Love It or Toss It, #7

This spring, I've been really considering just how I could possibly use up even a fraction of my makeup collection. I'm slowly making my way through my stash and trying to make strict decisions about the products I'm holding on to. This month's Love It Or Toss It features products that I desperately wanted, and then hardly used. 

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Marcelle BB Cream in Medium to Dark
Quite a few years ago, while visiting Toronto with my family, I discovered Marcelle BB Cream thanks to a Canadian blogger's recommendation. (I wish I remembered who!) I encountered a tester at a Shopper's Drug Mart one afternoon, and fell in love with the coverage and redness reducing properties. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be as EVERY location I visited over the course of that week was sold out. Later on, I discovered that Marcelle ships to the US, and then last spring, Birchbox started carrying the brand. I finally got my hands on this, and then failed to use it more than a few times in the year that I've had it. Ugh! Anyway, I kind of love it. It feels light on the skin, has great coverage for a BB cream, and has a natural finish. I'm definitely holding on to this one! 

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink
This was another one of those Lisa Eldridge induced purchases, and it seems as if Pale Pink looks great on everyone. I quite like the creamy formula of Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges - they're not cream to powder and at the same time are less "sticky" than Stila Convertible Colors. Pale Pink makes for a great neutral blush or lip color! 

Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Pink Taupe
Remember when Burberry launched these eye palettes? Yup, I do. I anxiously waited for the next Beauty Trend Show to grab this with a gift with purchase, and I've seriously used it only a few times since. Burberry eyeshadows are just about my favorite eye things in existence, but this palette just doesn't make sense to keep given how long it will take me to use up any eyeshadow . The shades don't pack a punch on my skintone, and I find that I much prefer Dark Sable, Antique Rose, Khaki and Pale Barley, over the lighter, corresponding shades in this palette. 

Swatches L-R: Burberry Pink Taupe, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink, Marcelle BB Cream in Medium to Dark

Now, I'm already looking at the next group of products and contemplating a summer blog sale... :)

Have you tried any of these products? If so, how did they work for you? What have you loved or tossed lately? I'd love to know!

Love It or Toss It, #6

Last Fall, Gummy and I started a series called Love It or Toss It to help us purge our collections. 

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Pink Opal, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Lavish Lavender, L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Flashback Silver, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe, Nars Multiple Duo in Copacabana/St. Bart's

This time around, I grabbed a handful of items that I hadn't touched in ages. Right off the bat, there were a few items I knew I didn't love based on their color or finish. 

Maybelline Color Tattoo In Lavish Lavender
I wasn’t certain about Lavish Lavender when I first purchased it, and while the color is nice, this shadow isn’t super pigmented and again has more glittery bits than I prefer.

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Flashback Silver
This has a much smoother texture than the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Lavish Lavender, and it is definitely more gray in undertone. I have always liked L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadows, but find this one to be a bit more glittery than I prefer. 

Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Pink Opal
While I am a big fan of Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks, the nearly metallic finish of this pink shade is just not love for me. 

Swatches L-R: Nars Multiple Duo in Copacabana/St. Bart's, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Lavish Lavender, L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Flashback Silver, and Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Pink Opal

On the other hand, the items I've chosen to keep aren't ones that I'm totally gushing over, yet at the same time they perform well. (Perhaps I ought to be more ruthless with my purging one of these days?) 

Nars Multiple Duo in Copacabana/St. Barts
I’ve always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Nars Multiples, but I’m quite liking this Multiple Duo. The shimmer seems less pronounced in this form, and both of these shades look good (and not overly shimmery) on my skin. I also like Copacabana on my eyes!  

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe
This was probably the first Color Tattoo I ever bought, and it has probably lived in my stash for at least two years. For the most part, it is still fine, though the edges of the product have cracked a bit. It is definitely a nicely pigmented base color. I noticed that it is actually similar to MAC Paint Pot in Tailor Grey, which I didn’t realize at all. 

All in all, it feels good to have purged a few items from my collection. In an effort to reduce the stash on an ongoing basis, you can look forward to Love It or Toss It posts on the 3rd Friday of every month. I would love for you to join in, so feel free to tweet/instagram with the hashtag #loveitortossit, or let me know if you’d like to do a blog post with me!

