Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Unloved products?
i feel like when you have a large makeup collection, it is inevitable that you will grow a collection of unloved products. what do you do with these products? i never want to feel like i wasted money, so i force myself to use them, but even in the longest life do i have enough time to use up the makeup i love much less the makeup i am meh about. over time i have tried various ways to force myself to use them, but i am just not interested in it any more. i have pulled some items out of my collection and set them aside, i don't really have anyone in my life personally that is that into makeup except my sister who lives 4,000 miles away in another country...soo ya. I kind of wish i had someone to donate my perfectly useful products that just didn't work for me. I need more makeup friends in my life... oh well c'est la vie!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Hoarding
There! I said it, you heard it right. I think anyone in the beauty community online (be it YouTube, blogging, etc) has either fallen prey or witnessed it. I have more makeup than any one person needs for probably their entire life. I am ok with this, it makes me happy. My husband is ok with it, he knows what makes me happy. Now to the point of my post. Hoarding takes space! so what is a hoarder with a tiny apartment to do...improvise! I have made myself a cubby/cave/secret place. it is not obvious what is going on in here until you get close.
While i am a collector of makeup, i am also a collector of many many
other things (like yarn, clothing, body care products, kitchen-y stuff)
so my apartment is cramped enough that you cannot see directly into my
cubby until you are well into the room it is in. so nosy visitors do not
tend to find it on their own very often.
My husband helped me transform this tiny 3'x3' closet into my own little hideaway. He built me these shelves to hold my body care items and perfumes on one side and nail polish and more lotions/sunscreens on the other side (as you will see when you scroll.) I have a lot of stuff, as you can tell. Makeup doesn't take up all that much room as individual items are generally fairly small, but in bulk you have to be crafty with how you organize and maximize space. I really love my little space, it is private yet still in the same room my husband uses for a spare room/office which means he is not far away if we are both home. He even made me a little drop-down shelf so i can use my laptop in here, which often i will just sit in here on my little ottoman stool and watch youtube videos or play games. Only a very few select people have been inside my little room, i am very picky about who knows about my hoarding/addiction. On a rare occasion my husband has let someone in when i was not home, which i have not been happy about. it feels like a personal invasion, particularly if i heard second hand that they have made rude comments.
I feel like having a small space of my own has been wonderful. i work rotating shifts and sometimes crazy hours so it is nice to have a place to come in, turn on the light, and get ready at the butt crack of dawn. i hate waking my husband up unnecessarily and if i get ready in the bathroom it is highly likely that our dog will bark at me in his half-asleep stupor thinking i am an intruder because he has the memory of a gnat and will forget i left the room in 30 seconds.
I have a goal for myself to use products up, and i have been successful so far. I love this space, it makes me feel happy and content to be in here even when i am not just getting ready. I enjoy makeup a lot, and i also enjoy privacy and personal space so it is the best of all worlds for me. If anyone has any specific questions on how i did this so you can do something similar feel free to drop me a line. Everyone i have allowed to be privy to this has found it amazing. And i have to say i do agree, it is pretty awesome.
I have a goal for myself to use products up, and i have been successful so far. I love this space, it makes me feel happy and content to be in here even when i am not just getting ready. I enjoy makeup a lot, and i also enjoy privacy and personal space so it is the best of all worlds for me. If anyone has any specific questions on how i did this so you can do something similar feel free to drop me a line. Everyone i have allowed to be privy to this has found it amazing. And i have to say i do agree, it is pretty awesome.
things i wish i could tell my teenage self
there are a lot of obvious things i would like to tell my teenage self like don't drink because hangovers suck, and other typical stuff, but I have far more specific things i *wish* i could have told myself. I have made a lot of mistakes, many of which were in my teens, and if i would have listened to anybody (which is probably doubtful) maybe my future self could have gotten through.
1. Older guys are NOT cool. You know what i mean, and knock it off. if a guy is 10 years older than you, but still has your same interests he is a loser, and immature. it is not cool to have an older boyfriend, in fact it should be considered lame that you connect with a grown-ass adult like they are a child. this is their problem, not yours and don't forget that. In case you don't learn your lesson with this advise the first time, be prepared that you WILL learn it the second time and it will be hell, and the worst experience you will have in your life.
