A year of lip products #11

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

ZA Aqualish in S01

One of those lip products I've had for a looooooong time but never get to using often. ZA was the teenage brand when I was in high school. And yes, it was a long time ago, but that's not the point. Packaging's always super cute, and I like them even when I grew up and away from being a teenager. This one here is housed in a shiny blue metallic case that actually looks pretty classy for a drugstore brand for the young. The Aqualish range is a hydrating line of lip colors that are sheer with a water-like shine. I like. What you see in the tube is what you get exactly on your lips. As you can see, the skin swatch and the tube is identical. On my lips, it's a cool toned pink tint that doesn't make me look like a dead person and can be worn on its own. In the past, I've used it to tone down darker and bolder lipsticks and it's worked very well to provide that bit of shine and oomph. Other times, it's kind of my to-go lip balm that isn't a lip balm.

A year of lip products #10

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

E.L.F. Studio Minty Lip Gloss in Miami

One of those products that I wear often because everyday makeup is really understated here. Also, I'm too chicken to prance around in something bright. Nothing that stands out, to be honest, but I have a deep love for everything that's mint and it makes me insanely happy when my lip products are mint scented or gives me that tingly feeling. Here, you have one of those MLBB colors that gives your lips a slight shine with some barely there shimmer. Wear time isn't great but I'm a really bad judge because I'm always eating or drinking. Not that I can complain because it gives me more excuse to reapply! I find that E.L.F. lip gloss wands are not the greatest when it comes to picking up enough product for application so I basically need 4 dips to do my lips. Yes, 4, since I like them shinier and one dip is barely enough for either upper or lower. The tingly sensation lasts for about 5 minutes but don't expect lip plumping effects or anything, though. I'd repurchase in other colors, but sadly E.L.F. doesn't carry them anymore :(

A year of lip products #9

I have recently discovered that I own an obscene amount of lip products. In an effort to downsize without having a blog sale or burning all the makeup in my possession in a bonfire, I thought it would be a neat little idea to take inventory of my lipsticks, glosses and stains.

Pictures are taken in natural daylight with no color correction or manipulation.

Clinique Different Lipstick in Twinkle

Let me apologize for the crap quality top picture, but I really have no idea how it happened. The iPhone usually gives good enough pictures but it just decided not to today :( The lipstick looks really beautiful on my lips, honest! As shown in the skin swatch, there's quite a bit of shimmer in this one, although you really wouldn't be able to tell at all once it's on the lips. I love how smooth it glides on and makes my lips feel instantly moisturized without having to apply a balm prior. I'm not usually a pink lipstick kind of person as my complexion leans on the warmer side, but I actually really like how this looks on me. It's a blue-based pink shade that is totally deceiving in the tube and pretty sheer so I get that MLBB look plus some sheen. I'm not big on wear time as I'm obsessed with using up my products so, yes, this transfers to your cup and wears off when you eat. I imagine that this would be really pretty in spring and summer without looking too "done". Discontinued, sadly.

December '12 Purchase

I bought only one item in December (hooray for carrying forward my monthly allowance!) and it came in the form of a DHC Eyelash Tonic.

Apologies for lifting the picture off the official DHC site, but I'd already threw the packaging away and started using it before I remembered to take pictures!

DHC Eyelash Tonic

I've been wearing mascara pretty regularly and of late I've noticed that I lose an average of 3 lashes each time I remove my eye makeup at the end of the day. 3 is a huge number for someone who has really sparse lashes all her life and considering I wear eye makeup every single time I head out, it works out to many lost lashes in a week.

Not that highly rated in MakeupAlley but easily available in Japanese drugstores and standalone stores that sells knick knacks, I picked this up for 999 yen. It costs way less than RapidLash and a lot of other eyelash serums, so I figured, why not?

December allowance spent: 999 yen
Balance to bring forward: 2001 yen

December '12 empties

The very few things that I managed to use up in December:

Biotherm White D-tox BB Cream (sample size)

My very first BB cream and I hate it. The color is way too peachy for my yellow toned skin and the consistency is just...strange. Not quite liquid foundation, not quite cream texture, I'm not sure how to even describe this. Supposedly oil free but I still seem to get oily even in winter, which isn't supposed to happen. Looks kinda cakey on me and in general just tells the world that I'm wearing makeup that looks totally wrong on my face.

Repurchase: No

Schwarzkopf Shea Cashmere Shampoo

Left behind by a friend who was visiting last summer and thought I'd finish it up. Not too bad, smooths out the tangles, which are few and far between and gives my hair a bit of weight. I do, however, intensely dislike the fake chemical fragrance because it makes me think of plastic factories.

Repurchase: No

Melaleuca Original Shampoo

Loves it! I lugged it here all the way from Malaysia! My mum introduced it to me a few years ago when my scalp was constantly itching and I've been using it twice a week ever since. Leaves my hair squeaky clean and Smells wonderfully of tea tree. My scalp always feels clean and declogged(?!) every time I use it. One giant bottle could probably last me a year!

Repurchase: Already have a backup bottle which my mum gave to the mister for his scalp issues

Feverlet Vita White Essence Mask

Makes my face feel smoother somehow, but I believe the effects only lasted a day or so because whatever miracles it did for me mysteriously went into hiding the next day. The sheet is not overly saturated with essence and dripping off my chin so that's a major plus point for me. The fit is excellent and the smell isn't too over powering, either. I didn't experience any sensitivity upon removal and the essence actually sinks in without me having to rinse it off!

Repurchase: Possibly

Only 4 items this month, but 4 is always better than none! Yeah, whatever.

Somehow, I always end up with duds and while it's incredibly frustrating because I still have the insane need to cut every tube and squeeze out every drop of product that I absolutely hate, I think it's a fantastic way to know and be absolutely sure that I never want to purchase them again.

What have you finished up this month?

Project Pan

I've read about so many bloggers' Project 10 Pan posts that I feel the need to jump on the bandwagon. One especially inspiring blogger subjected herself to a year-long challenge of low-buy and high-use as you can see here. Many other committed themselves to Project 100 Pan where everything from hair products to toiletries and makeup counts.

To be entirely honest, I'm not sure I could do either. I mean, I'm already on a No Buy Ban and some days it feels like a real challenge to see myself stick to it till year end.

I recently used up a lipstick. Yes, an entire lipstick! And it kinda made me spaz out a little. Mainly because the last time I finished any makeup product was the time when I was a poor student in college and had a grand total of one face powder and one blusher. Times were simple then.

So, back to my finished lipstick.

I got to thinking. Sure, it took me a little while with everyday use to see this lipstick die. But it's perfectly doable. I just have to commit myself to wearing one lipstick for weeks on end. It's boring, it's limiting, it's frustrating, yes, but at the same time, it was so exhilarating knowing that I will never have to reach for that tube involuntarily, ever again.

While I know that there is always a high chance of abandoning the project completely, I'm way curious about how many makeup products I can use up. Just seeing a tube of lipstick worn down to a nub or an eyeshadow hit pan (those things never seem to die!) gives me a genuine high.

I can so do this Project Pan thing.