Love It or Toss It: Mini Bronzer Edition

In the neverending quest to really edit down my collection, I decided it was time to revive the Love It or Toss It series. An idea thought up by Gummy sometime last year, it has really helped both of us edit down our collection and get rid of stuff we didn't love. Check out one of Gummy's posts here (with lots of helpful links to her previous posts and those of other bloggers who have joined us!) 

Dior Bronzer (discontinued), Benefit Hoola Bronzer, Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Summer Tan (discontinued), Nars Multiple in Palm Springs & South Beach

This time around, I thought I would choose all of the mini bronzers I had in my stash so I could be reminded to use them up or find them new homes! I'm a bit of a bronzer fiend as you might imagine, so only having this many minis to go through was a bit of a relief! I guess that means I've been doing a good job purging the last few months - at least that is what I'm going to keep telling myself!

In the end, I decided that I really like two of these: Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Summer Tan & Benefit Hoola. Both are matte, and while I had sort of a love/hate with Hoola back in the day, I think the bronzer is such a nice one as long as you use a fluffy brush or a light hand. I'm a bit sad that Bobbi Brown discontinued so many Pot Rouge shades, but at least I have two little pots of this creamy contour goodness. 

Swatches L-R: Dior Bronzer, Benefit Hoola, Nars Palm Springs, Nars South Beach, Bobbi Brown Summer Tan

The Nars Multiples, on the other hand, are bit more shimmery than I prefer these days. (When did I get so... not shimmery?? LOL) Palm Springs is a warm golden shade totally appropriate for highlight too, while South Beach's golden shimmers make it such a perfect summery bronze. The Dior bronzer is quite pretty too but the little bits of shimmer in this totally smooth bronzer make this one a like rather than a love. I know a lot of people were disappointed when these were discontinued, so I'm sure I can find this a happy home. 

All in all, I'd say this was a successful round of Love It or Toss It! Now I have to gather another round of products to go through! What do you think of my decisions for this round? Are any of these products favorites of yours? 

Love It or Toss It, #4

My makeup collection continues to grow and it is becoming harder and harder for me to purge items from my collection. (Yup, I did a pretty good purge a few weeks ago, but there is still more to do! All these pretties have to have a loving home if I'm not making use of them!) So I figured it was about time to do another edition of Love It or Toss It! (See all of the previous #loveitortossit posts here.)

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Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie
I remember when these first came out, I was so excited to try out this creamy drugstore formula. I bought two as soon as I saw them in stores, and I wore them maybe once or twice and then totally forgot about them. These last few days, I've been testing out the formula again and found it to be very comfortable to wear. The pale pink shade is nice, but nothing exciting on my lips. I have another, brighter shade, so I'll hold on to that one!
The Verdict: Toss! 

Becca Eye Tint in Baroque
I was super excited when Becca came to Sephora a year ago and I immediately picked up the Best of Becca Set as an introduction to the brand. I love the creamy texture of Becca Eye Tint as well as the packaging that allows for very specific amounts to be dispensed. Unfortunately, the shade barely shows up on me, though the beige color with subtle shimmer would be great on skintones lighter than mine. It is super natural looking in finish and texture, and I think it would be a perfect eye or cheek contour, but it just barely shows up on me. Sad! I suppose I'll have to check out other shades!
The Verdict: Toss! (A bit easier because I think I've already found a new home for it!)

Nars Lipstick in Damage
After Gummy posted about her mauve-y pinky lipsticks (here) I realized I had Nars Damage and probably had never even used it. Oops, that is the story of my life with my makeup collection. I love the creamy light formula, and the shade is a bit more colorful my lips but better kind of shade. It is not drying at all, and I don't have to be careful when reapplying later in the day. Woohoo, and thanks Gummy for reminding me I had this! 
The Verdict: Love! Yay!

Check out the swatches below. Sorry, I'm terrible at swatches, but I just couldn't get good face shots of some of these! 

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Swatches L-R: Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie, Becca Eye Tint in Baroque, Nars Lipstick in Damage

What do you think of this round of love it or toss it products? Have you tried any of these? How did they work out for you?? I'd love to know! :)