2. Not everyone is an asshole. Pessimistic views and teenagers are like mac&cheese, but some people in your life are looking out for you, and when you get older they will prove that. Whatever you think of people right now will change. nothing in life is constant and that is the only constant you will have in life. People change, people evolve, people grow apart and that is OK. everything will be just fine, you can and will live with and without some people despite what you think of them now.
3. Don't move out! at least not at 17, huge mistake. you probably won't listen (remember point #1) but know even if you make big mistakes you will land on your feet. I would say you are like a cat because the shit storm you will get into and out of because of bad/misguided decisions will feel like you have dodged about 9lives worth of bullets. It will be OK eventually, but the bottom is not going to be fun, and having no money will leave you there a while.
4. You have an excellent memory but try not to use it on other people. you will be a happier person if you can learn to let things slide. people make mistakes, as will you, and you wouldn't want people holding things against you for years just because they remember them. i don't think that this is going to happen, as my current self is still working on this, but maybe if i tried earlier i would be in a better place now.
5. life is NOT going to turn out the way you are expecting/planning/anticipating. NEVER. no not even if you plan it that way. or that way. just no.
6. somethings in life are really important, and some things are not. same goes for people. try to decipher early which is which. putting energy into things that are doomed to fail is a waste and could be spent on so much more worthy causes/people.
7. you won't be famous, so you don't need to make your life as drama filled as possible. just because Elizabeth Taylor had wide love affairs and multiple marriages with wildly inappropriate men does not mean you need to follow suite. no one is writing a biography on your life, so making things 10 times more complicated than they need to be will only cause you heart ache.
8. learn to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run. I think this is self explanatory...but just in case see point #1 and #3 for reference. this would probably the most important thing for you to learn, because holding on too long only hurts more in the end.
that's what i think would be most important. I, like many others I'm sure, wish i could have a time machine and go back to make things right/better for myself. I don't think i could do that now, because the things i have learned and lived through have stuck with me like a bad rain cloud. i wish i could just go back and erase all the bad because i was a really nice when i was young.
1. Older guys are NOT cool. You know what i mean, and knock it off. if a guy is 10 years older than you, but still has your same interests he is a loser, and immature. it is not cool to have an older boyfriend, in fact it should be considered lame that you connect with a grown-ass adult like they are a child. this is their problem, not yours and don't forget that. In case you don't learn your lesson with this advise the first time, be prepared that you WILL learn it the second time and it will be hell, and the worst experience you will have in your life.
2. Not everyone is an asshole. Pessimistic views and teenagers are like mac&cheese, but some people in your life are looking out for you, and when you get older they will prove that. Whatever you think of people right now will change. nothing in life is constant and that is the only constant you will have in life. People change, people evolve, people grow apart and that is OK. everything will be just fine, you can and will live with and without some people despite what you think of them now.
3. Don't move out! at least not at 17, huge mistake. you probably won't listen (remember point #1) but know even if you make big mistakes you will land on your feet. I would say you are like a cat because the shit storm you will get into and out of because of bad/misguided decisions will feel like you have dodged about 9lives worth of bullets. It will be OK eventually, but the bottom is not going to be fun, and having no money will leave you there a while.
4. You have an excellent memory but try not to use it on other people. you will be a happier person if you can learn to let things slide. people make mistakes, as will you, and you wouldn't want people holding things against you for years just because they remember them. i don't think that this is going to happen, as my current self is still working on this, but maybe if i tried earlier i would be in a better place now.
5. life is NOT going to turn out the way you are expecting/planning/anticipating. NEVER. no not even if you plan it that way. or that way. just no.
6. somethings in life are really important, and some things are not. same goes for people. try to decipher early which is which. putting energy into things that are doomed to fail is a waste and could be spent on so much more worthy causes/people.
7. you won't be famous, so you don't need to make your life as drama filled as possible. just because Elizabeth Taylor had wide love affairs and multiple marriages with wildly inappropriate men does not mean you need to follow suite. no one is writing a biography on your life, so making things 10 times more complicated than they need to be will only cause you heart ache.
8. learn to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run. I think this is self explanatory...but just in case see point #1 and #3 for reference. this would probably the most important thing for you to learn, because holding on too long only hurts more in the end.
that's what i think would be most important. I, like many others I'm sure, wish i could have a time machine and go back to make things right/better for myself. I don't think i could do that now, because the things i have learned and lived through have stuck with me like a bad rain cloud. i wish i could just go back and erase all the bad because i was a really nice when i was young.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Make Up Obsession
I recently was living back in the US for a couple months, and it didn't really hit me until I was packing to leave how bad my obsession has gotten. I have a wonderful husband who tolerates just about anything I could throw at him (of course I would never throw makeup that could break haha.) I got to adding up in my head how much I had spent over the last couple months on makeup and clothing and shoes and lotion (oh my god the lotion.) It didn't really hit me until it was all there in front of me.
