2015 Makeup Resolutions/Projects

Happy New Year! 2015, I am so looking forward to this year. I hope many amazing things happen. One thing I'm really looking forward to is turning 30 in March- 86 days actually.  I'm excited to move on to a new decade of my life and make some changes.  However besides the personal goals I've set for myself this year- there are really only two- I have some makeup goals.  My family is horrified with my new makeup obsession and while my sister is pretty much on board because she likes makeup too- she has given herself the limit of only 1 makeup drawer, so all her makeup must fit in 1 small narrow drawer.  My apartment is not set up that way so I have a little more freedom, but I do think some limits and ground rules are important for both sanity and my budget.

I have a very healthy makeup collection right now and I promise to myself to write that blog post soon to go over my collection.  It takes up a small 3 drawer counter top storage thing, a countertop storage box (about the size of a shoebox), and an under the since organizer with lots of compartments- I'd say right now my makeup collection is only a little obsessively more than I need. And I have no desire to expand it too much more.  There are some things I have my eyes on but not a lot of things I just want because they're cool makeup items, if I want something makeup wise there's a point to it, it's not just going to be on my shelves.

So I propose to tackle my makeup habit the way my sister tackles her clothing problem (she has a lot of clothes omg). I plan to not buy anymore large, non-essential makeup items without first finishing one or donating to someone else.  This will exclude eyeliner and mascara because those have to be replaced more frequently.  My problem areas are Eyeshadow and Blush. I love both.  I have a slight BB cream excess right now, but after these three are complete I'm going to try to keep those to just one at a time.  I feel like it's important to actually use the products I have, and while life is too short to use makeup I don't like, I do feel like what I have I can make work perfectly well for me.

What I'm planning to finish up before spring-

1. NYC Bronzer in Sunny - I love this bronzer, there is nothing wrong with it, but I've been wanting to try a higher end bronzer to see what I think. I have a Too Faced Chocolate Soleil sample I'm going to use first but I want to try Benefit's the Hoola, but have to finish this first. 
2. Maybelline instant age rewind concealer- This just wasn't the concealer I was expecting it to be. It's fine on the weekends or when I'm just going to the store, but it's not for workday use.  I'm not going to replace this with another concealer because I currently love my IT Cosmetics Bye-Bye Under eye and Pixi Correction Concentrate. So this vacancy I may hold onto for a while till something really good comes along.
3. NYX Dewey Setting Spray- This setting spray is fine, I just don't think it's any better than my $3 ELF setting spray that I love. I like the container though and the mist that comes out so I'll probably repurpose it.  I don't need a very high end setting spray either, there's a new L'Oreal one I want to try when this is out.

Things I'm craving-

1. Always new eyeshadows. I know I have plenty and I really can't justify that I need anymore, but watch my justify why I need more.  Eyeshadows don't expire like mascara, BB creams, Lipsticks and cream products.  They last a long long long time.  And as long as you don't get any weird eye infection you really don't have to throw them out for any reason.  Now I can pretty much get any look I want from the 3 palettes I have.  My Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette is the love of my life and I could probably get on with just it for a while. But I notice HUGE dips in 3 very neutral matte colors that I use daily with that palette.  If I had another neutral matte palette I could substitute and therefore extend the life of those colors.  My Rainforest After Dark palette will get a little more action in the spring, but it too is an amazing palette.  And my Tarte Sweet Indulgences Eye Shadows are beautiful.  So it only makes sense that the next eyeshadow palette I have my eye on is another Tarte Palette.  It's the Tartlette Matte palette and it's gorgeous.  Now this is not a purchase I'm allowing myself to get anytime soon. I have to first finish the above three products and downsize my single/trio eyeshadows and then I can get this. So it may be a month or two.
2. A good blush palette.  I love blush! I've always been a one blush girl. I've always used one till it was up then got a new one.  Even when they were crappy blushes.  But life is too short to have only one blush option.  I like very natural, neutral, pinky type blushes and have about 4 right now.  Only two that I'm in love with (surprise they're Tarte) and so I want to invest in a good Tarte Blush Palette.  They usually come out with one or two a year and I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for one.  I just want one and it'll probably be till summer because one comes out, so this is not an immediate need, but a long term goal/plan.  In order to allow myself to buy this I need to finish two of my other blushes.  I have a Lancome I've hit pan on and a Wet 'N Wild that's great in spring.  So I have some time to work through those first.

And that's it.  I do think after this last year there are some things I've learned and discovered about my makeup "needs".  I don't need expensive mascara.  I like them and given the ability to have more I'll take it, but I don't need to spend $20 on a mascara when there are perfectly good drugstore mascaras for under $10 that do the exact same job.  I do want to try more mascaras so when I finish the 3 I have now. I will search for my perfect drugstore mascara, but one at a time.  Another thing I've learned is that I just prefer high end eyeshadows and blushes.  They last longer on my skin, they're non-irritating and they're an investment. In March I'll have had my chocolate bar palette for a year and hopefully I'll only have hit pan on 2 colors, but this is a palette I should easily be able to get use out of for 2 years or more and that makes it a good investment.  My blushes have tons of product in them. My Lancome blush lasted over a year, my Tarte ones barely have a dent and they seem to have never ending product.  

The last thing is a tough one and maybe I haven't actually learned anything from it yet, but high end face products. BB Cream and concealer.  I love my It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under eye.  This is an amazing concealer that has a ton of product it in and that I use very little of that I hope to have around for a while.  But this is the only concealer I've ever used that I felt was hydrating enough under my eyes not to look cakey.  Now it's not cheap.  It's $24 for a very small part of my face.  I don't even use it on other parts of my face that need concealing- Just my under eye.  So the price can only be justified for how long it lasts.  This was a late fall purchase so we'll see how long it lasts.  But if it lasts at leave 6 months then I can justify that price.  Then there's BB Creams.  I've drive 4 drugstore BB creams and 2 high end BB/CC Creams.  And I'm still dissatisfied with my options.  I love a drugstore BB that's been discontinued and I love my high end CC Cream that smells terrible.  I don't think either are perfect. I want my BB Cream a little more full coverage and I want my CC Cream a little more hydrating.  I will not be repurchasing either again and will just start going back in forth between drugstore and high end till I find my perfect BB. I have not exhausted my options yet, but again I need to finish the three I have before trying any others. 

Happy New Year! I hope I can stick to my guns on these things. I love makeup and don't want to stop loving it but I also don't want it to make me broke or crazy.  I do not need to own all the makeup, I just want stuff that works for me and my skin.