at the roots,” says Antonio Tocci, owner of Salon Tocci in Toronto.

Break the habit: If you have shoulder-length hair you only need about a loonie-sized amount of conditioner, says Antonio. “And we have natural oils in our scalp, so you only need to apply conditioner midshaft down to the ends,” he says.

Bad beauty habit #6: Failing to blend your foundation.
If you find that your makeup is getting all cakey and crease-y on your face, it’s because you’ve been forgetting to blend. The unwelcome result? Makeup settles into fine lines, making you look older than you are.

Break the habit: Even if you have the right formula and shade of makeup, if you fail to blend your skin will look more tired than fresh. “Blending is really important because you want your makeup only to even out your skin tone—not mask it,” says Stephanie. She suggests using a clean brush (she favours MAC Brush 109 or 187 to buff the skin in a circular motion all over after having applied foundation. “This will not only remove excess product (which causes the cakiness and creasing), but it blends any telltale foundation lines away,” she says.

I know I am guilty of not washing my brushes every week ( I do it every 2 weeks or so), I play with my hair all the time, I love playing with my hair, I barely ever use an eyelash curler (no time in the a.m., I usually apply mascara while waiting for the car to warm up), and I use way too much conditioner (I like that stuff lol).

I do try to blend my foundation as well as I can, and 99.99% of the time I never go to bed with my make-up on. 

I probably have a lot of other bad beauty habits that are not mentioned here, like not caring if I use all the testers at Sephora, buying too much make-up because it is on sale...not eating properly ...and I could go on and on. 

What bad beauty habits or otherwise do you have? 

xoxo,


E.

My Make-up routine

How do you apply your make-up in the morning? Do you have a tried and true order or method? There is no right or wrong way for the most part, unless you do the blush before the foundation and mascara before the eyeshadow.

 ...

Here is my morning routine and what I am using right now (I tend to keep things in rotation so I don't get overwhelmed at like 8 in the morning):

• Wake up and shower for about 5-10 mins (unless I have to wash my hair)
• Apply moisturizer with my hands (I am using Cosmedicine Medi Matte, but it is not for me, too drying -- good for oily skin though)
•        - let it dry for 5minutes or so
• Primer with my hands ( Illamaqua satin primer for the face and Cargo eye primer right now - but depending on the foundation I sometimes don't use a primer)
•        -let it dry for 5minutes or so
• Foundation or tinted moisturizer with  a damp sponge ( I am  finishing a bottle of Revlon PhotoReady, I also have Neutrogena Healthy Skin Rdiance with retinol, MAC sheer fluid on the rotation)
• While it is drying, I usually do my eye make-up ( 2-3 eye shadows with a regular e/s brush and mascara...I don't use eyeliner on a regular basis) -- I love the Neutrogena duo in pebble and NYX eye shadows right now
• A quick layer of finishing powder (Coty airspun) with a skunk brush
• Bronzer (Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blend Radiance in Sunkissed 30 - I think this might be a tad too dark for me)  with a skunk brush
• Blush on my cheeks with an angled brush (NYX Angel or NARS DT - <3 them both )
• Highliter above my cheeks with an angled brush ( NARS hungry heart duo - Albatross and Nico)
• Quick layer of finishing powder (as above)
• lipgloss or lipbalm (usually applied in the elevator on my way down to the car)

Sometimes I apply mascara in the car, while I am waiting for it to warm up. 

So this is it, it takes me about 15-20 minutes, and usually while I am waiting for the lotion or primer to dry, I'll do my hair and get dressed. I am usually out the door in about 30 minutes, unless I am having a slow morning.

When I switch up my routine or change the items in my rotation, I will update this. This might be soon, because I want to start using one brand at a time for a short amount of time.

Let me know your routine.

xoxo,

E.