There really is no way of not making eye contact with a full-sized bed full of the things you brought, and the small luggage they all must fit in to. It was all a happy ending, as my husband is a frequent flier and allowed extra luggage, but it really hit me how tolerant he has been through all this. I own probably more makeup than I will ever go through in a life time, maybe two, and I still have a desire or a compulsion to buy more. I think I am like a bird that is attracted to shiny things, only mine is shimmery eyeshadow and sparkly lip gloss. I am a bit OCD so my things are very tidy, well organized, and easily accessible but where does it end? Will I always be on the hunt for the next best face lotion, or the best eyeliner, or the best more unique eyeshadow color.
For now I am committing myself to not buying anything I don't need until I am back in the US to visit my family in january. I did get some amazing deals on cosmetics and lotion while in the states, that I never would have gotten here, so I have decided maybe it is a better strategy to save up my money for 6 months at a time and make one big purchase when I get things for a steal in the states. It sounds like a good plan, and most probably even money-saving in the long run but how does that work out for a complete shopaholic with a major make up obsession...
There really is no way of not making eye contact with a full-sized bed full of the things you brought, and the small luggage they all must fit in to. It was all a happy ending, as my husband is a frequent flier and allowed extra luggage, but it really hit me how tolerant he has been through all this. I own probably more makeup than I will ever go through in a life time, maybe two, and I still have a desire or a compulsion to buy more. I think I am like a bird that is attracted to shiny things, only mine is shimmery eyeshadow and sparkly lip gloss. I am a bit OCD so my things are very tidy, well organized, and easily accessible but where does it end? Will I always be on the hunt for the next best face lotion, or the best eyeliner, or the best more unique eyeshadow color.
For now I am committing myself to not buying anything I don't need until I am back in the US to visit my family in january. I did get some amazing deals on cosmetics and lotion while in the states, that I never would have gotten here, so I have decided maybe it is a better strategy to save up my money for 6 months at a time and make one big purchase when I get things for a steal in the states. It sounds like a good plan, and most probably even money-saving in the long run but how does that work out for a complete shopaholic with a major make up obsession...
Saturday, April 16, 2011
L'oreal warehouse sale
why...why do these companies do this to me? First annabelle/marcelle now L'oreal? who's next?
I am not one to pass up amazing deals, maybe i should start being that person though. my husband has this saying, i'm going broke saving money. that is starting to be true, if i hadn't been broke already. love that student budget! on to the better parts now.
This all started because it was my anniversary on april 12th, and my loving husband had decided to get me this perfume that i had been lemming. Vitkor & Rolf Flowerbomb, i can't even describe it. it is sweet, it is soft, it is intoxicating and it doesn't give me a headache (i am very sensitive to perfumes) In canada it happens to be very expensive... at 105$ for 50 ml but a co worker of my husband's had an invite to the l'oreal/lancome/maybelline/fragrance warehouse sale. sure enough, lucky as i was, they had it there for 49.50$ of course i made up for the price difference with mascara :P
I did pick up my mascara allotment for the year, 3 of my fav l'oreal voluminous, 1 l'oreal collagen, 1 l'oreal telescopic explosion (which i have wanted to try for ages but it is expensive for drugstore in canada and i just refuse to spend that amount on l'oreal) 2 maybelline full 'n soft, and 2 maybelline last stiletto. i also picked up 2 maybelline dream matte foundation and 1 concealer all in light 0. i got 3 maybelline color sensational lip stains, 1 color sensational lipstick and one l'oreal hip duo and 1 l'oreal wear infinite eyeshadow.
this particular purchase was considerably more than the annabelle warehouse sale, but the steals were still pretty good, my total was 118.50$ before taxes. i did the same breakdown like last time just to see what i saved so here it is
Viktor & Rolf Flower bomb 105.00
l'oreal voluminous x3 10.99
l'oreal collagen 13.99
l'oreal telescopic explosion 13.99
maybelline lash stiletto x2 10.99
maybelline full 'n soft x2 10.99
maybelline dream matte foundation x2 14.99
maybelline dream concealer 8.99
l'oreal hip duo 11.49
l'oreal wear infinite 6.99
maybelline color sensational lip stain x3 10.99
maybelline color sensational lipstick 11.49
grand total: retail 311.82 before taxes. i paid 118.50 before taxes (they did over charge me by 2.75 which i didn't notice at the time and i can't do anything about it now but for that price difference i will just consider it a small fee)
I am not one to pass up amazing deals, maybe i should start being that person though. my husband has this saying, i'm going broke saving money. that is starting to be true, if i hadn't been broke already. love that student budget! on to the better parts now.
This all started because it was my anniversary on april 12th, and my loving husband had decided to get me this perfume that i had been lemming. Vitkor & Rolf Flowerbomb, i can't even describe it. it is sweet, it is soft, it is intoxicating and it doesn't give me a headache (i am very sensitive to perfumes) In canada it happens to be very expensive... at 105$ for 50 ml but a co worker of my husband's had an invite to the l'oreal/lancome/maybelline/fragrance warehouse sale. sure enough, lucky as i was, they had it there for 49.50$ of course i made up for the price difference with mascara :P
I did pick up my mascara allotment for the year, 3 of my fav l'oreal voluminous, 1 l'oreal collagen, 1 l'oreal telescopic explosion (which i have wanted to try for ages but it is expensive for drugstore in canada and i just refuse to spend that amount on l'oreal) 2 maybelline full 'n soft, and 2 maybelline last stiletto. i also picked up 2 maybelline dream matte foundation and 1 concealer all in light 0. i got 3 maybelline color sensational lip stains, 1 color sensational lipstick and one l'oreal hip duo and 1 l'oreal wear infinite eyeshadow.
this particular purchase was considerably more than the annabelle warehouse sale, but the steals were still pretty good, my total was 118.50$ before taxes. i did the same breakdown like last time just to see what i saved so here it is
Viktor & Rolf Flower bomb 105.00
l'oreal voluminous x3 10.99
l'oreal collagen 13.99
l'oreal telescopic explosion 13.99
maybelline lash stiletto x2 10.99
maybelline full 'n soft x2 10.99
maybelline dream matte foundation x2 14.99
maybelline dream concealer 8.99
l'oreal hip duo 11.49
l'oreal wear infinite 6.99
maybelline color sensational lip stain x3 10.99
maybelline color sensational lipstick 11.49
grand total: retail 311.82 before taxes. i paid 118.50 before taxes (they did over charge me by 2.75 which i didn't notice at the time and i can't do anything about it now but for that price difference i will just consider it a small fee)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Annabelle/Marcelle Warehouse Sale
I, by a complete fluke of luck, discovered that this weekend in montreal there was a warehouse sale for Annabelle and Marcelle cosmetics. This is a semi-annual sale (which i will store in my memory for november) and the prices are like stealing. All annabelle makeup is 1.50 and all marcelle makeup is 2.50. Those are amazing since annabelle retails for between 4.99 to 10.99 and marcelle cosmetics are a little higher at around 8-20.
I found out a bit late, the night before the last day of the sale so who knows how much was there on the first day, but there seemed to be plenty left when i got there on sunday afternoon. It was pretty basic, and i didn't have my camera to take pictures inside, but it was just a bunch of tables covered with cut open boxes and each box had a different product/color inside to separate them all. This is a limited edition summer colors eye shadow/bronzer compact called Ibiza from annabelle, a pink/bronze marbled blush from marcelle called summer chic (there are 2, as i bought one for my sister as well). and 2 lip glosses from annabelle in metro mango and vivid volume. To be honest, the packaging on these is complete rubbish, but they do feel nice, but not super pigmented more of a color wash.
This is the other marble blush (for my lucky sister) some of their mono eye shadows in a quad that i also picked up for my sister in the colors buff naked, so foxy, jazzberry (LE) and Ka-ching.
Those are 4 smudgeliners in honey (golden at top), extra celestial, Wahine blue, and smokey blue, below that are 2 mineral eye dusts in quicksilver and sunkissed(both LE), a bronze/blush in bali bronze (LE) and a studio pigment in aurora (LE)
Also from the first picture (i didn't get a close up as my memory card was full) are a package of makeup remover cloths 15 count, i bought 20 of these packs because hey were 5 for 1.50, and 2 lipgloss pens from marcelle that were in morning dew and pink flash.
since i am curious i will be going over the prices i want to compare what i actually paid to what it is worth.
this list can't be perfect because some of the limited edition products i can not find the actual retail price of anymore so i wll estimate based on items that are still or sale in similar products.
marcelle summer chic x2 12.99
marcelle lip gloss pens x2 estimate 8.99 each
Annabelle volume lip gloss x2 8.50 each
annabelle monoshadows x4 4.25 each
annabelle bali bronze estimate 8.99
annabelle studio pigment 8.50
annabelle ibiza estimate 12.99
annabelle mineral pigments x2 8.50
annabelle smudgeliners x4 8.95
20 packages of 15 wipes (sold in 2 packs retail) x10 8.99
retail total= $251.14 before taxes
I paid 38.50 before taxes
AWESOME!
I found out a bit late, the night before the last day of the sale so who knows how much was there on the first day, but there seemed to be plenty left when i got there on sunday afternoon. It was pretty basic, and i didn't have my camera to take pictures inside, but it was just a bunch of tables covered with cut open boxes and each box had a different product/color inside to separate them all. This is a limited edition summer colors eye shadow/bronzer compact called Ibiza from annabelle, a pink/bronze marbled blush from marcelle called summer chic (there are 2, as i bought one for my sister as well). and 2 lip glosses from annabelle in metro mango and vivid volume. To be honest, the packaging on these is complete rubbish, but they do feel nice, but not super pigmented more of a color wash.
This is the other marble blush (for my lucky sister) some of their mono eye shadows in a quad that i also picked up for my sister in the colors buff naked, so foxy, jazzberry (LE) and Ka-ching.
Those are 4 smudgeliners in honey (golden at top), extra celestial, Wahine blue, and smokey blue, below that are 2 mineral eye dusts in quicksilver and sunkissed(both LE), a bronze/blush in bali bronze (LE) and a studio pigment in aurora (LE)
Also from the first picture (i didn't get a close up as my memory card was full) are a package of makeup remover cloths 15 count, i bought 20 of these packs because hey were 5 for 1.50, and 2 lipgloss pens from marcelle that were in morning dew and pink flash.since i am curious i will be going over the prices i want to compare what i actually paid to what it is worth.
this list can't be perfect because some of the limited edition products i can not find the actual retail price of anymore so i wll estimate based on items that are still or sale in similar products.
marcelle summer chic x2 12.99
marcelle lip gloss pens x2 estimate 8.99 each
Annabelle volume lip gloss x2 8.50 each
annabelle monoshadows x4 4.25 each
annabelle bali bronze estimate 8.99
annabelle studio pigment 8.50
annabelle ibiza estimate 12.99
annabelle mineral pigments x2 8.50
annabelle smudgeliners x4 8.95
20 packages of 15 wipes (sold in 2 packs retail) x10 8.99
retail total= $251.14 before taxes
I paid 38.50 before taxes
AWESOME!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Today...was a good day. I was killing time, chatting on the phone with my mom, wandering a store between classes when much to my surprise i saw a little gem sticking out of a clearance basket. Yes...that is correct, i am a bargain hunter and no i don't really mind being called cheap. Long ago, a couple years now i think, i had found a bunch of these truly awesome lip glosses at the dollar store for a buck each from Maybelline. Shine Seduction, they had me at shine. I love lip gloss, i have yet to truly discover if i love looking at it more than actually wearing it but that is another story for another day. Today's story however, I had found one of these fabulous lip gloss's bigger older sister the Volume Seduction XL. These were discontinued a while back i believe, as at the time i had found one on clearance for about 3 bucks. I love these lip glosses, i love the feel (not sticky or tacky) i love the colors (some are sheer some are pigmented) i even love the applicator (hard plastic tip that the products twists up out of) all around i have loved these. Today i found one just shining at me out of a very sad basket so i picked it up. Having no price marked on it, and there was not even a space in the Maybelline display any longer i had no idea how much it was, so i walked over to the price scanner to check.
YA! That's right... 0.01... this lip gloss that i have loved for several years that has been missing from my existence was 1 penny. Now how could I leave that behind, sad, in an over crowded basket. I very much think that 1 penny fits a students budget. I swear i need to do project 10 pan, but not today.
YA! That's right... 0.01... this lip gloss that i have loved for several years that has been missing from my existence was 1 penny. Now how could I leave that behind, sad, in an over crowded basket. I very much think that 1 penny fits a students budget. I swear i need to do project 10 pan, but not today.
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